What you need to know about exams
We hope that this page will answer many of the practical questions you may have about exams. Use the table of contents to quickly navigate the page.
This page does not replace the curriculum, which still constitutes the regulative basis for your study programme.
1. When will the exam be held?
2. When do I register for the exam?
3. What happens if my registration is rejected?
4. When will I know the basis for the exam?
5. In which language is the exam held?
6. How will I know the time and the location of the exam?
7. What happens if I am too ill to sit an exam?
8. How do I identify myself at the exam?
9. What should I bring to the exam?
10. Where and when do I get my exam results?
11. Changing dates of exams due to exchange mobility
1. When will the exam be held?
The Study and Students' Affairs sets the exam dates for courses involving a written exam in lecture hall. Exams are held on Tuesday to Friday inclusive in the last week of the block. The exam dates are set for one block at a time and are published in the course description ( view deadlines). Written exams in lecture halls that are not held on one of the ordinary exam days will be held when possible.
For other exams, any exam dates, submission dates etc. are posted on Absalon – if possible two weeks before the exam is held at the latest. This also applies when exams are held outside the three ordinary exam days. If an exam date causes problems to you due to other study activities, exams etc., you must contact the course responsible immediately after the exam date has been published. Dates for written exams held in lecture halls normally cannot be changed.
Special information about reexamination
In the block structure students resit exams according to the following plan:
Block 1 - in calendar week 9
Block 2 and 3 - in calendar week 26
Block 4 - in calendar week 45
The dates will be published in the exam schedule at the latest ( view deadlines).
Please note that written exams in lecture halls will automatically be changed into oral exams if five people or less have registered for the exam. However, the course responsible does have the right to retain the written exam method.
Other forms of exam may prove technically difficult in connection with resitting an exam. In such a situation the most suitable alternative form of examination will be used. The form of examination will be specified in the exam schedule ( view deadlines).
Furthermore, the individual student’s form of examination may vary in the case of multiple-section exams. In the case, for example, of an exam consisting of a multiple-choice test and an oral exam where one section has been completed satisfactorily, the student may only have to resit the other section. This assessment is left to the course responsible. The form of exam is published in the examination plan.
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2. When do I register for the exam?
When your course registration has passed the automatic rule check and you have been assigned to a class, you will automatically be registered for the examination. You can cancel an exam registration until Friday in the third week of the first block of the course. During the third week of the course you may also register for the exam directly, even if you have not registered for the course. This is only relevant if you intend to attend the exam as your re-examination.
It is your responsibility to check that your exam registrations are correct. Please do this no later than during the third week of the block.
For courses that extend into several blocks registration for both classes and exams will take place in the first block of the course. This is done to allow for courses with continuous assessment (Example: A course beginning in block 1 extends into four blocks and each block is followed by an exam. Registration for the exam takes place in block 1 with the option of registering and cancelling up to the third week of block 1. This means that it is not possible to cancel from the exam immediately before the last exam in block 4).
At the end of the third week of the block the exam registration is complete. Only the Study and Students' Affairs may in very special cases allow an exemption from the registration deadline.
Special information about reexaminations
You must actively register to resit exams at sb.life.ku.dk ( view deadlines). In deference to the planning of exams, the Study and Students' Affairs will only in very special cases be able to grant exemptions from the registration deadline.
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3. What happens if my registration is rejected?
Immediately after registering, your registration will be subjected to an automatic rule check. If your registration is granted status as “Rejected” at KUnet > Self Service > Enrolment, Courses and Exam., you have still registered on time. Rejections can be caused by several factors. Some rejections are caused by missing entries in the curricula. This will be rectified by the Study and Students' Affairs as soon as possible, but it may take a few weeks before they have all been completed.
Others may have their registration rejected because they do not meet the mandatory preconditions for registering or because of too many failed exam attempts. Students who are rejected for these reasons require an exemption by the study board, and in order to obtain an exemption before the exam starts, you must submit your application as soon as possible.
If your registration is not in place within two weeks of registering, you must contact the Study and Students' Affairs. You will not be included in the exam schedule until everything has been sorted out.
Any preconditions that must be fulfilled for you to be entered for the exam are stated in the course description. If you do not fulfil these preconditions, the course responsible will notify the Study and Students' Affairs which then cancels your exam registration. The course responsible ensures that the students affected are informed of the cancellation.
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4. When will I know the basis for the exam (syllabus)?
Exam questions may be asked within the framework provided by the syllabus list and the areas of competence as described in the course description. The areas of competence are stated in the course description. The syllabus list must be available on the course’s Absalon page, four weeks before the exam. The syllabus can consist of a joint part and an individual part, the latter being particularly relevant to project work.
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5. In which language is the exam held?
The exam language is listed in the course description. However, students who are native speakers of Norwegian or Swedish may take the exam in their native language for courses offered in Danish.
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6. How will I know the time and the location of a written exam?
The Study and Students' Affairs prepares a detailed exam schedule for written exams in lecture halls, stating the time, location and the names of the students taking the exam. For exams that fall outside the three ordinary exam days, the exam schedule will, whenever possible, be available two weeks before the exam at the latest.
For other exam methods the time and location of the exam are published two weeks before the exam at the latest.
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7. What happens if I am too ill to sit an exam?
If you are ill on the day of the exam, you must, in the event of oral/practical exams, contact the course responsible to make sure that he or she is not waiting for you. You do not have to notify the Faculty of Life Sciences for written exams. In both cases you must contact your GP on the same day and have him or her issue a medical certificate/friattest. The medical certificate/friattest must be sent to the Study and Students' Affairs as soon as possible. You will initially be registered as absent from the exam, but the Study and Student's Affairs will change this to a sickness report once they have received the note/friattest. That way it will not count as an exam attempt. Expenses for a medical certificate/friattest in connection with illness during exams will not be reimbursed.
If you fall ill during the actual exam, you must notify the invigilator. You should not hand anything in for evaluation if you want to be registered as absent due to illness. You must contact your GP on the same day and request a doctor’s note/friattest as specified above.
If you are ill for a significant number of classes, you can apply to be cancelled from the exam. You must provide proof of your illness as specified above.
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8. How do I identify myself at the exam?
You must bring a valid student card or other means of photo ID for written exams in lecture halls.
You must also state your student number and name or exam number on your exam paper.
An exam number (anonymous grading) is awarded in exams where students can be made anonymous. Exam numbers are allocated on a random basis when registering for the exam and are published at KUnet > Self Service > Enrolment, Courses and Exam > Exam > Show registrations and cancellations. If the exam number field is empty, you must state your name and student number on your exam paper.
You must bring the exam number to the exam yourself.
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9. What should I bring to the exam?
It is a good idea to bring a selection of writing utensils to the exam. It is required to use a pen or similar writing utensil carrying permanent ink to complete your exam paper. Moreover, you may always bring calculators and ordinary (not technical) dictionaries. In closed-book exams you must remember to clear the calculator memory. Random checks will be carried out.
Mobile phones and other communication equipment are not permitted at the exam. If you forget to leave these items at home, you MUST hand them to the invigilator before the exam starts. It is your responsibility to reclaim them before you leave.
MP3 players and similar equipment must not be used during the exam.
It is stated in the course description whether exam aids are permitted at the exam. If exam aids are permitted, then both textbooks and notes may be brought to the exam. Computers are never permitted, though.
Food and drink is of course permitted at the exam, but think of your fellow students. The noise of somebody eating certain types of food (such as carrots and whole apples) can be very disruptive in a stressful exam situation.
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10. Where and when do I get my exam results?
As soon as possible after the exam the results are submitted to the Study and Students' Affairs which normally records them on the same day. Immediately after recording they can be viewed at KUnet > Self Service > Enrolment, Courses and Exam, where you can also view statistics of the grades awarded at the particular exam.
For forms of examination methods where the results are not made available immediately after the exam, there will generally be a three-week deadline after the exam in which to submit the results ( view deadlines). The Study and Students' Affairs will then inform the head of the department of any missing results.
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For incoming international exchange students (NDI student number)
If your semester starts at your home university before the end of the semester at LIFE, it is possible to change the dates of your exam here at LIFE. You can either take an exam in the entire curriculum and get full credit for the course or take an exam in a part of the curriculum and get the equivalent credits.
If you wish to take an exam worth the full credit load, please contact the course responsible in the beginning of the block, and no later than 3 weeks after the start of the block, to set up an alternative exam with him/her.
If you only take an exam worth part of the credits of the course, the course will appear as an individual study at your transcript of records with the name of the course. If so after talking to the course responsible, please contact the Secretariat for Internationalisation at to set up an individual study. Please do so in the beginning of the block and no later than 3 weeks after the start of the block.
For International and Danish full degree students going abroad on exchange
If you are going abroad on exchange and the semester on the host university collides with exam dates at LIFE, it is possible to change the dates of your exam at LIFE. You can either take an exam in the entire curriculum and get full credit for the course or take an exam in a part of the curriculum and get the equivalent credits.
If you wish to take an exam worth the full credit load, please contact the course responsible in the beginning of the block, and no later than 3 weeks after the start of the block, to set up an alternative exam with him/her.
If you only take an exam worth part of the credits of the course, you need to get an approval from the study board of your study programme. Please get the approval from the study board as well as the course responsible in the beginning of the block and no later than 3 weeks after the start of the block.
Ane Mette Holmsteen, - last update:17 January 2012