Welcome to your one stop shop for common Exams/Assessments FAQs. If your query isn’t listed, get in touch on Instagram or advice@tudublinsu.ie and we’ll do our best to get the answers for you. Best of luck!
What's on this Page?
Before Exams/Assessments
During Exams/Assessments
After Exams/Assessments
I'm anxious about these Exams, who can I talk to?
Feeling stressed or worried about exams is normal; the good news is that there is help available from the University Counselling services. If you click on these links, you will find information on how to make an appointment to speak to someone to help you cope with your anxiety and other supports that are available to you.
Exam Timetables
You can find links to exam timetables (as they are released) here:
Are these exam timetables ‘final’ or will they change much?
The timetables do change occasionally due to unforeseen circumstances so students should check the online schedules or their student email regularly for any relevant updates. Don't save them or screenshot them as they may change!
How can I contact the Exams Office?
You can contact the exams office here.
What Can I Bring Into the Exam?
Can I bring a calculator to the exam?
Only approved calculators can be brought into the Exam Hall. The University has adopted the rules of the State Examination Commission in relation to the use of calculators in Examinations. The list of permitted and prohibited calculators in TU Dublin City Campus Examinations is available here.
If a particular type/brand of calculator is not listed here it is prohibited so don’t bring it in with you.
Can I bring a Log tables to my maths exam?
There’s no need as these are always provided by the Exams Office.
What if I think there’s are mistakes or questions missing from the Exam paper?
If you think there are errors or omissions on the exam paper, you should notify the Invigilator immediately who will alert the Exams Office so that it can clarified with the relevant lecturer(s).
What help is available from the Library?
The staff in the Libraries are always very helpful to students in assisting them with resources available you complete your assignments, help with revising and referencing. You can contact the library here.
Where can I get past Exam papers?
There are currently three different ways to access past papers online - one for each campus.
- Visit www.tudublin.ie/library
- Select your campus location i.e. Blanchardstown, City Centre, or Tallaght
- Select the 'Search Resources' tab
- Select the 'Exam Papers' tab. This will bring them to the exam papers page for their library.?
Direct links for each campus:
- Blanchardstown
- Tallaght
- City Campus: Students and staff can now access past exam papers for programmes based in Grangegorman, Aungier Street, and Bolton Street using your TU Dublin email credentials, i.e., your TU Dublin email address and password.
There is a change to the look of the new Sharepoint past exam papers landing page, but the search steps remain the same:
Visit the Exam Papers page on the Library Website: https://www.tudublin.ie/library/cc/search-resources/exam-papers/
OR
Access the Exam Papers via the Library Catalogue
Please get in touch with your home library or Faculty Liaison Librarian if you require assistance finding or accessing past exam papers. Please note that not all past papers are made available.
I have personal issues (e.g., illness, bereavement, other unexpected difficulties) and I don’t think I am able to sit these Exams, what can I do?
You should contact your Year Tutor to explain the situation and they will be able to go through the various options available.
You can also fill out an Extenuating Circumstances Form:
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The Extenuating Circumstances (EC) Form is provided by TU Dublin for students who believe their performance in an assessment was adversely affected by unforeseen personal or serious difficulties.
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The form determines: if a student should undertake an alternative form of assessment or if a student’s next attempt at an assessment/examination will be considered as their first or second (or subsequent) attempt.
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The EC Form cannot be used to alter a mark or exempt a student from completing the learning outcomes of the programme.
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The EC Form should not be used for reporting quality assurance issues, concerns relating to general work pressure, informing the University of personal disruptions, informing the University about financial constraints, providing unsupported reasons for missing assessments/examinations/deadlines, complaining about tight deadlines, or complaining about lecturing standards.
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The EC Form must be supported by ‘independent authoritative evidence’ (i.e., a completed Professional Opinion Form).
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Both forms must be completed and returned, by email, to Academic Affairs at ecforms@tudublin.ie within specific timescales.
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For course work, the deadline for submitting an Extenuating Circumstances form is normally not later than three working days after the scheduled hand-in date for the assignment.
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For examinations, the completed form should be submitted normally not later than three working days after the last examination taken.
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The provider of independent authoritative evidence shall be any professional individual who has dealt professionally with the student submitting the EC Form and who is aware of the extenuating circumstances leading to the student submitting the EC Form. Examples inlude:
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TU Dublin Health Service/Medical Practitioner
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TU Dublin Councilling Service/Mental Health Professional
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Gardaí/Fire Service Office
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TU Dublin Chaplaincy Service
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Examinations Representative
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IT Helpdesk
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The Extenuating Circumstances Form and supporting evidence should be completed and returned, by email, to Academic Affairs at ecforms@tudublin.ie in MS Word or pdf format only.
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It is the candidate’s responsibility to ensure the form is submitted on time, within the timeframe allowed.
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As the forms may contain sensitive personal data, students are advised not to copy other email addresses on the forms being submitted.
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PLEASE NOTE: Submission of a form does NOT guarantee that it will be accepted by the Exam Board.
You can also get support from the TU Dublin Counselling Service; here’s more information and links to book an appointment. They are available all through the summer
Some of my exam times are clashing, what can I do?
You should contact the relevant Exam Office asap and they will be able to sort it out for you. It might be simply an administrative error that can be rectified easily.
TUDSU.TV Articles:
Check out this selection of relevant articles we have on www.tudsu.tv:
TU Dublin Supports Available for Students:
Exams Office
Staff in the Examinations Offices on each campus are always available to answer any questions you might have about your examinations, e.g. if you have any issues with your examination timetable, queries about the marks for different components in your modules, accessing your results and any other random question you might have. They are always very helpful and happy to clarify any queries you might have.
How to contact the Exams Office
Health Service
The Student Health Service is available on all sites for students to use, these are free of charge to most undergraduate and postgraduate students. Services include general medical, sexual, psychological and social aspects of student health.
How to contact the Health Centre
Counselling Service
The TU Dublin Counselling Service is free to all students and is where you can discuss any personal problems, mental health matters or any other concerns that are affecting you in a safe, non-judgmental environment. After you make an appointment for your initial needs assessment you will meet with a trained Counsellor who will discuss options that will suit your circumstances.
How to contact the Student Counselling Service
Disability Service
The Disability Support Services are there to help any student with a disability to successfully complete their programme in the university. This is based on the principle that students should not experience any disadvantage as a result of their disability and to ensure they have all the information and specific supports necessary for their full participation in the educational opportunities available to them.
Students can avail of a confidential one-to-one needs assessment once registered with the service. Following on from that the required supports are put in place based on the student’s needs and this is then communicated with the relevant school and academic staff.
How to contact the Disability Support Services
Study Guides & Getting Organised
Coping With Stress
Guide to Online/Open Book Exams
Environment:
- Check your environment and that you have all the information, stationery, etc ready to go.
- Check your laptop etc. is charged, you have internet access etc.
- Have a clock to hand or set a timer so you know how long you have left in the examination.
- Make sure family/friends etc. are aware of your plans and time duration for the online exam
- Ensure you are hydrated and have access to any required food for the duration.
Completing the paper:
- Write your student number clearly on the top of every page. (Advice: have these prewritten to give you extra time during the exam and so you don’t forget your student number on any pages when you are finished)
- Write page numbers on the top of every page so the order is clear. (Advice: have these prewritten to give you extra time during the exam and so you don’t forget any numbering of any pages)
- Write the main question number (Q 1, 2, etc.) and section (a, b, c, etc.) clearly.
- Creating PDFs of Handwritten solutions
Study Tips, Organising your time and workspace
Plan your revision and make sure you have all the notes etc; if you are missing material ask your Tutor, the lecturer, or a classmate to sort you out. Wikipedia can be great for clarifying very general information just for your personal understanding of general information, but can be edited by others, so always look for an academic source to back it up, or don’t use that information at all (it’s too risky)
Do out a study/work schedule and try to stick to it. Discipline is key, and we are habitual creatures, so if you start off good, you’re far more likely to stick to a plan after a few good sessions of study.
The absolute best ratio of study time to break time is 3:1. Studying for 45mins and taking a 15-minute break may seem like you’re throwing away 25% of your time, but after 45 minutes the concentration levels drop considerably, and the study you get in the following 45 minutes will be far more effective after giving your brain a rest.
Eat well – limit junk food and sweets!
Don’t overdo the booze or eliminate it as much as possible. A night of heavy drinking doesn’t just cost you an evening’s study, it can often rule you out of being effective for the next day.
Get regular exercise.
Sleep well – get the 8 hours a night and this will keep you clear-headed for study and assignments. All-nighters seem like a good idea at the last minute, but two hours of study starting at 2am will only net you a fraction of what you get out of the same time the next morning
Remember you can talk to your FREE student Health Centres or a Student Counsellor, who provide confidential support for students who are experiencing feeling of distress or worry.
If you get sick or have some personal difficulty that’s getting in the way fill out an Extenuating Circumstances Form and get a medical cert or other verification and hand it to the Exams Office or Email, it into them.
Some of my exams are online and the broadband is very unstable where I am living now, I’m worried about being able to complete my online exams, what can I do?
You should flag this in advance to the Exam Office and they will contact ICT services to see if there are any additional supports that can be put in place so that you will be able to complete your exams.
If difficulties arise on the day, you can document this on an Extenuating Circumstances Form.
What will happen if I miss the submission deadline for one of my repeat assignments?
In most cases lecturers will have a staged level of penalties for students that miss the deadline to hand in assignments. For example, it's you are late by one day you might lose 10% of the marks available. This might gradually increase over a week or so.
Information about such penalties should be available in your Student Handbook or should be provided by the lecturer when they issue the brief or topic for the assignment. The best thing to do is to make yourself aware in advance of the date /time the assignment is due and the implications of being late.
I have a learning disability and want to make sure I have been allocated extra time and supports for my exams; how do I contact the Disability Office?
You should get in touch with your local Disability Support Services to discuss your needs and find out what steps you should take to ensure that all your accommodations are in place. The Support Officers will be able to liaise with your School and the Exams Office on your behalf. Any supports that were available for semester 1 and 2 MUST be provided for the repeats as well.
What if I can’t find my student ID card on the day of the exam?
It's good practice to have your Student Card ready the day before the exams starts!
But if you lose it or mislay it on the day of the exam don't panic and spend hours looking for it. Bring some other kind of photo ID with you and then get a replacement Student Card as soon as possible as students are required to have official TU Dublin identification while on campus.
Can I bring a dictionary into the exam?
Generally speaking, the answer is no, unless you/class have specific permission from the lecturer who set the exam paper stating that you are allowed to do so. This must also be confirmed by the Invigilator on the day.
Can I bring a snack into the Exam Hall?
Officially students are only allowed bring water into their exam.
What if I'm late to my exam?
Make sure to leave enough time to get to the exam hall in time because if you’re more than 30 minutes late you won’t be admitted or if another student has left before you arrive you cannot be admitted.
What do I do with my phone during the exam?
Switch off the phone, put it in your bag, or face down on the floor beside your seat; having a phone on your person e.g. (in a pocket) during an exam (regardless of whether its switched on or off) is a breach of the assessment regulations. You could get you into serious trouble as a consequence of forgetting. The best way to avoid this happening is to remember to switch it off and put it in your bag before you enter the exam hall.
What if I can’t upload my online exam answers in time, what can I do?
You will need to alert the Exams Office by email here straight away and explain in detail what the issue was, and they will be able to assist you further.
Can I leave the Exam Hall before the exam is over?
If you are finished answering all the required questions and confident that you don't need to write any more, you can leave up to 30 minutes before the official finish time.
Do make sure you have read over all your answers thoroughly before you leave, sometimes you can get inspired to add some final useful information right at the last minute so it's probably a good idea to wait until the time is up!
I missed my exam; who should I contact?
As there is no other official exam sitting before the start of the 2022/3 academic year missing an exam can have serious consequences for progression, ‘Carrying’ modules isn’t always allowed or a good idea due to the additional workload involved. For final year exams it can delay graduation. So, we strongly advise you to confirm and remember all the dates, times, locations so that you find yourself in this situation.
If you missed an exam because of unexpected circumstances such as illness or an accident you need to fill in in the Extenuating Circumstances Form so that you when you repeat it at the next sitting it will not be capped at 40% or whatever the pass mark is.
When will I get my Exam results?
Students will be notified by e-mail to their student email account outlining the specific dates and times for release of exam results. See here for more information.
If I have a query about my exam results, who should I contact?
In the first instance, you should contact the Exams office, especially you have a technical query. For instance, they will be able to advise if your query is about the marks recorded in the grade book system for components of a module.
You can also email the lecturer to get clarification on your marks and to get feedback on your performance in the exam, or your continuous assessment marks as well.
What will happen if I fail one of these Exams?
Hopefully that won’t happen. You may be allowed ‘carry’ but that’s not automatic. Carrying a module is only allowed in some situations, for instance it can depends on several factors such as the credit weighting of the module, if it’s a required module that you need to have passed for the following year or if it’s a core subject area that has to be passed this year etc. It’s also tricky in terms of the workload for the following year and as such many Schools don't allow it, especially if progressing to an award year. The precise rules on progressing for your programme should be outlined in your Handbook.
In final year it will delay graduation as all modules have to be successfully completed to get your degree awarded.
Are all Repeat exams capped at 40%?
This varies depending on the circumstances, for instance if you are resitting due to unexpected extenuating circumstances such as illness, accident or bereavement your marks probably won’t be capped.