Exam FAQs

Personalised exam timetables for Autumn will be published in SOLS (under Timetable > Exam Timetable) on 6 May 2022. For timetable release dates for other sessions, visit the exam dates page.

To view your exam timetable:

1. Click the Access Exam Timetable button in the Exam Timetable menu item in SOLS
2. You may then need to log in to your UOW account again
3. Select the correct exam period

Unable to access your timetable?

When trying to view your timetable, if you see the error message; ‘Sorry your login was correct but you are not recorded in our database’, please try the following troubleshooting steps:

1. Make sure that you are looking at the exam event in the correct session of study.
2. If you are not in the correct exam event click ‘view a different exam period’, ‘click here’, and select the correct exam period.
3. If you are in the correct exam event and still see the error message please try refreshing the page.
4. If you still cannot access your timetable, try opening an incognito window or another browser. You will be prompted to log in with your UOW credentials again.
5. If you are still not able to view your timetable contact the Exams Team at exams@uow.edu.au.

Some subjects do not have centrally scheduled/administered final exams, may have a different final assessment, or your Subject Coordinator may choose to organise the exam themselves.  Only centrally scheduled exams will be displayed on your personalised exam timetable in SOLS. Your Subject Coordinator will communicate with you directly regarding details of final assessments for subjects that do not have centrally scheduled/administered final exams. 

Your exam timetable will be organised by subject. Under each subject, the following details will be listed:

• The time the exam starts and the duration of the exam
• The format of the exam and whether it will be invigilated (supervised)
• Items you should have available to complete the task (e.g. UOW approved calculator/textbooks or other reference material)
• Reasonable adjustments (if you have applied and been approved for them)

If you have any questions about your exam timetable, please contact the Exams Team at exams@uow.edu.au.

The format, timing and submission processes for final exams are specific for each subject and will be listed on your exam timetable. Exam formats include:

• Online exam (via Moodle)
• Online invigilated exam (via Moodle and invigilated via Proctorio)
• Practical exam on campus

If you have any questions about your exam timetable, please contact the Exams Team at exams@uow.edu.au.

You can also refer to UOW's Online Examination Procedure (PDF) for information on the process staff and students must follow when conducting and undertaking end-of-session online examinations.

Your exam timetable will outline the materials permitted for your exam and any reference material required for the exam.

Listed reference materials may include:

• Open book – reference materials permitted
• Restricted – only materials specified are permitted (e.g. textbook, formula sheet, UOW Approved Calculator)
• Closed book – no reference materials are permitted

All exams that are not invigilated will be open book. Academic integrity still applies, and students are expected to only submit work that they have written themselves. Open book does not mean you can discuss the exam with anyone during the exam. When answering questions, make sure you don’t copy exactly what is written in your textbook, lecture notes or any other resources. You still need to show that you have studied the content and can express it in your own words.

You should ensure that you are available to sit exams during the entire exam period, as holidays and normal work and carers' commitments are not considered valid reasons for missing an exam.

However, Academic Consideration may be granted in serious or extenuating circumstances which are beyond your control and which significantly impair your ability to sit an exam or complete an assessment task.

If your Academic Consideration request is approved, you will be allocated a WD – Withheld Deferred grade for the subject, until such time you have successfully completed the deferred exam.

For Autumn, deferred exams will be held between 18 – 22 July 2022.

If two of your exams are scheduled at exactly the same time on the same day, this is considered to be a direct clash. In most of these cases, UOW will contact you with details of the arrangements which will be made to deal with the clash. If you are concerned that you have not heard from us, you should contact the Exams Team within one week following the timetable being released with details of the clash.

When scheduling exams, UOW attempts to avoid any students having to sit exams for two subjects on one day. However, it is not possible to have every student with only one exam per day. Approximately 10% of students in any given exam period will have two exams scheduled on the same day. This is not considered to be a clash situation, and under normal circumstances exams will not be rescheduled.

You are able to apply for an adjustment to your exam timetable if your timetable shows that you have:

• MORE than two exams scheduled on any one day,
• MORE than three exams scheduled on two consecutive days, or
• You are residing overseas and the scheduled exam start time falls between 9pm and 7am in your local time.

To apply for an adjustment to your exam timetable, you must submit a request for special exam arrangements form by 13 May 2022.

If approved, an adjustment will be made to your exam timetable and you will be contacted by the Exams Team with further details.

If you are studying by distance, you are not required to organise a supervisor for your exams, as your exams are being delivered online and remotely. 

If you are undertaking your exam in another country, please take note of different time zones as explained below.

All exam dates and times for Australian-based UOW subjects are listed in Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST). This includes due dates and submission times for alternate assessment tasks.

If you are currently residing overseas and enrolled in Australian-based subjects, you should account for any time difference between AEST and your local time zone. This online Time Zone Converter can assist in converting a date and time in AEST to your local time zone overseas.

If you are unable to sit an exam at the scheduled time due to time zone issues please contact the Exams Team before 22 May 2022 to assess alternative exam sittings for you. Alternate exam sittings will only be approved if your exam start time falls between 9pm-7am in your local time. Alternate exam sittings will be allocated to the closest standard exam start time e.g. 9am, 1:30pm, or 6:00pm. 

Any provisions that we can reasonably accommodate will be provided. There may be some aspects of your RA document that we are not able to assist within a remote environment. This will be discussed with you to determine alternate arrangements. If you have concerns about your individual RA document please contact your Disability Liaison Officer.

If you are required to take a deferred or supplementary exam, you will not be eligible to graduate until your final results are released. Once results are released, you can reapply to graduate in the next available conferral round and will be conferred at the earliest opportunity. You can find exam key dates on our website.

Your exam timetable in SOLS will include instructions on how to access each exam. Most exams will be hosted online on the subject’s Moodle site. If you have any questions about accessing exams, please contact your Subject Coordinator.

If you think you may not be able to complete your exams online from home due to internet connectivity issues, a lack of required IT equipment, or other extenuating circumstances, please complete the request for special exam arrangements form by 20 May 2022.

You can still commence an online exam late, but you will not be given extra time to compensate for starting late.

If you are completing an online invigilated exam please have your ID (UOW student card, UOW College student card, Australian Driver Licence or passport) with you for the ID checks at the beginning of the exam. Note: If you are using a passport or Australian driver's license, the name and photo need to be clearly visible to be captured by the webcam. However other personal details such as licence/passport numbers, date of birth, addresses and card numbers should be covered/masked so these details are not visible and cannot be captured by the webcam.

 You will receive detailed instructions before your exam.

1. After you pass the 'System Diagnostic Test', you will be asked to hold your UOW Student ID Card (or other approved photo ID) in front of your webcam for a scan.
   1. Prepare ahead of time by applying for a UOW student ID card by completing the Request for UOW Student ID card form. 
   2. If you do not have a UOW student card you can use your UOW College Student ID card, passport or Australian driver licence.
   3. If you are using a passport or Australian driver licence, the name and photo need to be clearly visible to be captured by the webcam. However other personal details such as licence/passport numbers, date of birth, addresses and card numbers should be covered/masked so these details are not visible and cannount be captured by the webcam.
2. Hold your card in-front of the webcam so that the photo, initial(s), last name, and student numbers are clearly visible.
3. The program will scan your card and take a picture of it.
4. If the information is not easy to read, retake the picture using the 'Re-take' button or use the 'click here' button.
5. Examples of unclear pictures include pictures that are: overexposed, underexposed, too close, too far away, out of focus, and/or contain reflections.
6. The UOW Exams Team will check and confirm the image captures of all the exam takers. If there are any issues, you may be contacted shortly after your exam.

Your ID information is stored in an encrypted cloud server in Australia that only UOW can access.

Proctorio does not use any form of biometric analysis however it does complete some image processing to determine it has captured a sufficient photo of your ID and face.

You can conduct your ID check in your own private space by revealing full face just for the ID checking process. Just like previous ID checks that occurred on-campus, students can request that only female invigilators confirm their identities and view full face images for ID checking purposes. If you would like to request this please contact exams@uow.edu.au 

If a UOW approved calculator is required for your exam, this will be indicated on your personalised exam timetable in SOLS. You can see if your calculator is a UOW approved calculator by checking the list of approved models. 

If you experience any technical difficulties contact the Exam Support team for advice as soon as practicable via the details below:

• Live Chat: http://uow.info/live_chat (do not use the Proctorio support live chat)
• Phone: +61 4221 3000 

If you call the Exam Support team for assistance, or are waiting for a response, please be reassured that our support staff will be able to respond to your needs.  

There is no need to inform your Subject Coordinator if you are experiencing any technical difficulties, the Exam Support team provide each Subject Coordinator with this information. 

If the technical trouble cannot be resolved, you should submit a remote exam issues report.

If you have an urgent requirement to step away from your desk during an exam, please follow the instructions below:

In an invigilated exam

We strongly recommend that students go to the bathroom and take care of anything which may require their attention before the exam start time. If you do need to use the bathroom or leave your desk for another urgent reason during the exam, the period you are away from your desk will be flagged as a potential irregularity for review. Before you leave your room and move away from your device, you can speak to your device camera "having a bathroom break". This will assist invigilators with the review.

In an exam that is not invigilated

You can step away from your desk for a quick break, but you must return and complete the task within the set time requirements and will not be allocated any extra time.

If you need to leave during a timed remote online exam due to illness and are unable to complete it, you may be able to apply for academic consideration to undertake a deferred exam.

However, if you become ill during an exam but complete and submit it, you are no longer eligible to apply for academic consideration. In this instance, you must contact your Subject Coordinator after the exam to discuss your options.

If you are unable to sit an exam due to illness or another extenuating circumstance, you must apply for academic consideration to request a deferred assessment.

If your academic consideration application is successful, you will be allocated a WD – Withheld Deferred grade for the subject, until such time you have successfully completed the deferred assessment.