Failure to Abide by Department Regulations (Exam Procedures)

Procedures for taking exams (whether during the semester or final exams) are established by professors and the Registrar’s Office. Each final test period the Registrar’s Office publishes the procedures for examinations.  Students are responsible for knowing and following these procedures. 

Breaches of examination procedures include, but are not limited to:

1. Bringing a cell phone, ipad/tablet/laptop, or any device with internet connection into an test room.
2. Exceeding the time permitted on the test (i.e. turning the test in past the end of the test period).
3. Communication of any kind in the examination room.
4. Taking a special examination in a non-designated room or taking a regular examination in a special writing room.
5. Leaving the designated test areas or leaving the building before the completed test has been returned to the Exam Center proctor.
6. Bringing outside materials, including calculators, into test rooms. Exams with special permissions (i.e. use of a calculator) must be taken in the designated special writing test rooms.  The calculator may not be an internet connected device (i.e. smartphone).
7. Excessive noise within the examination center.
8. Using substances in an examination room.

The following pledge must be written and signed on every test before it is handed in for grading:

“I promise neither to deliver nor receive any aid on this examination.”

Students must complete final examinations in designated rooms, unless otherwise specified by the professor.  The test (both questions and answers) must be returned to the Exam Center staff, sealed in the envelope with the Honor Pledge signed.

The Honor Code applies to all students enrolled at the College.

Additional information about taking exams at Connecticut College can be found here. 

Self-Scheduled test Procedures

1. The instructor supplies an examination for each student enrolled for credit. The examination must display the student's name, course number and instructor's name.
2. To receive an examination, the student appears at the appropriate test center, fills out a request slip and provides identification (license with photo or other picture ID required).
3. Except for special examinations (exam printed on colored paper, or have a colored sheet of paper as the cover sheet) which must be written in designated rooms, the student selects a writing room in the building in which the test was distributed and may not leave the building until the completed examination has been returned to the Exam Center proctor. Cell phones, ipads/tablets/laptops, or any devices with internet connection are never permitted in any test rooms.
4. No outside materials, including calculators, are permitted, except for special examinations where the material is explicitly indicated. The exams which allow materials and/or calculators must be taken in the Special Writing Rooms (exams are printed on colored paper, or have a colored sheet of paper as the cover sheet). As a reminder, cell phones, ipads/tablets/laptops, or any devices with internet connection are never permitted in any test rooms.
5. All exams must be returned to the test proctor at the end of the official writing time (noon for morning sessions, 5 p.m. for afternoon sessions and 10 p.m. for eventing sessions).  The test centers open 20 minutes before each test session. The test writing time is three hours. If you pick up an test early, it must be returned early (a student may not have an test in his/her possession for more than three hours). Picking up an exam after the start of an examination session (9 a.m., 2 p.m. or 7 p.m.) does not extend the end of the test session.
6. Students must sign the honor pledge on the test envelope. When the examination has been completed, the examination sheet or test booklet and blue book(s) used must be placed in the envelope provided. The envelope must be sealed, and the identifying information supplied on the front.  The envelope is returned to the test proctor, who will provide a receipt.

Reminders

• You may not leave the building with an exam
• Return all test materials to the test proctor
• All exams MUST be returned no later than noon, 5 p.m. or 10 p.m. in order to be in compliance with test procedures
• Cell phones, ipads/tablets/laptops, or any devices with internet connection are never permitted in any test rooms.

Please be aware of the following end-of-semester reminders: 

Incompletes

To negotiate an incomplete (deadline is 12:00 noon on Wednesday, May 18), see the instructor and your dean.  Incomplete forms are available from the Deans Office.   

Bills

Please pay all of your bills prior to leaving campus.  Under College policy, unpaid bills will result in a Transcript Hold which will delay the processing of transcript requests.

Leave/Other Departures

Degree-seeking undergraduate students who do not expect to be enrolled in the College for the following semester are reminded that the appropriate leave forms should be filed with the Dean of the College.  Filing the form will prevent you from receiving bills for next semester, allow the college to reallocate residential space, and open course seats to others.

Final Assignments/Examinations

**Masking Requirements: Masks are required in all test centers and test classrooms**

All courses require a final paper, final project, final exam, or other equivalent final piece of work. At least one portion of this assignment must be due during the examination period. It is preferred that papers or other take-home assignments are due at the end of the examination period.

The instructor is responsible for administering and/or collecting materials for take-home examinations, papers in lieu of examinations, or other equivalent work. Final test equivalents should not be given during the last week of classes or on a review day.

In courses for which there is a pedagogical need for a single examination period, instructors may pre-schedule their examinations through the Registrar's Office. The instructor is responsible for proctoring the exam.

If a take home examination, an equivalent project/work, or a scheduled examination will not be offered, instructors must make arrangements for self-scheduled exams.  

Students should direct questions regarding final assignments or examinations to their class dean. 

Student Procedures for Exams

The Honor Code

Self-Scheduled Exams

Scheduled Exams

Exam Information for Faculty

So you’ve decided you want to become a certified public accountant (CPA). If you've taken all the undergraduate and graduate-level classes in accounting, business law, and general studies that your state requires, and have logged some work experienced (as required in all but a few states), you’re ready to take the Uniform CPA Examination. This is a substantial undertaking. Let’s review what’s involved.

Life insurance provides economic security for you and your loved ones in the event of your death. By making a payment to the insurance company each month, depending on your billing schedule, you can ensure that your beneficiaries will receive compensation. 

While putting a life insurance policy into place (and maintaining it) is relatively simple, there are some important steps you will need to take to finalize the plan. For example, a medical examination may be required. While not always mandatory, many insurance companies will want to have the results of an test reviewed before signing off on your plan. 

If you're currently in the market for life insurance, or just want to increase the coverage you already have, now is a good time to do so. You can start by getting a quote today.

It's important to understand how to prepare properly to obtain the life insurance policy you desire. Read on to learn more.

Why are life insurance medical exams required?

Medical exams are conducted by life insurance companies to ensure they have an accurate picture of who they're insuring (and for how much). It's easy to lie or exaggerate about your health and well-being when applying for a policy. But the company won't just take your word for it and let you automatically pay lower premiums. They'll want to confirm your health status. This will likely be done in two ways:

• A questionnaire (online or paper): This is where you will answer some basic questions including your age, height, sex, weight, etc. You'll be asked if you smoke or previously did. You'll likely be asked about your alcohol consumption, if you're on any medicine and if you have any allergies. Be honest when answering because the company will determine the truth when they complete the in-person medical exam.
• Physical exam: This is done at no cost to the applicant. It's completed either in an office or the insurance company can send a representative to your home to complete it. If you've had your annual wellness visit with your primary care physician then you already know what to expect. You will have to step on a scale to check your weight. They'll check your blood pressure. They'll ask additional questions not addressed in the questionnaire. You'll also need to provide blood and urine samples. It should be relatively quick (think under 30 minutes).

You likely won't get immediate approval or rejection on the spot. The results of the test need to be returned to the insurance company for that to happen.

If you're ready to start a new policy or want to supplement the life insurance you already have, speak to a provider and get a price estimate.

Can I get a life insurance policy without a medical exam?

If you don't want to take a medical test to get life insurance, you don't necessarily need to. Some providers may not require one. You can explore those right now and expedite the approval process. 

Here are some common reasons why you may not have to get a medical test for life insurance:

• You're young: If you're under 30 and healthy. 
• You want basic coverage: If you're not seeking a particularly high amount of coverage you may not have to take an exam. 
• Someone else is insuring you: This would be applicable when being added to a relative's supplemental life insurance.

It's important to note that these guidelines don't apply across providers. The necessity of a medical test is specific to all of the above factors - and the provider you are submitting an application with. 

The insurance you would get without submitting to an test is different than the traditional types you may receive should you agree to the standard vetting process. That doesn't mean one type is better than the other, but it's something to be aware of.

No-exam life insurance policies, for instance, are popular if you fall into one or more of the above categories. This type of coverage is guaranteed and is easier to finalize since you're not taking an exam. 

Despite its benefits, however, this insurance type also has some drawbacks. For example, the death benefit may be limited. It also may come with higher monthly premiums than other, more traditional insurance types. This is because the insurer has no real record of your medical history or health status and is therefore taking on additional risk by approving you for coverage. 

When determining whether a medical test is needed - and what kind of protection you can apply for - it's best to go directly to the provider to review your options.

Factors that affect life insurance rates

If you're well then a medical test can help ensure that you pay a low rate for life insurance coverage. Conversely, if you're unhealthy the test will demonstrate this, likely leading to a more substantial cost. But your performance on a medical exam, should you choose to take one, is only one factor that affects life insurance rates. Here are a few others to know:

• Age: The younger you are, the less you'll typically have to pay. As you age, the rate will rise.
• Gender: It may seem unfair for one sex to pay more but, statistically, women live longer than men. Since men often (but not always) die at an earlier age than women, they can expect to pay more for their life insurance coverage.
• Policy type: The type of life insurance you choose (and are eligible for) will influence your rate. Term life insurance is generally cheaper but whole life insurance policies have cash options that may be appealing to you, depending on your circumstances and goals.

A professor at Wharton, University of Pennsylvania has given a theoretical B-grade pass to ChatGPT after marking the answers it generated for a final test in a typical MBA course. 

Christian Terwiesch, a professor of operations management at Wharton, said ChatGPT does an "amazing job at basic operations management and process analysis questions." 

"Not only are the answers correct, but the explanations are excellent," he writes in a new white paper. 

Also: How to get started using ChatGPT

But he added the chatbot makes "surprising mistakes in relatively simple calculations at the level of 6th grade Math," and that it currently can't handle more advanced process analysis questions. On the other hand, the current version of ChatGPT can modify its answers in response to human hints to arrive at the correct solution.

"Considering this performance, Chat GPT3 would have received a B to B- grade on the exam," writes Terwiesch. 

Several of Terwiesch's questions aimed to test whether ChatGPT could identify a bottleneck in a processing operation with multiple machines that have different throughput capacities.  

ChatGPT, however, "made a significant mistake of a massive magnitude" when calculating with medium level arithmetic. 

Interestingly, ChatGPT initially incorrectly answered one of Terwiesch's question regarding queuing analysis. He prompted it with a hint for a better answer and ChatGPT improved its answer. The following day, the professor asked it the same initial queuing question without the hint -- and ChatGPT answered correctly on its first attempt.    

"It either is capable of learning from past feedback or I just got lucky," he notes, adding that there seemed to be some randomness in the quality of its answers. 

Terwiesch also found ChatGPT was able to formulate clever and humorous questions that he could use in future exams. However, the chatbot also introduced subtle flaws in some questions that made them impossible to answer. 

Also: ChatGPT 'lacked depth and insight,' say prestigious science journal editors

Terwiesch warns others to be mindful of ChatGPT's capabilities and limitations. He says he "fell in love" with ChatGPT after practicing its answer to his first question, but warns it "made major mistakes in some fairly simple situations."  

"We are still far from an A+ for complex problems and we still need a human in the loop," he writes. 

"In my view of education, an elementary school student still needs to learn that 7 x 7 = 49 and that the capital of Pennsylvania is Harrisburg, even though calculators have been widely used for over 50 years and students can use Google Wikipedia to find answers for most factual questions. It is the nature of foundational skills that they are required to comprehend more advanced topics."

Terwiesch agrees that educators should be concerned that K-12 students might use ChatGPT to cheat on assignments and exams. For example, New York City Department of Education recently banned the chatbot because reliable tests are important in teaching, while skill certification shouldn't be compromised because of new technology. A student using ChatGPT is like being able to call a friend with "average academic competence" to complete the test for them, he notes.   

But he also argues ChatGPT and similar technologies have the ability to play the role of a "smart consultant" -- one who produces elegant but oftentimes wrong answers, which he believes is the "perfect training ground" for developing skills among MBA students who need to critically evaluate suggested alternatives. 

© (Getty Images) Focused young Asian woman practicing book and making notes at home, concentrates on her studies. Further education concept

Similar to licensure exams for doctors, certified public accountants, nurses and pilots, the purpose of the bar test is to ensure that law school graduates are prepared to competently and ethically serve the public.

"It's basically public protection and some sort of stamp of approval, if you will, for the public," says Judith A. Gundersen, CEO and president of the not-for-profit National Conference of Bar Examiners, which develops bar test content for 54 U.S. jurisdictions. "So the public can have confidence in a professional's proven ability to show proficiency to represent them."

For decades, there has been debate about whether the current bar test – which relies heavily on memorization – actually measures competency for legal practice, says Marsha Griggs, associate professor of law and director of academic enrichment and bar passage at Washburn University School of Law in Kansas.

In 2018, the NCBE's board of trustees decided it was time to reevaluate the test, prompting development of the next generation of the bar exam. As part of the multiyear project, the board used focus groups and conversations with stakeholders to analyze the knowledge lawyers needed to successfully represent their clients, Gundersen says. This information was used to make changes to the current bar exam.

"For a lot of our clients, the work we do as lawyers is life or death," says Hemanth C. Gundavaram, associate dean for experiential education at Northeastern University School of Law in Massachusetts and a volunteer for the development of NextGen content. "Whether your business stays open, whether you stay out of prison or whether you aren't deported, there's so many ways in which the work we do is so important. When I think of it that way, and tell students that, I think it's an important thing to remember of why we have an entrance exam."

Here's what incoming law school students should know about the NextGen bar exam.

NextGen Bar test vs. Current Bar Exam

Compared to the current bar exam, the legal concepts and principles – including civil procedure, contract law, evidence, torts, business associations, constitutional law, criminal law and real property – will stay largely the same. The NextGen test will not test subjects related to conflict of laws, family law, trusts and estates, or secured transactions. The difference is mostly in test structure.

The current bar test has three sections consisting of 200 multiple-choice, essay and performance test questions. But in the NextGen exam, test-takers will instead be given scenarios that have elements of different knowledge areas and skills. Multiple-choice, short-answer and essay questions are then tied to those scenarios.

Overall, the NextGen bar test is more skills-based than reliant on memorization, which was a major point of stress for test-takers, experts say.

"I remember for me, that was one of the hardest parts of the exam," says Gundavaram, who is also director of legal clinics and co-founder and director of Northeastern's Immigrant Justice Clinic. "I don't have a great memory. I think I'm a great lawyer and I don't think you need to have a photographic memory to be a good lawyer."

Another challenge with the current test is length – it's typically 12 hours, spread over two days. The goal is for the NextGen bar test to be shorter and to ensure that test-takers have access to accommodations, if needed, Gundersen says.

The cost of taking the bar test varies per jurisdiction and can often be a barrier for test-takers. NCBE officials have not stated the cost of the new exam, but say they are committed to keeping it "affordable for all."

Additionally, the new test will be completely computer-based, eliminating the current paper question booklet.

When Will NextGen Be Administered?

The Supreme Court or highest court in each jurisdiction will decide whether to adopt the NextGen exam, which can be administered as early as July 2026 following pilot testing and tweaks, according to the NCBE.

During the phased rollout, both the current and NextGen exams will be administered. And like the current bar, NextGen will be administered twice a year, in February and July.

Effect on Current Law School Curricula

Jon J. Lee, an associate professor of law at the University of Oklahoma College of Law and another volunteer for the development of NextGen content, says the changes will free up time for law schools to focus on skills courses because "currently there is a lot of doctrine that students must know for the bar exam."

"Some schools, at least, feel as though they need to cover all of that in their coursework," he says. "And so with this change, this is an opportunity for law schools to think critically about the curriculum."

There may be slight adjustments, but full curricular changes may not be necessary because most of the same Topic knowledge is required, says Marilyn Wellington, chief strategy and operations officer at NCBE.

If curricular adjustments are needed, however, Griggs emphasizes that they should start with the 2023 incoming class, since those students would be the first graduates to take the new exam.

"The NCBE hasn't fully informed us on what this test will entail. And I understand they are in their process of testing and vetting it," she says. "So I'm sure they will once they have the information ready. ... We have been trying to impress upon the NCBE the urgency of ... giving us this information now so that we can make informed decisions for the benefit of students."

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