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!
On this page you will find:
Before/During 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. Please click here for information on how to make an appointment to speak to someone to help you cope with your anxiety and other available support.
How can I contact the Exams Office?
You can contact the exams office here.
Are these exam timetables ‘final’ or will they change much?
The timetables occasionally change due to unforeseen circumstances, so students should check the online schedules or their student email regularly for relevant updates.
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 concerning 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 be 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 and 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:
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. Make sure to fill in the Personal Circumstances Form and get the relevant supporting information to confirm your situation. See details here:
You can also get support from the TU Dublin Counselling Service. Please click here for more information and 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 Exams 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.
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 Exams 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 a Personal 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 increase gradually over a week or so.
Information about such penalties should be available in your Student Handbook or provided by the lecturer when they issue the brief or topic for the assignment. The best thing to do is to make yourself aware 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 determine 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 support available for semesters 1 and 2 must also be provided for the repeats.
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 start!
But if you lose or mislay it on the day of the exam, don't panic and spend hours looking for it. Bring another photo ID with you and get a replacement Student Card as soon as possible, as students must have official TU Dublin identification while on campus.
Can I bring a dictionary into the exam?
Generally speaking, the answer is no, unless you/your class have specific permission from the lecturer who set the exam paper stating that you are allowed to do so. The Invigilator must also confirm this on the day.
Can I bring a snack into the Exam Hall?
Students are only allowed to 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 it's switched on or off) is a breach of the assessment regulations. You could get into serious trouble as a consequence of forgetting. The best way to avoid this is to remember to switch it off and put it in your bag before entering 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 and explain the situation in detail, 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 anymore, you can leave up to 30 minutes before the official finish time.
Make sure you have read over all your answers thoroughly before you leave; sometimes, you can get inspired to add some useful information right at the last minute, so it's probably a good idea to wait until the time is up!
Exam Results
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 if you have a technical query. For example, they can advise if your question is about the marks recorded in the grade book system for module components.
You can also email the lecturer to get clarification on your marks and feedback on your performance in the exam or your continuous assessment marks.
Are all repeat exams capped at 40%?
This varies depending on the circumstances; for instance, if you are resitting due to unexpected personal circumstances such as illness, accident or bereavement, your marks probably won’t be capped.
I'm not happy with my results, what are my rights?
VIEW SCRIPT & GET FEEDBACK
WHAT: You can see how your exams and assessments were marked. WHY: Helps you understand how the marking scheme was applied and is very useful especially if you dissatisfied with or are ‘surprised’ by the results.
HOW: Contact your School to get details of when/where.
WHEN: Your Schools has to organise viewing & feedback session within 4 days of the publication of your results.
GETTING A RE-CHECK
WHAT: Confirmation that all parts of each question attempted and answered were marked, added up correctly and recorded accurately.
WHY: If you suspect that mistakes have been made in the recording of the marks for your exams or assessments.
HOW: Complete a Re-check Form and submit to the Examinations Office, it’s €15 per module.
WHEN: Within 3 days of the scheduled Script Viewing.
APPLY FOR RE-MARK
WHAT: A Re-mark is a re-reading of your assessed work taking into account the assessment criteria and marks allocated. (Note: the final result may increase or decrease).
WHY: If, after viewing your script/assessment, you believe that mistakes were made in how it was marked you can apply for a Re-mark.
HOW: Complete a Re-mark Form and hand in to the Examinations Office, the fee is €60 per module. Then the Head of School or nominee arranges for the re-reading of the assessment to take place.
WHEN: Within 5 days of viewing a script or 2 days of a Re-check.
APPEAL THE RESULT
WHAT: If you want to dispute the decision of the Examination Board in relation to marks given for any exam or assessment you can submit an Examination Appeal.
WHY: If you believe your examination results do not meet your expectations or that the assessments were not conducted correctly as set out in the General Assessment Regulations.
GROUNDS FOR APPEAL
(i) That the General Assessment Regulations have not been properly implemented.
(ii) That circumstances exist which may not have been specifically covered by these Regulations.
(iii) That there is new, attested, documented and relevant valid information that was not made available to the Exam Board and therefore not considered.
HOW:
Hand in a completed Appeal Form to the local Exams Office, the fee is €75. (This is refunded if your Appeal is upheld).
Firstly, the Appeal is reviewed and if deemed eligible under the Regs, it is then considered by the Appeal Panel and you can choose to present your case in person.
WHEN:
An appeal must be submitted within 7 working days of the viewing of examination scripts.
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.
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 Student Health Centre
Counselling Service
The TU Dublin Counselling Service is free to all students. It is where you can discuss any personal problems, mental health matters or other concerns 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 to discuss options that 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 successfully complete their university programme. This is based on the principle that students should not experience any disadvantage due to 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 this, the required supports are put in place based on the student’s needs, which is then communicated with the relevant school and academic staff.
How to contact the Disability Support Services
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.
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 ensure 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 general information just for your own 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 well, you’re far more likely to stick to a plan after a few good study sessions.
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, which 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 2 am will only net you a fraction of what you get out of the same time the following day.
Remember you can talk to your FREE student Health Centres or a Student Counsellor, who provide confidential support for students experiencing distress or worry.
If you get sick or have some personal difficulty getting in the way, fill out a Personal Circumstances Form (PC1), get a medical cert or other verification, and hand it to the Exams Office or email it to them.