Preparing for and attending your exams
Before you attend your face to face or online assessments and examinations it is important that you are prepared and know what is expected of you during this time.
Face to face
If you are sitting a face to face examination at a Curtin Campus you must show your Curtin student ID card, which is to be placed on their desk for Invigilators to check during reading time.
If you do not have any identification you will not be permitted entry to the examination venue, and will be directed to Student Services Department for a student ID card replacement. No additional time will be provided to sit the examination, nor will you be admitted into the examination after the first hour has elapsed. Student Services Department will operate extended opening hours during the examination period to facilitate this process, and provisions will be made for students who are unable to pay for their ID card at the time of issue.
Online
If you are sitting an invigilated online exam using IRIS you will need your student ID card to verify your details throughout IRIS@Curtin authentication process. If you are unable to obtain a student ID card, acceptable forms of identification include a Driver’s License, Passport or Government issued National Identification Card.
Examinations may be scheduled on any day or evening during the two-week examination period, with the exception of Sundays. You should not make commitments to any other activities over this period.
A draft timetable is published on the Curtin Malaysia website six weeks before the examination period, after which you will have one week to provide feedback to Examinations Office, if necessary. A final timetable is published four weeks before the examination period with venue allocations designated by surname – you must attend the venue you have been allocated to, or risk receiving a fine. A quick-link to the examinations timetable will be made available on the Curtin Malaysia home page closer to the examination period.
Curtin University recognises that some students require alternative arrangements for their examinations. This may be as a result of a disability, a medical condition or a religious reason. Arrangements for Equity Examinations must be requested 4 weeks before the commencement of the examination period.
Equity Examinations for Disability or Medical Reasons
Students requiring alternative exam arrangements due to a medical condition or disability should seek advice and assistance from Curtin’s Disability Services. You will need to provide medical documentation to support your request at the initial appointment. Disability Services will then assist you to arrange for in-class and end of semester exams.
For more information, visit Curtin Malaysia Health, Counseling & Disability Services or write to HealthCounsellingDisability@curtin.edu.my
Equity Examinations for Religious Reasons
If you have obligatory religious requirements that prevent you from sitting an examination at the scheduled time you should seek approval for alternative arrangements to sit your examinations by providing supporting documentation from your church or religious group.
Equity Examinations for Family, care, and social inclusion
If you are experiencing issues related to social inclusion that prohibit you from sitting your exams at the scheduled time, such as pregnancy or extenuating commitments as a primary carer, you may apply for an assessment extension .
You will not:
- Be admitted into the venue after the first hour (including reading time) has expired,
- Leave the venue until one hour of the exam has expired,
- Leave the venue during the last 15 minutes of the exam,
- Be re-admitted to the venue after you have left unless, during the full period of their absence, they have been under approved supervision,
- Be granted additional time to complete the examination if you have arrived late.
In the event you are unable to complete a final examination due to illness or some other valid reason, you may apply for an Assessment Extension, along with supporting medical documents as Exam Invigilators call Curtin Security to escort you to Curtin University Health Centre.
You must submit your examination script with your name and student ID number written on it even if you have not completed any of the paper.
Face to face
Face to face examinations will normally be limited to a maximum of two hours duration. Unless alternative examination arrangement has been made, no examination shall be of more than three hours duration.
There is a mandatory ten-minute reading time for each examination in addition to the duration of the examination. During reading time, you may:
- use this time is to think, plan and organise your response to the examination paper
- make notes or highlight text, as directed on the front cover of the examination paper.
If you are sitting a face to face exam, you must arrive at your exam venue at least 20 minutes prior to the exam.
Invigilated online exams using IRIS
Unless specified by accreditation requirements or approved, online invigilated examination/eTest durations will not exceed two hours and 15 minutes, of which 15 minutes will be allocated for student identity verification and test initialisation purposes.
Face to face examinations, online assessments and invigilated online exams using IRIS will be conducted in venues that are conducive to the examination process. Specific examination venue allocations will be made available on the Final Examination Timetable.
Face to face
Students are responsible for attending the correct venue for examination as advised in the final timetable. Students will be reminded to check that they are in the correct room at the commencement of every examination. If they do not identify themselves at that time to the invigilator, they may be in breach of the examination regulations.
Invigilators will permit students entry to the venue with sufficient time to be seated prior to commencement. Students may complete the cover page of the answer book and the attendance card but will not make notes or write in the examination answer book until advised by the Invigilator.
Online exams using IRIS
Use a quiet room, that is well lit with limited background noise. No other people should be in the room (this may not be possible if you are taking the test in a public space such as the library for example). You should have clean desk or table, nothing on the desktop except the computer and the authorised material as per the Unit Outline or specified in the disclaimer statement for each test no other electronic devices.
Do not leave the room during the test unless it is urgently required. Please contact your unit coordinator as soon as possible after the assessment if this was necessary.
You may be required to submit answers via a multiple choice answer sheet. Instructions will be provided on the answer sheet.
An information document [.pdf 197kb] has been established to assist you.
Approved materials
The use of any aids (e.g. calculators) will be noted on the assessment or examination materials. Only authorised materials and aids that are specified may be kept with you during the assessment or examination, all other items must be left outside the venue or placed in your bags.
It is the responsibility of the assessor (examiner), not the invigilator-in-charge to validate the appropriateness of authorised examination materials (e.g. model of calculator, type of notations in books). Invigilators may inspect calculators, lids, and cases of calculators during the exam.
If unauthorised material is found in the possession of a student during an examination, they may face disciplinary action.
Dictionaries are not permitted in any assessment or examination.
Prohibited Items – mobile phones, electronic devices and other aides
During an assessment or examination (unless otherwise explicitly authorised), you are prohibited from:
- Accessing, being in possession of, or using any mobile phone or unauthorised electronic device
- Accessing, being in possession of, or using any device capable of storing information or connecting with another device, including but not limited to electronic devices
- Accessing, being in possession of, or using any notes or unauthorised materials
- Accessing, being in possession of, using any device capable of communicating with another person inside or outside of the venue;
- Interacting or colluding with any other person inside or outside the venue
- Wearing a smartwatch or headphones
All prohibited items must be completely switched off using the power down function. If any prohibited item makes a sound, this may result in potential misconduct. Before a face to face examination commencing, instructions will be provided to students as to where mobile phones, electronic devices and notes/materials will be stored.
In possession means on, next to, near or under your desk or chair, in or on your clothing, on your body, or in your wallet or purse.
Penalties may apply if you are found to be accessing, being in possession of or using any prohibited devices or materials.
Other items
All hats and caps are to be removed and placed in bags before the commencement of face to face or online exams, unless relating to an obligatory religious requirement.
Food or drink, other than water, will not be brought into the venue or consumed. Invigilators may ask to inspect water bottles and place in bags or under desks.
Face to face
If a student thinks there is an error or omission in the examination paper, they may bring this to the attention of the invigilator, who will contact the Unit Coordinator for clarification. No ruling regarding the question will be given by the Invigilator. All reasonable efforts will be made to contact the Unit Coordinator.
Online
If a student thinks there is an error or omission online, they may bring this to the attention of the Unit Coordinator via e-mail.
Curtin’s Intelligent Remote Invigilation System (IRIS) is a computer program that helps deter and detect academic dishonesty in online tests and exams.
Your computer must have a functioning microphone and webcam and recording of sound and video must be enabled and not obstructed at any time. You must also have the freely available Google Chrome browser and the free IRIS@Curtin plugin (extension).
Follow the set-up instructions [.pdf 829kb] to download the IRIS@Curtin plugin and complete the Practice Test [.pdf 260kb] to test the configuration of your computer. For further information, troubleshooting steps and FAQs, visit IRIS@Curtin help.
Ensure you have your student ID card to verify your details during the IRIS@Curtin authentication process. You can order your student ID card online. If you are unable to obtain a student ID card, acceptable forms of identification include a Driver’s License, Passport or Government issued National Identification Card.
View the IRIS troubleshooting guide [.pdf 274kb] for assistance with resolving any IRIS issues. If you continue to experience issues with IRIS, contact the team at Curtin Connect.