UNSW Sydney holds exams at the end of Term 1, Term 2 and Term 3. Exams are held every day from Monday to Saturday and are held across 3 sessions a day (morning, afternoon and evening). The dates of each exam period are published on the Dates for exams and Academic calendar pages.

Your exam timetable

View your Exam Timetable on myUNSW

You can also subscribe to your exam timetable in your preferred calendar app.

For ADFA, AGSM, Distance mode students and for internal school exam information, please
contact your school for details.

When the timetable is released

The release dates for provisional and final exam timetables are listed on the Dates for exams page.

The exam timetable is released via myUNSW and is personalised for each student. You must view your personal timetable and attend the time, date and exam venue that appears on myUNSW. Your exam timetable is published on myUNSW in April for Term 1, July for Term 2, and October for Term 3.

Students who do not attend the correct venue disadvantage fellow students and may face Academic Misconduct.

Alternative arrangements

Alternative examinations may need to be provided if you are unable to attend the scheduled examination. An alternative examination may be the same examination but scheduled at a different time or, if this is not feasible, a different examination that is comparable in content and difficulty.

An examination may be rescheduled with the approval of the Examinations Team and the responsible academic member when:

  • an alternative examination is recommended by the Disability Unit for a student with disabilities
  • you have two centrally organised examinations scheduled at the same time
  • your religious faith prohibits you from sitting an examination at the scheduled time
  • you are a student in the Elite Athletes and Performers Support Program and have sporting or performance commitments which conflict with a scheduled examination
  • short term events, beyond your control, affect your preparation for the examination.

Timetable Clash

If you have a timetable clash, the Examinations Team will reschedule your examination and notify you approximately 1 week prior to the commencement of the exam period of the arrangements for your clashing exams.

When the same examination is rescheduled for the morning or afternoon of the same day, you will remain under supervision for the whole day and will need to bring your lunch and any study materials with you. During this period, you will not be permitted to use any electronic devices capable of transmission including computers, mobile phones, tablets and smart watches.

Religious Reasons

UNSW recognises that there are students whose religious faith may prohibit them from sitting examinations at certain times. Wherever possible, the University will attempt to accommodate students so that they may fulfil both their religious and university obligations. 

For more information see Alternative arrangements for religion

Timetable rules

  • Last week of a teaching period
    Examinations cannot be scheduled in the final week of a standard teaching period if it is worth more than 20% of the assessment in a course.
  • Study break period
    Examinations cannot be scheduled in the study break period.
  • School (internal) exams
    Schools usually hold their exams during scheduled class time. Any formal assessment scheduled by schools during the examination period must be included on the UNSW exam timetable.
  • Alternative venues
    With due notice, UNSW has the right to conduct exams in alternative suitable space either on, or within a reasonable distance of, the campus. If an exam cannot be held because of unforeseen circumstances (e.g. a bomb threat or fire/storm damage to an exam room), the exam may be rescheduled within that designated exam period. It is recommended that students be available for the duration of the exam period.
  • Maximum exams per day
    Students should not normally be required to sit more than 2 exams in a day.
  • Duration
    The duration of a centrally administered examination is 2 hours.

Online exams

Some exams such as fully online invigilated exams may have different requirements. Please
consult your course outline for specific information about these.

Can I sit my exam off-campus?

From Term 2 2022, some students will be required to return to campus for an invigilated exam. 

For more information on how and where you will take your exams, please visit the Exam Delivery page.


Contacts

If you have any questions, please contact the Exams Team.

 

See also

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