Sandra

Re your questions, information relating to Oxford's exams is
included below:

> 1)  How may students are centrally scheduled exams arranged for each
> year?

Approx 12,000

> 2)  How many exam periods to you hold each year and what are the
> lengths?

We have five:

a - approx three days after the end of autumn term;
b - a three week period at the end of the spring term;
c - about four days at the beginning of the summer term;
d - the main season of six weeks at the end of the summer term;
e - a period of about ten days in September.

> 3)  During the exam period, how many exam sessions per day do you
> hold?

Two sessions per day: starting at 9.30 and at 2.30

> 4)  How many exams are you scheduling in each exam period?

a) approx 20 exams
b) approx 130 exams
c) approx 60 exams
d) approx 1750 exams
e) approx 120 exams

> 5)  Do you run exams on the weekend?

Yes, on Saturdays (am and pm)

> 6)  If you use weekends, what arrangements do you make for students
> who are unable to attend for reasons relating to religious
> observation, employment etc.

We do not make allowances for employment, but for religious
reasons students may have exams rescheduled. As they have to
request consideration early (ie at entry time not when the timetable
is published) we generally try to avoid scheduling relevant exams
for Friday and Saturday to pre-empt any difficulties. If exams turn
out to be on a problem day, the student will either take the exam
beforehand or afterwards and will be "incarcerated" (quarantined) for
a relevant period to preserve security.

> 7)  Do you copy all exam papers 'in-house' or use an external
> company/organisation?

In-house technically - not our print room, but at Oxford University
Press which is one of our departments.

> 8)  If you are having papers copied externally have you encountered
> any problems?

n/a. However, in a previous institution we occasionally had
recourse to the local Prontoprint-type firm (where a department was
late in submitting papers so we could not use our own print-room).
In such cases to preserve security a member of exam staff stayed
on the premises while the copies were being done and we billed
the offending department for the cost incurred.

I hope this is useful - let me know if you would like any more
information.

Catherine



Catherine Hogan
Assistant Registrar (Exams)
& Process Analyst (Student Admin Team)
Project ISIDORE
University of Oxford
Wolsey Hall
66 Banbury Road    Tel: 01865 284832
Oxford OX2 6PR     Fax: 01865 284880
e-mail: [log in to unmask]
http://www.admin.ox.ac.uk/isidore