EXAMINATIONS
Scheduling & Administration
A final examination schedule is published at the beginning of each semester for that semester. Prior to the start of the final examination period, Faculty reserve the right to (1) change a scheduled, in-person exam to a scheduled take-home exam, (2) offer a paper option in lieu of the exam, or (3) cancel the exam so long as the alterations do not impose undue hardship on students; however, faculty may not add a final exam to a course where one was not previously scheduled after the start of the semester.
Students who require testing accommodations must submit the Accommodations Letter provided by the Department of Accessibility Services (DAS) to the law school’s registrar’s office by the published deadline set by the School of Law each semester. The Registrar’s Office will work with individual students regarding the scheduling and structure of accommodated exams. Please be mindful of the DAS timelines when requesting testing accommodations for midterm or final examinations. Emory Law does not have the authority to set or alter DAS procedures or timelines.
Length of Time for Exams
The length of a final examination in an individual course generally corresponds to the number of credit hours, i.e., a two-hour course typically has a two-hour final examination, a three-hour course a three-hour final examination.
Every effort is made to ensure that students experience uniformity for the examination, unless approved accommodations require otherwise by the Americans with Disabilities Act.
English as a Second Language Policy
JD Candidates
Students for whom English is not their first language receive no additional time for final exams. Use of an unmarked, physical copy dictionary may be permissible, at the professor’s discretion, in an open-book, or partially open-book examination. The professor should announce their class policy regarding the use of dictionaries in the course syllabus and remind students of this policy in advance of the exam period. If a professor permits the use of dictionaries in some form, the same rule shall apply to all students in the class that term. The fact that students were allowed to use dictionaries in prior terms does not establish a right to dictionary use for students in future terms.
L.L.M., MCL, and SJD Candidates
Time Allotments
SJD, MCL, and LLM candidates, whose first language is not English and who have not completed a degree program administered primarily in English, may receive 25% additional time for graded exams, including quizzes and midterms. Students must complete a request form for each exam in which they would like to receive extra time.
Dictionaries
Students approved for additional time under this policy, are entitled to use a bilingual translation dictionary on all law school exams, even those that are otherwise considered “closed-book, closed-note” exams. Such dictionaries must be unmarked, physical copies and may not be Law or Legal dictionaries. Under no circumstances may a student transcribe any portion of the exam questions or answers into said dictionary. Any dictionary found to be in violation of this policy will be confiscated immediately and may constitute a violation of the professional conduct code.
Deferral of Examinations
Examinations must be taken on the day and time according to the published exam schedule. If a student experiences unforeseen circumstances preventing their ability to take the exam as scheduled, the student is responsible for contacting the Law Registrar immediately upon realizing exam participation is impossible. The student will then need to discuss the undue hardship that prevented exam participation by providing sufficient documentation. Every effort should be made by the student to communicate their absence before the examination begins. It is within the discretion of the Law Registrar to accept or reject the student’s appeal for re-examination.
Exam Conflicts Policy
A Direct Conflict exists when two exams are scheduled to begin on the exact same day and time (i.e. two exams scheduled at 9:00am on the same day).
An Indirect Conflict exists when a student has two examinations beginning less than 24 hours apart (i.e., one exam beginning at 9:00 a.m. and another at 2:00 p.m. on the same day; or one exam beginning at 2:00 p.m. one day and another at 9:00 a.m. the following day).
Prior to the examination period, the Law Registrar’s Office will conduct a conflict audit, contact the impacted students, and provide an alternative date and time for each student to complete their exam. A student must abide by the alternative schedule unless they choose to waive an indirect conflict rescheduling, thus taking the exams at their originally scheduled times.
Any student who fails to appear for an examination without approval receives an automatic grade of “F.”
Once a student has started an exam, they must complete the exam or forfeit the right to finish. Students who become ill during examinations or through no fault of their own cannot complete the exam must immediately communicate the interruption with the Law Registrar to remedy.
In the majority of cases, students will not receive extra time for technical difficulties. Students have the option to handwrite their exam answers if they wish.