Midterm and Final Exam Policies, Procedures, and Guidelines

Each semester, students receive two types of exam identifiers accessible in the exam administration software (EBB) and [here]:

• Midterm ID (also used for all other Formative Assessments): Issued within the first week of the semester.
• Final Exam ID: Issued within two weeks of the final exam period.

Instructors have the discretion to administer exams either anonymously or with student identities visible.

1. Same-Day Exam Conflicts

An exam conflict occurs only when a student has two exams scheduled on the same calendar day.

• Example of a conflict: One exam in the morning and another in the afternoon on the same Tuesday.
• Not a conflict: One exam on Tuesday evening and another on Wednesday morning.

For final exams, OSA will identify students with same-day exam conflicts once the final exam schedule has been released. OSA will assess the conflicts and provide affected students with a revised exam schedule within a reasonable time before the final exam period.
Please note: OSA does not consider exam schedules for non-law graduate courses when identifying conflicts. Students enrolled in such courses are responsible for managing any scheduling issues and should only contact OSA if there is a direct time conflict between a non-law exam and a law school exam (i.e., the exams directly overlap).
Students must remain available throughout the entire final exam period, including University-designated makeup days, to accommodate any last-minute rescheduling due to unforeseen events (e.g., weather-related closures).

2. Exams Affected by Illness or Emergency

Students who are unable to take an exam due to illness or emergency must contact OSA (LawOSA@uh.edu) before the exam begins.

• Do not begin the exam if you are feeling ill.
• OSA will verify the situation and work with the student to reschedule the exam.
• Documentation (such as a physician’s note) will be required. If you feel ill, you should arrange for a medical provider visit as soon as possible before or after contacting OSA. A letter from your medical provider certifying your ability to return to school on a specified date is required before an exam can be rescheduled.

Important:

• Exams must be taken as scheduled unless there is an illness or emergency.
• Requests for exceptions must be submitted before the exam date and time.

3. Other Compelling Circumstances

Students facing significant personal challenges (e.g., death in the family or serious personal crisis) must contact OSA before the exam. Alternative exam arrangements may be made if warranted.
The following do not qualify as compelling circumstances:

• Airline or travel reservations
• Employment obligations (except in rare, extraordinary cases)
• Participation in extracurricular activities

If you are unsure whether your situation qualifies, contact LawOSA@uh.edu as early as possible, once the final exam schedule is posted.

UHLC partners with the Justin Dart, Jr. Student Accessibility Center (DART) to provide accommodation for students with disabilities.

General Accommodation Policies

• Contact DART at least one month before the semester to begin the process.
• Approved accommodations are coordinated through DART and implemented by OSA. For details regarding the implementation of your accommodations, you may reach out OSA at LawOSA@uh.edu. Inquiries regarding the approval process for accommodations should be directed to DART.
• Take-home exams (24 hours or more) do not receive additional time or accommodation.

ESL Accommodation Policy

• First-year JD students may receive additional time on their exams in their first-year courses if they have ESL status as defined in the JD Student Handbook.
• ESL accommodation requests must be submitted to OSA at least 6 weeks before exams.

You may not use:

• Phones or smartwatches
• Other unauthorized materials (as indicated in your exam instructions.)

For partially open-book exams, only the listed materials (e.g., casebooks) may be used.
Leave unnecessary and prohibited items in lockers or vehicles. UHLC will not provide extra space for personal belongings not allowed in the exam room.

Each semester, once finalized, the final exam schedule including room assignments is posted [here]. Accommodated students will receive their exam schedule and room assignments via email.

• Be seated in your exam room 30 minutes before your scheduled start time.
• OSA proctors will begin reading instructions 20 minutes before the start.
• Students may not leave the room:
• Once instructions begin (20 minutes before exam begins)
• During the first 15 minutes of the exam.
• During the last 15 minutes of the exam.
• Submit all responses once time is called. Late uploads may result in an Honor Code violation.
• Follow proctor instructions when turning in printed exam materials.
• Exam questions are serialized and must be signed in/out upon check out and upon return.
• Do not contact your professor with exam-related or grading issues. All inquiries must go to LawOSA@uh.edu.