General exams FAQs

Before exam

If you were not able to sit your exam or something unforeseen has impacted your exam preparation or performance, you may be able to apply for an aegrotat or compassionate consideration.

For more information, please see Aegrotats and compassionate considerations.

For further support, please either:

• Call 0800 61 62 63 
• Email exams@auckland.ac.nz

During exam

If you have started your exam and lose power, don’t worry your work will be saved on Inspera.

Please call 0800 61 62 63 and notify us that you were unable to submit your work due to the power outage.

You may be able to apply for a compassionate consideration. For more information, please see Aegrotats and Compassionate Consideration.

Additional information

We understand that you won't be able to make contact with us right away if you have lost power.

So we can provide you with the information you need, once power is restored and you are in a position to make contact, please either:

• Call 0800 61 62 63
• Email exams@auckland.ac.nz

Please regularly check your student email to ensure you keep up to date with communications related to your exams.

You will also receive updates by text message if you have your New Zealand mobile number listed on our identity management system under “mobile.”

To update your New Zealand mobile number, please go to our Identity management system.

Please call us on:

• 0800 61 62 63 (within New Zealand)
• +64 9 373 7513 (from outside New Zealand)

Or email exams@auckland.ac.nz.

Please note that if you email, it may take some time for us to respond to your enquiry.

If you are sitting an on-campus exam and experience any issues with your exam, please raise your hand and one of your supervisors will assist.

Teaching staff are not permitted to have any exam-related contact with students during or after their examination.

We recommend that a laptop or desktop computer is used for your online exam. Using a Chromebook is not recommended as users may experience some variability with the Inspera interface. Mobile devices and tablets are not suitable, because the content has not been designed for use with smaller screens.

Exam mode A: You can sit your exam at home provided you have your own device, stable WiFi connection and enables you to be comfortable and free from distractions. Alternatively, you can come onto-campus with your own device or you can use one of the university desktop computers (loan laptops are also available).

Spaces will be made available on a first-come, first-serve basis in the City, Epsom, Te Papa Ako o Tai Tonga and Te Papa Ako o Tai Tokerau campuses.

For specific locations on each campus, please see Study spaces on campus during exams.

For more information regarding loan laptops and desktop computers on campus, please see the Library's Computer facilities.

Exam mode B: Invigilated exams using Inspera Exam Portal (IEP). If you have an IEP exam and you are located in Auckland, you are still able to come onto campus to sit your exam if you wish. Please note that the university desktop computers are not set up with the Inspera Exam Portal, so it is encouraged that you bring your own device with the Portal downloaded.

For device specifications, please see Invigilated (supervised) examinations.

Exam mode D: On-campus computer-based exams. We encourage students to bring their own device for this mode of exam; however, there is the option of using the desktop computers set up in the exam rooms.

If you are on campus and using your own device or a loan laptop, ensure you connect to 'UoA-WIFI' as any other connection will automatically time out.

For Wi-Fi and other technical issues refer to the Student Support guide.

If you need to reset your University log on, you can visit Change or reset your password.

If you have any disability or condition (temporary or permanent) that affects your ability to sit exams or tests under the prescribed conditions, you may apply to sit under special conditions, which take account of the particular impairment.

All students with approved special conditions for reader/writer support will be contacted by email or phone to discuss their preferred support options. We understand the importance of readers and writers for students when sitting on-campus examinations. The University remains committed to providing reader/writer support for online examinations, either in person or via Zoom, but students may wish to explore alternative solutions where appropriate.

If you’re allowed to use a computer as part of your special conditions, your exam will be completed online. If you don’t have a computer at home or reliable internet access, please visit Student long-term loan laptops.

All special conditions for online examinations must be approved prior to the exam period starting.
For more information, please see Sitting your exam or test under special conditions.

Yes, under certain circumstances you can apply to sit an out-of-time exam. Your application must be received by Assessment Services at least 4 weeks before the exam period begins (Thursday 11 May 2023).

For more information, please see Alternative times for exams.

Only a small number of courses will be using a remote (digital) invigilation system. You will have been notified by your examiner if you are sitting an exam with digital invigilation. For most students, exams will not be invigilated.

For more information, please visit Invigilated (supervised) examinations.

Final results are usually available between 10 and 20 days after the last day of the exam period for most taught courses including those without an exam. Your results can be accessed on Student Services Online.

Unfortunately, if you miss your exam by mixing up the time or date, or because you have arrived too late, your final grade will be recorded as DNS (Did Not Sit).

It is not possible to sit your exam at another time or day. This applies to both on campus and online exams. If you are late for your exam but arrive before the halfway time, you can still enter your designated exam room to sit your exam, however you will not be given any extra time.