Examinations can be timed or untimed. Don't confuse the window of availability of an exam (e.g. 24 hrs) with the duration of time students have to write the exam (e.g. 2.5 hrs).

An untimed exam is released to students and they complete it and submit it by a specific due date. It is recommended that you give some indication of the expected effort, so that students don’t spent too long or too little on it (e.g. “You should be able to complete this exam in 2 hours.”), but you are not enforcing a time limit. In this situation you will expect students to submit the exam by your specified due date, but you are not enforcing a 2 hr time limit

A timed exam has two components:

  • A window of time when the test is available (e.g. 24 hrs). Check with your Chair or Director as some departments may be coordinating exam periods.  The Registrar's Office has scheduled some final exms this term.
  • The duration of time students have to write the exam within the exam window. This is set by instructors; usually equivalent to the same duration as a regular final exam (e.g. 2.5 hrs), plus a buffer for technology issuess (e.g. 30 minutes). Consult your Associate Dean for more information.  Students with an accessibility plan may require additional time.

Whether timed or untimed, the exam can include a variety of question types (e.g. problem-based questions, essay answer, multiple-choice, short answer, exercises, etc.).