Interesting facts about examinations

Interesting facts about examinations

All examinations are organized and coordinated by the Student Advising Office (Studienbüro). It is always possible that set dates or rooms may change or that the examination schedule might be altered. JOGUStINe will immediately inform you of these changes and you will usually also be notified in the respective class or via email. We strongly recommend that you check your system messages in the JGU Message Center on a regular basis.

IMPORTANT: There are binding registration deadlines for all examinations. Late registrations and withdrawals are only possible in exceptional cases. If you have any questions concerning exam registration, please contact your responsible Student Advising Office. In cases of doubt, the examination board is responsible for making important decisions.

Overview

 

Examination dates

Up-to-date exam schedules for the subjects Computer Science, Mathematics, Meteorology and Physics can be accessed in the menu under “examination dates and deadlines” or via the links below:

 

Examination types and testing methods

The following will provide you with a brief introduction on the types of examination and testing methods that you will encounter during your program. The types of examinations differ mainly in regard to their relevance and how much they count toward your final grade. During your degree, you will also find that different testing methods are used in exams.

 

Examination types

  • Examination prerequisite (Studienleistung)
  • Sub-module examination (Modulteilprüfung)
  • Module examination (Modulprüfung)
  • Final module examination (Abschlussmodulprüfung)

Examination prerequisite

Examination prerequisites are examinations that prove your active participation in a course. Examination prerequisites are usually not graded, which means that the examination result will be either “passed” (“bestanden”, be) or “not passed” (“nicht bestanden”, nb). Examination prerequisites do not count toward the module grade and have no influence on the final grade. In some exceptional cases, examination prerequisites will be graded. However, this grade only serves as an assessment of your performance level. If you fail an examination prerequisite, you may repeat it as often as you like. Some cases may deviate from this regulation.

Sub-module examination

Sub-module examinations are examinations relating to the content of the course. Their results count toward the module grade and therefore toward the final grade. If you fail a sub-module examination, you have to register for the examination again and repeat it at the next possible date. The number of attempts is usually limited to two. If you fail a sub-module examination on your third attempt, you will lose your entitlement to take examinations in this degree program completely.

Module examination

Module examinations are examinations relating to the content of all courses of a module. The results of module examinations constitute the module grade – sometimes in combination with the results of sub-module examinations – and are therefore also included in the final grade. If you fail a module examination, you have to register for the examination again and repeat it at the next possible date. The number of attempts is usually limited to two. If you fail a module examination on your third attempt, you will lose your entitlement to take examinations in this degree program completely.

Final module examination

The final module examination normally consists of two examination components: a written graduation thesis and an oral examination. Both examination results are included in the final grade. To what extent each component counts toward the final grade is determined in the examination regulations. Depending on the examination regulations, seminars or colloquia may also be included in the examination preparation in the final module.

 

Testing methods

  • written exam
  • oral examination
  • term paper/written report
  • presentation
  • certificate

Written exam

At the end of each semester’s lecture period, most courses are completed with written examinations. Similar to tests at school, students have to solve either one or more tasks posed by the examiner within a limited time frame, usually with limited resources and under the supervision of a member of staff.

Oral examination

An oral examination covers either one or more previously agreed-upon topics. The exam usually lasts between 15-45 minutes. During the exam, a report is written documenting the most important aspects.

Term paper/written report

A term paper has to be written on a topic relating to the course and must be specified in agreement with the lecturer. Term papers are several pages long and are generally written during the semester break.

Presentation

Presentations are held in class on a topic that you and your lecturer agreed upon. Presentations are sometimes held in groups and you usually have to provide a handout for everyone in class, summing up the main points of the presentation and listing your references.

Certificate

A certificate is a performance review written within the context of a lab course. If certificates take place during the ongoing lab course, e.g. on the first day of the experiment, you do not have to register for them independently. In this case, the examination registration takes place “implicitly”, meaning that by registering for the course, you are also registering for the exam. The results of each certificate make up your grade for the lab course.

 

Admission to examinations

You are usually admitted to examinations by successfully participating in a course. Successful participation means the following (there may sometimes be exceptions to these requirements):

  • Attending the course regularly, in case of seminars and practical courses;
  • Active participation, meaning for lectures that at least 50% of the corresponding practice class assignments have to be successfully completed.

Inform your lecturer about your reasons for “irregular” course attendance, e.g. due to acute problems/sickness. If the reasons for your absence are, however, known in advance and related to a chronic disease, involvement in a committee, pregnancy or childcare duties you have to file an informal application for admission despite irregular attendance to your responsible Student Advising Office (Studienbüro) at the beginning of the course.

Once you have been admitted to an examination, admission is retained.

 

Absence during examinations and examination withdrawals

If you

  • do not attend an examination that you registered for or
  • do not register for a repeat examination within the stated period or
  • withdraw from or do not attend a repeat examination or
  • withdraw from an examination after it has begun or
  • do not finish your written examination components within the stated period,

your examination results will be graded as “unsatisfactory” (5.0). To validate an important reason for absence or withdrawal, the reason has to be convincingly conveyed in writing to the responsible examination board (represented by the responsible Student Advising Office). The examination board decides whether or not these reasons will be accepted.

 

Reasons and deadlines for examination withdrawals

In the event of sickness, a doctor’s certificate has to be presented to the responsible Student Advising Office immediately – generally within the first three days following the examination or submission date. You will find a template medical certificate in our download center for the case that you cannot attend an examination due to health issues.

The Student Advising Office in charge of the subject in which the examination could not be attended or finished due to health reasons is responsible for these matters. The university registrar's office for the teaching program (Hochschulprüfungsamt für das Lehramt, HPL) is in charge of these issues in the context of Educational Sciences and graduation theses in the degree program Bachelor of Education / Master of Education. You may also be required to present a medical certificate.

Evidence for inability of participation in an examination

  • A certificate of incapacity to work (Arbeitsunfähigkeitsbescheinigung, AU) is generally not sufficient.
  • The medical certificate must always confirm the time, extent and duration of the illness. In the case of a repeated inability to participate in the examination, a description of the symptoms as well as their effect on the student’s ability to participate in the examination must be included.
  • The medical certificate and informal applications (e.g. for a withdrawal or deadline extension) are to be handed in to the responsible Student Advising Office immediately. The Student Advising Office can request a certificate from a medical health officer.
  • Medical certificates from a hospital doctor, a psychiatry specialist or a registered psychological psychotherapist are equal to a certificate from a medical health officer.
  • In the event of, for example, the death of a close relative, you can withdraw from the examination or extend the deadline upon application.
  • If the illness/pressure is not acute, but you are aware of it prior to the examination, you have to submit your application for a deadline extension before the examination.
  • Following excuses will not be accepted (examples): technical problems such as computer viruses, defective storage mediums, etc. (backups are assumed), problems occurring on the way to submission/ to the written exam such as delayed trains, traffic jams, workload, etc.
  • Students are held accountable.

 

Repetition of examination components

Examination components can usually be repeated twice. This counts both for module and sub-module examinations, but may also concern examination prerequisites, if determined in the corresponding examination regulations. Students must repeat examinations at the next possible date – generally within six months of failing. If students fail the second repeat examination, they lose the entitlement to take examinations in the corresponding module, subject, or degree program. If the final attempt at a written examination was not failed due to absence, but during regular participation in the examination, a supplementary oral examination can be requested, providing it is permitted by the examination regulations.

 

Recognition of examination components

Examination components from other degree programs and/or from another university will be recognized if you present the necessary documents. In the case of a semester abroad, we recommend concluding a learning agreement (arrange with departmental advisor) in advance, so as to prevent complications for later recognition. Find out the details in advance and take into account the deadlines for applications.

The Student Advising Office responsible for the subject of the examination component will carry out and credit recognition. The applications will be checked by the responsible Departmental Advisory Services (Studienfachberatung). Please always present the original or a certified copy of the accomplished components.

 

Concerns of students with disabilities

Concerns of students with disabilities are taken into account in order to ensure equal opportunities. Upon application, extended deadlines or the use of different testing methods, for instance, can be permitted. You may be requested to show a medical certificate or a certificate from a medical health officer. Please contact the Student Advising Office responsible for the subject in which you intend to participate in the examination.

 

Deception

If the result of an examination is influenced by deception or the use of unauthorized aids, the examination results will be graded as “unsatisfactory” (5.0). If an examination is deliberately disturbed, the continuation of the examination can be prohibited. In this case, the examination results will also be graded as “unsatisfactory” (5.0). In severe cases, the responsible examination board can exclude you from participating in future examination components.