7.8 Re-examination
A student who fails to obtain a pass result at the regular test is entitled to the opportunity of a re-take. A re-take must be offered not more than three months after the regular test, but it must not be offered earlier than ten working days after the result of the regular test has been announced and a copy of the student’s examination script is available. Re-take time(s) should be announced not later than the day of the regular test. In addition, at least one further re-take opportunity (known as a ”catching-up test”) must be offered within one year of the regular test. For courses with fixed examination periods, special rules apply and are detailed in the curriculum and syllabus.
In consideration for students with children and students whose belief systems may render participation at certain times impossible, examinations and re-takes should be scheduled for different days of the week.
A student who has passed an examination may not be re-examined.
If a college or university limits the number of occasions on which a student may enrol for a test in order to obtain a pass grade for a course or sub-course, the number of attempts must be at least five. If a pass result on a course or sub-course presupposes that a student shall have undergone practical or similar training with a pass result, then the number of practical or similar training periods must be at least two. (Higher Education Ordinance Chapter 6 section 21)
Any restrictions on the number of opportunities for examination should be stated in the syllabus, and, in those cases where the rules apply to an entire programme, also in the study programme syllabus. If there are restrictions to the number of examinations, a student should always have the option to take an examination a total of at least five times, or a least twice when concerning work placement, clinical education or similar. A student has the right to be tested in accordance with the same syllabus as during the original examination twice, for up to two years after the first registration. Exceptions to these rules may be, for example, when the course has undergone fundamental scientific changes.
As regards the assessment of practical training, the student has the right to a change of examiner after the first test attempt.
At departments which have introduced a restriction on the number of times a test can be attempted, guidelines must be in place for the support measures applicable to students at risk of losing their right to participate in tests for certain courses, along with routines for “rescuing” such students in time. The guidelines must be formulated in accordance with the university board’s decision on objectives and guidelines for study counselling at Umeå University. See also chapter 9.
In order for an opportunity of examination to be regarded as forfeited, the student must have failed formally on the test. Absence from an examination may not be counted as a forfeit examination. Participation in an examination without submitting a result, handing in a blank paper, counts as an opportunity.
Anyone who has not passed and examination has the right to take a re-take on a course where she/he has once been registered, provided that any limitations on the number of times of examination have not been exceeded.
In cases where examinations or compulsory course elements cannot be repeated according to the rules of re-takes and work practice that has to be done again, these can be replaced with a different task. The extent and content of such a task should be in a reasonable proportion to the missed compulsory course element.
