I. Purpose
SGU is committed to conducting all examinations in a manner that ensures academic integrity, fairness, equity, safety, and consistency across programs and campuses. This policy establishes the overarching standards governing the design, delivery, security, and oversight of all summative examinations.
II. Scope
This policy applies to all SGU students from all schools enrolled in courses or programs requiring summative examinations, whether administered on campus, online, through distributed clinical sites, or at approved professional testing centers.
III. Guiding Principles
III.I Integrity and Honor
Examinations must uphold the SGU Honor Code and the Policy on Honorable Student Conduct. All examination materials are confidential academic records and may not be accessed, shared, reproduced, or distributed without authorization.
III.II Validity, Reliability, and Fairness
SGU ensures that:
- All examinations are purposefully designed, blueprinted, and aligned with course learning outcomes, competencies, and program objectives.
- Assessments undergo regular review to support validity, reliability, and fairness.
- Examinations provide equitable evaluation of student performance across all campuses, cohorts, and delivery formats.
III.III Equity and Accessibility
SGU ensures compliance with accessibility laws and institutional policies. Students with documented accommodations receive equitable examination conditions through the Student Accessibility and Accommodation Services (SAAS). No student shall be disadvantaged due to disability or accommodation status.
III.IV Safety and Security
The safety of students and staff is paramount. Examination venues must meet SGU standards for health, safety, and suitability. All locations, including external testing centers, must uphold SGU’s security and integrity requirements.
III.V Professionalism and Learning Environment
All examinations are conducted in a learning environment free of mistreatment, intimidation, or harassment. Professional behavior is expected at all times before, during, and after examinations. Students may report unsafe or unprofessional conditions without fear of retaliation.
III.VI Transparency and Accountability
SGU maintains clear expectations for examination administration, security, conduct, and post-exam review. Academic units, Examination Services, and University leadership retain oversight responsibility to ensure compliance and continuous improvement.
IV. Roles and Responsibilities
IV.I Students
Students are responsible for understanding and complying with this policy, the University Honor Code, all examination expectations, and all academic integrity regulations. Students must present valid SGU identification, adhere to professional standards, and avoid any behavior that may compromise examination integrity.
IV.II Course Directors
Course Directors are responsible for:
- Constructing examinations aligned with course learning outcomes.
- Ensuring content quality, fairness, and accuracy.
- Reviewing psychometric reports and making adjustments for future assessments.
- Submitting concerns related to examination irregularities or integrity breaches to academic leadership.
IV.III Academic Leadership (Deans and Committees)
Academic Deans, Curriculum Committees, Assessment Committees, and other program-level academic bodies oversee:
- The quality, consistency, and fairness of examinations across programs and locations.
- Review of exam performance data, trends, and curricular/program outcomes.
- Decisions regarding exam invalidation, remediation opportunities, progression implications, and academic standing.
IV.IV Examination Services
Examination Services oversees the logistical delivery and technical administration of examinations, ensures secure examination environments, coordinates with Course Directors, and documents examination irregularities.
IV.V Chief Proctors
Chief Proctors supervise the examination venue, ensure compliance with policy standards, make on-site determinations about venue suitability, and report suspected integrity breaches or irregularities.
V. Examination Environment and Academic Standards
V.I Venue Suitability and Safety
All SGU examination venues, on campus or external, must maintain safe, standardized, and secure testing conditions. SGU may suspend, relocate, or terminate an examination if safety or integrity is compromised.
V.II Equity Across Campuses and Testing Locations
Examinations administered on distributed campuses or at external centers must reflect the same standards, expectations, and conditions as those delivered on SGU’s main campus. Assessment policies and grading practices must be applied consistently across all instructional sites and cohorts.
V.III Accessibility and Accommodations
Examination environments must support equitable access for students granted accommodations. Faculty and proctors must honor all SAAS-approved accommodations. Examination Services do not sanction, determine or control accommodations in any way, examination services only provide the accommodations sanctioned by SAAS. All queries or discussion on accommodations should be directly with SAAS.
VI. Examination Integrity and Professional Conduct
Unprofessional behavior or academic misconduct during examinations violates the Honor Code and Examination Policy. Prohibited behavior includes but is not limited to:
- Unauthorized access to exam content
- Providing or receiving assistance
- Impersonation or proxy testing
- Attempting to reconstruct, record, or distribute examination questions
- Possessing unauthorized materials or devices
- Disruptive or unsafe behavior
- Failure to adhere to proctor instructions
Confirmed violations may result in academic sanctions, including a score of zero, sequestered grades pending investigation, required remediation, or dismissal in accordance with SGU procedures.
VII. Examination Scheduling, Rescheduling
- Examination schedules are published by the University Registrar and are considered final when released.
- Examinations may be rescheduled only when safety, venue integrity, or examination security require it.
- Rescheduled examinations must occur within the published academic term.
VIII. Examination Data, Documentation, and Continuous Quality Improvement
To maintain assessment quality and continuous improvement, SGU:
- Maintains secure records of examination performance, item analysis, and irregularity reporting.
- Conducts regular program-level review of exam data to identify trends, ensure fairness across cohorts, analyze program outcomes, and strengthen curricular alignment.
- Uses assessment outcomes to enhance the curriculum, teaching, learning, and student support systems.
IX. Reporting Concerns, Irregularities, and Non-Retaliation
Students must report examination irregularities immediately through prescribed channels.
SGU prohibits retaliation against any student who reports safety issues, irregularities, or concerns about examination conditions, integrity, or the learning environment.
X. Authority
Office of the Provost; reviewed every 3 years.
XI. Version History
(1125001)
XII. Appendix Examination Procedures
Chief Proctor
The Chief Proctor is the person in charge of the examination delivery in a specific examination venue. The Chief Proctor oversees the overall conditions inside and in proximity to the examination venue and all associated proctoring activities.
Venue Requirements
All examinations must be scheduled in a suitable testing environment.
Typical testing venues on campus may include study halls with individual student carrels, or small group venues with tables and temporary table-top dividers.
In case the examination is delivered through a professional testing center, it is the responsibility of the testing center to ensure a suitable testing environment.
Venue Entry
Students must arrive with a valid scannable SGU student ID to gain entry to examinations. There is no access to examination venues without a valid scannable SGU student ID. Students without a valid scannable SGU student ID will be referred to the Office of Student Affairs to report the issue and request consideration for completion examinations.
Publication of Examination Schedules
The examination schedules, once finalized, will be published as part of the Academic Class Schedules and made available centrally on the Office of the University Registrar’s site. These schedules also include the dates of Completion Examinations, and, where relevant, Make-up examinations. Once the examination schedules are published, they are considered final and cannot be changed upon individual or group requests.
Adverse Conditions in an Examination Venue
During an examination, the condition of the examination venue is constantly monitored by the Chief Proctor assigned to the venue. In case the conditions become unsuitable for an examination, the Chief Proctor in consultation with designated academic department representatives, will make a determination concerning whether to terminate the examination process in the affected venue. This step is taken if the adverse conditions cannot be rectified within a reasonable time. In case adverse conditions appear during the examination, suspension of the examination and relocation to a suitable environment can take place if there is no undue delay (i.e. <2 hours). Under no circumstances should the overall interruption time exceed two hours.
Minor adverse conditions in an examination venue within the normal variability, such as variations in ambient light (from sun to cloud), room temperature, as well as minor interruptions caused by the persons inside the examination venue, do not warrant a termination of an examination, nor do they warrant any interference with the resulting examination scores for an individual student.
The safety of students and employees inside an SGU examination venue is paramount. A fire alarm requires immediate evacuation of the examination venue, and students must assemble in the designated muster area. The Department of Public Safety (DPS) will assess the situation and provide a report to Chief Proctor, the Course Director, the academic Dean, and the Office of Student Affairs.
In case one or more examination venues become unsuitable prior to a scheduled examination, the assigned school scheduler will work in concert with the University scheduler to investigate the availability of alternative venues first, and will only initiate a re-scheduling if the available alternatives, which may include lecture halls, are not sufficient or suitable to deliver the examination to the class.
Students who experience adverse conditions in an external professional testing center (e.g. Prometric) are advised to contact the Office of Student Affairs, who will start an investigation and work with the respective Dean on a remediation plan, if appropriate.
Compromised Integrity of an Examination
If the integrity of an examination is compromised, for example, if students gain unauthorized access to the exam or its content before the scheduled date, the exam will not be delivered as planned and may be abandoned. This may occur at any time up to the examination start time.
In cases where a breach of examination security comes to light after the examination has already been delivered, but the scores have not become final, such a compromised examination can be invalidated by the Course Director in consultation with any Assessment Review Committee and following the approval of the relevant academic Dean. This requires a re-scheduling of the examination within the term or at the scheduled completion date, or other appropriate solution as determined by the Dean.
Procedures following Examination Termination/Invalidation
If an examination is terminated or invalidated, for example in case of compromised examination integrity, for the entire class, or for a specified cohort, e.g. in a specific examination venue, the Course Director, in consultation with the Assessments Review Committee and the academic Dean will meet with representatives of Examination Services and a decision will be made.
As one of the possible outcomes of this meeting, the academic Dean in concert with the schedulers may be charged to call a scheduling meeting to discuss the re-scheduling of the examination, including the stakeholders relevant to the scheduling of the particular examination, including the Course Director and two members of the Student Government Association (SGA) to re- schedule the examination for the affected student cohorts.
In case the respective school is unable to deliver a rescheduled examination during the term, it is at the discretion of the academic Dean to develop an alternative plan.
Students will be informed of the date and time of the rescheduled examination, or the decision to determine the course grades without the missing examination, no later than 7 days after the originally scheduled examination. This will be communicated via the usual communication pathways, including the electronic course management system.
In case an examination is terminated for a single student, or a small number of students, these students will be required to sit the completion examination at the date published in the official Academic Class Schedule.
Guidelines for Rescheduling Examinations
When possible, the re-scheduling should adhere to the following guidelines :
Saturdays, Sundays, or public holidays are not absolute exclusion days with regard to emergency rescheduling of examinations.
All course examinations must be rescheduled within the published dates of the term to which the original examination belongs, and no later than the day of the last scheduled completion examination, as published in the official Academic Class Schedule.
In case the last course examination in a term has to be re-scheduled, this should be done between the original date of the final examination and the last Completion Examination, as outlined in the official Academic Class Schedule.
The publication of the re-scheduled examination dates and times and the revised examination announcement are usually done via email or through the electronic course management system. There is no requirement for publication of the re-scheduled examination through a revised Academic Class Schedule. The University Scheduler ensures the proper entry of the venue bookings through the University scheduling system (currently 25live).
Prior to Examination Day
For all internal (ExamSoft) electronic course examinations, students are required complete examinations on the provided University laptops. Students are required to download the examination file(s) during the designated window indicated by the Course Director/Chief Proctor in the examination announcement and in the examination venue.
St. George’s University provides laptops to students scheduled to take high-stakes computer-based examinations. However, each student is required to have a laptop for completing take-home or in-class quizzes. Examinees must ensure that their laptops meet the current system requirements, as published by Examination Services on its web portal: https://myuniversity.sgu.edu/pages/examination-services-exam-soft
Students enrolled in online programs, or undertaking examinations off campus may have different examination download windows and requirements, and should consult with their respective course syllabus and examination announcements.
All students who present themselves to sit for any examination are required to display their valid SGU identification card. This is the only accepted form of identification. Individuals who fail to present this form of identification will not be admitted into the exam.
Students may not bring any personal belongings into the examination venue. All electronic devices and devices capable of storing or transmitting information are also prohibited, except for medical devices needed to maintain health. If any personal belongings are brought to the examination site, they must be stored outside of the testing area. Completely clear, see-through water bottles are permitted outside the venue and may be accessed during breaks at designated spots with proctor approval.
No wristwatches of any type will be allowed in the examination halls, either on the arm, examinees’ person or on the table. The University assumes no responsibility for any personal belongings stored outside the testing area. For in-person exams, foam earplugs [LG1.1][AR1.2]are permitted, all other types of earplugs will not be accepted.
Students are assigned to their individual examination venue, which is indicated in their specific examination announcement, and must take the examination in the assigned venue without exceptions.
Students will consult the examination-seating list posted outside the examination venue, where applicable, to find their assigned seat. Examinees may only sit in their assigned seat. Any discrepancies or seating problems will be reported to the Chief Proctor.
Professional conduct requires students to be at the venue and ready to enter at the announced start of CHECK IN time, and prior to the grace period. Examinees must scan their student ID at the ID scanner located at the entrance each time they enter or leave the venue.
Students must follow the instructions of the proctors at all times, from the start of CHECK IN until the end of the examination, whether inside or outside the examination venue.
Examinees who are not in the check-in line 30 minutes prior to the door close time are considered to be late and will not be admitted into the exam venue. Late arrivals will then be required to scan their student ID and will be directed to the Office of Student Affairs.
On entry, students will be directed to a designated workstation. Each workstation will contain a laptop that has been prepared and configured. Students must use only the device assigned to their seat and may not switch devices unless instructed to do so by a Proctor or Technician.
Once seated, students should confirm that the laptop is powered on and functional. Students should not attempt to change system settings, install software or troubleshoot technical issues on their own. Students are also prohibited from attempting to access unauthorized software, files or websites on their assigned device.
Students who encounter a technical issue with their assigned device should immediately notify a Proctor or Technician. Students should remain seated while they await assistance. The Proctor or Technician will determine the appropriate resolution and may assign a different laptop if necessary. For example, individuals with such issues may be escorted to the Examinations Services office for troubleshooting assistance. Once resolved, students will then be escorted to the alternative venue by a Proctor, to complete the exam. For online exams, students experiencing technical problems must immediately email TellExaminationServices@sgu.edu for assistance. Escalation may lead to a Zoom call with tech support.
Students are responsible for handling institutional laptops with care. Any accidental damage or device malfunction must be reported to a Proctor or Technician immediately.
External, web-based examinations, e.g. those offered by the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME), do not require an examination download prior to the examination day.
All institutionally provided laptops may include monitoring, logging or access restrictions necessary to maintain exam integrity and system security. Each laptop is the property of St. George’s University. Use of these devices constitutes acknowledgement and acceptance of this policy.
On Examination Day
- General Conduct and Instructions
- Students must follow the instructions of the proctors at all times, from the start of CHECK IN until the end of the examination, whether inside or outside the examination venue.
- Professional conduct requires students to be at the venue and ready to enter at the announced start of CHECK IN time, and prior to the grace period.
- No communication of any kind is permitted between examinees after entering the examination venue.
- CHECK IN will begin 30 minutes prior to the scheduled exam start time. Students must be seated no later than 10 minutes before the start of the examination. Ten (10) minutes before the doors close and the examination starts, a proctor will stand at the end of the CHECK IN line. Once the proctor is in position, no additional students will be permitted to join the line. - Eg. If your exam is set to begin at 8:30 am you can start entering the venue at 8.00am. If you are not in line by 8:20 am you will not be permitted entry.
- Any irregularities or suspicious activities during the exam should be immediately reported to a proctor. Issues not reported and verified during the exam cannot be used as the basis for an appeal.
- If a student is suspected of unprofessional behavior during the examination, they may be stopped for verification. Failure to comply with directives from proctors may result in referral to the judicial office.
- Examinees found violating any examination policies, including tampering with software or security features, will face academic disciplinary action.
- Identification and Entry
- All examinees must present a current SGU Student ID to enter the exam venue.
- Examinees must scan their student ID or conduct a facial scan at the ID scanner located at the entrance each time they enter or leave the venue.
- Students must be seated in their individually assigned carrel as per the seating list posted outside the venue.
- Any seating discrepancies should be reported immediately to the Chief Proctor or Course Director.
- Permitted Items Inside the Exam Venue
- SGU Student ID.
- Completely clear, see-through water bottles are permitted outside the venue and may be accessed during breaks at designated spots with proctor approval.
- Items approved in advance by Student Accessibility and Accommodation Services.
- Whiteboards and marker pens will be provided for use during the exam (note: whiteboards may not be used before exam start if under accommodation).
- Laptops will be provided for examinations using ExamSoft.
- For in-person examinees, cordless foam earplugs are permitted.
- Prohibited Items Inside the Exam Venue
- Personal Laptop
- Backpacks
- Cell phones and other communication devices
- Recording devices
- Wristwatches of any type (worn or on desk)
- Hoodies and outerwear with pockets
- Headwear (except for religious purposes)
- Scrap paper, pens, pencils, or styluses
- Food, beverages, or non-transparent water bottles
- Tinted or sunglasses (reading glasses with clear lenses are allowed)
- Hair and Appearance
- Hair long enough to cover eyes or ears must be pulled back.
- Examinees’ eyes must remain visible at all times.
- Exam Software and Timing
- In-person examinees must download the exam file as soon as they are seated at the examination venue. If unable, they must notify a Proctor or Technical Support Staff, as soon as possible.
- For online exams, the exam password will be announced approximately 15 minutes prior to CHECK IN via the course management system (Canvas) or email.
- For in-person exams, the Chief Proctor will provide the password.
- Students must start the exam immediately after receiving the password, without delay.
- Bathroom and Breaks
- No bathroom breaks are allowed during the first 30 minutes or the final 10 minutes of an exam.
- Short, unscheduled bathroom breaks are permitted at other times with proctor approval, following a sign-out and sign-in procedure.
- Students may access water bottles only during breaks and at designated locations outside the venue.
- The Chief Proctor may restrict movement to maintain a distraction-free environment, especially near the exam's end.
- Technical Issues and Assistance
- For online exams, students experiencing technical problems must immediately email TellExaminationServices@sgu.edu for assistance. Escalation may lead to a Zoom call with tech support.
- For in-person exams, students should notify a proctor of any technical issues. Computer failures may result in relocation to an alternative venue or scheduling a makeup exam. All such incidents will be recorded as exam irregularities.
- Completing and Leaving the Exam Venue
- Students who finish early may seek permission from a proctor to leave after successfully uploading their exam files and displaying the confirmation (“Green Screen” or “Congratulations! Your answer file(s) uploaded successfully”) to the proctor.
- Upon leaving, students will be asked to either scan their student ID or complete a facial scan at the scanner and sign the sign-out sheet at the venue entrance.
- Movement, including exiting or bathroom breaks, is restricted during the final 10 minutes of the exam.
- Students who have finished an examination and left will not be allowed back into the venue.
After the Examination
- All examination materials are the intellectual property of St George’s University. Reproduction and/ or distribution of examination materials, by any means, including reconstruction through memorization, are strictly prohibited.
- If you become aware of any suspicious activity related to an examination, please notify the Office of Student Affairs immediately studentaffairs@sgu.edu.
- Examination irregularities, including falsely reporting technical difficulties, potential violations of the honor code, or other breaches of the examination rules and regulations will be investigated.
- The Course Director may withhold the examination scores during an ongoing investigation.
- Once a violation of the examination rules and regulations has been confirmed, the Course Director may impose a score of “zero” (0 points) for the examination.
- All examination files need to be uploaded for a valid exam score to stand. Absence of any of these files will result in a score of “zero” (0 points) for the examination.
- Failure to meet the hardware and software requirements for the examination, including failure to update to the required version of Examplify, will result in a score of “zero” (0 points) for the examination.
- In cases of severe violations of the examination rules and regulations, the Dean may initiate disciplinary action, which may ultimately result in dismissal.
- When cheating is suspected, it is not the obligation of the University to prove violation beyond a shadow of a doubt, but rather by a preponderance of the credible evidence submitted. Any suspected violations are reviewed by a university panel.
- Each course will provide an individual student profile (mastery) report following each summative assessment. These reports contain student performance data for each examination. These individual profiles should be used by students to identify their performance strengths and weaknesses for the summative assessments.
- Individual mastery reports of the examinations are available through the Examplify portal.
Irregularity Reporting
- Any exam irregularities that negatively impact a student’s ability to complete the exam must be reported immediately within the examination venue to the Chief Proctor or email tellexaminationservices@sgu.edu for online exam support. For issues that cannot be resolved in the venue, students should immediately request that an Irregularity Report be completed by the Chief Proctor in the venue at that time of the occurrence. Students should email the Course Director immediately after the exam to alert the Course Director of the Irregularity Report that was filed in the venue. Irregularity Reports will not be considered after the examination is completed and the student has left the venue or if the outlined process is not followed.
- After grades are published by the Course Director no changes will be made based on Irregularity Reports that are filed inappropriately or late, therefore students should ensure that all irregularities are dealt with appropriately in venue and that the Course Director is alerted to the presence of a filed Irregularity Report immediately after the examination. In this circumstance, the affected grade is sequestered until the irregularity is investigated.
- Once the Irregularity Report is filed by Examination Services and it is agreed by the Course Director in consultation with the academic Dean that it may have affected student performance, the affected grade will remain sequestered. A student may be offered a Completion examination after investigation of the events. The Completion exam, if offered, is scheduled at the end of term at the regularly scheduled date of the Completion exams for the course affected.
- In exceptional circumstances it may be necessary to delay the start time of an exam or postpone the examination. Students are advised to not make travel arrangements for immediately after an examination to cover this eventuality.
Unprofessional Behavior During an Examination
Unprofessional behavior includes any action by examinees or others when solicited by an examinee that subverts or attempts to subvert the examination process. If students have information or evidence indicating that any type of unprofessional behavior or any infringement of legal rights has occurred, they should submit a written report to or telephone the applicable course director, department head, and/or the Office of Student Affairs. Failure to adhere to any of the examination administration guidelines listed above constitutes unprofessional behavior.
Specific examples of unprofessional behavior include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Seeking and/or obtaining unauthorized access to examination.
- Taking an examination for which one is not eligible or attempting to do so, impersonating an examinee, or engaging someone else to take the examination on one’s behalf.
- Giving, receiving, or obtaining unauthorized assistance during the examination or attempting to do so (for example, copying from another examinee).
- Communicating with another examinee during the examination.
- Use of AI to complete or aid in an examination.
- Making notes of any kind during an examination except on the examination booklet or materials provided by the Chief Proctor.
- Failing to adhere to any SGU policy, procedure, or rule, including instructions from examination proctors prior to, during, and after the examination.
- Disrupting others at the examination.
- Possessing unauthorized materials, including photographic equipment, communication, or recording devices, including electronic paging devices and cellular telephones, during an examination.
- Reproducing unauthorized material, including reconstruction through memorization, and/ or dissemination of copyrighted examination materials.
- Providing or attempting to provide any information, including that relating to examination content that may give or attempt to give unfair advantage to individuals who may be taking the examination.
- Failing to sit in the assigned examination seat or moving examination papers from one seat to another, unless authorized by the Chief Proctor.
- Eating or smoking during an examination.
- Communicating with anyone other than an assigned proctor.
- Demonstrating any other behavior, which is deemed as inappropriate by proctors, faculty and/or Course Directors.
Procedure in Case of Unprofessional Behavior
If the Chief Proctor observes or receives information, which suggests that unprofessional behavior has occurred, all pertinent information, supporting materials, and statements from any witnesses will be gathered, and a written report accompanied by a signed complaint submitted to the Office of Student Affairs or directly to the University Judicial Office.
Implicated students will be advised of the alleged unprofessional behavior and they will have an opportunity to provide information that they consider relevant to the evaluation of the allegation.
The SGU policies and procedures regarding violations of the University Code of Conduct are outlined in the disciplinary process, which describes in detail the process for reaching final decisions regarding unprofessional behavior. If it is determined that students have engaged in unprofessional behavior, information regarding this determination, and any penalties deemed necessary, will be maintained as part of the student record by the Office of Student Affairs and the University Judicial Office for any future reference.
Students may be asked to attest to the University Code of Conduct statement prior to any or all University examinations.