Examination Procedures

Students will receive notification via their LUC email address. Note: Exam rooms are not necessarily the same rooms as those used for the corresponding classes. In many cases, more than one classroom is assigned for a class section. In that event, students will be assigned by name to a particular exam room. 

 All students are required to bring their Loyola Law Student I.D. or alternate form of picture identification for check-in at their exam room.  In addition, students should bring their four digit examination number (found in the upper right-hand corner of the student’s class schedule on LOCUS).

Students shall not conduct themselves in a manner that would be offensive to others taking the examination.  This includes use of materials or foods in a way that creates noise or other offensive conditions.

Except for laptop computers which may be used during laptop exams only, no cell phones, iPods, or other electronic or mechanical devices are permitted in examination rooms.  Possession of any unauthorized electronic or mechanical device during any exam may result in immediate withdrawal from the exam and a charge under the Code of Conduct. 

In all secured exams, students may not access digital or electronic notes. In such circumstances, students taking open-note exams must bring printed, hard copies of their notes. Some professors may opt for unsecured exams. In such circumstances, students may be able to access electronic notes and/or electronic textbooks at the discretion of their professor.

In closed-book examinations, all books, briefcases, back-packs, study aids, papers and other extraneous material shall be placed at a distance from the student’s examination desk (such as at the front of the room).  Proctors may prohibit any items they find unacceptable. 

Students who have successfully completed the entire procedure to setup the laptop exam software before the deadlines outlined are eligible to take the exam by laptop computer.  Students who have not completed this procedure cannot take the exam by laptop. 

There will be no separate rooms for hand-writers.  Exam takers - whether they handwrite or use a laptop - will be placed in the same room.

In open-book examinations, material allowed shall be stated on the front of the examination question booklet. Any other material is strictly prohibited.  “Open Book Exams” does not mean that students can access the internet, even by telephone. All, briefcases, back-packs, personal belongings and other extraneous material shall be placed at a distance from the student’s examination desk (such as at the front of the room).

After the exam is distributed, questions shall not be directed to the faculty member or the proctor, nor shall the faculty member or proctor respond to questions except that they may be asked to help eliminate mechanical problems such as missing pages.  Any ambiguities in the examination shall be considered to be intentional.  If necessary, students should state assumptions upon which they base their answers. 

Students who handwrite exams may use only the exam paper that is provided by the proctor.  No examination paper may be removed from the room.  Unused examination paper must be returned and scrap paper must be disposed of within the examination room.

Students who handwrite exams are to place their examination number on the top page of the examination questions and each piece of examination answer sheet used.  Students may not identify themselves in their examination answers or on the examination questions.  Grading must be anonymous.

Talking is prohibited from the time the proctor begins to distribute the exams until all the examination papers are collected.  Talking inside of the room is prohibited during the examination.  Students who violate this rule will be required to turn in their examinations immediately and may be charged under the Code of Conduct. 

Only one student at a time may leave the examination room during the examination period for a temporary break.  Students are not permitted to leave the floor on which their exam is administered and must go either to the washroom or remain in the open hallway or lounge areas.  Other students may not leave the room when they are out of the room, and thus, such breaks should be kept to a minimum.

When the time period for the examination has expired, the professor or proctor shall so announce and students shall immediately cease all writing/typing (even in mid-sentence).  Hand-writers shall immediately rise and turn in their exams.  Laptop takers shall immediately click on the file menu and select “exit” and then select “exit exam” from the dialog box. Extra time is not permitted for the purpose of arranging paper or writing exam numbers and page numbers on exams. Proctors shall identify the exams of those students who violate this procedure or exceed time limits in any way by designating those exams with the letter "L" signifying that the student continued to write after the time period for the examination has expired.  Students who violate this rule may be charged under the Code of Conduct. 

No examination will be accepted unless the examination questions are returned. Unless a faculty member or proctor gives instructions to the contrary, the student shall complete a handwritten exam by stapling his or her exam questions to the answer sheets and placing them into a box designated by the proctor.  Only those materials placed into the box (or the pile designated by the proctor) will be accepted for evaluation by the faculty member.

In the event that an issue occurs with a student’s upload of the exam, that student will be required to remain in the exam room until Law School Computing Services can resolve the issue. 

When the student completes the exam or when time has expired, whichever is sooner, the student shall submit to the proctor a signed statement (“Honor Statement”) which represents that the student has not engaged in any form of dishonesty or otherwise gained an unfair advantage with respect to the examination.  The statement must be physically separated from the examination questions and answers.  Failure to submit the signed statement shall constitute evidence that the student has engaged in such dishonesty or has gained an unfair advantage during the examination.

THE CODE OF STUDENT CONDUCT 

* * * * * *

All students should be familiar with The Code of Student Conduct.  The entire Code is available on the website and is on reserve in the library.  The following provisions are particularly pertinent during examination periods:

"Loyola School of Law views its students as prospective members of the bar and expects them to maintain the same high level of integrity that one would expect from a member of the bar.

The legal profession is largely self-governing.  Self-regulation helps maintain the legal profession's independence from government domination.  This relative autonomy carries with it special responsibilities.  When a lawyer knows or has a reasonable basis to know that another lawyer has engaged in improper behavior, it is one of his or her fundamental obligations to disclose that knowledge to the appropriate authority.  Likewise, each law student, faculty member or staff member who observes prohibited conduct should bring it to the attention of the Law School administration."

(Preamble to Loyola's Code of Student Conduct.)

* * * * *

Prohibited conduct includes:

• Dishonesty or misrepresentation in any academic pursuit (such as examinations and the submission of work for credit or publication), including but not limited to plagiarism and cheating;

• Disruptive conduct that affects teaching, class, research, examinations, administration, disciplinary proceedings, or other university activities and other authorized activities;

• Conduct in violation of any examination procedures as expressed by the instructor or the proctor, or written in the body of an exam;         

• Aiding or abetting another student in the commission of any of the above offenses;

• Attempts to commit any of the above offenses.

* * * * *

Procedures under The Code of Student Conduct commence when a student, faculty member or staff member who observes or otherwise has knowledge of prohibited conduct on the part of a student reports the matter to the Associate Dean for Administration

* * * * *

"If a student is found to have engaged in prohibited conduct, permissible sanctions include:

If the accused is found to have engaged in prohibited conduct, permissible sanctions include but are not limited to:

1. permanent expulsion from the School of Law;
2. expulsion with the right to apply for readmission at a time set by the Board;
3. the revocation of an offer of admission to the School of Law or any of its programs, courses or activities;
4. the revocation of a degree granted by Loyola University Chicago in the case of conduct that occurred prior to the award of a degree;
5. suspension from the School of Law for a fixed period, or for an indefinite period subject to stated conditions;
6. a period of probation, subject to stated conditions;
7. an official reprimand, which shall consist of a letter given to the student and a report of the offense in the student's permanent file;
8. a failing grade, lowering of a course grade, or an administrative withdrawal with or without a failing grade (“W” or "WF") from a course that was closely connected with the prohibited conduct;
9. restitution, additional course assignments, other appropriate work, or any other condition appropriate to the offense;
10. community service in an amount and under conditions appropriate to the offense;
11. forfeiture of awards or scholarships relating to the School of Law;
12. prohibition from the receipt of awards including, but not limited to honors or special recognition upon graduation;
13. prohibition from participation in or immediate removal from elected, honorary, co-curricular or law school employment positions within the School of Law or other part of the University, and prohibition from reference to elected, honorary, or co-curricular positions on the accused’s resume from the time of the Board’s determination;
14. prohibition from attendance at commencement;
15. a requirement that the accused inform in detail, members of the faculty, staff or administration from whom the accused may seek a recommendation, the circumstances of the charge and subsequent determination of the Board;
16. Any combination of the foregoing sanctions.