Whether it’s your first time sitting an exam at Royal Holloway or your final time it's always helpful to have a checklist of the things you need to remember on exam days during the examination and assessment period. To help you prepare, we have listed some pointers below along with a reminder of exam hall rules.
Things to remember
- You must remember to bring your College Card to each exam, as you will not be able to sit your exam without it
- Ensure you have arranged any required access arrangements for your exam, to make sure you have the best chance of success. Click here to visit the Disability and Dyslexia services website
- The best drink to take with you is water in a clear, unlabelled bottle
- It’s a good idea to ensure you have nothing written on any part of your body before entering the exam venue
- Leave your personal belongings and unauthorised items outside or at the edge of the room. Try to bring as little as possible with you, to reduce the chance of taking unauthorised items to your desk
- It’s always best to double check the venue for your exam, to make sure there have been no last-minute changes
- It is advisable to arrive at least 20 minutes before the start of your exam
- Once you have completed your exam, leave the exam venue quietly, bearing in mind that other exams may still be in progress in the same venue or nearby.
Exam hall rules
At Royal Holloway we want exams to be as fair for everyone as possible. We encourage you to review the Instructions to Candidates ahead of your exams for full information on exam hall rules and have outlined below the rules on what you can bring/wear to exams.
The following items are unauthorised and must not be left on your person or taken to your desk/chair, unless held in a bag underneath:
- personal items, such as bags, purses and wallets,
- outdoor clothing, including coats, hats and scarfs - unless worn for religious reasons (please see 6.3),
- pencil cases, except those which are entirely transparent and clear,
- mobile phones, electronic notebooks such as iPads or other electronic equipment,
- headphones, earphones and any other form of in-ear device including ear plugs – unless required due to hearing impairment, for example, hearing aids,
- ‘Smartwatches,’
- Food – you may have a small quantity of sweets or chewing gum but these must be placed in a small, clear plastic bag on your desk,
- drink, except for soft drinks contained in a clear plastic bottle with all labels removed,
- written material of any kind (for the only exception to this please see 4.4)
- paper of any type including scrap paper
- electronic or paper dictionaries, unless expressly permitted by the Sub-board of Examiners (see 6.13)
- calculators, unless authorised and expressly permitted by the Sub-board of Examiners (see 6.13 and 6.14).
If you bring any of these items you’ll need to leave them at the side of the room, away from your desk, as instructed by the invigilator. We recommend you leave any valuables at home. If you do have any valuables with you on the day make sure you ask for a valuables bag from the invigilator.