Exam Guidelines

For information about requesting a change to a summative exam date, see Exam Date Change Procedures.

Exam Guidelines Effective for Class of 2026 and Beyond

  1. Students must sign in upon entering the exam room.
  2. Students must sit in their assigned seats (preclinical only). Only Dean Goldberg can approve a change in seating assignment when needed. No chairs should be moved by students before or during the exam.
  3. Foam earplugs to reduce noise are allowed and will be available during the exam.
  4. Students may bring only their personal examination device (e.g., iPad for Examplify exams, laptop for Blackboard exams) as specified in the exam instructions, and the following permitted items: pen/pencil (unless otherwise instructed); light jacket; food/drink (provided they do not disrupt other students during the exam). Drink cups/bottles must have lids. Exam proctors have the discretion to revise this policy if items are disruptive.
    • No backpacks or bags are allowed into the examination room.* Please lock all items in your locker before you enter the exam room. *During the clinical years when students may not have access to a locker in Ross Hall, they will need to make special arrangements (pack lighter, etc.), and adhere to the policies for that particular examination.
    • No cell phones are allowed into the examination room.* In preclinical exams, there will be a zero-tolerance policy for cell phones, even if they are turned off. If a phone is found on your person, it is an honor code violation. Please leave your phone in your locker. *During the clinical years when students may not have access to a locker in Ross Hall, cell phones will be kept by the proctor during the examination, and all phones should be turned completely off during the examination period.
    • No watches of any kind are allowed into the examination room. Note that this is consistent with the rules for board examinations.
  5. Scratch paper will be provided before Examplify and Blackboard exams. Writing on scratch paper before exam time begins is prohibited. Students must write their name on the scratch paper when the exam starts. Following the exam, all scratch paper must be returned to a proctor (not thrown away) before exiting the room.
  6. For NBME exams, students will be provided with a whiteboard and marker. Students must clear and return the whiteboard before leaving the exam room. No other note-taking tools are allowed, and no exam materials may be removed from the exam room. Students should not bring pens/pencils to NBME exams.
  7. Upon entering the exam room, students are not permitted to access their examination devices (e.g., iPad, laptop) or other exam materials (e.g., writing on scratch paper) until instructed to do so by the proctor. Examination devices are to remain closed or face down until the proctor instructs students to access the device.
  8. All iPads and laptops should be completely charged before students arrive for the exam. While chargers are permissible, no student will be permitted to move closer to an outlet during the exam. If an iPad or laptop loses power during the exam and the outlet at the student’s seat is not working, the student will finish the exam on paper (except for NBME exams which cannot be administered on paper).
  9. If a student is locked out of an Examplify exam and cannot get back in, the student must restart and take the exam on paper. In this case, answers on Examplify will not count.
  10. Students must agree to abide by the Honor Code and follow proctor instructions at the start of each exam.
  11. Students are not permitted to ask questions regarding the content or clarification of a question during an exam. Exam proctors will take questions only about the exam itself (e.g., duplicate questions; incorrectly labeled answer choices; etc.). If you have a question, write it on scratch paper and raise your hand to call attention to the proctor.
  12. The length of any exam should be such that no student needs to leave the exam room at any time. There is no break during in-person exams; the exam testing time continues if students leave to use the bathroom. If a student needs to leave, a proctor must approve the request, and the student’s testing device (e.g., iPad or laptop) and other testing material must be turned in to the proctor. At the proctor’s discretion, four students may leave to use the restroom at a time, up to two per restroom. Students must sign in and out if they leave the exam room. The student must not be gone for more than seven minutes. No student will be permitted to leave more than twice per exam. If you anticipate having an issue with this, please contact Dean Goldberg and make arrangements beforehand. For preclinical exams, a restroom waitlist will be projected during the exam; at the proctor’s direction, type your name on the projected restroom waitlist and take a seat. When you see that it is your turn, sign your name and time out on the sign-out sheet. When you return, sign in and erase your name from the projected waitlist.
  13. The examination time will begin when the proctor says to begin and end when the proctor states that the time is up. Students who arrive late to the examination will not receive extra time. Although you may have a few minutes remaining on your examination, you must close your examination when the proctor announces that the time is up. The time remaining will be projected on the screen or written on the whiteboard during the examination. Budget your time according to the proctor’s time, not the time remaining on the testing exam software (e.g., Examplify, NBME or Blackboard).
  14. If you arrive at an NBME exam on time and experience technical difficulties with your device during the exam window, you will be permitted the full amount of time for the exam. If you arrive late for the NBME exam, the amount of time you are late will be deducted from the overall time permitted for the exam.
  15. Upon completion of an exam, students must submit the exam and display the green or finish screen to the exam proctor and must sign out before exiting the room.
  16. When ten minutes remain on the proctor’s exam clock, all remaining students must remain seated until the end of the exam period and until the proctor has seen the “completion” screens for all remaining testers. Once the proctor announces the exam period is over, ALL students must submit their exam. There will be no extra time allotted.
  17. At least one proctor will remain in the exam room for the entirety of the exam.
  18. In the event of an emergency, immediately close your testing device and leave the exam room as directed by the emergency instructions posted in the exam room.

Exam Date Change Procedure

It is expected that all students in the MD program will take exams at the scheduled date and time. If an emergency occurs, or an extremely important date/time conflict arises, students must follow the Exam Date Change Procedures published on the MD program website. For non-emergency situations, students must complete the Request for Change of Examination Date form in accordance with the exam date change procedures.