Individual arrangements in examination sessions

individual arrangements for examinations implemented on the basis of medical certificates or similar specialist statements can include the following:

• Additional time to complete an examination
  • The individual arrangements expert panel recommends 30 minutes of additional time for examinations whose duration is less than three hours, and 60 minutes of additional time for examinations whose duration is three hours or more. For well-grounded reasons, exceptions to this recommendation can be made.
  • If holding a brief examination lasting less than 30 minutes is pedagogically justifiable, offering an alternative completion method may be more advisable than providing a brief amount of additional time to complete the examination.
  • The organiser of the examination session decides whether the additional time to complete the examination under individual arrangements is offered by bringing forward the start of the session or extending its duration (Rector’s Decision No HY/4984/00.00.06.01/2021).
  • NB! On the basis of a difficulty related to reading or writing, additional time is only granted for examinations that require reading and writing; not, for example, for oral examinations.
• Using a computer or other aids in an examination
• A smaller or a separate examination room
• Alternative completion methods

Individual arrangements associated with on-site examinations held in conjunction with teaching are the responsibility of the teacher and the degree programme, unless the student is entitled to use a separate examination facility. Additional time to complete an examination does not constitute grounds for providing a separate examination facility. In general examinations organised on site by Examination Services, an accessibility liaison at Examination Services is responsible for implementing any individual arrangements. If the student is unable to take the examination in the examination room and they have verified grounds for using a separate examination facility, the teacher should determine with the student which arrangements will benefit them and, when necessary, contact an accessibility liaison at Examination Services by writing to specialneeds@helsinki.fi

When agreeing on individual arrangements, students must first present a statement provided by a doctor or other healthcare professional describing the nature of the disability or disease and the need for individual arrangements. Students can also present a recommendation obtained from the University of Helsinki’s individual arrangements expert panel or a counselling psychologist. A statement from a special needs teacher, psychologist or speech therapist is sufficient to demonstrate difficulty with reading or writing. Students requesting individual arrangements can also present a corresponding decision by the Finnish matriculation examination board.

Students are not entitled to individual arrangements in examinations before presenting a medical certificate or another corresponding specialist statement.

As a teacher, you can ask the student to present a certificate stating that the student has the right to the requested individual arrangements. However, you are not allowed to copy or store any documents pertaining to students’ health. Neither are you allowed, as a teacher, to oblige students to present a certificate to you. In such situations, you can ask the student to request a recommendation from the individual arrangements expert panel (further information on the Instructions for Students website). If the student gives permission, you can personally contact an accessibility liaison at Examination Services and ask about the student’s right to the requested individual arrangements by writing to specialneeds@helsinki.fi. Please state your name, your faculty and the course you are teaching so that we can verify your identity.

Examination Services stores data related to individual arrangements recommended for students as well as copies of any certificates or statements received. Students who wish to deliver a certificate or statement to Examination Services must agree on its delivery with an accessibility liaison by writing to this service address: specialneeds@helsinki.fi. Students can also ask the accessibility liaison at Examination Services to notify the relevant teacher of the recommended individual arrangements. Examination Services does not pass on information related to diagnoses to teachers. 

Responsibility for individual arrangements in on-site examinations

Individual arrangements associated with on-site examinations held in conjunction with teaching are the responsibility of the teacher and the degree programme, unless the student is entitled to use a separate examination facility, for which Examination Services is responsible. As a teacher, you should include instructions for requesting individual arrangements in your course and examination descriptions. At a minimum, the instructions should describe from where and by what time individual arrangements related to teaching and methods of completion must be requested. In addition, students must specify their individual needs, present grounds for their request or refer to previously submitted statements. You should determine with the student which individual arrangements would benefit them and, when necessary, contact an accessibility liaison by writing to specialneeds@helsinki.fi.

Additional time for completing an examination

The individual arrangements expert panel of the University of Helsinki recommends 30 minutes of additional time for examinations whose duration is less than three hours, and 60 minutes of additional time for examinations whose duration is three hours or more. For well-grounded reasons, exceptions to this recommendation can be made.

Degree programmes can book a small group facility for students entitled to additional time for completing an examination where the time for completing the examination is longer than in the general examination room. If a separate examination room with a dedicated invigilator cannot be arranged, the booking for the general examination room can be extended, with the duration of the invigilation also extended from the end of the general examination session.

NB! Examination Services does not arrange invigilators for on-site examinations held in conjunction with teaching.

Accessible seats in the examination room

Information on accessible buildings and examination rooms is available on the facility booking website. Accessible and/or quiet seats can be booked for students in examination rooms. Students are permitted to use personal earplugs in examination sessions. However, they must be presented to the invigilator upon request.

Tools and aids

Students are permitted to bring with them to the examination room any medication and aids needed for health reasons, provided they do not cause disturbance to other students present in the room. In the case of pen-and-paper examinations where a student has the right to use a computer for their answers, you or the student can contact an accessibility liaison at Examination Services regarding the required arrangements by writing to specialneeds@helsinki.fi.

Separate examination room

Students who are unable to take an examination in the examination room must contact Examination Services well in advance, and no later than 10 days before the examination. However, it should be noted that you can always discuss and agree with students on alternative methods of completion, taking the learning outcomes into account.

You should include instructions for requesting individual arrangements in your course and examination descriptions. At a minimum, the instructions should describe from where and by what time individual arrangements related to teaching and methods of completion must be requested. In addition, students must specify their individual needs, present grounds for their request or refer to previously submitted statements.

Additional time for completing an examination

The individual arrangements expert panel of the University of Helsinki recommends 30 minutes of additional time for examinations whose duration is less than three hours, and 60 minutes of additional time for examinations whose duration is three hours or more. For well-grounded reasons, exceptions to this recommendation can be made.

Students can also give you permission to verify their right to the requested individual arrangements by writing to specialneeds@helsinki.fi or by asking an accessibility liaison at Examination Services to confirm their right to individual arrangements. Students must adhere to the deadline given in the course description, but the request for individual arrangements must be submitted no later than 10 days before the examination by writing to specialneeds@helsinki.fi.

In the case of online examinations, students are responsible for the technical aids and well-functioning internet connection needed for the examination as well as their examination location.

Individual arrangement responsibilities in online examinations

After confirming the student’s right to additional time to complete an online examination, the degree programme is responsible for extending the duration of the examination. NB! In the case of individual arrangements related to interim examinations at the Faculty of Law, students are asked to write to specialneeds@helsinki.fi. 

Technical instructions: Extending the duration of Moodle examinations

Additional time to complete an examination in Moodle is implemented as follows: Open the examination page of the relevant course in Moodle. Click the small triangle next to the gearwheel icon in the upper right-hand corner to display a drop-down menu. Click 'User overrides'. Click the grey button with 'Add user override'. Choose the student entitled to additional time from the drop-down menu. Extend the duration of the examination for the student starting from the end of the general examination session. Click ‘Save’. Additional time should be added to all examinations associated with the same course in one go.

Individual arrangement responsibilities in general examinations

In general examinations organised on site by Examination Services, an accessibility liaison at Examination Services is responsible for implementing individual arrangements. Students must request Individual arrangements well in advance, and no later than 10 days before the general examination session by writing to specialneeds@helsinki.fi. 

If alternative methods of completion are recommended to students, you and the degree programme are responsible for them and their implementation.

Additional time for completing the examination

Additional time is the most common individual arrangement associated with Examinarium examinations. After confirming the student’s right to additional time to complete an Examinarium examination, you and the degree programme are responsible for extending the duration of the examination. You should include instructions for requesting individual arrangements in your course and examination descriptions. The instructions should state that additional time is requested directly from the teacher or the degree programme, and that students also need to justify their request for individual arrangements.

At their discretion, students can also give you permission to verify their right to the requested individual arrangements by writing to specialneeds@helsinki.fi or by asking an accessibility liaison at Examination Services to confirm their right to individual arrangements. Students must adhere to the deadline given in the instructions, but the request for individual arrangements must be submitted no later than 10 days before the examination by writing to specialneeds@helsinki.fi.

Examinarium facilities for which individual arrangements are provided are not intended for students who only require additional time to complete an examination. 

Technical instructions: Extending the duration of Examinarium examinations

Unlike Moodle, Examinarium does not allow you to specify the duration of examinations for individual students. Instead, additional time can be provided by arranging personal examinations for students in Examinarium.

In the Examinarium facility, the examiner or the degree programme must organise a personal examination for students entitled to additional time. In the case of examinations whose duration is between 30 and 145 minutes, a personal examination with an extended duration is created for the students. In the case of examinations with a duration of 175 minutes (maximum duration), two personal examinations are created for the students, taking into account the additional time. 

Personal examinations are created by copying the general examination and saving it as one or two new personal examinations. After this, the duration of the examination(s) is extended to include the additional time. In the case of two examination sessions, there is always a break of at least five minutes between them.

You can add the students entitled to additional time by using the ‘Add a participant’ feature under the ‘Publish’ tab. These examinations are not displayed to other students. Students added to personal examinations need not register for them in Sisu before registering in Examinarium.

Accessible examination facilities

Information on accessible buildings and examination rooms for students is available on the facility booking website. The Examinarium facilities for which individual arrangements are provided are not intended for students who only require accessible examination facilities. 

Examinarium facilities with individual arrangements

Students who need individual arrangements other than additional time or an accessible examination facility for Examinarium examinations should contact an accessibility liaison at Examination Services by writing to specialneeds@helsinki.fi.

The individual examination facilities of Examination Services are equipped with Examinarium computers (Viikki and City Centre Campus), which are available to those students entitled to individual arrangements who cannot take their examination in general Examinarium facilities.

The Examinarium computers in the individual examination facilities are booked in the same way as regular Examinarium computers. However, before booking a computer students must contact an accessibility liaison at Examination Services by writing to specialneeds@helsinki.fi. 

Many individual arrangements associated with examinations can be implemented in a regular examination room or by employing an alternative completion method. However, if students have the right to individual arrangements that cannot be implemented by any other means, they can contact either you or an accessibility liaison at Examination Services directly at specialneeds@helsinki.fi.

Examination Services has individual examination facilities that are reserved for students who require separate examination facilities. At the City Centre Campus, the individual examination facilities are located on the third floor of the Porthania building at Yliopistonkatu 3 (accessible entrance via lift or the Kaisa House library). Similar facilities are available on the other campuses as well.

A range of examinations can be taken at the individual examination facilities. Students are admitted to the facilities by either Examination Services staff or an hourly-paid University invigilator. The examination facilities have a CCTV recording system, as well as call buttons and/or a microphone, which can be used to contact the invigilator, for example, for toilet breaks.

Enquiries related to the individual examination facilities are to be directed to the accessibility liaison at Examination Services at specialneeds@helsinki.fi.

The accessibility liaisons of Examination Services and Student Services can be reached at the following service address: specialneeds@helsinki.fi.

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