Individual arrangements in examination sessions

Individual arrangements for examinations based on sufficient and documented reasons as well as a genuine need for them 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 additional time is offered by bringing forward the start of the session or by extending its duration.
  • 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

Many individual arrangements for examinations, such as additional time or accessible seats, can be implemented in general examination rooms. The students can use your own earplugs or earmuffs in general examination rooms.

The University of Helsinki has individual examination facilities for students who e.g. require separate examination rooms or other individual arrangements that cannot be arranged in the general examinations rooms. Many types of examinations can be taken at the individual examination facilities. The students will be received by either Examination Services staff or an exam invigilator. The examination facilities have a CCTV recording system, as well as call buttons, which the students can use to contact the invigilator. At the City Centre Campus, the individual examination facilities are located on the 4th floor of the Kaisa House. Similar facilities are available on the other campuses as well. There are also Examinarium exam computers in the individual examination facilities at the City Centre and Viikki campuses. Reasons for using the individual examination facilities in Examinarium exams can be needing to bring medication or snacks to the examination, a medical reason to use a toilet during the examination, the need for a separate examination facility or the use of aids for answering, for example.

As a teacher, you should include instructions for requesting individual arrangements in the course and/or examination descriptions. The instructions should at least contain from where and by what time individual arrangements must be requested. You can see more detailed instructions and information about the person responsible for arranging individual arrangements according to the type of exam under the subheadings of this page.

Students are not entitled to individual arrangements in examinations before presenting sufficient and documented reasons. As a teacher, you can request students to present evidence of the need for individual arrangements. The evidence can be a medical statement from a healthcare professional, such as a doctor, psychologist, or speech or physical therapist, or a University of Helsinki's recommendation on individual arrangements, which can be issued by accessibility liaisons at Study Services, study psychologists or the University’s individual arrangements expert panel. A statement from a special needs teacher is sufficient to demonstrate difficulty with reading or writing. Students can also present a corresponding decision by the Finnish matriculation examination board. You are not allowed to take a copy of the evidence or recommendation presented by the student. If students send electronic statements, do not save them. When being in contact with a student by email, using confidential email is recommended.    

Study services have designated accessibility liaisons who maintain information about students who have been granted individual arrangements and keep copies of submitted certificates and statements. The information is confidential, but if necessary, you can get information from the accessibility liaisons about the individual arrangements recommended for the student, if the student does not want to send the certificates directly to you. You can reach the accessibility liaisons at specialneeds@helsinki.fi. The student can also ask the accessibility liaisons to confirm to you the individual arrangements recommended for them. Information related to diagnoses is not passed on to teachers.

It is always good to discuss with the student which individual arrangements would be useful for them and, if necessary, contact the accessibility liaisons at specialneeds@helsinki.fi.

The accessibility liaison at Examination Services is responsible for arranging all individual arrangements for examinations arranged in general examinations. Students must request Individual arrangements well in advance, but 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 arranging them.

Individual arrangements for course examinations (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 room, for which Examination Services is responsible for arranging by request. Examination Services does not arrange exam invigilators for course examinations.

Students are permitted to use earplugs or earmuffs in examinations. However, they must be presented to the invigilator upon request.

Additional time for completing an examination

You can arrange additional time for examinations by extending the booking and supervision for the general examination room from the end, or by booking a smaller room for students entitled to additional time where the time for completing the examination is longer than in the general examination room. However, additional time alone is not a reason for having a separate or a smaller examination room.

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. 

Tools and aids

Students are permitted to bring any medication and aids needed for health reasons for examinations, 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 answering, you or the student can contact the accessibility liaison at Examination Services by writing to specialneeds@helsinki.fi to book a writing laptop for the examination.

Separate examination room

If a student needs a separate examination room, you or the student must contact the accessibility liaison at Examination Services well in advance, but no later than 10 days before the examination by writing to specialneeds@helsinki.fi. Alternatively, you can always discuss and agree with students on alternative methods of completion, taking the learning outcomes into account.

You and the degree programme are responsible for arranging additional time for remote examinations and extending the duration of the examination. Students are responsible for having the devices and internet connection needed for the examination as well as their examination location.

Additional time is added to the Moodle exam by making an exception with extended exam time for the student entitled to additional time: open the exam area of the course (quiz or assignment activity), select More from the top bar under the page title, and select Overrides. Select Add user override from the blue button. Select the student entitled to additional time from the drop-down menu and extend the duration of the examination from the end. If, in addition to timing, the exam has a time limit, remember to extend it as well. Finally, save the user override. You can mark additional time for all exams of the course at the same time. Additional time can be marked in this way for both quiz and assignment activities.

Additional time and extending the duration of Examinarium examinations

You and the degree programme are responsible for arranging additional time for Examinarium examinations and extending the duration of the examination. Additional time can be provided by making a personal examination for students in Examinarium. In Examinarium you cannot specify the duration of the examination for individual students, unlike Moodle.

The examiner or the degree programme must make a personal examination in Examinarium 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. Then add the students entitled to additional time by using the ‘Add a participant’ feature under the ‘Publish’ tab. Personal examinations are not displayed to other students. Students added to personal examinations need not register for them in Sisu before registering in Examinarium. However, you should connect the personal exam to the Sisu implementation of the course, so that the grades are automatically transferred from Examinarium to Sisu (see more in the Examinarium user guide).

Individual arrangements Examinarium facilities are not intended for students who only require additional time.

Accessible examination facilities

Students can find information on accessible examination locations by selecting "Accessibility type" and "Pääsy pyörätuolilla" (Accessible with wheelchair) when reserving their exam time.

Separate exam room, use of snacks or medicine etc., use of toilet during the exam etc.

Students who need individual arrangements other than additional time or an accessible examination facility for Examinarium examinations should contact the accessibility liaison at Examination Services by writing to specialneeds@helsinki.fi before reserving their exam time and no later than 10 days before the examination to book a place in the individual arrangements examination facilities.

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

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