Policy for Efficient Error Free Examination
The following is a proposal for a system to
ensure error free conduct of tests and examinations. It is necessary
that all parties including the Department for Educational Development
(DED), Faculty of Health Sciences (FHS), the course and examination
coordinators and the Year Coordinating Committee (YCC) chairpersons be
familiar with and agrees to the following responsibilities and
regulations.
Examination Preparation
Setting
the dates for tests and examinations is the responsibility of the course
chairperson or in the case of MBBS examinations, the YCC chairpersons.
All examination coordinators shall be appointed by YCC.
All external examiners shall be appointed by the examination coordinator after consultation with department chairpersons.
The examination coordinator is responsible for calling for examination questions from department and course coordinators.
Booking of the examination hall and set up will be done by DED, through FHS administration.
Special numbering of seats, if required, is done by DED.
The list of
students scheduled to appear for each examination will be obtained by
DED, from the Students Affairs' office two weeks prior to the
examination date. This will include the names of students doing remedial
work who are scheduled for supplementary examinations. An attendance
sheet for the examination will be prepared in accordance with this list
by DED.
Producing the Examination Papers
Deadlines must be set and followed in order
to allow adequate time for putting papers together, proof reading by DED
staff as well as examination coordinators, and in the case of MBBS
examinations, consultation with the Associate Dean for Education. The
final copy of the examination must be signed by the examination
coordinator prior to printing.
Templates will be developed by DED, and
provided to examination coordinators for typing examination questions,
instructions to students and entering results. This will provide unity
of format.
The following is the time-table for submitting examination questions and the answer key to DED:
For CATS, End of Module Examinations, Clerkship tests and supplementary |
15 days before scheduled examination date |
For MBBS Examinations |
30 days prior to scheduled examination date |
DED will print and pack the examination papers one week before the scheduled date.
Conducting the Examination
All
students writing the MBBS examinations and students writing other
examinations containing essay questions will be assigned an examination
number by DED.
DED is responsible for delivering the examination papers to the hall 15 minutes prior to the scheduled time of examination.
DED is responsible for maintaining a signed attendance sheet.
Invigilating
is the responsibility of the examination coordinator. Invigilators
should be thoroughly familiar and follow the regulations regarding
examination conduct.
A member of
DED will assist in distributing examination materials and will be
responsible for collecting all examination materials at the end of the
session. This member of DED will also assist in invigilation.
Reporting Results
DED will
compute the score for continuous assessment from the results of term
module tests in Year 3, and clerkship evaluations a week before
certifying (MBBS Parts I to IV) examinations and send a computer
diskette containing the results to the department in an approved format.
The department should proof read and approve the lists of students and
the continuous assessment scores promptly and return the diskette to
DED.
MCQ examination scores will be entered directly on the result sheet file by DED within 24 hours of the examination.
Examination
coordinators will supervise the entering of scores of vivas, essays and
continuous assessments on the template provided and return the diskette
and a printout signed to confirm approval, to DED.
In the case
of MBBS examinations, a maximum time of one week will be allowed for
examination scores of essay questions to reach DED.
DED will
calculate the final scores and send them to the examination coordinator
and will provide an item analysis (if applicable) of the examination.
In the case
of MBBS examinations, at least the examination coordinator must be
allowed sufficient time (three days) to study the examination results
and item analysis. Adjustments may have to be made as a result of this
information.
The marks are then presented to the YCC by the examination coordinator for discussion and recommendation.
The YCC chair
presents the results and recommendations of his committee to the
Examination and Promotion Committee (EPC). Information on students in
academic difficulty should include narrative information as well as test
results. Collection of the information is the responsibility of the YCC
chairperson who may ask DED or Students Affairs to assist.
A maximum of
two weeks should be allowed between writing of MBBS Examinations and
approval of final results by the EPC. The results will be presented to
the EPC by the YCC chair.
The EPC is
responsible for posting the final examination results on notice boards
and for ensuring the approved results in the central students' records.
Any
complaints or clarification by students or faculty about examinations
should be directed to the examination coordinator. Students and faculty
should be advised not to contact DED directly.
Counseling, remedial and withdrawals will be conducted/notified to the students by the Students' Affairs Office.
For School of
Nursing and Postgraduate Medical Examinations, questions for the
examination papers must be submitted at least fifteen days prior to the
scheduled examination date.
Revised 2002