Studying for exams

Written exams and midterms

Everyone who wants to participate in a written examination or midterm has to register for this. Participation is not possible without registration. Minor students who want to take a written exam also have to register in advance.

Registration and deregistration for written exams

Please mind: Everyone who wishes to sit a written examination must register to do so!

OSIRIS Student

If you wish to register for an examination, you must first select the relevant courses and subjects in OSIRIS Student. You should select the courses and subjects in which you have attended lectures, and also wish to sit the examination. In OSIRIS Student, you can then select those subjects in which you wish to sit (or resit) the examination. If the course is not visible in OSIRIS Student, the test has not yet been opened or the closing date for the test has already been published.

You can search via overview exam dates for educational activity to consult all the written tests of a course or study program. It may also be the case that the course in question will not be examined with a written test. Therefore also consult the course catalog. You only need to register for written tests and midterms.

Language Center exams: You will be informed by the lecturer during the lecture. The information can also be found in Canvas and MTT. Registration via OSIRIS is not necessary.

Opening and closing dates of registration period

In OSIRIS, 4 weeks before the date of examination (also midterm and resit), the application for submission will be opened. Online registration for an examination, resit or midterm is possible up to 5 working days before the date of the examination. For example, if you have exams on Monday, you can register until 23:59 hrs on Monday one week in advance

The final closing date is final. No further registrations will be accepted after the closing date, even if you have your professor’s permission! Therefore, the Student Desk can no longer register you. The advice is to make use of the next exam opportunity.

Please note: due to the closure of the University between Christmas and New Years day, the registration periods of examinations scheduled in January 2024 will change.
In particular, the final registration day of examinations scheduled in the first week of January 2024 will be advanced to a day before Christmas.

Checking your registration

Once you have registered for a written examination or midterm, you can view the status of your registration in OSIRIS Student via the Registration tab in the Subscriptions overview. We advise you to do so in order to avoid any mistakes or misunderstandings which may be difficult to rectify later on. Regularly check OSIRIS Student, especially if you know you have exams soon.

Notification written exams

In the last week before your test takes place, you will receive an exam notification at your Tilburg University e-mail address in which room, time and seat number are announced. You will receive the notification one week before the examination date.

Notification of the examination details will be sent to your Tilburg University e-mail address and/or the email address known to the Student Administration department 7 days prior to the examination. This notification will show the location of the examination room and the time you have been allocated.

If you have not received notification

If you have not received the email notification, please contact the Student Desk as soon as possible.

Entitlement

If you wish to sit an examination, your registration will be automatically checked to ensure that you are entitled to do so. In the examination registration you will see whether your registration has been approved. If not, and if you think that an error has been made, you should contact the Student Desk.

Cancelling your registration

If you wish to cancel (withdraw) your registration to sit an examination, you should follow the same procedure. Cancellation is possible at any time until the day before the examination itself. Students are encouraged to cancel their registration for any examination they do not intend to sit as this will save printing costs and reduce environmental impact.

The rules at a glance

  • You must register separately for each examination or midterm you wish to sit.
  • The scheduled date and time of the examination will appear in MyTimetable and OSIRIS Student approximately 1 month in advance. This information is provisional and subject to amendment until you receive final confirmation by email.
  • You will receive notification of the examination, with confirmation of the date, time and location, one week before the examination date. In MyTimetable you can currently see the exact time and location.
  • You cannot sit an examination unless you have registered to do so. If you nevertheless attend the examination, your paper will not be marked and no grade will be awarded.
  • You can register to resit an examination at any time during the registration period (1 month), even if the results of the first examination have not yet been announced.
  • Every student is expected to know:
    • What constitutes examination fraud (cheating).
    • That fraud will not be tolerated.
    • The regulations which apply to written examinations (see below).
    • The penalties for fraud or failure to observe the regulations.

Education and Examination Regulations

The Education and Examination Regulations (EER) stipulate a set procedure for registration.

Exam dates

Check the exam overview for the exam schedule

Please note: Given the current situation, it is possible that, due to unforeseen circumstances, changes may occur in the date on which a written examination is scheduled. We therefore reserve the right to make changes to the planned and published examination dates! We ask the students for their understanding. Any changes will be immediately updated.

Information about education and exams will be communicated through Canvas. Therefore, keep a close eye on the Canvas page of the courses of your study program and your mailbox.

Exam invitation and location

Your exam call will tell you where and at what time you can take your exam. You will receive this invitation 4 working days before the exam by email. The exam may be on campus, in the Sports Center or at another location in Tilburg. It is also possible that you have to take your exam online. You can also find your exam schedule in My Timetable.

Results

The lecturer hands in exam results at the Student Administration after the formal three-week marking period. The Student Administration processes these marks, if possible, on their day of arrival. After one day the course results are available on the Internet.

What grade counts after a resit; the highest or the most recent grade?

In all cases, the highest grade counts. Only once an opportunity is given to the student to retake an examination for a course, for which he already obtained a sufficient result.

Please note: As a bachelor student, you can no longer retake an exam once you have passed your final course (or thesis) in your program.

Read the education and examination regulations or contact the Student Desk. Results are never been given by telephone or e-mail.

What should I do if I don't pass an exam?

If you failed an exam, you have to do a resit.

If the course is still being taught, you can register for the course again and sign up for the exam. Often students choose not to follow the course anymore and only take the exam.

When the course is no longer being taught, the teacher can choose to only publish the presentations and information of the course online (in Canvas). You only register for the course (via OSIRIS) to view the information. You always need to register for the exam. 

Regulations while taking written exams
  1. All coats and bags must be placed in the aisle, at the front of the examination room, or on the windowsills. At the rooms CUBE 241 and 242, your belongings should be stored in the lockers before you enter the room. Students are requested to avoid bringing any valuable personal items. All mobile telephones and other electronic devices must be turned off and left in the coat or bag. Also the watch must be left in the coat or bag. In all exam rooms, a central clock, or a powerpoint presentation with time display, is used for time keeping.
  2. Water in a bottle is allowed. Intermediate refills are not allowed. Furthermore, alcohol is prohibited in exam rooms. Finally, consumption of sweets and other food is prohibited during exams.
  3. If a student is unexpectedly late, the student still has access to the room until 30 minutes after the start of the examination. Those who arrive late are not entitled to extended access. Students may not leave the room earlier than half an hour after the start of the examination.
  4. The student should be seated in the seat assigned and listed on the examination invitation. If there are special circumstances, the student will follow the instructions of the invigilator.
  5. Students are required to identify themselves by means of their Tilburg University card. If the student cannot identify himself with his Tilburg University card, he can prove his identity with a valid passport, identity card or driver's license. The student who cannot identify himself will receive an official report that will be drawn up by the invigilator. The invigilator will tell the student concerned that no evaluation of the examination will take place until the examination committee has made a ruling.
  6. The student who does not appear on the official attendance list provided by the Student Administration, will be given a report that will be drawn up by the invigilator. The invigilator will tell the student concerned at the examination that no evaluation of the examination will take place until the examination board has made a ruling.
  7. After the start of the examination, the invigilator checks the student's identity on the basis of the attendance list and checks whether the student is seated at the designated place in the room. The student places his/her Tilburg University card or other valid means of identification on the table for this purpose.
  8. The invigilator will have the student sign the attendance sheet and verify that the student has listed his/her name and Student Number (SNR.) on the exam papers.
  9. While taking the written examination, the student must refrain from fraudulent acts as referred to in the fraud regulations of Tilburg University and the Rules and Guidelines of the faculty.
  10. If fraud is suspected, the invigilator will make a report. This official report is submitted to the student concerned. The student signs the official report as 'seen'. If the student does not agree with the official report, the invigilator will make a note of this on the official report. Evidence, if any, is taken by the invigilator (this is noted on the record) and handed in to the Student Administration together with the record and examination work. The student administration ensures that the record and other documents are handed over to the examination board within two days. You will receive a response from the examination board; the Student Desk cannot assist you in this regard. The invigilator will tell the student concerned that no assessment of the examination will take place until the examination board has made a ruling. However, the student will be given the opportunity to complete the exam.
  11. If a student disrupts order, he will be given a warning. If the student continues to disrupt order, the invigilator may ask the student to leave the room. The invigilator will then make a report. The invigilator will tell the student involved that no grading of the examination will take place until the examination committee has made a ruling. If it appears by sound signals that the phone has not been turned off, this is considered a noise nuisance and an official report will be made.
  12. Use of the restroom is permitted only in very exceptional cases and only under supervision. When permission is granted by the invigilator, care will be taken to ensure that no fraud is committed. Only a brief stop will be allowed and the invigilator will not allow multiple students to go to the restroom at the same time. Use of the restroom is possible only when there are multiple invigilators in the room or at the time the invigilator is relieved by a relief invigilator.
  13. Approximately 30 minutes before the end of the session, the invigilator informs students that 30 minutes of examination time remain. Approximately 5 minutes and before the end of the session, the invigilator informs students that 5 minutes of exam time remain. During this time, the student has time to record name and Snr. on all papers to be handed in.
  14. Upon completion of the examination, the student will turn in the examination papers, answers, scrap paper and unused paper to the invigilator's table. Students should always turn in work. In doing so, the invigilator will place a check mark after their name, indicating that the examination has been handed in by the student.
  15. The use of earplugs without technology (so-called noise stoppers) during exams is permitted.

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Register for written exams and midterms