<p>(posted this on the Parents' Forum a couple of weeks back, but looking for some more input)</p>
<p>Does anyone know of schools (other than Northwestern) where tests are given (during the semester or quarter - ie midterms - NOT finals given during Finals period) for classes that meet during the DAYTIME (not evening classes) on FRIDAY nights.</p>
<p>I guess that evening exams, which were rare 30 years ago, are now fairly common, probably because of concerns over cheating. This way all sections of a daytime class take the same test at the same time. It seems that Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday nights should give enough options for profs for scheduling these tests, and that students who participate in theater, musical, and a cappella groups would often have Friday night performances that would conflict with Friday tests. Also Friday evening is the sabbath for Jewish students.</p>
<p>Does this happen at your school, or schools of your friends? Name the school, if possible. What do you think of this practice?</p>
<p>Not talking about finals here, nor about tests for classes that regularly meet in the evening.</p>
<p>Nooooo Friday nights are sacred! That is awful university policy allowing that. At my school we do have night exams sometimes, but they are never held on Friday nights.</p>
<p>My school you choose the time and date of when you want to take your exam within the specified time period. So you could take all your exams at night if you wanted to. </p>
<p>Also all the exams are taken at our Testing Center where they scan your I.D. and match it to your face when you walk in. The actual testing center itself is full of individual cubicals with a computer and a camera so it’s impossible to cheat.</p>
<p>Seems like they have no respect for working students. I would never be able to take a class that had exams outside of class frequently. I work three jobs and am angry at my Spanish prof who always keeps us over 10 minutes and therefore causes me to be late to work. I have a very tight schedule and something like this would be damn-near impossible for me to plan around. </p>
<p>ETA:
You seem to be talking about midterms, not regular tests. There is a HUGE difference. Please clarify what you mean.</p>
<p>I rarely have a class that has a “midterm” - instead we have 2 or 3 (or 4) exams during the semester.</p>
<p>We don’t have “tests.”</p>
<p>I have only ever had 2 evening exams be on a friday. It was for physics (both fall and then spring), and it was the third exam of the semester. However, since we didn’t have a ‘final,’ I guess this counted as our final (since it was the last day of class, and when reading week started.</p>
<p>Romani, midterms are regular tests at MSU too. People just phrase it differently. In my classes, I generally have 2 tests aside from the final exam. I call those 2 tests, tests (or midterms, because the tests take place in the middle of the term…). We don’t have a formal “midterm week” where all midterms take place, so it is normal for people to interchange “tests” with “midterms.” It is easy to forget that not everyone has the standard “1 midterm, 1 final exam” class structure like most madison or RCAH classes have.</p>
<p>^ Fa-la, I am not taking any RCAH classes right now. I have plenty of classes with tests. I have never heard someone call them midterms unless they are actually midterms (for example, in my Spanish class we have two tests- one midterm, one final; in my PRR class we have two tests and a final). And RCAH classes almost never have tests… period lol :p</p>
<p>As I said, I have just personally never heard it used interchangeably.</p>
<p>Monday through Thursday nights provide ample time for exams IF you don’t take classes Monday-Thursday night, which I do. Friday night classes aren’t particularly common so that leaves that time open academically speaking, and most people are at school for academics first and performance second. I can’t believe you’re so obsessed with this issue, it’s not that big of a deal. I would be shocked if Jewish students weren’t allowed to make alternative arrangements given a religious conflict.</p>
<p>I do understand that it is a problem for working students, but I don’t know if there is any way to deal with the issue where everybody wins. You don’t have much choice but to ask for that day off in advance, which while I understand is problematic I don’t really think it’s the prof’s problem. As long as the exams are clearly marked on the syllabus so you know in advance to take the day off or drop the course I don’t think you’ve got much to ground to stand on in arguing.</p>
<p>We tend to use the term ‘midterms’ at my university when it’s about halfway through the semester and most of the exams are hitting within a day of each other. Some person’s ‘midterm’ week may actually be the week after another student. I’ve had one or two semesters where the profs had weird testing schedules (not properly splitting up the # of weeks) so I didn’t really have a hell week.</p>
<p>The only time we take non-final exams outside of class is when A) You are able to sign up for a proctored exam slot at the start of the semester- never all on one night or B) You take the exam at the testing center within a window of a day or a couple days. Exams regularly outside of class? I agree with Romani, not fair to working students! I sign up for class times the semester before and the syllabus isn’t released until the day before or the first week of class. By then I’d scheduled many things (dance classes, performance club meetings, club lessons, ect) outside of class that I can’t move.</p>
<p>Well midterms in classes that meet for about an hour, and have lectures before and after them, will have exams at night, but usually its after the last class on a Monday-Thursday. They wouldn’t put it on Friday, because that is cruel. </p>
<p>For classes that are longer they’re usually in class though.</p>
<p>As for classifying midterms, we usually have either 2 or 3 midterms and a final. Usually a midterm every month for each class or so. I don’t know why they choose midterms over exams, but its what I’m used to saying.</p>
<p>I’ve had Thursday nights, not Friday nights though. I think having a test outside of the class time shouldn’t be allowed, personally. I spend enough time doing group projects, lab write-ups, research, and homework outside of class. Some professors think our time is dispensable and we’re just partying it up any free moment we get anyway. But working 20 hours a week, I just don’t have any “extra” time. I barely have time to cook myself a meal. Luckily I’ve only had this with one class. Tests outside of class at the school I transferred from, did not exist.</p>
<p>It’s been said repeatedly from currrent and former students that having exams on Friday night is extremely rare, if not unheard of. I am not sure why you keep making a big deal out of this. I personally never had one and never heard of anyone having any exam on Friday night. What more do you really want to talk about? Most professors schedule exams during class time but some may give it outside the class (perhaps because they want to give as many lectures as possible). If for some reason, certain professors decide to give the exams on Friday night, the school won’t stop them. The administration trusts that professors are sensible and intelligent adults; I think it’d be silly for the school to put something like “exams should be scheduled such and such with the following exceptions…” in writing! Talk about micro-management!</p>
<p>Sorry if I’ve offended the Thread Police. Sheesh. This place has gotten very nasty and judgmental lately.</p>
<p>Actually, if you Google around a bit, you’ll find that some schools do have pretty specific policies concerning the scheduling of evening exams.</p>
<p>(on edit) FYI, I posted on this thread to survey students from more schools, not just NU students and parents. Sorry if you don’t approve.</p>
<p>I also only call my exams “midterms” when I’m talking to people back home (high school friends/parents/adults) because I’ve learned that it’s apparently odd that my school (wustl) doesn’t have a midterm week.</p>
<p>No one understands when I say “oh crap I’m mega busy because I have this exam this week” but they understand “I’ve got a midterm.”
Means the same thing to me.</p>