Overview
The Student Guide to Exams gives you an overview of how exams are set at Bath, and signposts you to a range of resources and support to help you make the most of your exam attempt.
In-person Inspera exams take place on campus and are invigilated. In-person Inspera exams have a set start and end time, announced by an Invigilator. You will write the exam directly in Inspera. Your Exam Schedule will tell you when and where you will sit your exam.
These exams will be shown on your Exam Schedule with a room number and state ‘Inspera’. Please also read the guide to Inspera exams for further information.
Your department will tell you in advance whether you are allowed to bring any additional materials (beyond basic stationery) to attempt your exam.
The Exam Schedule - your exam room and your seat number
Your Exam Schedule in SAMIS will show you for each of your exams the:
- Day and date of your exam
- The exam start time
- The exam room. This will be a location on campus. It will also state that you're attempting the exam using Inspera
- Your seat number
You should make a note of these before you travel to your exam.
If this information is not listed, please contact your Programme Administrator.
Preparing to take an in-person Inspera exam
Revise and practise
The Skills Centre provides information and support to help you with preparing for exams. This includes a blog and video to help you approach in-person exams with confidence during your revision.
Take a demo Inspera exam, review and practise past papers
You should follow the Inspera - the essentials guide to prepare for your Inspera exams. This will help you to ensure your laptop is Inspera ready, and details videos and demo tests to ensure you are prepared and comfortable with using Inspera.
You can also access and practise taking an exam using the Past Paper archive.
Ensure your laptop is ready
You can attempt an in-person Inspera exam on a device with a suitable web browser that can connect to eduroam wifi.
You should ensure that you only use a Windows or Apple laptop for your in-person Inspera exams. We do not recommend using another device such as a Chromebook, a laptop using Linux or an iPad.
Your laptop must be:
- Fully working
- Have a power cable
- Be able to connect to eduroam wifi and can run Inspera (check before the exam)
- Be fully updated before you enter the exam room, or have any pending updates postponed until after your exam ends
You must confirm that you have a suitable laptop by completing the demo test. To access the test, log in to Inspera and, under the My Tests tab, you should see a link to the School of Management: Exam Preparation Test. Inspera works on up-to-date versions of the most common browsers (eg. Chrome, Firefox, Safari and Edge). If you do not see the Preparation Test listed, please email Inspera Support to be added to the test. If you tell us that you don't have a suitable laptop, we will be in touch to discuss how we may be able to help you.
Types of Inspera questions
There are several types of questions you may be asked to attempt during an exam. Your department will confirm the format(s) that applies to your exam.
You will write directly in Inspera without uploading a separate file. These questions could be:
- Essay. Longer text response
- Multiple choice. Choose one answer from several
- Text entry. Typing a word or a short sentence
- Numeric entry. Typing a numeric value
Using Inspera Scan Paper
In some exams, you may be required to draw diagrams, equations etc. to accompany your work. You will have special scanning paper provided for you to use that will link to your Inspera submission. Full instructions on how to fill out the details on the Inspera Scan Paper will be available in the exam room and you can read what to expect in the guide to using Inspera Scan Paper for in-person exams.
Practise using the University’s official calculator
If any of your exams require the use of a University calculator, the official model is the Casio FX-991EX. Further details are available in our guide about University calculators, including how to borrow one in advance of the exam.
On the day
The Skills Centre's blog and video will help you approach in-person exams with confidence on the day.
Disability Access Plan
If you have a DAP you should also read the guide to alternative arrangements for exams.
What to bring to the exam room
- Your library card
- A fully charged Windows or Apple laptop that supports Inspera
- A power cable for your laptop - there will be plugs accessible, but there will be no spare chargers available in the exam room
- Stationery (e.g. pens and pencils) for rough work or diagrams – pencil cases or bags must be transparent
- A note of your seat number
- Water to drink (optional) – in a clear, transparent bottle with the label removed. Other refreshments including hot or canned drinks, alcohol and food are not permitted unless stated in your DAP.
- You may wish to wear several layers of clothing so that you can adapt to the temperature in the venue
If you wish to use a watch, it must not be able to connect to the internet or communicate with anyone.
Please follow the University’s latest advice on how to be safe on campus and in Bath.
Before the exam
Entering the exam room
You must arrive at least 15 minutes before the exam starts and wait outside the exam room. You will be called into the room 15 minutes before the start of the exam by the Chief Invigilator. You will be allowed to enter the exam room up to 30 minutes after the start time, but you will not be given extra time to complete the exam.
Once you enter the exam room, you may not communicate with anyone except the Invigilators or your support worker (if you have one as part of your DAP). When you enter the exam room, you must place any bags, coats, turned-off mobile phones or any other communication device such as a smartwatch at the front of the room. You may not take these to your desk.
Each desk will have the seat number printed on the desk label. Make your way directly to your desk and get settled. It will have:
- a label showing your seat and candidate number, the exam code and title
- exam answer book for rough work
- any other materials provided by your department such as a University Calculator, Inspera Scan Paper, extra paper for making notes, or the University Formula Book.
- a power socket
Once at your desk you must:
- Place your library card with the photo facing up on the corner of your desk. It must remain on the desk in full view for all of the exam.
- Sign and detach the attendance slip on your desk label. Leave this visible, it will be collected by an Invigilator after the first 30 minutes of the exam.
- Turn on your laptop, log into Inspera and locate your exam.
- Mute your laptop speakers.
Before the exam starts, you may read the Exam Instruction Sheet on Inspera. The Chief Invigilator will announce when you may start the exam.
During the exam
The Chief Invigilator will tell you when you have five minutes left. During the exam:
- Inspera will autosave your work every few seconds.
- You are expected to work in a way that does not disrupt any other student.
- Unless otherwise instructed on the Exam Instruction Sheet, you may only have one browser open, with one tab displaying Inspera. No other applications, browsers or tabs are permitted to be open.
- Switching between software, applications or web pages during the exam will be considered an assessment offence.
- If you need to leave the room, or have a question relating to your materials, raise your hand and wait to speak to an Invigilator.
- You are not allowed to leave the room for the first 30 minutes or the last 15 minutes of an exam. If you leave the room unaccompanied by an Invigilator, you may not return.
- If you need an English dictionary, you may use the dictionary built into Inspera.
- If you experience a technical issue, raise your hand and inform an Invigilator.
- If you think you have spotted an error, please inform an Invigilator and answer the paper to the best of your ability as it is written. The question will not be corrected in the exam room. However, it will be noted by the Unit Convenor and the Board of Examiners when it considers your results.
At the end of the exam
The Chief Invigilator will announce the end of the exam.
- You must stop typing and press "Submit now" if you have not already done so.
- You must close your browser and close down your laptop.
- You must not communicate with anyone, or leave until the Invigilator has confirmed that any Inspera Scan Papers have been collected and you are told that you may leave.
- You may not take any exam stationery (answer books or your workings out) from the venue.