Exam regulations

IE university is dedicated to fostering a culture of academic integrity, where honesty, fairness, and responsibility are valued in every aspect of learning and research. By promoting original work and respect for intellectual property, the institution ensures that all members of the academic community contribute to a trustworthy and respectful environment. Upholding these principles is essential to preserving the value of each degree and maintaining the university’s reputation for excellence. Through this shared commitment, the university empowers students and faculty to engage in meaningful, authentic scholarship. 

GENERAL EXAM REGULATIONS

1. All final exams will be conducted in person, on campus. The date and time of a final exam cannot be changed. We strongly recommend arriving at least 30 minutes before your scheduled final exam to prevent any issues related to lateness. Students arriving more than 10 minutes late will not be allowed to take the exam.

2. For individuals facing final exam clashes due to retaking exams or following personalized a study plan, it is your responsibility to check your timetable. Please inform the PPLE/LLB Program Management team immediately if you identify a clash. Priority will be given to the course corresponding to your current academic year and degree program. Our team will liaise with Professors to reschedule or arrange alternative accommodations for affected students.

3. Students must switch off all your mobile phones, smartwatches, headphones, or any other devices and out of sight, stored in their bags in front of the classroom.

4. Students are only allowed to access the exam and the material authorized by the professor. No document or application that hasn’t been explicitly authorized by the professor is allowed to be consulted or opened.

DIGITAL EXAM RULES

1. Close and sign out everything on your computer/tablet, including all programs, apps, webs, browsers, tabs, documents, Whatsapp (and/or equivalent tools) etc. Double-check that no applications are running in the background. Note that WhatsApp app needs uninstalling not to be detected (it can be reinstalled after the exam)

2. Students can only use IE WIFI. It is forbidden to use VPN or your own mobile data. Ensure that all channels enabling communication or the exchange of files, including Bluetooth and AirDrop, are disabled. If students face any difficulties accessing IE WIFI, they will have to immediately report it to the professor/invigilator.

3. Students must use their IEU credentials and cannot share it or allow remote access to their computers. Students are the only ones entitled to take the exam.

4. Before the start of the exam, sign out of Blackboard to avoid any expired sessions that may cause technical issues during the exam.

5. Lack of activation of the proctoring system, intentionally or not, will invalidate the exam. In this case, the exam will be graded with 0.0 (fail).

6. Do not cover or excessively dim the brightness of your screen, nor use private screen filters in your laptop that prevent the invigilator from clearly seeing it.

7. Acknowledge that it is absolutely forbidden to:

● Install or use any apps that bypass the proctoring restrictions.

● Open or use any application that allows remote access.

● Open or log into any user accounts in your computer other than the one used to take the exam.

● Communicate with other students or receive any communication from anyone during the exam.

● Copy or share any exam content outside the classroom.

● Engage in any other actions that could be considered cheating, plagiarism, or dishonest behavior.

8. During the exam, the professor/invigilator may ask you to show your desktop for verification. If any irregular behaviour is detected, you will be reported to Program Management. Your exam may be invalidated, and you may be asked to leave the room.

9. Keep in mind that technical issues with your devices, if any, are the responsibility of the students.

After completion of the exam, the University reserves the right to perform random checks to verify the integrity of the exam. 

PAPER EXAM RULES

1. No notes, programmable calculators, or electronic devices (phones, smartwatches, tablets, laptops…) are allowed.

2. Remain silent and follow invigilators’ instructions.

3. Acknowledge that it is absolutely forbidden to:

● Cheating, plagiarism, or dishonest behavior.

● Communicate with other students or receive any communication from anyone during the exam.

● Copy or share any exam content in or outside the classroom.

● Engage in any other actions that could be considered cheating.

4. Submit your exam with personal details, showing your ID when handing in your paper.

Failure to comply these rules may result in the expulsion from the exam room, as well as the imposition of disciplinary sanctions as outlined in the IE Student Code of Conduct.

RULES FOR EXAMS

Breach of Exams Regulations

A breach of an exam’s regulations is a serious infringement of the values ensured by the IE Student Code of Conduct.

Please read carefully these exams regulations. If any irregularity regarding the conditions for the exams and other evaluation instruments is detected, it will be considered an objective academic breach and will be sanctioned according to the Code of Conduct and following Sanctions for Breach of Academic Regulations

Respondus

Please verify that your computers are in working order and have the latest version of Respondus installed. Additionally, note that Respondus functions optimally on the Chrome browser. Please read the Respondus – Student Guide for more information. You can download and install the latest version of the tool here.

If your computer breaks during the exam period and you need to borrow one, let us know as soon as possible so we can make this request on your behalf.

 

SMOWL

IE University as data controllers, may monitor the screens of the devices used during the exams and knowledge tests, through the Smowltech application, to verify that you have carry out these tests in a loyal manner, complying with the IE Code of Ethics at all times.

Please read the Smowl CM – Students Guide to configure Smowl in your laptop and follow the instructions to install the latest version on MAC and Windows

For further understanding of this software tool, please read the following document. 

To close all running apps on your device for a smooth use of Smowl proctoring tool, please read the following guidelines about how to close and sign out of everything on your computer / table before an exam with SMOWL.

Retakes & Resits Policy

Each student has four (4) chances to pass any given course distributed over two consecutive academic years: ordinary call exams and extraordinary call exams (re-sits) in June.

1st Call: Ordinary; students first time taking the course.

2nd Call: Extraordinary; comprised of retake exam in June.

3rd Call: Ordinary; student is re-enrolled in the course as a «retaker» due to failing the first 2 calls.

4th Call: Extraordinary; comprised of retake exam in June; final attempt at passing the course.

Students who do not comply with the 80% attendance requirement in each subject during the semester will automatically fail both calls (ordinary and extraordinary) for that Academic Year and have to re-take and re-enroll the course during the next Academic Year, by paying the corresponding extra cost.

 

   • Resits: Students failing the course in the ordinary call (during the semester) will have to re-sit the exam in June/July (except those not complying with the attendance rule, who will not have that opportunity and must directly re-enroll in the course on the next Academic Year).

The extraordinary call (re-sit) exams in June (2nd or 4th call) will consist of a comprehensive exam and will require your physical presence at the campus you are enrolled in (Segovia or Madrid). Your final grade for the course will depend on the performance in this exam only; continuous evaluation over the semester will not be taken into consideration. Students will have to achieve the minimum passing grade of 5 and can obtain a maximum grade of 8.0 (out of 10.0) in the re-sit exam.

   • Retakers: Students who failed the subject on a previous Academic Year and are now re-enrolled as re-takers in a course will be needed to check the syllabus of the assigned professor, as well as contact the professor individually, regarding the specific evaluation criteria for them as retakers in the course during that semester (ordinary call of that Academic Year). The maximum grade that may be obtained in the retake exam (3rd call) is 10.0.

 

After ordinary and extraordinary call exams are graded by the professor, you will have a possibility to attend a review session for that exam and course grade. Please be available to attend the session in order to clarify any concerns you might have regarding your exam. Your professor will inform you about the time and place of the review session. Any grade appeals require that the student attended the review session prior to appealing.

In case you fail or decide to skip the opportunity to re-sit for an exam during the June extraordinary call, you will need to enroll in that course again for the next Academic Year as a re-taker and pay the corresponding extra cost.

Students failing more than 18 ECTS credits after the June re-sits will be asked to leave the Program. Please, make sure to prepare yourself well for the exams in order to pass your failed subjects.

As you know, students have a total of four (4) allowed calls to pass a given course, in order to remain in the program.

GRADE APPEAL PROCESS

After participation in the mandatory review session, students may request a formal grade appeal within five (5) working days after the grade review period against the decision of the professor or assessment board to the Program Management and Program Director via the Virtual Help Desk  (Academic Requests > Student Inquires), attaching the following Grade Appeal Form.

Program Director will decide if there is sufficient ground for appeal and, if so, will request a 2nd marking process. Otherwise, the student and professor will be informed via email.

On the case of a 2nd marking process, the 2nd marker will recommend or not recommend a grade revision. In the case of a grade revision is recommended, it will be conducted by the Program Director. In the case it is not recommended, the appeal will be denied. 

The Appeals Board will rule on appeals and inform the student and the Program Director about the decision thereafter. The Appeals Board’s decision is final in the appeals procedure.

Please note that:

  • Students only have one chance of appealing for a final grade review.
  • The final grade appeal will only involve the written parts of an exam.
  • Participation grades will not be subject of the grade appeal process and lay on the discretion of each professor.
  • The 2nd marking may result in a higher, lower, or unchanged final grade.