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Schedules & Exams

This section summarizes regulations and expectations regarding class schedules, assignments and examinations.

Be sure to review the information provided below, so that you are fully aware of academic expectations, and the policies and procedures that govern subjects at MIT.

Term Regulations
Class Schedule
Assignments
Tests & Examinations

Term Regulations

It is very important that you familiarize yourself with the Term Regulations, which are set forth by the Chair of the Faculty. Examples of regulations governing undergraduate subjects include:

Examinations and major assignments must be announced by the end of the first week of the term.
There are limitations on end-of-term assignments.
Tests and academic exercises should not be scheduled before 7:30 pm on weekday evenings.
Tests outside class times should not be scheduled on Monday evenings.

Note: Regulations governing graduate subjects differ from those set for your undergraduate subjects, so be sure to consult the Term Regulations web site for complete information.

The term regulations also specify a variety of your student rights, including:

Student Absence for Religious Observances
Disabilities Services/Learning Disabilities Specialist
Grading
Incompletes
Tests and Academic Exercises Outside Scheduled Class Times

While the Chair of the Faculty reminds faculty of the regulations at the beginning of each term, professors—especially those new to MIT—may not always be aware of these policies.

If you think that one of your professors has violated a prescribed term regulation, talk to the professor, and then consider meeting with the department's Undergraduate Officer.

If you are not satisfied with the result, you should address questions or report violations via e-mail to exam-termregs@mit.edu. You can also contact the Student Committee on Educational Policy (SCEP) for advice and support.

Class Schedules

Classes are generally to be held between 9 am and 5 pm from Monday through Friday. They begin five minutes after and end five minutes before the scheduled hour or half-hour time. For undergraduate subjects, required academic exercises in the fall and spring terms are not to be held at the following times: on Mondays through Thursdays, between 5 pm and 7 pm; and on weekends from 5 pm on Friday until 8 am on Monday.

When pre-registration begins, the schedule of classes is posted for the next semester, and class schedules are incorporated into the subject listing.

After the pre-registration period has ended and before you solidify your registration, go to WebSIS to check your customized class schedule. Your class schedule is a printable schedule of the classes for which you have pre-registered and includes the dates, times, and room numbers for each class.

Assignments

In an undergraduate subject, the faculty member must provide a clear and complete description of the required work by the end of the first week of classes; the number and kinds of assignments, the approximate schedule of tests and due dates for major projects, whether or not there will be a final examination, and the grading criteria and procedures to be used. The precise schedule of tests and major assignments must be provided by the end of the third week. For this regulation see Rules and Regulations of the Faculty.

Tests & Examinations

The schedule for term quizzes must be announced at the beginning of the term in undergraduate subjects. Tests, required reviews, and other exercise outside scheduled class times are not to be held on Mondays. Tests held outside scheduled class times should:

not exceed two hours in length
be scheduled through the Schedules Office
begin no earlier than 7:30 pm when held in the evening
not be held on Monday evenings.

If you are unable to take the test owing to a conflict with a scheduled academic exercise or extracurricular activity, you must be allowed to do so at another time. When a test is held outside scheduled class time, during that calendar week a regularly scheduled class hour should be cancelled or no assignment should fall due.

End-of-Term Tests

In all undergraduate subjects, there should be no tests after the Last Test Date, which is the Friday preceding the start of the Reading Period. Unit tests may be scheduled during the final examination period.

To learn the Last Test Dates for this academic year, see the Academic Calendar.

Final Examinations

You should know within the first week of an undergraduate subject whether or not there will be a final examination.

Final examinations in all subjects are held during the final examination period following each term, and are scheduled through the Schedules Office, which publishes the Final Examination Schedule. The final examination scheduled in any subject shall last at least one hour but not more than three hours. Final examinations may not be cancelled once they are announced. After the final examination schedule is published, the time of the final examination may not be changed.

If you feel that you may need assistance with finals preparation, speak with your advisor and/or recitation instructor, consider a tutoring session, or see the Finals Preparation module on the Learning Strategies site.

Ex Camera Finals: In some undergraduate subjects, final examinations may be ex camera (out-of-room) examinations. Ex camera examinations are a different mode of testing intended to give you access to computers and libraries; evaluate your ability to select resources; and answer questions of an integrative nature. Ex camera examinations are not intended as a way to increase the amount the material covered. Read more about ex camera finals in Term Regulations.
Absence from a Final: For information on missing a final, see O grades.

End-of-Term Assignments

For each subject in which there is testing during the final examination period, no assignment should fall due after the Last Test Date, i.e., the Friday preceding the start of the Reading Period.
For each subject in which there is no testing during the final examination period, at most one assignment may fall due between the Last Test Date and the end of the last scheduled class period in the subject. This single assignment may include both an oral presentation and a written report if derived from the same project. Optional assignments between the Last Test Date and the last scheduled class period should be for self-study and may not be used toward part of the grade in a subject, including assignments for extra points or as substitutes for earlier assignments.
See the Academic Calendar for the Last Test Dates this year. If you feel that one of your professors violates any of the regulations pertaining to end-of-term assignments, talk to the professor, and then consider meeting with the department's Undergraduate Officer or the Chair of the Faculty.

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