Administering A Class Examination

This article on class examinations concentrates on giving teachers the knowledge they need to administer an examination to their class successfully from the start to the finish. It looks at how the teacher goes about starting the examination; what he/she does as the students do the examination and how to wind up the whole process with as little stress as possible to all participants.
Starting The Examination:

These are the steps to take as you prepare to begin the examination.

* Line up students outside the room.
* Give any instructions they need, e.g. where to sit, how to ask questions.
* Students are told what they are allowed to bring into the room.

* Any belongings they must bring into the room are put on the floor at the front/or back of the room or on the floor under their chair.
* Allow the class to enter the room under your instructions.
* They write their name and yours on the writing paper/examination booklet and organise their gear ready to start.
* On your instruction, they turn over the exam paper and with you check that it is correctly printed. Then they fill out their name and the class teacher's name on the front page using upper case/capital letters. (Their names are then easier for teachers to read).
* Indicate any special instructions as well as the time for the test.
* Start perusal time if available.
* Start the exam reminding them of the time length and the actual finishing time.
* Discourage borrowing of equipment. If it is necessary, the teacher should organize and supervise it.
* Mark your class roll. Check this later against the actual exam papers you get as occasionally a student may deliberately withhold their exam paper but claim they handed it in and you must have lost it.
* Remind the class that you will put a time line on the board and will mark off the time as the exam proceeds.
* Don't allow students to have any other items on their desk except those items needed for the examination. (Be careful to make sure no one smuggles in writing paper that could contain answers and so on).

During The Exam:

The teacher should:

* Wander, at random, around the class to show you are actively supervising. If you need a rest, sit at the back of the room where you can see the whole class but they cannot see you.
* Simply walk up behind them and watch if you suspect that a student is attempting to cheat. Ask them if they have a problem to give the impression you are aware of what they are trying to do.
* Continue to mark off the time, regularly.
* Warn the class that the time is up in 5 minutes.
* If you have not already done so, collect any unused examination papers and writing paper/booklets.

Finishing The Examination:

The teacher should:

* Warn the class that time is almost up, i.e. 5/10 minutes to go.
* That "stop work" means no more writing, just sorting out of the pages, stapling.
* Remind the class to check their name is on every page.
* Remind the class that no talking is allowed until all papers are collected or until dismissed and outside the room.
* Remind the class to ensure that the pages of their examination are placed in the correct numerical order before stapling.
* Collect the exam papers row by row at the front door where you staple the pages together, if necessary.
* Or collect row by row at the desks and staple as you go as an alternative.
* Or have students leave them on their desks for you to collect at your leisure if the exam goes right to the end of the lesson time.
* Count the number of papers you collect as you go to make sure all students hand in an exam paper even if they did nothing except write their name.
* Collect all excess exam papers and writing paper. (This can be done during the exam).

After The Exam:

The teacher should:

* Check that the names on the exam papers match with the names on your roll.
* Write the names of all absent students on spare exam papers ready for you to administer these exams to the absentees at your first opportunity or when specified by school policy. Note the date on the paper. When the paper is done, note that date also.
* Review how your organisation of the examination went and look for ways to become more efficient in its organisation.

You will find, as you become familiar with these steps, that your students are less stressed; the examination runs smoothly; no examination papers are lost and you walk out of the examination room feeling the glow of a job well done.


Article Source: Richard D Boyce