Exam Infos
Here you will find all information on Examination Attempts, Repeat Examinations, Examinations by a Panel, Grading Periods and much more.
Examination Attempts
The following regulations apply to the maximum number of permissible examination attempts:
Four attempts are allowed for all exams in the introductory and orientation phase (STEOP).
Five attempts are permitted for all other examinations.
If the final attempt is negative, the student is expelled from the program and may not continue his or her studies in this program. As soon as your grade no longer appears as “provisional” in LPIS, you will receive official confirmation by email that you have been expelled from the degree program.
The maximum number of permissible examination attempts applies simultaneously to both of WU’s bachelor’s programs. This means that students who are enrolled in both bachelor’s programs have only the permitted number of attempts for identical exams, i.e. four attempts for each exam in the introductory and orientation phase (STEOP) and five for all others. In other words, being enrolled in both programs does not give students twice as many attempts on these exams. If the final permissible attempt is negative, the student is expelled from both programs.
If the curriculum provides for a choice between examinations, the student’s choice shall be deemed final at the time of the fifth examination attempt. If the student receives a failing grade on this attempt, he or she will be unenrolled from all degree programs that require the examination in question (by-laws §32 (1a)).
Students who are expelled from their program after failing all four permissible attempts in a STEOP exam are blocked from applying for re-admission to the program until the third semester after being expelled.(Applies only to the programs of students who were expelled in or before the 2022 summer semester). Any new admission is subject to the provisions of the currently valid curriculum.
Students who were expelled in the introductory and orientation phase (STEOP) of their degree program in or after the 2022/23 winter semester may NOT be re-admitted to the respective degree program.
It may be possible to be admitted to a new curriculum or a different degree program, please contact at the Admissions Office
Repeating a Positively Graded Exam
A positively graded exam may be repeated once within a period of 12 months from the date when it was taken (lt. UG 2002 §77) . Once an exam has been repeated, the previously earned passing grade becomes void. This means that a student can also lower his or her grade by repeating an exam.
Continuous assessment courses (PI) and lectures with interactive elements (VUE) must be repeated in their entirety; transferring performance components to a subsequent semester is not permitted.
Applications to repeat an examination have to be submitted by email to the Examinations Office.
Please note the following:
The grade of the exam you wish to retake must appear on the transcript.
If the exam you wish to improve is a prerequisite for registering for other courses, please do this before contacting the Examinations Office, otherwise these registrations will no longer be possible or waiting list entries can no longer be considered. Active registrations that have already been made will of course remain valid.
Examinations by a Panel
In the introductory and orientation phase (STEOP), the third repeat attempt (i.e. the fourth examination attempt overall) is always held in the form of an examination by a panel of examiners.
In the main program phase, the third and fourth repeat examination attempts (i.e. attempts number four and five overall) are always held in the form of an examination by a panel of examiners. At the student’s request, the third overall examination attempt can also be held as an examination by a panel. Applications for an examination by a panel (this applies only to third examination attempts) have to be submitted by email to the Examinations Office.
The examination panel usually consists of three faculty members. Examinations by a panel are held in exactly the same way as regular exams, and the sign-up procedures are identical, too. The only difference is that the exam is evaluated by a panel of examiners.
Grading Period, Viewing Exam Papers, Your Legal Rights with Regard to Examinations and Cheating
Grading Period
Exams must be graded within four weeks of the exam date.
Viewing Exam Papers
You can view your exam papers within six months of announcement of the grades. You can photocopy the papers, but you are not allowed to take the originals with you.
However, this right does not apply to multiple choice questions and the corresponding answers. In particular, students are not entitled to make copies or take photographs of solution sheets
Your Legal Rights with Regard to Examinations
In principle, it is not possible to file any appeals against grades received for completed examinations. If any substantial shortcomings occur during an examination, however (e.g. a fire alarm or a similar incident), students with a failing grade may submit an application for annulment of the examination within four weeks of announcement of the grades. This application must be submitted to the Study Regulations & Credit Transfer office (Study Service Center, LC building, level 2, counter 3). The application must clearly state and explain the alleged substantial shortcomings that are claimed to have invalidated the examination. Examinations that are declared void will not be counted as a lost examination attempt.
Here you can find more information on legal rights with regard to examinations
Cheating
If a student is found to be cheating or to have cheated during an exam (e.g. using a crib sheet or other unauthorized aids), a procedure for invalidating the exam in question will be initiated. Exams declared void because of cheating will count as a lost examination attempt. Invalidation procedures are initiated by Study Regulations & Credit Transfer and implemented in cooperation with the Study Support office. Completion of an examination for another person invariably leads to a report to the responsible district administrative authority or the public prosecutor's office. Writing an exam for another person is punishable by a fine of up to 25,000 euros. The statute of limitations only expires after 30 years.
All information on the legal documents & internal guidelines (Examination Regulations, By-Laws, Universities Act, etc.) can be found here!