Exam visit

Instructions for students coming in for an exam visit from other universities

An exam visit means that you take an examination related to a course of your home university in the EXAM facility of some other university. Please read these instructions carefully before your exam visit to the University of Helsinki.

Exam rooms are currently very busy and not all examiners may be able to find a time in December. Please remember to cancel your reservation if you are unable to attend.

Booking an exam time:

  • Always register for the examination and book an examination time using your home university account credentials in the EXAM system of your home university.
  • Reservations can be made maximum 30 days ahead and new slots open at 02.00 for booking.
    • In the calendar, times marked in blue are reserved, times marked in green are available and times marked in white are closed. If all times are in blue, there are no free times.
  • Exam room is normally open Mon-Fri 8.30-19.30 and Saturdays 11.30-16.30. Exceptional opening hours are marked in the booking calendar.
  • Find out from your home university what kind of exam you are taking:
    • Online traffic to elsewhere except EXAM has been blocked from the examination computers.
    • Only the following software is available during the examination: Windows calculator, Notepad, Adobe Acrobat Reader, Wordpad, Paint. If you need other software to complete the examination, you will not be able to take the examination in the University of Helsinki’s examination facility.
    • In the exam room, there are erasable whiteboards for planning your answers. There are no headsets or drawing displays available.
  • If the computer you are using to book an exam is not in the same time zone as the exam system (UTC +2), the system cannot scale the exam times. However, if the exam booking is for a time when the building is closed, you will not be able to take the exam.
    • If you are unsure of the time you have booked, the correct time can be found in the email you receive about the booking.
  • If your plans change and you are unable to take the exam at the designated time, please remember to cancel your reservation.

Entering the exam room and taking the exam

The exam visit facility of the University of Helsinki is located on the Learning Centre Aleksandria (Fabianinkatu 28): https://www.helsinki.fi/en/helsinki-university-library/welcome-library/library-locations-and-premises/learning-centre-aleksandria 

The renovation of Alexandria will start during the summer. Until 22 April, the exam room is on the 4th floor of Alexandria. From 22 April onwards, the exam room is  K133 on the ground floor. In May, a new room will be opened in Kaisa Building (Fabianinkatu 30), where the computers for exam visitors will also move. The aim is to keep the computers available at all times.

  • Take the exam only if you are healthy and symptom-free. If you are ill, postpone or cancel your exam and contact the examiner if necessary.
  • The doors to the exam facility are open and the facility is equipped with lockers. You may only take the locker key, your student card and a transparent label-free water bottle with you to the examination computer.
  • You do not need a password to log in to the examination computer and your home university account credentials are used for logging in to EXAM.
  • The examination facility is equipped with real-time recording camera surveillance. When you reserve an examination time at the University of Helsinki examination facility, you simultaneously accept the examination rules and invigilation practices. If needed, the recording from the exam situation is delivered to your home university.
  • We have no possibility to make any individual or other extra arrangements for the visitors. The student’s home institution is responsible for making individual arrangements. If necessary, please consult the guidelines of your home university to find out how and what individual arrangements you can obtain for the exam.
  • Should you encounter any problems, please follow the instructions posted on the facility wall. Real-time support is not available in the examination facilities. If following the instructions does not solve the problem, please contact EXAM support/the examiner at your home university.

If you have questions about your exam visit, please read the following instructions first and, if necessary, contact the EXAM support at your own university. They will contact us if necessary.

FAQ

I am taking exam X  at a university Y. Can I come and take it at the University of Helsinki? 

Students from all universities that are participating in exam visit can take exams in the examination rooms of all universities. If you see “Select room for exam visit” when booking an exam, you can book an exam with us.

If there are any special features of your exam that could prevent you from taking it, please contact your university’s support services to check. The programmes available in our exam room are listed at the top of this page.

I would like to take an exam on a specific day. Will the exam be open on that day? 

The opening hours are shown in the booking calendar. This is where we update any possible outages and shortened opening times. In the calendar, times marked in blue are reserved, times marked in green are available and times marked in white are closed. If all times are in blue, there are no free times.

All exam computers are reserved. Can you get me a computer for the exam because…?

We cannot arrange additional computers for an individual examiner, even if the exam computers are fully booked at the desired exam time. The system does not allow transferring computers between facilities for a single day or for a few hours.

More detailed instructions addressed to the students of the University of Helsinki here https://studies.helsinki.fi/instructions/article/taking-exams-examinarium-electronic-exam-rooms