To ensure that students have a comprehensive understanding of the concepts taught in previous courses and are retaining that information, semester examinations will be taken. These exams are built upon the prior courses and lessons. To ensure that the student is completing their work without assistance, thus learning the material, Semester examinations are always proctored.

Nominating a Proctor

Students must use one of the approved online proctoring services, or nominate a proctor for the semester exams. Students should submit a Proctor Nomination Form to the Academic Dean and Registrar’s office wish to take by completing and submitting the Proctor Nomination Form. The form should indicate the approved proctoring service the student wishes to choose or list at least two qualified people, living in the student’s general area, who are willing to monitor the student as they take the semester exams. 

Note that the use of online proctoring services is dependent upon the availability of that service in the students area and may require additional fees set by the third-party service. For these reasons, most students will choose to nominate their own proctors. If the student chooses to nominate their own proctors, Adam Smith University will select one of the proctors from the student’s nomination form.

To be qualified to proctor an examination, the proctor must meet the following qualifications:

• The proctor must be a high school or college administrator, faculty member of such institution, librarian, law enforcement officer, or member of the clergy. Incarcerated students may nominate an appropriate member of the institution’s staff, such as the Correctional Education Department administrator. If no such person is available, then the student should select another respected member of the community.
• The proctor must be a responsible individual, with whom no conflict of interest exists. Under no circumstances may a fellow student, relative, roommate, or immediate supervisor proctor an examination.  
• The proctor must have never been convicted of any crime involving dishonesty, fraud, or any other act of moral turpitude.
• Proctors selected should be willing to provide this service free of charge, otherwise students are solely responsible for paying any proctor fees. 

Students are solely responsible for locating suitable proctor candidates. 

Proctoring Process

When the student is prepared to take the exam, Adam Smith University will release the exam to the proctoring service or provide an access code to the selected proctor. The student and proctor must decide on a time and place to take the exam, the proctor must verify the students’ identity, and the student must take the exam in the presence of the proctor. The access code provides access to the exam and should not be given to the student, since it is used to verify the presence of the proctor.

The exam must be taken online, unless the student is incarcerated in which case the exam will be mailed or emailed to the proctor. In such a case, the proctor must sign a statement that the exam was taken under appropriate conditions and return the completed examination and statement of compliance to Adam Smith University in a sealed envelope.

Proctored Exam Information

The purpose of each semester exam is to evaluate the student’s ability to conceptualize and integrate content from all the courses taken thus far in a particular program and are comprehensive in nature. During the exam, students must follow all instructions. Use of their textbooks, online or printed materials, and study notes are not permitted. Review guides should be used to prepare for the exam, but cannot be used during the exam. Proctors should directly monitor the student at all times to ensure that only the examination and integrated materials are accessed. 

All semester exams are graded on a pass/fail basis. The semester exam scores are not factored into course grades or the students Grade Point Average. The minimum passing score is 70 percent. As specified in our Exam Retake Policy, all semester exam retakes must be completed within 90 days of completing the original semester exam and students must wait at least 72 hours between exam attempts. Only one exam retake will be permitted. Academic Dismissal may result for any student who fails a second attempt of the exam.