General regulations
Find your personal exam timetable on the my.tcd.ie portal under the ‘My Exams’ tab. Take note of the date, time, and location of your exams.
If your exam is not listed on your my.tcd.ie portal, the full exam timetable is available here. You can also view the exam timetable by faculty. We recommend double-checking your timetable the night before an exam as it is subject to change.
Your exam number can be found on your portal page at my.tcd.ie prior to the start of each exam session. An exam number is required for all exams.
Double check your my.tcd.ie portal the day before your exam, in the unlikely event that your seat number has changed.
Please familiarise yourself with the location of the exam venues.
If the listed exam is scheduled at the RDS
- Arrive in good time before the start of your exam.
- Present yourself at the Academic Registry Help Desk in the foyer area.
- Quote the paper code and a staff member will assign you a seat in the exam hall .
If the listed exam is scheduled at a venue on the Trinity campus:
- Arrive in good time before the start of your exam.
- Present yourself to the Chief Invigilator before the exam begins.
- Quote the paper code and you will be assigned a seat in the exam hall.
If the listed exam is scheduled to take place online, contact your School/Department.
Requesting a campus venue for online exams
Some students may require a space on campus to sit an online exam. This may be because you have an in-person exam and an online exam on the same day, or you are experiencing connectivity or accommodation issues.
- If you find yourself in this situation, please complete the online form to request a space.
- If you are an undergraduate student, your tutor is required to support your request; if you are a postgraduate student, you must have the support of your course director.
- You will be assigned a shared room on campus for the exams, and you will be required to bring your own battery-powered device.
- Demand may be high on certain days: we will do our utmost to accommodate all requests, but spaces will be apportioned on a first-come first-served basis.
Use of mobile phones, or other electronic or communication devices, is not permitted in exam venues.
Students must remember that:
- Mobile phones must be switched off at all times and stored with your belongings. Having a mobile phone on your person is a breach of the exam regulations and may result in a €35 fine.
- Smart watches, smart glasses or any other electronic device which can store information or communicate with other devices must also be powered off and stored with your belongings for the duration of the examination. Having any such item on your person is a breach of the examination regulations.
- The use or attempted use of any electronic device that holds, receives or transmits data (unless the use of this device has been specifically confirmed by the Trinity disAbility Services) is strictly prohibited during an examination.
- If you are found in possession of a mobile phone or an electronic device such as a smart watch during an exam, it will be confiscated, and you will be issued a fine of €35 by the office of the Junior Dean. These fines are donated to the Student Hardship Fund.
- If your phone/electronic device rings, or an alarm activates from a bag or a jacket during an exam, the device shall be removed and confiscated by an invigilator.
- If your phone/electronic device is confiscated during an exam at the RDS, you can collect it on site from the Junior Dean’s office representative.
- If your phone/electronic device is confiscated during an on-campus exam, you can collect it from a Junior Dean’s office representative at the Academic Registry service desk. Confiscated phones/electronic devices will be returned to the AR one hour after the exam has finished.
You will not be given additional time if you arrive late for an examination. (Exceptional circumstances will be considered)
Invigilators are required to implement the examination regulations of the University. Students must follow the instructions given by the invigilators in a co-operative and respectful manner at all times.
Having unauthorised materials in your possession in the exam hall is considered a breach of the Examination Regulations. Any written or printed materials not written on official answer books, including material written on your person, or electronic devices containing text, shall be considered unauthorised materials.
The unauthorised materials, together with your student identity card, shall be removed and retained by the invigilators who shall make a written report. You may also be requested to meet the Junior Dean to discuss the contents of this report. You shall be allowed to complete the examination.
The same procedure will be followed where a student or students is/are considered by the Invigilator to have copied or to have attempted to copy any material from each other.
Find the conduct of exams here.
Before your exam
You will be assigned a designated seat in advance of the exam. Seat numbers are available on your mytcd.ie portal under the 'My Exams' tab. Seating lists will not be displayed at the exam venue. If you cannot access your mytcd.ie portal, please check with the invigilator in the examination venue.
You must sit in your assigned seat unless instructed otherwise by an invigilator.
You are asked to leave all personal belongings, including bags, coats, hats, etc. in the designated area for belonings within the examination venue. This area differs from venue to venue, but will be pointed out by the invigilators.
Students (except in exceptional circumstances):
- Will not be admitted to the examination after the first half-hour
- Will not be allowed to leave during the last half-hour.
- Will not be permitted to re-enter the examination venue after they have left.
If you arrive after the first half-hour of your exam, you should contact your college Tutor or the Senior Tutor as a matter of urgency.
You should arrive at your examination venue at least 15 minutes before the start of the examination.
You must be seated in your allocated seat at least 5 minutes before the start of the exam.
Once you have entered the exam hall, you must be silent until the exam has ended.
Complete silence must be maintained at all times, during the announcements at the start of the exam and during the exam, unless otherwise instructed by the invigilator.
You must have your Student ID card for each exam session. Place your Student ID card on the right-hand side of your desk for the duration of each examination. If you fail to produce a current student ID card, you may present alternative photo ID (passport, drivers' licence) which shows a picture, your full name and date of birth. These will be subject to an ID check.
A ‘Clean Desk’ policy applies for all formal examinations. In addition to pens, pencils, rulers, Student ID card, etc., only materials expressly permitted for an examination may be placed on the desk. Invigilators will be instructed to request students to remove any non-permitted items from their desk. Pencil cases and calculator covers are not permitted.
Food and drink (with the exception of water) is not normally permitted in the examination venue.
Your attention is drawn to the ‘CONDUCT OF EXAMINATIONS’ notice at the entrance of each venue.
During your exams
You must not turn over the examination paper on the desk until requested to do so by the invigilator.
Check the title of the paper on your desk to ensure that it is the correct examination paper. You are asked and read carefully all of the instructions given.
You may not start your examination until instructed to do so by the invigilators. Please use any spare time at the start to fill in your answer book cover(s), remembering to complete the section at the bottom right-hand corner as requested, before sealing the flap on every anonymous booklet used. Write legibly in ink – pencils are only allowed for OMR forms.
It is the responsibility of each student to ensure that they have an adequate supply of pens, pencils, ink, etc., required for an examination. The borrowing of such materials will not be permitted during an examination. You may not bring blank paper into the examination venue. All paper will be supplied by the invigilators.
You will be advised of the time thirty minutes and fifteen minutes before the end of the examination.
If you wish to leave the examination venue temporarily at any stage during the examination, you must be accompanied by an invigilator. You may have to wait until an invigilator is available.
If you wish to leave before the end of the examination, all booklet(s) must be handed to an invigilator. Please ensure you hand up everything you wish to have marked, including rough work.
If you are ill just before an examination and feel unable to take the exam, immediately contact your tutor or their replacement. If your tutor is unavailable, contact the Senior Tutor's Office. If you feel unwell during your examination, please inform an invigilator. You will be attended by a nurse in the RDS or asked if you wish to visit the College Health Centre on campus, accompanied by an invigilator.
Smoking or the use of electronic smoking devices is not permitted in examination venues. Smoking breaks are not allowed during examination sessions.
During an examination, you must not, under any pretext whatsoever, speak to or communicate with any other students. Such communications will be regarded as a breach of the Examination Regulations. If anything is required during the examination, please raise your hand to alert an invigilator.
You are not permitted to consult, or have in your possession, any dictionaries, papers, notes, memoranda, written or electronic material of any nature, unless specifically authorised by the examiners. If a student is discovered to have unauthorised material in their possession it may be regarded as a breach of the Examination Regulations.
Personal standard scientific calculators are permitted only where their use is explicitly noted on the examination paper . Programmable or text storing calculators are not permitted. You are required to record on your answer booklet the make and model of calculator used. It is the responsibility of each student to ensure that their calculator is in working order.
After your exams
You must stop writing, combine all your examination materials in the blue booklet, and hand up your booklets (whether used or unused) when instructed to do so by an invigilator.
Please ensure that all your answer books are labelled correctly with your examination number (where appropriate), seat number and all other required information.
You must remain in your seat until the invigilator has collected your answer book(s), the answer books have been checked, and the invigilator has announced that you may leave the examination hall.
It is the responsibility of each student to ensure that their complete answer booklet(s) are handed to the invigilator. No pages are permitted to be removed. It is also the responsibility of the student to ensure that their exam paper has been handed up, where instructions on the exam paper state as such.
You are not permitted to remove from the examination venue any TCD examination materials, including answer books, rough work, or other materials supplied.