The following pages primarily give information about written University examinations, including locations and photos of examination sites, and guidance about what to expect before, during, and after your examinations.
- Tripos (Honours) Examinations - including how to disregard terms for the purpose of standing
- Affiliation
- Conduct of Examinations
- Further Information
Tripos (Honours) Examinations
A student who matriculated after 1 January 2010, and who has kept the requisite number of terms¹, will qualify for the B.A. Degree with Honours by obtaining honours in their final year in Part II or Part III of any Tripos; or in Part IIA or Part IIB of any Tripos; or in the Management Studies Tripos.
Students who matriculated before 1 January 2010 will qualify for the B.A. Degree by obtaining honours in three Tripos examinations, and frequently two will suffice. For the latter purpose, however, it is not possible to count:
- Any two Parts IA
- Part IA and Part IB of the same Tripos or of different Triposes
- Two of the following examinations: Part I of the Archaeological and Anthropological Tripos, Part I of the Economics Tripos, Part I of the History of Art Tripos, Part I of the Politics, Psychology, and Sociology Tripos, Part I of the Theological and Religious Studies Tripos.
- One of the examinations specified in (3) together with either Part IA or Part IB of another Tripos.
- Part I of the Chemical Engineering Tripos together with either Part 1A or Part IB of another Tripos.
Students completing after four years the relevant Part IIB examinations in Chemical Engineering, Engineering, or Manufacturing Engineering may qualify for the M.Eng. Degree in addition to the B.A. Degree.
Students completing after four years the Part III examination of the Natural Sciences Tripos may qualify for the M.Sci. Degree in addition to the B.A. Degree.
¹ For most students this is nine terms, but affiliated students are only required to keep six terms
Disregard terms for the purpose of standing
The regulations for Tripos Examinations do not allow students to be candidates later than a prescribed number of terms after matriculating or passing an earlier examination. If, however, you have been incapable owing to illness (duly attested by a medical certificate) or other grave cause,
- either
- of taking an examination at the proper time,
- or
- of pursuing studies for a substantial period,
the University Council may give you leave to 'disregard terms for the purpose of standing', i.e. they may allow you to be a candidate for an examination which, under the regulations, you are not of standing to take. Applications must be submitted through your Tutor to the Applications Committee of the Council.
Examinations
Nearly all Tripos Examinations are held at the end of the Easter Term, and most students are required to take two, and some three or even more, such examinations during their years of residence. In any year in which you are not taking a Tripos Examination you will probably be required by your College to take the Preliminary Examination to the Tripos Examination for which you intend to be a candidate in the following year. Preliminary Examinations do not confer any qualification for an honours degree, nor does failure in a Preliminary Examination debar you from being a candidate for any subsequent Tripos Examination. Each examination is governed by special regulations, which can be obtained from Tutors or Directors of Studies, who will advise you on your course of study. The full regulations can be found in the University Statutes and Ordinances, and detailed information is available from your Faculty or Department webiste and in course handbooks.
Affiliation
Graduates of other universities and certain other persons may, on certain conditions, be granted the privileges of affiliation. Affiliated students count their first term kept by residence as their fourth, and their standing for the purpose of candidature for examinations is increased accordingly. They can in most cases be candidates for Part II of a Tripos without having previously passed an Honours Examination. They may qualify for the B.A. Degree after six terms' residence and obtaining honours in Part II Tripos Examination only. Tutors are responsible for submitting on the student's behalf applications for affiliated status. Such applications must be made within a Students' first term of residence and be accompanied by evidence of their qualification.
Conduct of Examinations
Between 1 October and 8 November each year undergraduates enrol online for the majority of examinations using the CamSIS Student Self Service facility. In some instances students may need to enrol for modules in their Faculty or Department. From November and the time of the examination, first and final lists of candidates are published. You will be supplied in the middle of the Lent Term with an entry verification form showing your entry which you must sign as correct or amend. When the final list of candidates is published, normally at least four weeks before your first exam, you will receive an entry confirmation form showing your entry, the time and place of each paper, and any identification number allocated to you. If your name is omitted, or printed inaccurately, or the details of the papers for which you are marked as being a candidate are incorrect on a list of candidates, especially the final list, or on a form, you should at once inform your Tutor, but you are not permitted to change the choice of papers signed as correct at the end of the Lent Term.
If you are unable to take an examination for which you have been entered you should at once inform your Tutor.
You should take with you to the examinations room writing implements, but not geometrical instruments unless these are likely to be required. Tables and any other printed information necessary will normally be provided, but candidates for some examinations may be given notice that they are expected to bring their own copies of certain publications. In some examinations candidates are permitted to bring electronic calculators, either of a type specified by Notice or, in most cases, marked and sold by the University for the purpose.
An Examiner will be present for the first twenty minutes of each session. You may ask the Examiner if you have reason to suppose that there is a misprint or other error in the paper, or to enquire whether you may take some particular point for granted in answering a question.
The following rules governing University Examinations have been prescribed by the Board of Examinations: Rules for the guidance of candidates and for the prevention of misconduct in examinations