Final examination

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article is about a type of examination; for the Outer Limits episode, see Final Exam (episode).

A final examination (or final exam) is a test given to students at the end of a course of study or training. Although the term can be used in the context of physical training, it most often occurs in the academic world. Most high schools, colleges and universities run final exams at the end of a particular academic term, typically a semester, or more traditionally at the end of a complete degree course.

The purpose of the test is to make a final review of the topics covered and assessment of each student's knowledge of the subject. Not all courses or curricula culminate in a final exam; instructors may assign a term paper or final project in some courses. The weighting of the final also varies. It may be the largest—or only—factor in the student's course grade, but in other cases may carry the same weight as a midterm exam, or the student may be exempted.

In the UK, traditional universities such as Oxford hold a single set of "finals" at the end of the entire degree course. In Australia, the exam period varies, with high schools commonly assigning one or two weeks for final exams, but the university period – sometimes called "exam week" or just "exams"—stretching to a maximum of three weeks.

Practice varies widely in the United States; "finals" or the "finals period" at the university level constitute two or three weeks after the end of the academic term, but sometimes exams are administered in the last week of instruction. Some institutions designate a "study week" or "reading period" between the end of instruction and beginning of finals during which no examinations may be administered. Students at many institutions know the week before finals as "dead week."

Though common in French tertiary institutions, final exams are not often assigned in French high schools. However, French high school students hoping to continue their studies at university level will sit a national exam, known as the Baccalauréat.

A take-home final is an examination at the end of an academic term that is usually too long to be completed in a single session as an in-class final. There is usually a deadline for completion, and the student typically has a week or two to complete it.

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