Exams and assessment
By registering for a course the student assumes an obligation to complete the course and take the final assessment (exam or pass/fail evaluation). In addition to final assessment, the assessment of learning outcomes in a course may be organised in the form of continuous assessment (various assignments performed during the semester) or combined assessment (for example, homework and exam). The assessment result can also come from ongoing tests, laboratory works, reports, etc., which are not recorded in SIS, but make up the final result.
The student is entitled to
- use only the resources and materials permitted by teaching staff during assessment;
- inspect their written paper and get feedback on the paper from teaching staff within five working days of the announcement of the results;
- submit to the vice dean for academic affairs a reasoned request to establish a committee for assessment.
The university is entitled to
- check students’ written papers with a plagiarism detection system;
- monitor assessment using the electronic surveillance equipment managed by the university.
The following assessment conditions apply to exams and pass/fail evaluations:
The student is allowed to take the assessment if he or she has registered for the course and fulfilled all the requirements necessary to take the assessment. The examiner (the teaching staff member responsible or a person nominated by him/her) bears the responsibility for checking fulfilment of the requirements established in the course information that allow the student to take the assessment. Information on courses is available in the Study Information System (see guidelines).
If the student has not fulfilled the requirements prescribed in the course to take the assessment, the teaching staff member has the right not to allow a student to take the assessment and to record a negative result in SIS. The teaching staff member in charge decides whether to allow the student to retake the required prerequisites for assessment.
When going to an assessment you should definitely take an identity document. The organiser of the assessment has the right to require students to present identity documents.
The student must choose between two regular assessment times, it is an exception if more times are given. If justified, there may only be one time for regular assessment. Assessment times are fixed at the same time as timetables, therefore exam times are known at the time of registration for courses. In order to see timetables in the Study Information System, one can access the system without a UT access account.
The student selects the assessment time in the Study Information System on the fourth day before the assessment at the latest (see guidelines).
At the University of Tartu both differentiated and non-differentiated assessment of the learning outcomes are being used. Differentiated examination graded in the range from E to A is regarded as a pass. An examination graded with an F is regarded as a failure. A non-differentiated assessment means "pass" or "fail".
Differentiated assessment
In the case of differentiated assessment, the level of achievement by students of the learning outcomes shall be differentiated in accordance with the following scale:
- grade 'A' or "excellent" – an outstanding and particularly broad-based level of achievement of the learning outcomes characterised by exceptional, free and creative use of the knowledge and skills;
- grade 'B' or "very good" – a very high level of achievement of the learning outcomes characterised by proper and creative use of the knowledge and skills. More specific and detailed elements of knowledge and skills may reveal certain errors that are neither substantive nor serious;
- grade 'C' or "good" – a high level of achievement of the learning outcomes characterised by proper use of the knowledge and skills. More specific and detailed elements of knowledge and skills may manifest certain uncertainty and imprecision;
- grade 'D' or "satisfactory" – a sufficient level of achievement of the learning outcomes characterised by the ability to use the knowledge and skills in typical situations; non-typical situations reveal gaps and uncertainty;
- grade 'E' or "poor" – a minimally acceptable level of achievement of the learning outcomes characterised by a limited ability to use the knowledge and skills in typical situations; non-typical situations reveal considerable gaps and uncertainty;
- grade 'F' or "fail" –the knowledge and skills acquired by the student are below the minimum required level.
Non-differentiated assessment
In the case of non-differentiated assessment of the learning outcomes, the student may be deemed to have passed the course if all the requirements set forth in the course information for passing that course have been fulfilled. Students may be given the following grades:
- grade "pass" - given where the student shows that he/she has acquired the knowledge, skills and competences required in the course information;
- grade "fail" - given where the student fails to show that he/she has acquired the knowledge, skills and competences required in the course information.
The time at which to enter the grades into the Study Information System is prescribed in the course information. Grades must be entered at the latest four working days before a resit in the respective course, but not later than by the end of the semester.
For visiting students
According to the Study Regulations of the University of Tartu, the dean’s office issues a transcript of records to the (international) visiting students at the end of the study period. In case the home institution of the international visiting student takes into account only differentiated assessment, then the result “pass” of non-differentiated assessment corresponds to the grade 'A'. [effective as of 4 September 2023].
See guidelines on how to view study results
The grading scale is determined by the regulation of the Estonian Minister of Education and Research "Kõrgharidustaseme ühtne hindamissüsteem ning diplomi ja akadeemilise õiendi andmise tingimused ja kord"
If the student does not appear at an assessment, the note "not present" is recorded in SIS. In calculating an average grade, "not present" in a course with differentiated assessment equals zero, and one examination option is considered used.
"Not present" is annulled if the student submits a document, within 5 working days of the day the exam took place, in which the reason(s) for absence are given. This also applies on courses where an exam takes place in parts when student is absent from the last part and receives "F".
If the student is not being present, he or she can resit the exam in the same semester. If the student wishes to take a resit, registration is obligatory. Registration for resits ends one day before the resit takes place (see guidelines).
During the semester in which the course takes place, students who study under the course system can take the course assessment up to twice (assessment + repeat assessment (resit)). If the results of the assessment and the resit are both negative, the student is not deleted from the matriculation register, instead, they will have to re-register for the course in the coming semesters and complete it again. If after the first negative result the student decides to take the course again, repeat examination is not compulsory.
You can take an exam on the same course up to four times. After the fourth negative result, the student will be exmatriculated by the end of the semester.
Different rules apply when studying under the year system (integrated bachelor’s and master’s curricula at the Faculty of Medicine). An exam on a single compulsory course may be taken (including pass/fail evaluations) up to three times in a semester. If a student fails for a third time in the same course, he/she will be exmatriculated.
To complete the study programme, a positive result must be reached in all compulsory courses and the required number of credits must be earned for optional courses.
A resit must be taken by the start of the following semester at the latest. The courses trasfered by RPL are taken into account for the semester where the RPL decision was made, and the courses delivered according to the study plan are taken into account for the semester of submitting the results.
Where there is a good reason not to taking an assessment, and if there is the written consent of the teaching staff member in charge of the course, the vice dean of academic affairs of the faculty may postpone the due date for the reist by two weeks from the beginning of the following semester.
Also, where there is a good reason, the faculty vice dean of academic affairs may postpone the due date of the assessment to the end of the two following semesters (except in the integrated bachelor’s and master’s curricula at the Faculty of Medicine).
In this event, however, the student's credit points will transfer to the semester in which the assessment takes place.
Registration for the resit and the right to cancel registration ends two days before the resit is held.
The student does not have the right to resit an assessment during the same semester if they have failed due to academic fraud.
Students cannot retake an examination in order to improve their grade if they have already received a positive result for an exam.
In one semester the student can take an assessment twice on one course (one regular assessment and one resit). If both assessments are graded negatively (failed), the student must register to the course again and pass the exam in one of the following semesters. A resit is not obligatory if the student decides to take a course for a second time. On one course the student can take an assessment a maximum of four times. After the fourth negative result on the same course, the student is exmatriculated by the end of the semester.
If the student wishes to take a resit, registration is obligatory. Registration for a resit ends one day before a resit takes place (see guidelines).