COM Examination Policy

This Policy is applicable to all examinations administered to students enrolled in the College of Osteopathic Medicine for COM classes. This policy covers examinations that are proctored by the Office of Academic Affairs staff and administered through the ExamSoft platform or the NBOME portal.

1. Students should arrive at least 10 to 15 minutes before the exam time and unless directed or agreed otherwise and should sit at their assigned seating at the team table.
2. Students arriving late to the exam room, will not be allowed to extend their exam time beyond the already scheduled end time. Students arriving later than 10 minutes after the scheduled exam time will not be permitted to take the exam without approval from the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs or designees.
3. Personal belongings (e.g., coats, jackets, hats, scarves, shawls, blankets, pillows, books, notes, backpacks, book bags, briefcases, purses, pencil cases, etc.) must be stored away at the designated location near the exam room entrance. Hats and other head coverings are allowed only for religious/cultural reasons (e.g., hijab, turban). Students are required to leave water/drink bottles with their backpacks/bags and may drink them with permission. Table spaces must be cleared of all unnecessary materials prior to the start of the exam. All materials brought into the examination area are subject to search and removal by proctors or authorized personnel.
4. All exams administered through the ExamSoft digital assessment platform or the NBOME portal require students to bring a personal laptop in good working condition (compliant with IT’s laptop requirements) to the exam room. All other electronic devices (e. g. cell phones, pagers, digital timers, smart watches, programmable calculators, netbooks and notebook computers, etc.) must be turned off and stored away from the examination area.
5. For these exams students will be provided with a blank sheet of paper to be used during the exam as scratch paper and a pen. Prior to the start of the exam, students may not write on their scratch paper if they have any content, notes, or any other type of study material showing on their computers or table. The paper and pen must be returned to the proctor before leaving the exam room.
6. Except when necessary due to emergency circumstances (e.g., fire, active shooter, etc.), students may not communicate with classmates in any form by any means during an examination.
7. Students may not ask proctors for clarification of exam items.
8. Exam administrations are timed. Exam items and questions are randomized for individual student exams. Backward navigation will be enabled for exams.
9. Students must use a privacy screen protector for their laptops, or any other electronic device used, for the entirety of the duration of these exams.
10. Students taking exams will be permitted to leave the exam room for water or restroom breaks, but only after notifying a proctor by raising a hand. Only one student may use the restroom at a time and will be accompanied by a proctor. Proctors may ask students to show that they do not have any electronic devices or study materials when leaving for a water or restroom break. If a limited number of proctors are available, restroom breaks may not be permitted until additional proctors are available. A break does not entitle the student to more time on an exam. If restroom breaks are being abused, over-utilized, or become a distraction, proctors have discretionary authority to limit restroom breaks as deemed necessary.
11. CHSU-COM proctors, faculty, and authorized personnel may refuse to provide exams to students, terminate exams, and/or report test takers if the test takers are suspected of noncompliance with exam rules or academic dishonesty.
12. In addition to proctors, CHSU-COM employs video surveillance and recording technologies to protect and maintain academic integrity during an exam.
13. Students who are found using unauthorized materials or electronic devices during an exam, obtaining assistance from classmates or from any unauthorized sources, or otherwise failing to follow the prescribed guidelines mentioned in this policy will be subject to disciplinary actions under the Student Conduct and Professionalism policy, up to and including, dismissal from the program.
14. Students who have been granted an excused absence on an exam day (see Attendance Policy) will only be allowed to receive one (1) make up exam opportunity to be administered on the Monday of the following week or on another date determined by the Office of Academic Affairs and Assessment.
    • Any additional excused absences on any Exam days will result in an Incomplete (IC) for the final course grade.
    • Students will be required to make-up their excused missed exam(s) at the end of the semester during the designated remediation period. 
    • Students who fail the make-up examination and subsequently fail the course will be required to meet with the Student Progress Committee for further directives.

15. An unexcused absence on Exam days will result in automatic failure of the exam with a score of 0%, which may result in a failure of the course. Students will be required to meet with the Student Progress Committee for further directives.

16. For OMS-III and OMS-IV students, excused absences or requests for rescheduling for COMAT examinations will be reviewed by the Office of Community Clinical Education and the Office of Academic Affairs and Assessment.