Exam Rules

[thatoneguy]

Hey, so I had a question about the exam rules.I just read the rules and there is nothing specific stated about writing on your "extra notepaper" before the examination starts. I am not talking about passing notes to other students but rather about temporary memory. Are we allowed to write as soon as we sit down to write the exams(before the reading time etc)?

[timtamboy63]

No. The exam starts with reading time, where you can't write anything, though you can write whatever you want after the reading time. You can't write anything before the reading time as would be before the exam starts, and you would get done for malpractice.

[Guest Positron]

This is quoted from the IBO's document "Conduct of the examinations".

"8. At the start of each examination paper (with the exception of multiple

choice examination papers) candidates are allowed five minutes in which to

read the paper. During this reading time candidates must not write answers,

rough notes of any kind or use a calculator."

It's pretty clear that you're not allowed to write any notes during the 5-minute reading time. But of course, if you want to get all smarty (and risk loosing your diploma), you could argue that the rule does not specifically state that writing of all kind would be prohibited. And it doesn't have the "including, but not limited to" -sentence, meaning that everything that is not mentioned in the rule, is not prohibited (unless otherwise stated elsewhere). You could say that you misspelled your name and somehow ended up writing some random physics equations. Or you could say that what you wrote were "notes", not "rough notes". Or you could write something titled "This is not an answer", and then proceed to write the answer below it, and argue that it wasn't an answer/rough note/use of a calculator and therefore not prohibited. Yeah, I guess it's pretty apparent that both of my parents are lawyers

Edited April 15, 2012 by Positron