From forwarding exams to each other to exams that do not match the study-matter. There seem to be a lot of problems with exams at our university. The student council conducted a research. Do the students recognize these problems?

When asked if exams always meet the requirements, student Business Communication Jeltje Bielemans (19) immediately starts an animated story. When she took the Intercultural Communication exam, it turned out to be the same exam as the year before. She did not benefit from that, because it was the first time she took the exam. Her fellow students for whom the exam was a resit, however, did have an advantage.

This is not an isolated incident, a survey from the student council shows. The council asked faculty student councils and education committees to fill out the survey. The student council heard many stories about wrongdoings during exams and wanted to know what was true of them. The outcome is clear: exams are being reused, do not match the study-matter or test for pure knowledge instead of insight. ‘It is a widespread problem that we ask attention for’, says chairman Monique van Vegchel. In the Joint Meeting, two weeks from now, the student council will discuss possible solutions with the university board.

André Cheng (25) confirms the results the student council found. He also has experience with recycled exams. The master student Business Law also complains about lack of time during exams. Najib Zamani (22, European Law School) nods firmly when Cheng mentions the lack of time: ‘Especially during Civil Right, most students are pressed for time.’

Another problem is that exams do not match the study-matter. Student Mickey Koster’s (24) mouth fell open when he was asked to name ten random abbrevations during an exam for his Bachelor’s programme in Dutch. ‘That is not an academic level.’

During another subject, Koster received photo’s of the questions from a year before, from fellow students. They were exactly the same as the questions in Koster’s exam. He does not know if the questions are still being used: ‘The teacher is now on sabbatical. There could be a reason for that…’ / Auke Roos