Examinations
Academic Integrity
The Academic Integrity Board defines academic integrity as the alignment of students’ behaviors in academic courses with Smith’s commitment to the honest pursuit of genuine learning. Smith students are responsible for upholding their own integrity by adhering to all course policies and properly acknowledging all sources used in preparing academic work. When assignments require students to submit work that is the product of their own intellectual labor, faculty expect that students have neither used unauthorized resources nor engaged in unauthorized collaboration with others. When courses require students to submit work that is the product of intellectual engagement with fellow students, students should follow all of the guidelines set out for collaboration. All submitted coursework of any kind must be the original work of the student(s).
Read more about the Academic Integrity Statement as it applies to examinations and other coursework.
Pre-examination Study Period
The pre-examination study period, between the end of classes and the beginning of final examinations, is set aside for students to prepare for exams. Therefore, the college does not schedule social, academic or cultural activities during this time. Deadlines for papers, take-home exams or other course work cannot be set during the pre-exam study period.
Policies & Guidelines
Scheduled and self-scheduled examinations may not be taken outside the regular examination period. Students are not permitted to complete examinations early and are not permitted to make special arrangements with faculty to complete exams outside the examination period without prior permission of the Academic Board. Written requests must be made to the Academic Board through the class dean (not to individual faculty members).
Students making their end-of-semester travel arrangements should be sure that their plans do not conflict with the examination schedule; requests to take final examinations early will not be considered.
Only the class dean may authorize an extension beyond the end of the final exam period. Such extensions, granted for reasons of illness, emergency or extenuating personal circumstances, will always be confirmed in writing with the student, the instructor, and the registrar's office. An individual instructor, without authorization by the class dean, may grant extensions on work due during the semester through the last day of exams.
For students granted an official extension by the class dean for a self-scheduled exam, make-up examinations will be administered by the Office of the Registrar and must be completed by the deadline set by the class dean.
Extensions for Five College Students
Five College students enrolled in Smith courses are held to the guidelines published here concerning final exams and papers. Five College students requiring extensions for reasons of health or emergency should contact the class deans office at Smith.
If a student is too ill to write an examination, they should report to Health Services before the examination is scheduled to begin. In case of illness which occurs after an examination has begun, the student should go directly from the examination center to Health Services, not to their house. In the case of a scheduled examination, they should leave the examination materials with the instructor if he/she is present, or on the desk in the examination room. Students taking self-scheduled examinations should leave their examination materials with the supervisor of the center where the exam was received. In both instances, Health Services will notify the registrar and class dean that the student is ill and unable to complete the exam during that period.
A student who arrives after 2:10 p.m. on the first three days or 12:40 p.m. on the last day of self-scheduled exams may write for the remaining time, but must turn in all papers by the closing time for that session (4:30 p.m. on the first three days or 3 p.m. on the last day). Completed exams and all used and unused blue books must be returned to the centers and must be handed to one of the workers who will record the time received.
Extra time taken to write an exam is considered a violation of the Academic Integrity Statement and will be reported to the Academic Integrity Board.
Final Exams
Final examinations (those covering the work of the entire semester) must be administered during the final exam period at the end of the semester. They may not be given during the last week of classes or during the pre-examination study period.
Spring 2026: May 5-8, 2026
Final Examinations (those covering the work of the entire semester) must be administered during the final exam period at the end of the semester. They may not be given during the last week of classes or during the pre-examination study period.
Placement Exams
AP Scores & Placement Exams
Students who receive a score of 4 or 5 on most Advanced Placement examinations will be notified by the registrar’s office regarding the credits recorded and ways they can be used. These scores can be used to aid you and your liberal arts adviser in placing you at a course level appropriate to your background. The registrar’s office also evaluates International Baccalaureate, A-levels and college credit earned before matriculation at Smith. For further details, please see the Transfer Credit page.
Full information regarding placement exams can be found on individual program pages.