Sitting your exams outside Birkbeck

If you live within a 100-mile radius of London, you will be expected to attend your examinations at Birkbeck. Otherwise, you may choose to sit your exam at a local exam centre:

Deadlines

  • The deadline for receipt of the forms for December 2011/January 2012 has now passed. No further applications will be accepted.
  • The deadline for receipt of the forms for Summer 2012 exams is Monday 2nd April 2012.
  • The deadline for receipt of the forms for September 2012 exams is Monday 6th August 2012.

If your form is returned after these dates it will be processed at the discretion of the Examinations & Assessment Office. Please contact us if you find that you are running into any difficulties close to these deadlines.

Booking a local exam centre - procedures for distance learning students

  1. You will need to identify a suitable overseas/other UK examination centre as soon as possible after the exam timetable has been published:
    • The University of London External Programme offers a comprehensive list of institutions both in the UK and internationally that are able to offer this service for University of London students. Please note that the regulations stated on this page are NOT applicable to you as a Birkbeck student. If any of these seem suitable for you, you should contact them as soon as possible to let them know that you want to use this facility. If none of the institutions is appropriate for you, you should contact local University examinations officers (or equivalent) to see whether they offer this service.
  2. Once you have found a centre that can accommodate you, you will need to complete the overseas/distance learning request form PDF icon.  
    • The first page of the form must be completed by you, giving details of the examinations you are sitting, the dates and times. (Please note that examination times may be altered to allow an overlap with the exams being sat in London to avoid compromising the examination papers.)
    • You must give the completed request form to the responsible person within the centre, who will authorise the form and send it to us. Once we receive the form, we will send a confirmation email out to all people involved within seven working days.
    • Your place of work will not be accepted as a suitable venue unless it is a recognised educational institution and they are able to provide you with independent invigilation. We may seek evidence of the independence of the services that they offer.
  3. Shortly before your examination(s), you should contact the overseas centre to confirm your arrangements (i.e. room numbers, name of building, directions etc).
  4. You may need to pay a local examination fee to cover local examination arrangements (this fee will cover the costs of invigilation and the costs for posting the completed exam materials back to Birkbeck):
    • You must make all financial arrangements directly with the institution where you are sitting the exam and not through Birkbeck.
    • The amount you will have to pay can vary greatly. Birkbeck has no jurisdiction over the amount charged.

What to do if you are on a taught course and need to sit your exam outside Birkbeck

Students on face-to-face taught courses are usually expected to sit their exams at Birkbeck. However, under certain circumstances, it may be possible for you to sit your exam(s) at an overseas examinations centre - for example, if you are in temporary employment abroad or if you are an overseas student who has returned to your home country but needs to re-sit an examination.

If you believe you need to sit your exam outside Birkbeck, you will need to email the Examination & Assessment Office as soon as possible, giving the following details:

  • your full name
  • your student number
  • an explanation of the reason you need to sit your exam(s) at an overseas examinations centre

The Examinations & Assessment Office will consult with your programme director and will inform you if your application has been accepted.

Once approval has been given, you will need to follow the procedures listed above for distance learning students. You will also need to make an additional administration fee of £100 to Birkbeck.