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Exam Rules, Policies, and FAQ

Summary: You must complete this exam within the time limit without collaborating with other people or using prohibited AI. Any attempts to circumvent this policy will be considered an Honor Code Violation.

No Collaboration Policy (the Georgia Tech Honor Code Requirement)

Danger

These rules pertain to Honor Code violations, which will result in you being reported to the Georgia Tech Office of Student Integrity and likely receiving a 0 on the exam, at a minimum. Academic misconduct in graduate programs is treated seriously.

  • Human Collaboration Prohibited:

    • Working with any person via any means of communication
    • Receiving or sending exam solutions (including code fragments specifically related to the exam)

  • Online Help Services Prohibited:

    • Seeking direct help via making posts or engaging bots such as ChatGPT or GitHub Copilot
    • Attempting to use any homework help service (ex: Chegg)
    • Searching for exam solutions

  • Proctoring Requirements:

    • You are only allowed one device to take the exam. This includes one monitor, computer, mouse, and keyboard
      • If proctoring footage reveals any additional active devices then we will flag your session
    • The recording must clearly show you completing the work, meaning that it should be clear that you are the person typing and clicking, producing a result on the screen

Policy regarding AI usage on exams

  • Prohibited on Exams:

    • ChatGPT, Claude, GitHub Copilot, and similar AI assistants
    • Auto-complete features in IDEs beyond basic syntax completion
    • Any tool where you provide problem context to get solutions

  • Allowed on Exams:

    • Standard search engines (Google, Bing) for general searches
    • Basic AI overviews in search results (use as you would traditional search)
    • Reference websites and documentation

Full course AI policy: Syllabus - AI Collaboration Policy

Exam Rules - Detailed

Requirements, and things that are Not Allowed

  • Academic Integrity

    • No Collaboration: You must complete this exam independently. All work must be your own. Collaboration of any kind is a violation of the Academic Honor Code (see above "Honor Code Violations" section).
    • No Public Discussion: Do not discuss, share, or post about any aspect of the exam (including its content, structure, question order, difficulty, or anything about the exam) on any public or private platform until after the official solutions have been released.

  • TA Support During the Exam

    • TAs CAN help with problems related to the exam platform (e.g., submission errors, access issues). See the 'Getting Support' section in the Exam Guide for technical support procedures.
    • TAs CANNOT answer questions about exam content, provide debugging assistance, or clarify problem statements. The instructional team will maintain "radio silence" on all non-technical matters.
    • For example, asking if the data needs to be sorted in a specific order would be asking for clarification on instructions. Answering this question would give you information not available to other students, and this is not fair.

  • Exam Timing and Submission

    • Test Window: The exam is only available during the window of time specified in the course schedule.
    • Submission Deadline: Your exam will conclude and submit automatically at the earlier of these two events:
      • Your personal timer expires (typically 3-4.5 hours after you begin)
      • The overall exam window closes for all students
      • Example: If you start the exam at 1059 UTC Wednesday, you only have one hour to complete the exam, so make sure you don't wait until the last minute.
    • No Copy/Paste Allowed: Copying and pasting code into the exam environment is forbidden. The allotted time accounts for the need to type all code manually.

  • Technology and Equipment Requirements

    • Device and Monitor Policy: You must use one computer, one monitor, and one keyboard/mouse. No other devices (phones, tablets, additional monitors) are permitted to be visible or in use in your workspace.
      • You may have multiple monitors plugged in, but the ones you aren't using need to be deactivated. Honorlock/Proctortrack will let you know if there's an issue. This may take a few minutes to figure out, so please test your setup beforehand and confirm there are no issues.
    • Webcam Policy: Your webcam must be positioned to clearly show your face and your immediate surroundings throughout the exam. If your workspace is not visible for the entirety of your testing window, we will have to conduct a manual review of the proctoring data.
    • Browser Requirements: You must use a compatible browser as specified by your program:
      • MSA/OMSA Students: Chrome is required for Honorlock, but you may have other browsers open.
      • edX VMM Students: Any Proctortrack-compatible browser is required, and we recommend having one more ready to go per the troubleshooting steps.

  • Environment and Workspace Rules

    • Private and Quiet Space: You must take the exam in a private, quiet space. No other individuals may be present in the room. No talking (to people in the room, to people on your phone) is permitted.
    • Clarification on Incidental Interruptions: Brief, incidental appearances by family members or pets in the background are understandable. However, sustained presence or interaction is not allowed.
      • If a family member has a quick question, or you get an urgent call, respond quickly and then return to your test.
    • Other Technology: No other technology around you (no phones, tablets, other computers, etc.). Please make sure everything is visibly 'off' and not being used.
    • Reporting Unusual Circumstances: If what happened won't be obvious to us during review, please make a private Piazza post after the exam with a quick note explaining the circumstances (please be brief!).

  • Software and Package Restrictions

    • Pre-installed Packages Only: You may import and use any software packages that are already installed in the testing environment. You can find a full list of installed packages here.
      • If you are working locally, your computer environment may be different. You may be able to import packages not in Vocareum, or you may import a package with a different version vs. the one on Vocareum. Be prepared to test your code and troubleshoot issues related to this.
    • Installing Packages Not Allowed: You are not permitted to install new packages. Vocareum allows you to install them, but they will not work in the autograder; therefore there is no reason to do this.

Resources, and Things that are Allowed

The exam is open-note, open-book, and open-internet. You may use any resources that don't involve collaborating with another person or directly asking for help. No collaboration is still the key rule.

  • Course Materials

    • Notebooks and solutions (your copy + instructor solutions)
    • Practice exams and solutions
    • Bootcamp materials including Colab notebooks, TA solutions, videos, chat transcripts
    • Notes (hand-written, digital, etc.)

  • Internet Resources

    • Google search and general coding forums (read-only)
    • Piazza posts (read and search only, no posting to other students)
      • For example, you can search Stackoverflow posts and read everything there, but you cannot make your own post
    • Sites like regex101, pythontutor, etc. (interactive sites without collaboration)
    • Review: AI Search Policy

  • Software and Tools

    • Local IDEs (warning: see FAQ question about local IDEs)
    • Non-collaboration software (note apps, music apps, screenshot tools, etc.)

  • During the Exam

    • Short breaks (<5 minutes; if longer, speak into camera with explanation)
    • Eating/drinking
    • Music with headphones (no speakers please!)

General Rule: If it doesn't conflict with the "no collaboration" and proctoring/tech requirements above, it's generally allowed.

Frequently Asked Questions

The information on the Exam Guide page takes precedence, but aligns with all of the information below. If you see any inconsistencies, please make a private Piazza post and the staff will directly address it.

Info

You are not expected to read through everything below; this is just for your reference. We highly recommend you use CTRL-F or the site's search function to find the answers to your questions.

  1. How do exams work? - Review the Exam Guide, course syllabus, and exam release notes
  2. When does the exam open? - Check the course schedule. Exams are released on the date listed at 1200 UTC. Remember, UTC is a 24-hour clock.
  3. Can I take the exam earlier/later? - No, sorry. We are developing and testing the exam right until the release date. On the tail end, we need to close the exam and get solutions out to students. If there are circumstances that result in your being unable to take the test, you need to make a private Piazza post to discuss this with the TAs ahead of time. It's a lot easier to resolve ahead of time rather than after.
  4. You said the exam time limit is X number of hours but the course schedule says it's open for 5 days - You have X number of hours to complete the exam once you open it, or until the exam window closes, whichever comes first. This timer starts as soon as you enter the exam, and ends when the time is up. You are not allowed to pause your exam or retake your exam. *If you start the exam at 2:06pm on Sunday, your exam ends at 6:06pm on Sunday (+/- if the limit is not exactly 4 hours), even if you close the exam for an hour or otherwise aren't looking at it.
  5. Is there a "best time" to take the exam when TAs will be around? - TAs cannot assist you with the exam other than for technical issues. That being said, TAs are scheduled from 8 am Eastern Time to 11 pm Eastern Time. You are welcome to take the exam outside of those hours. Any issues encountered when a TA isn't around will be resolved when TAs come on duty. Please see “Getting Support from TAs”
  6. When/where will my grade be posted? - As with Notebooks, Vocareum is the source of truth. If you have submitted and see the points accumulated in the "Grades" pane on the right-hand side of the screen, we have it. The finalized scores will be available on your LMS (Canvas for OMSA students and edX for VMM students) after the exam window has closed. They may show up sooner. If you see a lower score on your LMS than you saw in Vocareum, it will get updated.
  7. How many times can I submit my exam? - As many times as you want to. We recommend that you SUBMIT AFTER EACH EXERCISE! If you do not do this, you are at risk of getting a 0 or missing out on a large number of points.
  8. What if my code passes in the notebook but fails when I submit? - Your solution must pass the autograder to earn credit. See the Autograder section of the Exam Guide.
  9. How do I show my room to the proctoring software? - Either rotate the camera or use a mirror.
  10. What if I need help during the exam? - Please see “Getting Support from TAs” Do not make any public posts discussing exam material in any way! Doing so will be considered a violation of the Honor Code.
  11. How are exams graded? - Exactly like the homework notebooks. You submit your work to the Autograder, and it gives back a score. The autograder is the final arbiter of credit. We will not manually grade your work. If you choose to work outside of Vocareum it is your responsibility to get your code to work in Vocareum and submit it. See the Grading section of the Exam Guide.
  12. Can I get an exercise manually graded? - No; see Requests for Manual Grading of the Exam Guide
  13. Can I get partial credit for an exercise? - No; see Partial Credit of the Exam Guide
  14. How do I use a local IDE for the exam? - You are welcome to work locally but we don't officially support it and cannot help you. Additionally, with copy/paste disabled, using a local IDE will likely not be worth the trade off if you have to manually re-type your code into Vocareum. We heavily recommend getting comfortable using Vocareum as your main tool. If you're committed to using a local IDE, note that there may be differences in packages and configurations that result in code running differently than in Vocareum. Your code must run and pass the Autograder in Vocareum. There are no exceptions because "it ran locally".
  15. What is meant by "open-book, open-note, open-internet?" - You can look at any physical book, any physical or digital notes you have taken, all of the course materials, and anything on the internet. You may not communicate with another person to seek help (no posting to online forums, IM software, screen-share, etc) and you may not view any solutions which may have been posted online. See the Exam Guide page under Honor Code violations and Exam Rules.
  16. Can we see old exams? Yes. Practice problems are posted after all of the relevant material for the exam has been released.
  17. What is allowed during the exam? Please check the Rules page
  18. What happens if I cause a flag in the proctoring software? - There are many allowed behaviors which may cause proctoring flags (leaving the camera's view, noise from family/pets/etc, looking at physical notes). We review them, but unless there is evidence that you are communicating with another person about the exam or viewing solutions, we do not raise a violation. Despite the horror stories about online proctoring which you may have heard, we have been using these services for several years without any "false positives".
  19. I saw someone discussing the test (format, questions, solutions) - You are not penalized for stumbling upon anything, but you should report it to the teaching staff in a private Piazza post. Please provide screenshots as well. We don't want anyone to have an unfair advantage and take all reports seriously.
  20. I have an urgent question, can I reach out to the staff via Canvas, Email, Linkedin, Personal Email, Facebook, or any non-Piazza platform? - No, Piazza is the only platform we monitor. Please make sure your private posts have 'instructors' listed as people who can view it, not specific ones only. Please also keep in mind we get a large number of posts around exam time, so urgent requests will be answered as quickly as we can. If possible, please make any requests ahead of time.
  21. Can I google the whole question? - Technically it is allowed, but if it's an effort to trick Google AI Overview into solving it for you, or a hunt for answers, then that is not allowed. Since copy/paste is disabled however, there should be no reason for you to type the full question in. You should be typing questions about specific functional steps, or other general questions if you're struggling with data type for example.