University student arriving at exams without the right equipment, one even forgot his pen

Send them away, they won't learn if you spoon-feed them.

Leaving an exam room 5 minutes into the exam - is that allowed? Sadly some young students are a bit spoon fed these days but not all. I find many more ‘savvy’ than I ever was at that age.

My grandchildren went to schools where all this was practised from Year 9 or 10, so they knew the routine.
Certainly for GCSE and A levels candidates cannot leave before a certain time, as they could communicate with a late candidate. It is arranged so there can be no overlap. Not sure about university rules. I guess each has its own rules.
When I was at school we were not allowed to leave an exam at all. I was really pleased to find I could walk out at uni once I’d finished and checked.
It is time that students grew up. My son is a university lecturer and is far from happy with the attitudes and behaviour of some undergraduates.

How about letting them fail so they learn from their mistakes?

Helicopter grandparenting is not good

They will never learn to be responsible for themselves if you give them ‘exam packs’. They are old enough to know what they will need and to remember to take everything with them. You do them no favours by babying them. They have to stand on their own two feet if they are to succeed in life. If you experienced what you did with undergraduates, Lord help them when they are faced with getting a job. They are only ‘babies in adult bodies’ if you enable it.

They'll never learn if spoon fed. If they turn up unprepared then tough. They'll be prepared next time!

Part of sitting an exam is being prepared, having the correct equipment is part of that.

Children are starting school not toilet trained it seems from what you say they still havent mastered it as a late teen if they cannot even plan when to go.

Perhaps grandparents should be turning up to see their GC just before each university exam and asking ‘Have you been?’.

Most of those are inexcusable, but exam nerves can lead to bowel problems and there is not a lot one can do to prevent that if it strikes once the exam has begun. The alternative to leaving the room could be incredibly unpleasant for every single person in the room.

All brains and no common sense springs to mind.

All a bit harsh, how about sympathising with someone with Exam nerves, who panics and just forgets?

I’m sure none of them do it on purpose.

That’s no good in real life.

How in earth did we all manage? Yet somehow we did. We prepared and planned and took responsibility for ourselves.

Exactly.

Oldnproud

Most of those are inexcusable, but exam nerves can lead to bowel problems and there is not a lot one can do to prevent that if it strikes once the exam has begun. The alternative to leaving the room could be incredibly unpleasant for every single person in the room.

I was well into middle age before I learned to take Imodium before any stressful situation; I wish someone had broached that subject with me when I was a lot younger, it probably would have made quite a difference to many years of my life!

No problem with using the loo, but for goodness sake these young people must be at least 18 and probably older, if they cannot remember their pencil etc what hope is there 😂😂😂😂

I remember my son in his first year of Uni and in halls and he was horrified at the number of his fellow students who couldn’t iron, cook or use the washing machine!

Germanshepherdsmum

Perhaps grandparents should be turning up to see their GC just before each university exam and asking ‘Have you been?’.

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

There is usually a separate space for students who are struggling with the setting of a regular exam.

This has been the case for decades.
I was 9 months pregnant, uncomfortable and "overdue" during my finals and sat them in a side room with maybe 20 others. One had a parent die and was really struggling.
We had easy access to a loo, boxes of tissues and a jug of water - and three staff members invigilating so if we needed to leave we could be escorted to the aforementioned loo or, if we couldn't complete, to the nearby common room till the exams were over.

MayBee70

Oldnproud

Most of those are inexcusable, but exam nerves can lead to bowel problems and there is not a lot one can do to prevent that if it strikes once the exam has begun. The alternative to leaving the room could be incredibly unpleasant for every single person in the room.

I was well into middle age before I learned to take Imodium before any stressful situation; I wish someone had broached that subject with me when I was a lot younger, it probably would have made quite a difference to many years of my life!

That is quite sad, MayBee. 😔

My son is a professor at an American uni. He says there’s been a big change in their intake of undergrad students since the pandemic. The recent intakes have been much less prepared for life at university, more disorganised and are less resilient when it comes to perceived setbacks. The effects of the pandemic are still being felt far and wide.

I didn't actually manage. I used to forget things, & once I turned up to an exam I had to pass (one chance only), 15 minutes late & very out-of-breath because I went to the wrong venue. Not enough fingers to count the number of times I forgot to put my name on papers. For some reason I became more organised (relatively speaking) once I got into work. People were always pretty accommodating & I was never sent out or failed because of being scatty.

And your excuse was … ?

Disorganized students will always be disorganized.

I must be around 35 years ago that I invigilated exams for one of the major Accountancy Institutes. I gave my usual spiel about being the XYZ Accountancy institute paper on Financial and Management Accounting, that they should check the front page of the exam paper carefully to make sure they understood the requirements of the paper etc etc etc ....

So almost 30 minutes in a guy at the back raises his hand - I go to him to check what the issue is to find him staring, mystified, at the paper.
"I don't understand this" he said
"I'm sorry?" I said
"I'm doing grade 3 auto mechanics, but I can't see my questions"
"This is XYZ Accountancy Institute's Part 2 exam in Financial and Management Accounting"

It transpired that he was supposed to be in a different exam room 2 floors above - but the fact he sat and stared at a paper asking him to prepare cash budgets and balance sheets, while looking for questions on car mechanics made me wonder how on the ball he was ....

DD was complaining about her students a couple of days ago. She said all they talk about is "Work/life balance", "Mental Health", and their vegan dietary requirements, "When I was a student we just got on with the work". She says they arrive late in the morning, then they can't do anything without having a coffee, by which time it's almost lunchtime. Then they are surprised because they haven't got anything done. Her professor longs to introduce them to his wife who is doing a night shift at a hospital where she finds herself the only doctor to look after 70 patients.