The Student Room Group

how important are first year exams

I have my first year uni exams coming up in january and i’ve noticed that i have an exam on the day i have my driving test scheduled. I have had this test booked for quite a while and don’t want to cancel as the wait list is really long and I don’t know when i’d find a date close enough. So I was wondering whether it would be serious if i missed the exam.
Original post by justaskingques
I have my first year uni exams coming up in january and i’ve noticed that i have an exam on the day i have my driving test scheduled. I have had this test booked for quite a while and don’t want to cancel as the wait list is really long and I don’t know when i’d find a date close enough. So I was wondering whether it would be serious if i missed the exam.

Hello,

First-year exams are very important, although their importance can vary based on what subject you are reading at university. Focussing on the general reasons, each University module is worth credits and so you need to achieve these credits by doing the exam each year in order to progress and complete your degree. Although there are resits available usually, this is usually when you fail the exam first time and missing an exam for a driving test is unlikely to be a reasonable reason. Plus, doing exams as a resit can come with some disadvantages, including many of them taking place in the August times and the grades often being capped meaning you won't be able to get those higher grades. Plus, if you really want to succeed in your degree it will provide you with a great learning opportunity with feedback (which is very precious at University due to the lack of formal feedback) which will then help lead you to continued success.

Furthermore, if you miss an exam you may fail the module and if you fail the module there is a likelihood that you will have to do year 1 all over again. I know a couple of students who have failed their first year and have had to redo it. I would strongly advise that you treated the exam as if it was the final exam (which it is for that module most likely) and therefore give priority to the exam.

I hope this helps, if you have any further questions please do let me know.

Charlie
Law LLB Student
Original post by justaskingques
I have my first year uni exams coming up in january and i’ve noticed that i have an exam on the day i have my driving test scheduled. I have had this test booked for quite a while and don’t want to cancel as the wait list is really long and I don’t know when i’d find a date close enough. So I was wondering whether it would be serious if i missed the exam.

Hi @justaskingques 🙂
I understand your frustration as the driving test waiting times are way too long!

First year university exams prepare you for the future years of your exams. Depending on your university, they may or may not count towards your final degree mark. However, just because they may not count, doesn't mean you can just skip them and have zero consequences. For example, you have to re-sit the exam in August in you don't have an approved reason for missing the exam.

I hope this helps, and I wish you the best with your tests. 🙂
Fatma
Natural Sciences student.

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