Catholic University Institute of Buea

Office of Examinations and Records

INVIGILATION GUIDELINES
Definition: sensitive to the fact that stress may affect students’
Invigilate: To watch examination candidates, especially behavior/performance in the exam.
to prevent cheating.  Invigilators are required to give out examination
Examination invigilators are responsible for overseeing papers, give instructions and other information to
the conduct of candidates in an examination. Invigilators students, ensure that the exam starts and finishes on
ensure that the exam begins on time and that students time and check that all unauthorized items are
have the correct equipment/material in order to complete cleared from desks or from the hall before the exam
the exam. starts.
Proper invigilation can be quite effective at preventing  Invigilators should check the rubric of the exam
cheating. It is important that invigilators know what is paper carefully for any exam-specific instructions,
expected of them to ensure that all candidates are such as a need for graph paper, permission to use
assessed on the basis of a level playground. textbooks/calculators or other electronic technology,
or instructions not to use certain items. In a situation
Chief of Centre where more than one course is taken in the same
1. The Chief of Centre is the most important invigilator hall, checking the rubric will also enable the
of the entire centre. invigilator to make sure that the question paper is
2. He sees the readiness of rooms and infrastructure given to the appropriate candidate.
ready for the smooth takeoff of exams.  Invigilators should ensure that where there is a
3. Must be in procession of the list of all invigilators, clock, it should be displaying the right time and
supervises them and reports on the activities to the visible to all candidates.
Vice President i/c Exams and Records at the end of  Invigilators are required to be in smart-casual dress,
each day. without noisy footwear.
4. Submits at the end of the examination session, a  Invigilators are not supposed to:
report on the conduct of the examinations. o Listen to music (using headsets) while
invigilating,
Preliminary Steps o Read novels, textbooks or notes while
Invigilators are required to come to the Examination invigilating,
Centre at least 1 hour to the commencement of the exam, o Answer or make phone calls while carrying
to collect examination material and immediately move to out the invigilation process, or
the exam hall. The duties of an exam invigilator may also o Carry out other activities that will distract
involve preparing examination rooms before he/she starts them from the task at hand.
signing in the students.  Invigilators need to resist conversations in the
exam room with other invigilators, unless
Before the exam (at entrance to exam hall) absolutely necessary.
- Check the Student ID Card (to ensure that the student  While we note that some people have problems
is a CUIB student) standing for long hours, it is important to also
- Check the Form A2 (Course Registration Form) (to note that ideally, invigilators are never required
ensure that the student has registered for the course). to sit. This is because from a sitting position, the
- In situations where a course is to be written in more invigilator cannot adequately appreciate what
than one hall, the invigilator should ensure that students could be doing to enable them cheat.
he/she announces the range of numbers of students  In situations where more than one course is
for that hall, so that students who were in the wrong scheduled to be written in the same hall, the
hall can move to their appropriate hall where their invigilator must ensure that no two candidates
names feature in the attendance sheet. writing the same course should sit at the same
- Invigilators are requested to peruse through table (except where the table is a long one).
examination guidelines for students as stipulated in Where there is need for three students to sit at the
Section 2 of the Education Policy, pages 126 – 132 of same table (long), the invigilator must make sure
the 2012/2013 CUIB Calendar. that the student at the middle is writing a
different course from those at the sides.
During the Exam  Where it is necessary for a student to take
 Exam invigilators ensure that students are aware of something from his/her bag in or outside the
the examination conditions before the exam starts. exam hall, the bag should be opened only in full
 Invigilators need to be relaxed and give information view of the Invigilator.
in a friendly way, while not giving room for  All examinations should start and finish on time.
compromise. If for any reason the examination is late in
 Invigilators need to remind candidates as they enter starting then the same amount of time must be
the room of the relevant regulations, while being added to the finishing time. For example if the
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 start is 5 minutes late, then 5 minutes must be  Invigilators need to technically keep an eye on
added to the end, and the candidates must be any candidate with suspicious behaviour during
informed of this at the start of the examination. the exam.
 Candidates are allowed to leave the hall during  If students are found cheating, the invigilator
an examination only under the following must follow the procedure set by the University
circumstances: to deal with this. Usually this requires the
(a) After 30 minutes have elapsed from the start invigilator:
of the examination. The invigilator who is posted o Ask the candidate to complete his/her
at the exit from the hall should ensure that exam and thereafter write and submit a
candidates who leave early do not remove their report
script books from the hall. Invigilators should not o Make a report on the incidence
sort scripts, papers etc on the desk of those o Attach any evidence seized from the
candidates who have left early as this may create candidate
an unnecessary disruption. An investigation and decision regarding the
(b) When a candidate requests and is granted suspected cheating can happen after the test is
permission to leave the examination room complete. Invigilators could also get the opinion
temporarily. In this case, he or she should be of a second invigilator if they suspect a student of
escorted as far as is reasonable throughout the cheating.
period of absence. In the case of candidates  Confiscate and do not return any cheat sheets or
wishing to visit the toilet, they must be other materials with writing on them since they
accompanied as far as the toilet location. are important evidence. For a student with
However, an examination room MUST never be writing on his or her person (e.g., hand, thighs,
left unattended in order to escort a candidate. etc), copy out what is written before it can be
 Invigilators should remember to tell the students rubbed or washed off.
when to start writing, in their own time.  Invigilators need to inform candidates on the
 Student Attendance for the exam is taken only elapsed time, according to the following
after 30 minutes into the examination. This will proposed duration:
enable any student wishing to leave the exam hall 1 hour exam: After 30, 15, then 5 minutes.
after that time (as permitted by policy) to sign as 2 hours exam: After one hour of writing, and
having taken part in the exam. thereafter, the remaining 30, 15
 One important task is to verify the identity of and 5 minutes.
candidates taking the exam. If students are 3 hours exam: After one hour of writing, after
required to put their ID on the table, check that the second hour, and thereafter,
the person writing the exam is the same one as on the remaining 30, 15 and 5
the card. minutes.
 Invigilators must move around with the  Towards the end of the exam, there is need to
examination attendance sheet, from student to remind candidates to make sure they have filled
student, instead of merely passing on the all necessary information on the cover of the
attendance sheet for students to pass it round to Answer Booklet.
other students.
 Invigilators must try to create a calm and After the Exam
welcoming environment for the candidates. - The invigilator is required to complete the
 The invigilator should ensure that no “Invigilator Report Form” for each course, and
communication takes place during the exam, thereafter submit the following to the Chief of
among students. Centre:
 Invigilators need to move around the room (once o Examination answer scripts
in a while) throughout the entire examination – o Invigilation Report Form
usually the best place to see cheating behaviour o Left-over examination question papers
from is the back of the room. Movement should o Left-over answer booklets
however be in such a way that should not distract o Other materials given to the invigilator for
the candidates. In addition, candidates don't like that particular course/hall.
invigilators standing over their shoulders, as this - Invigilators should do well to submit to the Chief of
tends to distract the concerned. Centre, any valuable material left behind in the exam
 Invigilators should look for cheat sheets and hall by a student, or any lost but found item (ID
should check the back of all calculators, Forms cards, calculators, etc) during the period of
A2 and any allowed material, etc. examinations, and to sign against their names in the
Invigilation Attendance Sheet at the Exam Centre.

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CUIB