This semester has been, well, unlike any other! And now we have this new week of exams, called semifinals, rapidly approaching? And professors don’t know what they are? Neither do we?
Well this blog post will attempt to demystify the ~semifinal~ and answer all of your questions!
What is a “semifinal”?
- Basically regular finals, just before in-person classes end
- They may cover all of the course material from the beginning of the semester up until Thanksgiving, or some professors may treat the exam like a prelim and only cover a section of syllabus content
- Semifinal exams are 2.5 hours long
Where do I take it?
- Regardless of the course’s instruction mode (in-person, hybrid, online, synchronous, asynchronous), professors may elect to give their semifinals in-person or online
- In-person exams will adhere to all social distancing protocol, of course
- If your class is in-person, you should expect to take the semifinal in-person too, unless your professor says otherwise… there is an exemption process if you need to leave campus
- BUT, it is expected that if you are registered in Ithaca for the semester that you will take your in-person exam in person
- If your course has an in-person semifinal, there will be a remote option available for students who cannot take it in-person
So if I have a semifinal in November will I have another final at the end of the semester in December?
- Nope! You’ll have one or the other … or neither, depending on your professor and the class.
- You may have a project or paper during one of the finals periods and an exam during the other
When and where are my semifinals?
- See the University Registrar site for details for every course! https://registrar.cornell.edu/calendars-exams/semifinal-exam-schedule
Good luck!