Exams and test forms at HTX.
Exam schedule, grading on the 7-point scale and rules for cheating and aids.
Exam is not a single event at the end, but a set of tests that are set out in the syllabuses for individual subjects and distributed throughout the education. How many exams you take and the division between written and oral follow central regulations — this is not something each school or teacher determines freely.
§How your samples are extracted
Some of your exams are compulsory (must be taken by all, e.g. in certain core subjects) while others are drawn by lot from your subjects. You are not told in advance which subjects you will take beyond the compulsory ones — so you must be prepared in all your subjects. The exam schedule itself is announced at a set time and from then you know your exams and dates.
§Assessment according to the 7-point scale
The exams are graded according to the Danish 7-point scale, which is common to the entire education system and can be converted to the European ECTS scale. Grades are given based on pre-established academic goals for each subject — the assessment is about how well you meet the subject's goals, not how you perform compared to the class.
| Grade | Designation | Description in broad terms |
|---|---|---|
| 12 | The outstanding performance | Exhaustive fulfillment of the goals with few insignificant shortcomings. |
| 10 | The superior performance | Comprehensive fulfillment with some minor deficiencies |
| 7 | The good performance | Fulfillment of objectives with some deficiencies |
| 4 | The average performance | Smaller degree of fulfilment with several significant deficiencies |
| 02 | The sufficient performance | The minimum acceptable degree of fulfilment — the passing grade |
| 00 | The insufficient performance | Goals not sufficiently met |
| -3 | The poor performance | Completely unacceptable performance |
02 is the pass mark. For the final student examination both your continuous assessment marks (year marks) and your examination marks are included in a weighted average according to central rules.
§Assistive devices and digital exams
What aids you are allowed to use are laid down for each exam in the trade's rules. Some exams allow all aids, others none — and in many written exams there is access to the internet under special, controlled conditions, while communication with others is always forbidden. It is your responsibility to know the rules for your specific exams before you show up.
How to avoid problems with aids
- 01PLACEHOLDER_18
- 02Check that your equipment and programs work the day before
- 03Have only the permitted materials visible — remove the rest from the table
- 04Turn off communication functions (chat, messages) even when internet is allowed
§Exam cheating and plagiarism.
The rules on exam cheating are strict because an exam is only worth something if it is honest. Cheating includes among other things obtaining undue assistance, helping others, using unauthorised aids and passing off others' work as your own (plagiarism). This also includes uncritical use of artificial intelligence where it is not permitted. Consequences can be exclusion from the exam and in serious cases from the education.
§If something goes wrong
If you become ill on an exam day, you must report it according to the school's rules, typically with medical documentation, so you can take a make-up exam. If you believe an exam has been held contrary to the rules, or if the assessment is incorrect, you can complain. A complaint must be submitted in writing and within a set deadline according to the complaint rules — it can lead to reassessment or a new exam, but in rare cases also to a lower mark, so think it through carefully.
“An exam tests not just what you can do on the day but also whether you have worked honestly and consistently all the way through.”