Here at Penn State, professors can require students to take exams outside of class time. While some of these exams are administered during flexible testing windows, where the student has a multiple-hour timeframe to arrive at a testing center and take their exam, many of the exams are inflexible. Professors can require that students take both online and in-person exams at all hours–outside of class time and outside of the workday. By requiring students to take late exams (i.e., after 5:00 pm) they are encroaching on our personal time, disregarding the workload of our other courses, and putting students in unsafe positions. Students’ performance on exams is severely stunted when concerns such as walking home alone in the dark, missing important organization meetings and events, and pushing off loads of homework for other classes are at the forefront of our minds. 

Students Against Late Exams (SALE) is a group of concerned Penn State students that are ready to make a real change. We propose that Penn State discontinues the use of late exams. We ask that professors utilize their own class time to administer exams, and we demand that any exams given outside of scheduled class time be administered in flexible windows and/or not after 5:00 pm. Our academic achievement is on the line as these detrimental testing practices are allowed to continue. We pay too much in tuition and work too hard to sit idly by and let our professors sabotage our success. Penn State students, graduates, faculty, supporters, and students everywhere: we invite you to join us in calling for a change in Penn State’s testing practices to prioritize optimal outcomes.