University of Virginia Library

EXAMINATIONS.

There are two public examinations of all the students,
each session; the one at such convenient time about the middle
of the session as the Faculty shall appoint, the other at
the close the session.

These are thus conducted. The professor of the school
prepares, in writing, a series of questions to be proposed to his
class, and affixes to them numerical values, acording to his
estimate of their relative difficulty. On the assembling of the
class for examination, these questions are for the first time
presented to them; and they are required to answer them in
writing, in a prescribed time, without communication with
one another or with other persons, and without any reference
to books. Their answers are subsequently carefully examined
and compared, and a value attached to each, not exceeding
that of the corresponding question. In the schools
of languages, subjects may also be selected for oral examination,
and the values of these exercises are marked at the time.

The students are then arranged into four divisions, according
to the merit of their examinations, as determined by the
following method. The numerical values attached to all the
questions are added together, and also the values of the answers
given by each student. If this last number exceeds
three-fourths of the first, the student is ranked in the first division;
if it be less than three-fourths and more than one-half,
in the second; if less than one half and more than a fourth, in
the third; if less than a fourth, in the fourth division.—The
examinations are conducted and the results ascertained by a
committee, consisting of the professor of the school and two
other professors.

The standing of each student at the examinations is communicated
to his parent or guardian. And the names of those
who are in the first divisions are announced on the public
day at the close of the session, and published in one more of
the newspapers of the State.