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 of the session.

These are thus conducted: The Professor of the School prepares, in
writing, a series of questions to be proposed to the class, and affixes to them
numerical values, according 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 examination, 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
amounts to three-fourths of the first, the student is ranked in the first division;
if it be less than three-fourths and as much as one-half, in the second;
if less than one-half and as much as 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 division
are announced on the public day, at the close of the session, and published
in one or more of the newspapers of the State.