In just 8 years, a digital platform has conquered the Finnish higher education system. The EXAM solution allows students to choose when and where they take exams.
Currently, 28 Finnish higher education institutions use the system, covering 88% of the country’s higher education students. In 2024, students completed over 350,000 exams using the system.
CSC, the national research and education network (NREN) of Finland, maintains and develops the EXAM system in collaboration with universities and other member institutions. The system originated in 2014, when ten higher education institutions decided to create a new digital exam solution with CSC providing development support.
Supports remote examinations
While the possibility of choosing the time for an examination is pleasant, being able to pick the institution is a true gamechanger, especially for students living at some distance from the institution providing the course in question. Of the exams carried out in 2024, nearly 34,000 were exam visits, meaning they were taken at institutions other than the student’s home university.
“Exam visits between institutions are one of the system’s greatest achievements. For adult learners, for example, the ability to choose the exam time and location can be invaluable, supporting lifelong learning,” says Topi Litmanen, Development Manager at CSC.
Exam visits between higher education institutions are unique internationally, Litmanen notes:
“We haven’t identified any similar system in the world. In most other countries, electronic exams rely on commercial platforms that may not be customizable to national needs.”
Camera surveillance to ensure fairness
Electronic exams have accelerated the assessment of exams. This reduces teachers’ workloads and makes it smoother for students to progress in their studies, according to feedback from higher education institutions. The use of computers for exams makes it easier for students who require special arrangements to participate.
Exam classes have real-time and recording camera surveillance to ensure fairness and security.
“Generative AI has challenged competence assessment extensively. Given the need for both academic integrity and flexibility, taking an exam in a supervised EXAM room is an optimal solution for the current era,” says Litmanen.
The text is inspired by the article “Finland’s internationally unique exam system gains popularity” at the CSC website.
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