At UVic you either write your exam in a classroom (often with small desks and uncomfortable chairs) or in the gym (big, drafty, bigger tables, and uncomfortable chairs).
At Uppsala, they have exam halls dedicated for exam writing. The one I was in held about 500 people (we weren't even close to full even though there were several classes taking exams.) We had nice big desks and comfy chairs (cushions!) And there was a conveniently located clock that I could actually read. There were also bathrooms in the exam hall so you could get up to use them whenever you needed to. A light turned on when they were all in use. It was also warmer than the UVic gym.
After the exam, I was talking with a Swede and she said she thought that the exam was long. Coming from UVic, I didn't think so at all. We had 12 questions and 5 hours to write it. At UVic, I imagine the test would have had the same number of questions but we would have been given only 3 hours to write it. Although 5 hours is a long time to sit and write an exam, it was nice not having to rush through it.
Also, while at UVic we are allowed a one page formula sheet (if anything) at Uppsala you get this:
A 503 page book of every formula, constant, and unit you could ever need. It has every piece of data you could imagine for all of the elements (densities, binding energies, properties of radioactive nuclei...), well-organized formula in basically every area of physics, mathematical formula (basic derivatives, integrals, Taylor series, Fourier, geometric formulae...), the history of the elements, information on famous physicists, and important physics and engineering events. My only questions is: why doesn't the rest of the world use it? Apparently their is also a complete mathematics version that you also often get to use.
Last but not least, if you fail the exam you get an automatic re-write. They really want you to pass here.
More posts to come...
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