If you’re applying for the master’s program in Statistics & Machine Learning I’m sure you’re interested in how the exams you’ll be facing look like. In general I found exams in Sweden to be quite different from what I was used to at home. In Austria exams were usually based on paper and took 1-2 hours. During studying I had to memorise many different small facts, that I usually just forget immediately after the exam. Sweden takes a different approach to exams. Read on to learn how it works in the Statistics & Machine Learning program.

The majority of my exams in the first semester were based on the computer. During a computer exam you log into a special exam environment where you have no internet access and can only access certain given resources in addition to the help files from the programming language you’re using. For some exams we were also able to prepare cheat sheets that could be uploaded as a PDF in advance. These exams took 5 hours and be prepared to use all of that time, because you will need it! This was a big change for me and it was quite tough to stay focused for the whole duration of the exam. I recommend you to bring a good supply of snacks and drinks.

Exam hall at LiU

For the more mathematics focused courses we had exams on paper. These “only” take 4 hours and I found them usually not quite as stressful as the computer exams. Still it is worth it to be prepared with some nutritious snacks to ensure the best performance. Also don’t be surprised when you enter a big exam hall were students of many different courses take their exams at the same time. Another swedish oddity that was new to me!

In general I really appreciated the longer duration of exams in Sweden and in this program. It shifts the focus from being able to perform under time pressure to really testing what students know. The exams were tough, but not unfair in my opinion. Also it was very good to see that the grading usually went pretty quickly, and we got our grades in less than 2 weeks. 

Good to know: In Sweden your examiners are required by law to grade your exams in 15 working days.

This was my experience of exams in Sweden and in my program! Feel free to add your questions below.

Hej då!

Niko

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