Extreme heat: university keeps a close eye on climate in Exam Centre

It will be very hot over the coming days, but the exams in the Exam Centre will go ahead for now. So far it has still been possible to keep the temperature in the exam halls acceptably cool. If the indoor temperature rises above 30 degrees the exams will be cancelled.

On Tuesday, the temperature in the exam halls was even on the chilly side, students who had dressed for outside temperatures reported after their exam. But whether it will be possible to keep the climate in the halls comfortable in the coming days is another matter. The Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute expects ‘extreme heat’ from Wednesday to Friday, with temperatures between 33 and 36 degrees.

Three times a day

According to director of student administration Stella Verbrugge, the temperature in the Exam Centre building will now be monitored three times a day. “If the temperature rises above 30 degrees, I do not see how the exams can still go ahead. Besides the students, we also have to take the invigilators into account. It has to remain manageable for them as well.”

Students are allowed to bring extra water to their exam, not the usual single bottle but two. Planners will try to avoid the hotter halls at the top of the Exam Centre as much as possible, but that is difficult, Verbrugge reports. “We are fully booked for the coming days because of the resits.” The university is still exploring additional measures to keep the halls as cool as possible.

Equal conditions

A spokesperson for the university says that if temperatures rise above 30 degrees in one of the exam halls then the exam will be cancelled, also if students are taking it online from elsewhere. “To ensure equal conditions for all students, a cancellation then applies to all rooms where the same exam is being held, including students who are taking the exam online from home at that time.”