ExamSoft Guidelines & Instructions

You can hide the exam question, making the window in which you answer your questions larger. Simply click on the arrow next to the exam question name, which will minimize the question window.

Take-home exams are not taken in Examplify like in-class exams. Instead, you will go to the ExamSoft custom homepage (http://www.examsoft.com/bulaw), log in as an exam taker using your credentials, and click on the “Courses” tab. In order to download and print the exam file, click on the “Action Box,” select “Download,” and save the file onto your computer. Note that downloading the exam file will begin the timer on the exam. DO NOT download the file unless you are ready to begin. Additional instructions will be sent out one week before the exam is available.

Mock2023

Don’t panic! There is a discrepancy in the “timer” on the ExamSoft site.

When you download a take-home exam, the time remaining display (under the Actions column) may seem off. The timer is working properly. Scroll to the right and view the Upload Due Date for the correct time your exam is due. Contact the Registrar’s Office or the Law IS&T Help Desk if you still have concerns.

Go to the ExamSoft custom homepage (http://www.examsoft.com/bulaw), log in as an exam taker using your credentials, and click on the “Courses” tab. Click on ‘No Course’ and you will be brought to the page that hosts the exam. You may download and upload the exam file as necessary.

ExamSoft is available to all JD, LLM, and foreign exchange students whose computers meet the minimum specifications.

Examplify serves as a simplified word processor similar to Microsoft Word for essay responses. The software is available to JD, LLM and foreign exchange students and, if the exam is delivered in Secure Mode, blocks access to all applications and stored files on the laptop during the exam. In Secure Mode, once the exam begins, you can work only on the exam and cannot regain access to your files until you exit the exam. If the laptop is shut off, crashes or freezes, upon rebooting the computer, a dialog box appears informing you that an unfinished exam has been located and gives you the option of continuing the exam or, if you are finished and want to exit, of exiting the exam. The application creates multiple backup copies of the exam, which are refreshed every 60 seconds while an exam answer is being typed. If your laptop crashes during an exam and there are problems rebooting it, multiple encrypted backup copies of your exam answer will be on the laptop, which only authorized law school personnel can retrieve.

Completed exam answer files are uploaded to a secure server immediately following the exam. The answer files are retrieved and printed by authorized law school personnel and given to the professors with the handwritten exams. (The exams are still graded anonymously.)

PC System Requirements:

• Operating System: 64-bit versions of Windows 10 and Windows 11.
• Alternate versions of Windows 10 and Windows 11, such as Windows RT and Windows 10 and 11 S, are NOT supported at this time.
• Only genuine versions of Windows Operating Systems are supported.
• The versions of Windows certified for use are Windows 10 22H2, Windows 11 22H2, and Windows 11 23H2.
• The English (United States) Language Pack must be installed.
• CPU Processor: Non-ARM-based processor supported by your operating system.
• RAM: 4GB of usable RAM or higher
• Hard drive: 4GB or higher of available space.
• For on-site support, and in order to back up the answer files to a USB drive, a working USB port is required. (Newer devices may require an adaptor.)
• For technical troubleshooting, account passwords including BitLocker keys, may be required.
• Internet connection for download, registration, exam download, upload, and some exam features.
• Examplify cannot be run within virtualized environments or environments that require a persistent network (local or otherwise) connections during secure exams. This includes, but is not limited to, VMWare, Parallels, Citrix workspace, virtual disks, streamed images, etc.
• Screen resolution should be at least 1280 x 768. Scaling should be set to 100%.
  Administrator-level account permissions.

Mac System Requirements:

• Monterey, Ventura, and Sonoma
• Only genuine versions of Mac operating systems are supported.
• CPU: Intel, M1, or M2 processor. Devices using Apple’s M1 and M2 processor and Apple Rosetta 2 are supported. To learn more, click here.
  • Rosetta is only required for M series processors on Examplify version 3.3.2 and lower
• RAM: 4GB or higher.
• Hard Drive: 4GB or higher available space.
• For on-site support, and in order to back-up the answer files to a USB drive, a working USB port is required (Newer devices may require an adapter).
• For technical troubleshooting, account passwords including device passwords may be required.
• Server version of Mac OS X is not supported.
• Examplify is not compatible within virtualized environments or environments that require persistent network (local or otherwise) connections during secure exams. This includes, but is not limited to, VMWare, Parallels, Citrix workspace, virtual disks, streamed images, etc.
• Internet connection is required for download, registration, exam download and upload.
• Administrator-level account permissions.
• Screen resolution should be at least 1280 x 768. Scaling should be set to 100%.

Unfortunately, the Law School cannot provide laptops. You may want to look into renting a laptop or borrowing a laptop, but you must make sure that the laptop meets the above specifications. Possible places to rent laptops are:

Rentex (800-574-1702)

SmartSource Rentals (800-888-8686)

SLC Rentals (800-752-7368)

Please note that these companies are not affiliated with Boston University and unfortunately we cannot guarantee the quality of any laptops from those companies.

According to our financial aid office, JD students who need to purchase a laptop can use private or federal loan funds. The University allows students to add up to $2,500 to their student budget to cover the cost of a computer. This amount can include a printer, additional software, peripheral equipment, and warranty or service contracts. Students must make purchases during the academic year in which they are requesting the increase or after July 1 of the summer before that academic year. Students who purchase a computer for less than $2,500 may request the balance in subsequent years if needed for replacement or upgrade purposes. If you want to add the cost of a computer to your student budget, you must bring a copy of the invoice or receipt with a letter requesting the increase to your budget to the Law Financial Aid Office, 12th floor of the law school.

Students may use a borrowed laptop as long as the laptop owner uses the same version of Examplify, is not registered for the same classes as the borrower, and there are no exam time conflicts. Any student who plans on using a friend’s laptop for their spring 2024 finals must notify the Registrar’s Office by April 24, 2024. The Registrar’s Office will provide further instructions.

No. Schools that have allowed law students to use laptops on exams have not found that those students receive higher grades than students who do not use laptops. In fact, faculty sometimes report that it is easier to spot weaknesses in answers when they are typed.

If you did not use Examplify in fall, you will need to re-register the software. Licenses are only good for one academic year.

1. Sign up through the ExamSoft website. (Instructions for both first-time and returning users are included on this custom home page.)
2. Download and install the latest version of the software (Examplify).
3. Register Examplify.

Please note that if you experience any problems with downloading the software, you may contact ExamSoft directly at their toll-free number 866-429-8889, via e-mail to support@examsoft.com, or via Live Chat through the BU Law custom home page. Their hours are 8:30–5:30 p.m. EST, Monday through Friday. The Law School’s Information Services and Technology (IS&T) staff is also available to assist with this process.

Licenses are only active for one academic year. If you register in the fall, you do not need to re-register in the spring. If you did not take fall exams with Examplify, you will need to download and register the software in the spring.

JD students may sign up with ExamSoft now.  Sign-up, download, installation, and registration with ExamSoft may take approximately 30 minutes, depending on your internet connection.

Step-by-step instructions for downloading the software and registering Examplify are on the ExamSoft site.

We strongly recommend you take the “Mock Exam” so that you become familiar with the software. The “Mock Exam” feature was added to provide exam takers an opportunity to experience downloading, taking, and uploading an exam administered in secure mode using Examplify. Once you register Examplify, you will be notified on-screen that there is an exam file available for download. You may download, take, and upload the Mock Exam at your convenience up to ten times. You may also opt to take the practice exam. To take the practice exam, double-click the Examplify icon on your Windows desktop and click the “Mock Exam” button when the Examplify Start Window appears. The password for the secure mock exam is Mock2023 and the password for the non-secure mock exam is Mock2023.

The basic layout of the question and answers will be the same. Spellcheck is not enabled for your exam. All other word processing features will be the same on both the Mock Exam and your actual exam. The password for the mock exam is Mock2023.

A character count is automatically displayed at the bottom of the page in which you are working. Examplify also has a tool to check your word count. Simply click on the page icon that appears next to the character count.

Examplify has an alarm feature. You may use it to enter the number of minutes from that point that you would like a warning message. You may access the Reminder Alarm via the Tool Kit.

The spell-check function will not be enabled for your actual exams.

JD students who miss the registration deadline do so at their own risk. Any student who has not registered the latest version of the software by the deadline (check with your program office for specific dates) may be required to handwrite their exams. The deadlines allow sufficient time for downloading/testing software and will ensure that you have time to download files prior to exam day.

We will assume that students who are fully registered with ExamSoft are taking all exams on their laptop unless we are otherwise notified. Please note you are responsible for verifying that your class information is correct. A course confirmation is emailed to all students at the conclusion of each add/drop period.
Any JD student who changes their mind and decides to take one or more exams with standard blue books must notify the Registrar by email . no later than 5 p.m. on Wednesday, December 6. Please indicate to which exam(s) this applies. LLM and exchange students should notify their graduate program office.

Yes. Students granted exam relief should still download the exam file in advance of the original exam date.

Exam files are available to download 48 hours prior to the scheduled exam date. Registered students will receive an e-mail reminder prior to the exam (adding lawexams@bu.edu to your list of contacts should ensure that the reminder is not sent to your spam folder). You must download the exam file prior to exam day. If you do not receive the automated e-mail and the exam is not available when you attempt a download, you should check your status with the Registrar’s Office. The starting time of an exam will not be delayed, nor will the ending time be extended for any student (be sure to check your firewall status before downloading an exam).

1. Connect to the Internet
2. Double-click the “Examplify” icon on your Windows Desktop (or single-click the icon from the Applications folder or Dock on your Mac). The “Examplify Launcher” window should appear.
3. Select the exam you would like to download and click the “Download Exam” button
4. You have successfully downloaded the exam when you see a check mark next to the exam name.

Laptop users will be required to plug their computers into outlets and may not rely on battery power.

Yes, laptop users and hand-writers will be in the same exam room. The Registrar will provide ear plugs for the hand-writers as needed. Hand-writers must report to the exam room no later than 15 minutes before the scheduled start of the exam. Laptop users must report to the exam room no later than 30 minutes before the scheduled time of the exam in order to perform the required set up. Software must be opened within 15 minutes prior to the start of the exam. If the software cannot be opened at least 15 minutes before the start of the exam, the student must hand-write the exam. The starting time of the exam will not be delayed, nor will the ending time be extended. The actual time you have to do the exam is the same as for others who are not using laptops for that exam.

Please note that because of space constraints, students may be in exam rooms where more than one exam is being administered at the same time.

Immediately inform the proctor, who will contact Law IS&T staff. If any hardware/software problems occur during the exam, you must start handwriting the exam. Standard blue books will be available in the exam room. In that case, the professor will be given the typed part of the exam plus the blue book part. No additional time will be given to complete the exam even if there are problems during the exam with hardware/software. Generally, our experience has been that most technical problems can be solved within a few minutes.

When you finish the exam, your answer file will automatically upload to a secure server once you connect to the internet. Authorized law school personnel will access your exam file and print out the exam (it is impossible to print out the exam without specialized software that only authorized law school personnel will have). Unless otherwise directed by the professor, the standard for printing will be double-spaced and the default font is Arial 11 pt.

Students who are already registered may return to the website and re-download the software, if necessary. Students who experience computer problems after December 6 should notify the Registrar’s Office of any difficulties. Students who have already downloaded an exam file when their computer crashed will require an adjustment to their account before they can re-download the exam file.