On an exam day with a power outage, what is your first course of action?

On an exam day with a power outage, what is your first course of action?

• A. Contact the professor to ask how to proceed
• B. Go to a cafe to take the exam there
• C. Use any charged devices to continue
• D. Leave campus and skip the exam

Answer: (A)

When an exam day is disrupted by a power outage, the first priority is to follow official procedures and get clear guidance from the instructor or exam administrator. The instructor is the person who sets the allowed procedures, rescheduling options, and accommodations, so reaching out to them immediately ensures you know exactly what to do and preserves fairness for everyone. This is why contacting the professor is the best first step: it provides authoritative directions, avoids guessing about how to proceed, and keeps you aligned with campus policies and the exam’s integrity requirements. Trying to continue on your own by moving to a cafe, using charged devices to proceed, or leaving campus and skipping the exam can violate testing rules, compromise security and fairness, or lead to an unapproved attempt. Those paths may not be permitted and could affect your grade, whereas consulting the professor gives you the proper, approved route to resolve the situation.

When an exam day is disrupted by a power outage, the first priority is to follow official procedures and get clear guidance from the instructor or exam administrator. The instructor is the person who sets the allowed procedures, rescheduling options, and accommodations, so reaching out to them immediately ensures you know exactly what to do and preserves fairness for everyone.

This is why contacting the professor is the best first step: it provides authoritative directions, avoids guessing about how to proceed, and keeps you aligned with campus policies and the exam’s integrity requirements.

Trying to continue on your own by moving to a cafe, using charged devices to proceed, or leaving campus and skipping the exam can violate testing rules, compromise security and fairness, or lead to an unapproved attempt. Those paths may not be permitted and could affect your grade, whereas consulting the professor gives you the proper, approved route to resolve the situation.