Exit exam as academic indicator

In higher educational institutions the student learning process is its central function and one of the main activities. Thus several universities in many countries have a series of fixed exams that are required to graduate from their high schools and colleges. Therefore, the definition of educational/learning process expectations and emphasis that students must achieve after graduation are considered to be the key features of their academic programs. Such exit exams should be designed properly to be challenging regardless of students´ performance in the exam. To improve student achievement and prepare more students to pursue challenging major programs as well as industrial jobs, exit exams with high expectations must be set and implemented. University-wide exit examinations at the end of the bachelor academic track have recently been implemented at UAE University to increase student achievement levels, reduce the differences between different programs, and attain the goal of a higher level of standardization in the grading system. This paper focuses on the impact of such exit exams on different elements of the educational process, namely: curriculum development, students and instructors.