Victory for medical students as exam ruling reversed

Valdemar Rømer has popped open a bottle of champagne to celebrate that his hard work over the past six days has paid off.

Since 26 June, when he learned that the exam he just did had been annulled, he’s been working harder than ever — even harder than when he studies for exams — in his capacity as student spokesperson.

It struck me right in my sense of justice

Valdemar Rømer, spokesperson for more than 200 medical students

»I’ve spent practically every waking hour on it for six days straight. I’m normally a night owl, but this past week I’ve been up early and gone to bed late every day fighting this case,« he says.

After sitting a six-hour exam on 22 June in internal medicine, surgery, pathology, anaesthesiology, and patient safety, 278 medical students received an email four days later informing them that, due to a »deeply regrettable error«, parts of an old exam set had been reused in their assignment.

READ ALSO: Third time in five years: Medical students handed recycled exam at University of Copenhagen

Management decided the exam would have to be retaken. Students were offered a resit on 8 August — right in the middle of the university summer break.

And while it might seem easier for Valdemar Rømer to just accept it and take the resit — considering all the hassle that followed — he couldn’t bring himself to accept it:

»It struck me right in my sense of justice. I don’t think it’s right that they don’t explore every possible alternative before annulling an exam for so many students over something that was clearly the University of Copenhagen’s (UCPH) own error.«

He rallied his fellow students behind a 77-page complaint and an open letter, which was sent to university management and published in the University Post. The students also teamed up with a lawyer, who was ready to support them if their complaint was rejected.

But it never came to that. On Wednesday evening, the students received another email, this time with the subject line »Annulled exam — decision reversed«.

A lucky coincidence

In the email, Associate Dean Jørgen Kurtzhals writes that, »after long and difficult deliberations«, management has decided that, instead of being annulled, the exam will now be graded based on the one question that had not been reused.

This means that students will now get a grade based only on the one-quarter of the paper that was legitimately part of the exam — and not on the three-quarters that had been mistakenly copied into the assignment during a file merge.

This is only possible because the specific question was worded in a very particular way, explains Jørgen Kurtzhals in the email:

The whole thing about that one special question sounds a bit like a post-rationalisation

Valdemar Rømer, spokesperson for more than 200 medical students

»The board of studies, in collaboration with the exam coordinator and the Department of Clinical Medicine, has therefore reviewed the exam question very thoroughly. They have collectively assessed that this particular question, which was not reused, is so extensive and covers such a broad spectrum of medical specialities that it is academically fully defensible to assess the students based on this one question alone,« the email states.

When the University Post speaks with the associate dean, he elaborates:

»If it had been any of the three other questions, it wouldn’t have been possible. But because this specific one actually tests such a wide range of topics, it has been deemed sufficient to document the students’ proficiency in the whole subject.«

This sounds very fortunate, Jørgen Kurtzhals?

»Yes, it really was fortunate.«

It also sounds a bit like a loophole?

»It isn’t.«

Could it be that you were surprised by the pressure — from students, media, the open letter, 77-page complaint, and legal threats — and found this workaround as a response?

»No. The last time we were in this situation (in 2023, when another medical exam was annulled, ed.) we also faced significant attention,« says the associate dean, referring to articles in the University Post and national media, as well as a student-organised demonstration.

»But in that case, we had no option to revise our decision. This time, we do — because of the specific exam question,« the associate dean insists, adding:

»We have also documented all this very carefully. Because clearly, we can’t allow this to set a precedent for other cases.«

So you can’t promise that medical students won’t have their exam annulled again in future, if something similar happens?

»No, unfortunately not,« says Jørgen Kurtzhals.

»I still believe the right decision would have been to annul the exam.«

The associate dean emphasises that the students themselves have described the selected solution as desirable — even though it is still, in principle, a worse deal than if they were being assessed on all four exam questions.

»What matters to me is that more than 200 students have written to say they accept being graded on this single question,« he says.

»It’s the lesser evil in a situation where there wasn’t a truly good solution. The only good thing would have been if the mistake hadn’t happened in the first place.«

Everyone turning themselves inside out

Student spokesperson Valdemar Rømer is convinced that both the open letter and the 77-page complaint played a key role in the decision.

»I have no doubt this is the result of our persistent efforts and pressure. Jørgen Kurtzhals even refers in his email to our 200+ signatures,« he says.

He reckons the faculty mainly changed its stance to avoid a full-blown PR crisis:

»The whole thing about that one special question sounds a bit like a post-rationalisation,« he says, adding:

If you knew how many people have turned themselves inside out over the past week

Jørgen Kurtzhals, Associate Dean for Education at the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences

»Like a way to explain that they’ve now found a good argument they didn’t have to begin with.«

Although he’s pleased with the outcome, he’s frustrated it had to go this far and cost him and his fellow students so much time and energy.

»You don’t have to search long for ‘reused exam sets’ to find that other universities have dealt with similar issues without annulling exams. There are quite a few examples of this.«

»So you kind of wonder — did they even try?«

Associate dean Jørgen Kurtzhals insists that they did:

»If you knew how many people have turned themselves inside out this past week to scrutinise the issue from every angle …« he says.

»It’s just been insanely difficult.«

Now the medical students can breathe a sigh of relief and move on with their summer plans.

Students who are not satisfied with being assessed on just one part of the exam will be offered a resit on 13 August.