Short answer first: a paper at a New Zealand university is graded A+ to C- for a pass and D or E for a fail, with a 9-point GPA at five universities. The pass mark is 50 at the University of Auckland, Otago, Canterbury, Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington, Waikato and Lincoln, and 49.5 per cent at Massey and AUT. If illness wrecks an exam, the window is seven days inclusive at Auckland, 5 calendar days at Otago, 5 working days at Canterbury, Waikato and AUT, and a 2-week guide at Massey. Exams open between 16 and 29 October 2026. Prepare by weekly retrieval, then past papers.
This article covers how a paper is assessed, what the marks and grades mean at each university, what a GPA does, what to do when something goes wrong, the exam dates for the rest of 2026, the generative AI rules, and a revision method that fits this system. The calendar itself lives in the academic year article.
How is a paper assessed at a New Zealand university?
Otago and Waikato call the unit a paper; Auckland, Victoria, Canterbury, Massey, Lincoln and AUT call it a course, and Massey and Lincoln count credits rather than points. Each carries a points or credit value, which sets both the workload and the weight in your GPA. Assessment is spread across the semester, and the final exam is one item among several.
- Points describe hours. Victoria's how degrees work page says a 15-point course normally needs 150 hours including class time, and that to pass a course you complete a number of different assessments through the trimester. Otago's workload page puts one point at about 10 hours of work.
- Coursework can be compulsory on its own. Auckland's Grade Descriptors Policy records DNC, did not complete, where a student has more than 50 per cent overall but has not completed the approved compulsory coursework. Victoria's grades page has a K grade for a student whose mark reached the pass level but who did not satisfy the mandatory course requirements.
- Missing the exam has its own grade. Auckland records DNS, did not sit, with a grade point of zero, and adjusts it later if an aegrotat application succeeds.
So read the course outline in week one for two things: the weight of each assessment and any item marked compulsory. A mandatory requirement is a hurdle, not a percentage, and a strong exam cannot climb over a missed one. The first-year article covers how this differs from NCEA's standards.
What do the grades and marks mean at each university?
All eight universities publish a mark-to-grade scale, and they are close but not identical. Massey's grade point calculator page was unavailable when checked, so its bands come from its Assessment and examination regulations and no GPA scale is shown for it. Every row below is taken from the university's own page, including the band names.
| University | Pass grades and marks | Fail grades | GPA scale | Special consideration deadline | Special or resit exam |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Auckland | A+ 90 to 100 down to C- 50 to 54; pass mark 50% or more; CP and P also pass | D+ 45 to 49, D 40 to 44, D- 0 to 39, F | A+ 9 to C- 1, fails 0 | Seven days inclusive after the exam | Not described; outcome is a grade set by academic review |
| Otago | A+ 90 to 100 down to C- 50 to 54 | Fail D 40 to 49, Fail E below 40 | Fail recorded as 0 | Within 5 calendar days of the last exam | Yes, a Special Examination |
| Canterbury | A+ 90 to 100 down to C- 50 to 54.9; R restricted pass | D 40 to 49.9, E 0 to 39.9 | A+ 9 to C- 1, D 0, E minus 1, X minus 3 | No later than 5 working days after the assessment | Yes, a re-sit test or alternative assessment |
| Victoria (Te Herenga Waka) | A+ 90 to 100 down to C- 50 to 54; G, L, Z, P ungraded passes | D 40 to 49, E 0 to 39, K, F | A+ 9 to C- 1; D, E, K, L 0 | Not printed on the aegrotat page | Not described; G is an ungraded pass |
| Waikato | A+ 90 to 100 down to C- 50 to 54 | D 40 to 49, E 0 to 39 | A+ 9 to C- 1, D and E 0 | Within five working days of the exam | Yes, an offer of a special exam |
| AUT | A+ 89.50 to 100 down to C- 49.50 to 54.49 | D 0.00 to 49.49 | Not on the grading page | Up to 5 working days after the due date | Not described on the page |
| Lincoln | A+ 90 to 100 down to C- 50 to 54; P equals a C- | Bands not printed; grades down to F count in the GPA | A+ 9 to C- 1 | Not checked | Not checked |
| Massey | A+ 89.5 to 100 down to C- 49.5 to 54.99; AG and P also pass | D 40 to 49.99, E 0 to 39.99, F, DC | Not printed in the regulations | Try within 2 weeks if you missed the assessment | Another opportunity may be offered |
- Auckland names eleven pass grades. The Grade Descriptors Policy lists A+, A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, CP and P as passes and D+, D, D- and F as fails, with A+ at 90 to 100 and 9 grade points, C- at 50 to 54 and 1 point, and every D at 0.
- Otago's scale is a regulation. The AskOtago grade scale says it is defined under clause 9.1 of the Examination and Assessment Regulations 2014, that D is 40 to 49 and E below 40, and that a fail is recorded as 0 for GPA purposes.
- Canterbury runs below zero. Its grading scale gives an E a GPA value of minus 1 and a dishonesty grade X minus 3, and treats a restricted pass R as a pass for all purposes except as a prerequisite.
- Waikato's bands moved in 2016. Its grading system page shows the scale effective 1 January 2016, with 85 to 89 now an A rather than an A+ and 50 to 54 a C- rather than a C, and its Assessment Regulations list C- as the lowest pass grade.
- AUT names each band. Its results and grading page calls C- a Pass, C a Clear Pass, C+ a High Pass and A+ a Pass with High Distinction, and lists S for an Aegrotat Pass and CO for a Conceded Pass.
- Lincoln's P is a C-. Its GPA page uses a nine point scale from 2009, with undergraduate courses typically worth 15 credits.
The practical reading: 50 is the line everywhere except Massey and AUT, where it is 49.5, and most bands above it are five marks wide. A mark of 64 and a mark of 60 are the same C+, and a mark of 65 is a B-. That is why a few marks on a final exam can move a grade, and why a bad exam usually costs a band rather than a pass.
What does the GPA do?
The GPA is a weighted average of grade points, used for entry to later years, honours and scholarships. The calculation has the same shape wherever it is published: grade value times points, summed, divided by total points.
- Victoria shows the arithmetic. Its grades page works an example: an A+ in a 20-point course contributes 9 times 20, an E contributes 0 times 20, and 400 divided by 75 points gives a GPA of 5.3.
- Canterbury does the same and names the result. Its grading scale page divides 540 by 90 to get 6, which it calls a B+ average, and says the GPA appears on the transcript for each year and overall.
- Some grades stay out of it. Auckland's withdrawing from a course page says a W grade does not affect the cumulative or term GPA. Victoria says aegrotat passes are generally excluded. Otago says an Aegrotat Pass has no mark and is excluded from the official GPA.
So a fail costs twice: the points are not earned, and the zero is averaged in. A withdrawal before the deadline costs neither, which is the arithmetic behind deciding on every paper in the first two weeks.
What happens if you are ill or miss an exam?
Every university checked has a process; four call it special consideration and three lead with aegrotat. The deadlines are counted in days from the exam, the evidence comes from a health professional or an equivalent third party, and at Auckland, Otago, Canterbury, Massey and Waikato the academic outcome is decided by the department, school, college or division, not by the office that checks the evidence. Each verified process is under its own name.
Auckland: aegrotat and compassionate consideration
Auckland's aegrotat or compassionate consideration page requires the circumstances to be temporary, within two weeks before the exam, and your coursework to be at the minimum pass standard of C- or above. The application must be completed no later than seven days inclusive after the affected exam; if the last affected exam was on the 20th, the deadline is the 26th. The FAQ says it is not a grade bump, that no more than one third of a degree's points can carry an aegrotat grade, and that there has been no application fee since 15 March 2022.
Otago: special consideration
Otago's special consideration in final examinations page sets the application within 5 calendar days of the last examination you are applying for, through eVision, with 7 calendar days more to upload documents. Medical grounds need a University of Otago Health Declaration. Student Administration decides whether the impairment is proven, then the department chooses the outcome: no change, a mark adjustment, a Special Examination where the better of the two results counts, or an Aegrotat Pass, which needs internal marks usually at C+ or above and carries no mark. An approved paper is marked SC on the transcript unless the outcome is unchanged.
Canterbury: special consideration for assessment or late discontinuation
Canterbury's special consideration page covers an impaired or missed assessment worth 10 per cent or more, applied for no later than 5 working days after the assessment due date, with documents allowed within 10 working days. It does not cover low-level impairment such as a cold, or a known chronic condition unless evidence shows it was exacerbated. The remedy may be a re-sit test, an alternative assessment, a derived AEG grade or no change. A separate late discontinuation route, within 5 working days after the exam period ends, removes the course from the transcript without a refund.
Massey, Waikato, AUT and Victoria
Massey's aegrotat and impaired performance page splits the two: aegrotat if you missed the assessment, impaired performance if you sat it. The assessment usually needs to be worth at least 10 per cent, the guide for a missed assessment is to apply within 2 weeks, and the outcomes are another opportunity, an AG pass with at least 40 per cent of the course assessment completed, a letter grade with at least 60 per cent completed, or DC.
Waikato's special consideration page requires the application and documents within five working days of the exam through MyWaikato, allows three to six weeks for a decision, and lists three outcomes: change of grade, no change, or an offer of a special exam. AUT's special consideration page allows an application up to 5 working days after the due date, with evidence within 5 working days; its 3-day short extension does not apply to tests or exams. Victoria's aegrotat page requires you to have been on track to pass, covers assessments in the last three teaching weeks and the exam period, and awards a G pass; an Associate Dean decides, usually within four weeks of final grades.
Two habits help everywhere. See a health professional at the time, not afterwards; Canterbury wants it within 48 hours for a missed exam. And do not wait for paperwork: Otago, Canterbury and AUT accept the application before the documents, while Waikato wants the documents with the application inside the same five working days.
When are the exams for the rest of 2026?
The dates are published, and the pattern is four universities starting on the Tuesday after Labour Day. Otago's examination periods page gives Semester 2 as 19 October to 7 November 2026 inclusive, and timetables the centrally run Semester 2 special exams for 22 to 26 February 2027, the week before semester 1 2027 begins.
- Auckland: Thursday 29 October to Monday 16 November 2026. Its important dates page has lectures ending Friday 23 October and the study break beginning Tuesday 27 October.
- Canterbury: 27 October to 7 November. Its exam dates page names Saturday 7 November as an exam day, sends the final personal timetable the weekend of 17 October, and says no alternative sitting is available if you miss an exam or arrive 45 minutes or more late, outside special consideration.
- Massey, Waikato and Lincoln: from 27 October. Massey's exam period ends 9 November, Waikato's Trimester B examinations end Friday 6 November, and Lincoln's Semester 2 examinations end Friday 6 November.
- Victoria and AUT: from mid-October. Victoria's assessment period starts Friday 16 Oct and ends Sat 7 Nov; AUT's study and assessment weeks run 19 October to 6 November.
The full table, with study breaks and results dates, is in the academic year article linked above. For preparation the number that matters is the gap between your last lecture and your first exam: a single weekend at Otago, and at Auckland a weekend, Labour Day and a two-day study break.
What are the rules on academic integrity and generative AI?
The rules are set per university and, inside it, per paper. Two publish student-facing guidance clear enough to quote, and in both the course outline decides.
- Auckland works in two lanes. Its advice for students on using AI treats the student prompting the tool as the author. Lane 1 is controlled assessment, such as invigilated tests and exams, where students are not permitted to use AI tools. Lane 2 is uncontrolled assessment, such as essays and reports, where use is not restricted but the student is responsible for the work. From 2027 every course will label its assessments by lane, and every new student completes the online course ACADINT A01, which includes a module on AI.
- Otago decides per paper. Its responsible use of Gen-AI guidance says staff must state for each assessment which tools are allowed and why, that students follow the paper-specific guidance and the Academic Integrity Policy, and that unauthorised or unacceptable use is academic misconduct.
- Canterbury grades dishonesty. Its grading scale carries an X grade with a GPA value of minus 3.
At Auckland and Otago an invigilated exam is closed to AI tools unless the course says otherwise, and at Canterbury a dishonesty grade counts below a fail. For revision the tools are yours where the outline allows, and the useful test of any summary they produce is whether you can reproduce it closed-book.
How do you revise during the semester?
The scale rewards consistency. Every band is five marks wide, assessment is spread across the semester, and the exam comes days after the last lecture. Revision that starts in the study break is revising for the wrong system. The method that fits is active recall in small weekly doses.
- After each week's lectures, write five to ten questions per paper from your notes, the kind a tutor would ask, and keep them in one file per paper.
- Before the next week's first lecture, answer last week's questions closed-book, mark them against the notes, and rewrite the ones you got wrong.
- Every fourth week, answer the whole file for that paper so far in one sitting. This is the spaced repetition schedule in its simplest form: one day, one week, one month.
- Treat each internal assessment as a rehearsal: sit the tutorial problem set or the practice essay under time, then compare against the marking criteria in the course outline.
By the last teaching week, each paper has a question bank of 60 to 120 items that you have answered at least twice. That bank is your study break material.
How do you plan the study break and the exam itself?
The study break is a week at Canterbury, Massey, Waikato and Lincoln, two days at Auckland, and nothing at Otago, where lectures end on Friday, 16 October and exams begin on Monday, 19 October. So the plan is set by exam date, and revision for the earliest exam is finished during teaching.
The two weeks before
Order the papers by exam date. For each, run the question bank once more and move to past papers or the practice questions in the course outline, answered under exam time without notes. Mark against the model answers or the lecture material and add every missed item to the bank. Two or three days per paper in date order is realistic with four exams across three weeks. Keep sleep and food fixed.
Exam day
Check the final personal timetable, not the preliminary one, for the room. Arrive early; Canterbury's rule is that arriving 45 minutes or more after the start forfeits the sitting. If you are ill on the day, sit the exam if you can and see a health professional the same day; Waikato recommends attempting the exam unless advised otherwise, and Otago recommends seeing a health professional while the symptoms are apparent. Then apply inside your university's window, which is listed in the table above.
Where Notibo fits
The weekly question bank needs source material, and for lectures that source is usually your own recording, made where your lecturer and university permit it. Notibo records on your computer, or takes an uploaded audio file, and returns a transcript, structured notes and flashcards with spaced repetition, so the weekly closed-book test can be built from the flashcards instead of written by hand. It also turns lecture slides in PDF or PPTX and course notes in DOCX into notes and flashcards, and the transcript and notes export to PDF or Word for a printed study pack.
You get Pro free for 14 days, with 240 minutes of recording, and no card is asked for. After those 14 days the free plan covers 30 minutes of recording a month. Pro is 9.99 euro a month or 88.99 euro a year, with the local amount shown at checkout. Recordings are capped at two hours and uploads at 50 MB; files are stored in the EU on Supabase in Frankfurt, transcription and note generation run on US processors under standard contractual clauses, and the audio is deleted from storage once the transcript and notes are generated. Recording anyone else needs their permission, and a clinical placement is never the place to record.