University head of student experience Jo Gibson said that when Otago second semester exams started yesterday, there were 442 of them to come, mainly at the Dunedin campus.
A total of 13,567 students would take part in 37,087 sittings in more than 65 on-campus rooms, Ms Gibson said.
Of these, 35 exams were distance-taught.
Other students would sit even more examinations at the university’s campuses in Invercargill, Christchurch, Wellington and Auckland.
Among those getting into the swing of the latest examination season yesterday were exam supervisors and retired Otago graduates John Letts and Christine McKay, having already put in, respectively, 10 and six years in the part-time role.
"I love the contact with students," Ms McKay said.
"It’s just making a smooth environment for the students so they do well," she said.
Mr Letts also enjoyed the role, including providing a supportive word or two, if required, for the occasional student experiencing high stress.
Ms Gibson said a few students, mainly those from overseas who had been unable to return to campus because of border restrictions, could sit their exams online.
Students, either distance-taught or unable to return, were sitting exams from countries including Latvia, the Czech Republic and Samoa.
Students in countries such as Australia, Canada and the United States, were taking part too.
