Collections
At Oxford, collections are college examinations, usually sat at the start of term, that test the previous term's work but do not count towards the degree. They are set and marked by the college, not the University, and are often taken in "noughth week", just before full term begins.
In practice
Tutors use collections to see whether a student has kept up and to prepare them for the formal University examinations later on. Papers look like real exam papers but are sat in college, in ordinary clothes rather than subfusc. The same word also has a second meaning in many colleges: an end-of-term meeting, sometimes called Principal's or Warden's Collections, where a student hears their tutors' reports in front of the head of house.
Why it matters to newcomers
A student who says "I've got collections" in early October or January is about to sit exams, so it is a bad week for plans. If you supervise or employ Oxford students part-time, expect them to be busy at the start of each term, not only in summer.
Related
- Tutorial - the weekly teaching collections test
- Finals - the University examinations that do count
- Michaelmas, Hilary and Trinity - and why weeks are numbered from noughth
- Subfusc - not needed for collections, required for University exams
Source: University of Oxford: examinations.