Exam issues

If you will miss or missed a midterm or final exam, you must contact your instructor and the First Year Office as soon as possible. We will investigate the circumstances and determine the appropriate accommodation (e.g., a deferred final exam later in the exam period). Please see Illness and Circumstances.

If you begin an examination, but are unable to continue due to illness, you must notify the head proctor prior to leaving the site of the examination. As soon as possible thereafter, you must notify the course instructor and the First Year Office of your situation and supply documentation verifying your illness. It is highly recommended that you obtain medical documentation as soon as possible after leaving the exam. Please see Illness and Circumstances.

If you complete an examination while being sick, the formal University Policies, Guidelines, and Academic Regulations states that the resulting exam marks will stand. However, you should notify the First Year Office of your situation as soon as possible and supply documentation verifying your illness.

Most first-year midterm examinations are scheduled by the First Year Office. Evening midterms may conflict with non-engineering elective night classes. All final exams are scheduled by the Registrar's Office to minimize conflicts across all faculties, so conflicts between engineering and non-engineering electives are rare. You must inform your engineering course instructor and the First Year Office as soon as you discover a conflict. The First Year Office and your instructor will provide an alternative exam sitting (e.g., midterms are typically held just before the night class).

If you require an alternative examination or test time due to religious grounds you must consult with the First Year Office. We will require a letter from your religious advisor to confirm your participation or observance. It is important to note that the University Policies, Guidelines, and Academic Regulations states that such a request should be made within one week of the announcement of the test or examination date. We recommend that you contact the First Year Office at the beginning of the term to discuss your situation. 

I am not prepared to write a final exam and I am certain to fail. What should I do?

• You must write the exam as it represents an academic deadline for learning and applying the course content over the term. The exam measures what you know at end of the term, not what you could know given more time. Implicitly the final exams measure your study, exam writing, and time management skills.

What is the consequence of missing a final exam without verification of a severe illness or significant circumstance?

• You will usually be issued a grade of DNW (which means you "Did not write the examination") and you will have been deemed to have abandoned the program (see Rules, Rule 9 in the Undergraduate Academic Calendar). Sometimes instructors will issue course grades using a zero for your final exam score.

I am sick and tired. Can I defer my final exams?

• There must be clear evidence of a severe illness or significant circumstance that prevents you from writing the exam. This means that medical documentation must indicate a severe illness on the day of the final exam for a deferral; otherwise you must write the exam.

I have a medical note stating I am ill. What should I do?

• Bring or send the original note to the First Year Engineering office as soon as possible (ASAP)  and we will notify you of potential accommodations. If you are unable to deliver the original note in the short term, then fax or email a scan of the note and bring the original in to the office when it is possible.

I missed a final exam. What should I do?

• Contact your instructor and the First Year Engineering office immediately.

I left a final exam due to illness. What should I do?

• Seek medical attention ASAP at Health Services, one of the local clinics or hospital. Deliver the Verification of Illness form ASAP to the First Year Engineering office and seek advice on possible accommodations.