Important: Students who are enrolled in both online and on-campus courses are required to write all in-person final examinations at the University of Waterloo, main campus, which will be scheduled automatically. The following information is only for students who are taking all online courses.
Note: INC or SUPP examinations are not eligible to be written externally. Students must contact their departments to organize arrangements for these examinations.
Step one: Determine where you will write your examination
Check the course outline in LEARN or contact your instructor to confirm if your course has an in-person final examination.
- In-person examination days for online courses: Friday, December 5 and Saturday, December 6.
- Externally written proctored examination dates: Friday, December 5 to Monday, December 8 (local time).
A) Write on-campus: no cost
- All students will automatically be scheduled to write on-campus in Waterloo. The Office of the Registrar's final examination schedule will be available on September 26, and your personal final examination schedule (with exact times, locations and rooms) will be posted in Odyssey in November. If you are going to write on-campus, no further action is required.
B) Write externally:
If you are away from Waterloo, you can make arrangements to write externally with an approved proctor. Proctors can be individuals that meet specific requirements (see below), or employees who work for organizations that offer proctoring services (i.e. public libraries, post-secondary institutions, etc.).
Step two: Arrange to write with a proctor, if necessary
Who can proctor:
- Active teachers/educational professionals above the preschool level. A teacher's certificate may be required.
- Administrative employees of a university, school, or college.
- Officials employed by a religious institution (e.g. priest, rabbi, pastor, minister, nun, monk, or imam).
- Library staff.
- Military officers (only for members of the military and their spouses)
- Human resources staff (only for co-op students)
- National College Testing Association sites - United States
- Education USA Advising Centers (there are over 425 international student advising centres in 178 countries but not all centres offer proctoring services)
NEW: Digital versions of final examinations will be distributed to proctors close to the final examination date. Please make sure your proctors can print the final examination double-sided on A4/Letter paper. They will also need to scan it doubled-sided and return it digitally once it has been written.
Online (remote) proctoring is currently not available.
The proctor may not:
- be related to you in any way (including by marriage or common-law),
- be a friend, neighbour or co-worker,
- live at the same address as you do,
- be currently enroled in a Waterloo course.
How to find a proctor
- Below is list of organizations in Canada offering proctoring services that have proctored for the University of Waterloo in this past. If you are located in Canada, we suggest you start your search here
- Alberta
- University of Calgary, Calgary, AB
- Bow Valley College, Okotoks, AB
- The Kings University, Edmonton, AB
- British Columbia
- British Colombia Institute of Technology – Burnaby Campus
- British Colombia Institute of Technology – Vancouver Campus
- Manitoba
- Manitoba Institute of Trades and Technology, Winnipeg, MB
- New Brunswick
- Crandall University, Moncton, MB
- Newfoundland and Labrador
- Memorial University, St. John’s, NF
- Newfoundland and Labrador Public Libraries, NF
- Northwest Territories
- Aurora College, Yellowknife, NT
- Nova Scotia
- Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS
- Ontario:
- Algonquin College - Ottawa, ON
- Centennial College, Scarborough - Toronto, ON (East)
- Collège Boréal, Barrie - email: services.testing@collegeboreal.ca
- Humber College, North Campus - Toronto, ON (West)
- London - Fanshawe College, London, ON
- Redeemer University - Hamilton/Ancaster, ON
- Toronto Metropolitan University -Toronto (Downtown)
- Prince Edward Island
- Holland College – Charlottetown, PEI
- Quebec
- McGill University – Montreal, QC
- Eastern Quebec Learning Centre, Quebec City, QC
- Saskatchewan
- University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK
- Alberta
If you are located outside of Canada, the quickest way to locate a proctor in your area is to conduct an internet search for “proctors near me.” Your search results will yield official testing centres at colleges, universities, libraries, and learning centres. You can also search for local libraries or religious institutions. Tip: Some local libraries offer proctor services for free.
Once you have found a suitable location/proctor to write your examinations, follow the steps below to finalize your arrangements.
Step 3: Finalize your proctor arrangements
Note: If your venue/proctor asks for contact information when you are booking the examinations, provide the following:
- First Name: Examinations Services
- Last Name: University of Waterloo
- Email: Examinations@uwaterloo.ca
Please do not provide contact information for your instructor.
Contact your selected venue/proctor and discuss the following:
- Ensure the proctor has the ability to print and scan double-sided
- Ensure that you are able to book your examination between December 5 and 8.
- Ensure that the proctor will remain in the room with you for the duration of the examination.
- Ensure that all of your final examinations can be written with the same proctor
- Ensure that your academic accommodation needs can be met (if applicable). If your proctor requires additional information from the University, contact aas-exam@uwaterloo.ca for assistance.
- Ensure you have the correct contact email for the proctor
Submit the Final Examinations Arrangement form by Friday, October 17
- Once all of the above have been confirmed, submit the Final Examination Arrangement form and wait for confirmation of approval.
- The Office of the Registrar will vet the proctor, and you will receive a confirmation email when approved.
Finalize your booking with the proctor
- Once you receive confirmation that the proctor has been approved, finalize your booking with the proctor by paying any deposits, etc.
The deadline to submit the Final Examinations Arrangement form is Friday, October 17. The University will expect your proctor to respond to us within 5 business days of receiving our email.
What you need to know about submitting your proctor information
You will provide your proctor's name and business email address, and we will contact them directly for additional information. We need a business email address to verify their employment and eligibility to proctor.
We will verify the information they provide and will email you when your proctor is approved or is deemed unacceptable. This decision is at the discretion of the Examinations Services office.
You and your proctor will arrange the location, day and time when your proctor will supervise your final examination within the external examination time period. The date and time shown in Odyssey for proctored final examinations will NOT show the actual time you have arranged with your proctor. Your proctor should stay with you for the duration of the final examination.
A digital copy of your final examination, along with detailed instructions for administering and returning it, will be sent to your proctor in advance of your scheduled examination.
You are directly responsible for paying your proctor for their services. The University will not reimburse for incurred expenses.
Review the pre-examination preparation and entry requirements and protocols found on the final examinations web page.