Note: The Examination Regulations and Related Matters document is also available in PDF.
Last updated: September 2011
The following regulations shall apply except where Senate grants specific exemptions:Each term the formal lecture period, as defined by the dates published in the Undergraduate Calendar, normally ends two or three days before final examinations begin. Except where classes are rescheduled as the result of a campus-wide emergency closure during the last week of classes, no classes are to be held after the end of the formal lecture period. In the period between the end of the formal lecture period and the beginning of final examinations, with the exception of the English Language Proficiency Examination, no instructor shall be permitted to administer, and no student shall be required to sit for, examinations, tests, or lectures.
It is important to ensure that the student has equitable opportunity to prepare for the final assessment of all courses taken during the term. Normally the period of the term scheduled for final examinations is reserved for preparation, and sitting, for the final examination or an alternative assignment with equivalent time commitments for those courses without final examinations. No assignments are to be due after the formal lecture period. For courses with no final examination, no assignments are to be due during the period between the end of lectures and the beginning of examinations.
Final examinations shall be written during the periods specified in the Undergraduate Calendar. No instructor shall be permitted to administer, and no student shall be required to sit for, final examinations during the formal lecture period. Final examinations shall be interpreted in the ordinary sense of the word; usually covering all, or a very substantial portion of, the material dealt with in one academic term or year. The appropriate Associate Dean(s) will decide any unresolved disputes between an instructor and student concerning an interpretation of whether an examination should be regarded as a "final examination."
Each term the formal lecture period, as defined The Registrar's Office, in consultation with each academic department, will determine which of the following options is preferred for the scheduling and administration of final examinations.
The University will strive to schedule examinations using the following principles:
- No student having two examinations in a row
- No student writing in the last period on one day and the first period the next day;
- No student writing more than two examinations on the same day.
Where an instructor schedules her/his own final examination, s/he must respect a, b and c above and assume responsibility for solving all scheduling difficulties that may result. The Registrar will advocate on behalf of students who encounter problems that are not solved respecting a, b or c.
Departments can pre slot examinations in courses with enrolment >= 100 students. Principles a, b and c will be used when pre slotting.
Instructors will be given the opportunity to request the pre slotting of courses of < 100 before the scheduling software runs. S/he must provide appropriate rationale to pre slot the examination to the Director, Scheduling, Examinations and Convocation. The Registrar's Office (in consultation with the Associate Dean, if necessary) will approve the request and pre slot the examination or reject it and schedule the examination using the scheduling software. Wholesale scheduling criteria requested by a department that violates a, b or c above will not normally be accommodated. The examination scheduling process will run using requirements a, b and c after pre slotting is complete.
Normally, adjusting examination dates/times or withdrawing exams after the creation of the timetable is not allowed. Exceptions will be considered based on specific circumstances.
Where an instructor schedules her/his own final examination, s/he must respect a, b and c above and assume responsibility for solving all scheduling difficulties that may result. The Registrar will advocate on behalf of students who encounter problems that are not solved respecting a, b or c.
A final timetable shall be prepared and made available on the final examination website approximately five weeks prior to the examination period.
Final examinations must be no longer than 2.5 hours in duration. Four examination periods per day, Monday through Saturday, are currently provided: 9:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m., 4:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. If an instructor schedules a final examination during the formal examination period outside these times, suitable alternative time arrangements must be provided by the instructor, within the standard Monday to Saturday time slots, for any students who request an alternative time.
The Registrar's Office shall arrange accommodation for examinations and provide examination papers, answer booklets, and other required examination supplies for final examinations that are scheduled and administered by the Registrar. Such examinations shall be one of three types, which shall be clearly indicated on the examination paper. The types are:
"Calculators with alpha-numeric display and long-term memory are permitted, but laptop or notebook computers may not be used."
"Any form of calculator, laptop, or notebook computer may be used."
The first page of the examination paper must contain the following information prepared using the Final Examination Cover Page template, available at www.registrar.uwaterloo.ca/exams/examcoverpage.html.
At the bottom of subsequent pages:
Examination masters submitted without the standard cover page will
be returned to the instructor.
Those examinations with only one page of questions must include the cover page as well.
Master copies of examination papers for all final examinations shall be:
All pages of the examination will normally be printed on white paper only. However, where colour coding of sections of an examination paper is requested to ensure examination integrity, a limit of four colours is allowed.
All pages will be printed double-sided unless the second side of the sheet is designated for rough calculations as indicated on the exam cover page.
Instructors should not assume that Registrar's Office staff will proofread or check for missing questions, pages or incorrect numbering or sequencing.
Diagrams should be prepared in legible black pen suitable for reproduction.
The master copies of examination papers must, for security reasons, be delivered in person to the Scheduling Office, NH 1122 or they can be dropped into the drop box which is located just inside the door of this office. They must not be sent through the inter-office mail or dropped into the After Hours Drop Box located at the entrance to the Registrar's Office or submitted electronically. There is no security protocol in place to safe guard electronic attachments; therefore, all exams received electronically will be deleted upon receipt. Final exam masters must be received no later than 4:00 p.m. by the deadline determined for that particular examination. After the examination masters have been submitted to the Scheduling Office, any corrections or alterations that must be made may result in the need for a re-print. Costs associated with a re-print will be billed to the academic department.
The department concerned shall absorb the cost of reprinting examination papers to correct errors and/or omissions. All manual corrections are the responsibility of the instructor concerned.
The Registrar's Office shall assume no responsibility for the printing of examination question papers not submitted by the appropriate deadline. In such cases, the instructor shall arrange for printing and security of papers, and deliver them and related examination materials (e.g., answer booklets) to the examination location at least thirty minutes prior to the scheduled examination time.
The printing of examination papers for final examinations administered by the department or instructor shall be the responsibility of the instructor concerned. The regulations described above for printing of examinations administered by the Registrar are recommended as guidelines for the preparation of examinations administered at the department level.
Instructors should normally proctor their own final examinations. If this is not possible, the Department Chair should appoint an alternate who is familiar with the subject of the examination.
For examinations administered by the Registrar, the Department Chair shall assign individual faculty members to proctor and preside at specified examinations as requested by the Registrar's Office. The proctor-student ratio shall be 1:50; however, the minimum number of proctors required for each examination location/room is two. Examination Centre for Extended Learning courses shall be proctored according to established guidelines.
At least one female proctor should be present in each examination location/room where women are candidates and at least one male proctor where men are candidates.
If an examination is scheduled and administered by the Registrar and written in the Physical Activities Complex (PAC), proctors must arrive at the front of the gym at least 30 minutes prior to the start of the examination.
If proctors for a given exam have not arrived before the start of the examination period, students will be allowed into the gymnasium and informed that the proctors have not arrived. If Registrar staff are in possession of the examination papers, students will be allowed to write the examination without the benefit of knowledgeable proctors and the Department Chair of the department offering the course will be notified. If Registrar staff are not in possession of the examination papers, an announcement will be made after students are allowed into the gymnasium that the instructor/proctors have not arrived with the examination papers and that they are required to remain in their seats until 30 minutes have elapsed. If the instructor/proctors arrive within the 30-minute period, the examination will proceed with additional time allowed compensating for the late start. If the instructor/proctors have not arrived after 30 minutes, the students will be dismissed and asked to leave the gymnasium quietly. The Department Chair of the department offering the course will be notified of the situation and it is then the responsibility of the instructor to reschedule the examination and communicate the information to the students involved. Note: For courses not associated with a department, the Associate Dean will be notified.
If an examination is scheduled and administered by the Registrar and written in an RCH room and the examination has been printed by the Registrar's Office, proctors must pick up the examinations and supplies in RCH 208 at least 30 minutes prior to the start of the examination. Examinations are not delivered to exam rooms in RCH.
If an examination is scheduled and administered by the Registrar and written in an MC or DC room and the examination has been printed by the Registrar's Office, proctors must pick up the examinations and supplies in MC 4043 at least 30 minutes prior to the start of the examination. Examinations are not delivered to exam rooms in MC or DC.
If a proctor has not arrived to pick up the exams before the start of the exam period, Registrar staff will deliver the exam papers to the assigned room, allowing students to write the exam without the benefit of knowledgeable proctors. The Department Chair will be notified of the situation.
Where an examination is administered by the department/instructor, students are expected to remain
in the examination room for 30 minutes if the instructor/proctors do not arrive by the scheduled start
time of the examination.
Each Faculty shall establish a pool of graduate students who are available to assist in the proctoring of examinations in those cases where a department has insufficient staff to proctor its own examinations.
The Associate Dean for Undergraduate Affairs or delegate shall, at the request of the department Chair, be responsible for assigning students from this pool. The selection of proctors shall be entirely at the discretion of the department Chair.
If, during an examination, a candidate gives assistance to or receives assistance from another candidate, or has unauthorized aids, such individuals will be liable to disciplinary action.
If an instructor or proctor has reasonable grounds to believe that a violation of academic regulations has occurred, that person shall collect all of the evidence available. What follows is advice to presiding officers and proctors regarding confiscating material if cheating is suspected during mid-term tests or final examinations.
As soon as possible following the conclusion of the test/examination, the presiding officer or proctor is expected to: make a note of the time and details (e.g., refusal to cooperate); explain to the alleged offender that the status of her/his paper is in question; identify the paper and set it aside; inform the course instructor of the circumstances, and turn over all of the evidence available. In the event that the instructor is not available, the presiding officer or proctor will inform the appropriate Associate Dean.
Candidates must remove earphones and portable tape or disc players during the writing of examinations. Devices such as pagers and portable telephones must be turned off. Candidates must present their Student ID card at each examination. If a student does not have a student ID card, the instructor/proctor may accept another form of photo identification instead. If ID acceptable to the instructor/proctor is not provided, the candidate must complete an Interim Identification Form (IIF) and sign each examination booklet and/or each answer card(s).
After the examination has begun, all candidates must remain for the first hour. Candidates who arrive more than one hour late for an examination may be barred from writing the examination if students have already completed the examination and left the examination room. The decision to allow a candidate to write the examination is at the discretion of the proctor. If the candidate is allowed to write the examination, the proctor will mark the time of entry clearly on all of the answer booklets. There shall be no extension of time for candidates who are allowed to sit the examination after arriving late.
A candidate may, with the permission of the instructor or proctor, leave the examination room briefly only if accompanied by an assigned proctor.
At ten minutes before the conclusion of the examination period, the instructor or proctor shall announce the time remaining. Candidates may not leave their seats in the examination room after this time until all papers have been collected.
At the conclusion of the examination, all candidates shall cease writing and proctors shall collect the examination booklets.
The Registrar's Office will have someone on call to provide rapid assistance in the case of work disturbances, power failures, etc. That person shall, in consultation with the examination proctors, have the authority to extend the examination time allotted to compensate for time lost.
In accordance with fire regulations, and University of Waterloo Policy 29, smoking will not be permitted in an examination room at any time.
For examinations held in the PAC, the General Rules for Proctoring and Conduct for All Final Examinations apply but are also subject to the following procedures and regulations:
A "Presiding Officer" for each examination period is designated in advance, at the request of the Registrar, by a department whose examination is scheduled to occupy an area at the front of the examination hall. The Chief Presiding Officer, or chief proctor for examinations written in the PAC, must hold a permanent teaching appointment or an ongoing staff appointment that includes teaching, or lab management (e.g., senior lab demonstrator) and must be familiar with the examination and disciplinary policies of the University.
The Presiding Officer in the PAC shall be in charge of the examinations in the absence of representatives from the Registrar's Office. Any contravention of a ruling made by the Presiding Officer shall be considered a violation of the examination regulations and shall be treated accordingly.
The President, or delegate, will decide, in consultation with the Registrar, or delegate, whether to proceed with or to postpone examinations in the event of extreme weather conditions or any other general emergency which occurs when final examinations are in session.
If the decision is made to proceed with examinations as scheduled, the Registrar's Office will be responsible for the conduct of all centrally administered examinations; individuals responsible for instructor-administered examinations scheduled in Faculty or departmental locations will follow procedures determined by the Dean of their Faculty for handling such examinations in emergency situations.
If the decision is made to postpone examinations, the postponement will apply to all examinations scheduled for a particular day or part thereof. Rescheduled examinations will be held at the same time and location as originally scheduled. The date chosen will be the next available day, including Sunday, on which examinations have not been scheduled. Examinations could be rescheduled for times prior to that date by mutual agreement of the instructor and the students in the class. If this occurs, students must be given the option of writing on the official alternative date.
Due dates for specific courses are normally scheduled 7 days from the date of the final examination. Grades for courses without a scheduled final examination, are normally due 14 days after the start of examinations. Grades for Centre for Extended Learning courses are due on the last date of the grades submission period.
Provided the identity of individual students is protected, an instructor may convey information about student academic performance (e.g., grades on assignments, mid-term or final examinations) by posting results in a public place such as an office door, bulletin board or course website. Final examination and final course grades shall not be posted before the final examination period ends.
Instructors are encouraged to hold other tests or examinations during the regularly scheduled class times for their courses. The date and time of a test or examination should be included on the course outline when possible; when not possible, the date and time should be announced well in advance of the test or examination. Normally, the minimum time will be two weeks. Except under extreme circumstances, this time and date should not be subsequently changed without general consent from the class.
An instructor who chooses to schedule a test or examination outside of, or to extend beyond the regularly scheduled class time, will be required to provide suitable alternative time arrangements for any students with legitimate conflicts.
Material tested on a test or examination should be introduced sufficiently in advance of the examination date to allow students reasonable time to seek clarification or greater understanding of concepts. Normally, this period will be two working days.
Such tests or examinations are administered at the department level, with departments responsible for the printing of examination question papers, the conduct of the examinations, and the supplying of all answer papers and other supplies necessary for such examinations.
Normally, instructors may not hold major term tests in the last five teaching days of the lecture schedule in any term. Major term tests are those which account for more than twenty-five percent of the final course grade. Exceptions must be approved in advanced by the instructor's department Chair and the Associate Dean (Undergraduate) of the Faculty concerned.
Note: Senate approval has been given to the Faculty of Science to hold final examinations during the latter part of the term in laboratory courses, which may require laboratory facilities. Instructors are encouraged to avoid requiring students to sit for tests or examinations during the time when co-operative work-term employment interviews are scheduled for them.
No student shall be required to sit for a test or examination during the formal lecture period which is held outside the time period 8:30 a.m. - 10:00 p.m. Monday through Friday inclusive. An instructor who chooses to schedule a test or examination outside that time period must provide suitable alternative time arrangements within the Monday to Friday time period for any students who request such an alternative time.
In instances where a student has adjacent tests or examinations or when a student has more than two tests or examinations in a given day, the student should request relief from instructors within one week of the notification that caused the conflict. The relief may take the form of moving a test or examination to a new time or date; shifting the weight of the test to other evaluation mechanisms with the course, or otherr mutually agreed upon solutions.
Any unresolved disputes between an instructor and student regarding the "legitimacy" of conflicts or the "suitability" of alternative time arrangements will be decided by the appropriate Associate Deans(s). When in doubt, students should approach the Associate Dean from the student's home Faculty. In such cases, any regularly scheduled University academic activity will be given precedence in the resolution of a conflict with a test or examination in another course.
Senate has determined that the University will strive to schedule final examinations conflict free and with:
Where this cannot be accomplished for a particular student, the University shall ensure relief
by making alternative scheduling arrangements for that student.
Students can elect to accept examination combinations that violate these constraints.
In doing so, they understand that petitions or appeals based on a violation of a. or b. will not
be granted.
The Registrar assumes administrative responsibility as follows:
If a student has an examination conflict with a WLU final exam (two examinations at the same day/time) that has been detected during the examination scheduling process, the department/instructor will be notified by the Registrar's Office and asked to contact the individual student(s) to discuss alternative examination arrangements to be determined by the department/instructor.
If a student has an examination conflict (two examinations at the same day/time) that was not detected during the examination scheduling process, the student must complete the Final Examination Timetable Conflict Form (a PDF form that is filled out and printed from the Registrar's Office web site) and submit it to the Registrar's Office on the second floor of Needles Hall. The Registrar's Office will confirm the conflict, then notify the department/instructor so that they can contact the individual student(s) to discuss alternative examination arrangements to be determined by the department/instructor.
The University acknowledges that, due to the pluralistic nature of the University community, some students may, on religious grounds, require alternative times to write tests and examinations. Accordingly, a student who requires an alternative test or examination on religious grounds should consult with the Associate Dean of the Faculty offering the course. Such a request must be made within one week of the announcement of the test or examination date. For students in courses taught at the University Colleges, the Dean or Head of the University College exercises the responsibilities of the Associate Dean in these procedures in cases where there is no Dean.
The Registrar acts as advocate for students when such problems come to his attention.
For many courses, final examinations* are a major component of student assessment and often contribute substantially to the final grade awarded. In addition, final examinations may serve an important educational purpose in indicating to students what, and how well, they have learned in the course. A course instructor may choose to use a final examination for one or both of these objectives.
A student may challenge a final grade by submitting a request to the instructor under policy 70, Student Petitions and Grievances, within one month of notification of the mark. The student will then be provided supervised access to the final examination paper*. The student may provide written comments, which will be forwarded, along with the examination paper, to the faculty member for consideration in responding to the challenge. If the student is not satisfied with the response, s/he may contact the chair regarding a reassessment challenge.
A student may request an informal review of a final examination paper up to one year from the date that the examination was written, although such a review cannot lead to a grade challenge unless the request is made within one month of notification of the mark.
* In this section "final examination paper" means the final examination question paper and the paper submitted by the student.
Elective arrangements (such as travel plans) are not considered acceptable grounds for granting an alternative examination time.
From time to time students become ill or have ongoing medical conditions that prevent them from meeting academic obligations. The University is committed to assisting students who are ill and has established the following policy, which is fair and practical.
Students in on-campus courses who are ill and unable to meet assignment due dates or write a term test or final examination should seek medical treatment and provide confirmation of the illness to the instructor(s) within 48 hours by submitting a completed University of Waterloo Verification of Illness Form to support requests for accommodation due to illness. Students in Centre for Extended Learning courses must also provide confirmation of the illness but submit it to the Centre for Extended Learning Office. The University of Waterloo Verification of Illness Form is normally the only acceptable medical documentation and is available on line at: info.uwaterloo.ca/infoheal/_StudentMedicalClinic/VIF.html. Students who consult their physician or use the services of an off-campus walk-in clinic must provide this form to the attending physician for completion; doctors' notes and forms created by the physician or clinic are normally not acceptable. Although not compelled to do so, instructors may accept medical documentation that contains the same information specified on the University of Waterloo Verification of Illness Form. Health Services charges a $10 fee for completing the University of Waterloo Verification of Illness Form, which is not covered by OHIP/UHIP. Fees for this service levied by off-campus practitioners are the student's responsibility.
Adjustment of due dates or deferrals of term tests or final examinations are not automatic upon the presentation of suitable medical verification. Instructors will use this documentation among all information available to them when determining whether accommodation is warranted.
A student who becomes ill during the writing of an examination and is unable to continue should ensure, before leaving the site of the examination, that the proctor in charge is notified of the situation. In addition, the student must notify the course instructor and supply the medical documentation specified above within 48 hours after the partially completed examination.
If a student completes an examination, even though he/she is ill, the grade obtained in the course will normally stand. Subsequent petitions for an exception to academic regulations on the grounds of illness may be considered if accompanied by the documentation specified above. The student's department or Faculty may take the illness into consideration, and possibly alter academic standing, but the grade will not normally be altered.
False claims of illness and/or the submission of false supporting medical documentation constitute an academic offence that will result in disciplinary action under Policy #71.
Where instructors grant accommodation, the following university-wide practice normally applies:
Normally, the weighting of the missed assignment is added to the final examination weighting or spread over the remaining assignments. Assignment due dates are not extended. It might be impractical to apply this in all courses, particularly in project-based or thesis courses where submissions must be made. Instructors may use their discretion in these cases and allow an extension.
Normally, the weighting of the missed test is added to the final examination weighting or spread over the remaining tests. Term tests are not deferred.
A deferred final examination is written the next time that the course is taught. Although not compelled to do so, instructors may use their discretion to schedule make-up examinations at a mutually agreed upon date and time earlier than specified. Students in Faculties/schools that advance students from term to term by cohort may have to schedule make-up examinations earlier than specified when deferred examinations are granted.
Office of the Registrar
University of Waterloo
2nd Floor, Needles Hall
200 University Avenue West
Waterloo, Ontario, Canada N2L 3G1
519 888 4567
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