4.1 Undergraduate Examination Regulations

Students writing tests and examinations should be aware of the rules governing examination conduct. These rules include those listed in the Academic Integrity section of this Calendar and information about policy and procedures for writing examinations distributed at the final examination.

For examinations scheduled during the official examination period, it may be necessary to schedule examinations during the day for classes held in the evening and vice versa, or on Saturday and Sunday.

All tests and examinations are subject to the following rules:

1. Tests or examinations given in class may not exceed the time allotted for the class;
2. The schedule for any term tests or examinations to be held outside class time must be communicated in the course outline. Students who are unable to write during this scheduled time must be accommodated before the last day of classes.
3. If there is a final examination in the summer term, it will be held during the official examination period;
4. If there is a final examination or an end-of-term examination in a multi-term course, this examination will be held in the official examination period;
5. No summative tests or final examinations may be held during the last two weeks of fall or winter terms, or during the last week of each half of the summer term. Please note that practical exams, where the material cannot be tested during formal examination period, are exempt from this rule provided (i) students are made aware of the practical exam requirement at the start of the term via the course outline, and (ii) the examination contributes to no more than 15% of the final grade. If provision (i) above is met but the examination comprises more than 15% of the final grade, Dean approval is required prior to informing students via the course outline.
6. Formative tests or examinations may be held during the last two weeks of classes of fall or winter terms, or during the last week of each half of the summer term, provided they do not total more than 15% of the final grade. The purpose of formative tests or examinations is to provide feedback to students on a component of the course content.
7. No tests or examinations may be held between the end of classes in a term and the beginning of formally scheduled examinations;
8. Normally, final take-home examinations in any term will be assigned on or before the last day of classes and are due on the last day of the official examination period. Final take-home examinations not set according to this normal practice must be formally scheduled by Scheduling and Examination Services and are subject to overload rules. In all cases the rules for take-home examinations must be well communicated to students by course instructors.
9. Students are not required to write with an exam conflict (defined as two examinations scheduled at the same time) nor in an exam overload, defined as (i) 3 or more examinations scheduled in 3 consecutive time slots, (ii) 4 or more examinations scheduled in 5 consecutive time slots, or (iii) 5 or more examinations scheduled in 7 consecutive time slots, where a time slot refers to the morning, afternoon, or evening time slot on an exam day.

4.2 Examination Rules of Conduct

From the Carleton University Academic Integrity Policy, https://carleton.ca/senate/wp-content/uploads/Academic-Integrity-Policy1.pdf:

The University is committed to ensuring fairness and consistency in the completion of examinations. As part of this commitment, students are required to follow proper examinations procedures. A student who commits a violation of this Policy on an examination, test, or take-home examination, or obtains or produces an answer or unfair advantage, are subject to sanction under this Policy. This includes but is not limited to:

1. bringing to the examination/test room any unauthorized material;
2. writing an examination or part of it, by consulting any person or materials outside the confines of the examination room without permission to do so;
3. intentionally leaving answer papers exposed to view;
4. attempting to read other students’ examination papers;
5. speaking to another student (even if the subject matter is irrelevant to the test);
6. disrupting or delaying a test or examination;
7. failing to comply with the instruction of a University official administering an examination.

Further to the University's Academic Integrity Policy statement, a violation of the policy may also occur by breaching one of the Policy and Procedures for Writing Examinations.

Please visit the University's Human Rights Policy and Offenses of Conduct sections of this Calendar for more information.

4.3 Deferred Final Examinations

4.3.1 Deferred Final Examinations

Students who are unable to write a final examination because of extenuating circumstances, as defined in the Academic Consideration Policy, may apply for accommodation. Normally, the accommodation for a missed final examination will be granting the student the opportunity to write a deferred examination. In specific cases when it is not possible to offer a deferred examination, and with the approval of the Dean, an alternate accommodation may be made.

The application for a deferral must:

1. be made in writing to the Registrar's Office no later than three (3) working days after the original final examination or the due date of the take-home examination; and,
2. be fully supported by appropriate documentation. In cases of short-term extenuating circumstances normally lasting no more than five (5) days, students must include the University's self-declaration form, which can be found on the Registrar's Office website. Additional documentation is required in cases of extenuating circumstances lasting longer than five (5) days and must be supported by a medical note specifying the date of onset of the illness, the (expected) date of recovery, and the extent to which the student was/is incapacitated during the time of the examination. The University's preferred medical form can be found at the Registrar's Office here.

4.3.2 Missed Deferred Examinations

Students will not be given a deferral of a deferred examination.

Students granted a deferred final examination who are then unable to write the deferred final examination will receive the earned grade in the course (which may be an F).

Students granted a deferred final examination who are then unable to write the deferred final examination due to properly documented personal or medical conditions may appeal to receive one of the notations Aegrotat (AEG) or Withdrawn (WDN) for the course as assigned by the appropriate appeal committee. (Students may not petition for one of these alternate notations if they attended the deferred examination but did not complete it for personal or medical reasons, unless the circumstances satisfy the requirements for Early Departure from Final Examinations in Section 4.3.3 below.) The self-declaration form is not sufficient documentation for this application. NOTE: If a student would be unable to pass the course as specified in the course outline, regardless of the result of a final examination, a grade of F may still result. If a student is passing the term work and is able to pass the course as specified in the course outline, based on the results of a final examination, then a withdrawn (WDN) may be granted.

Aegrotat standing may be considered for applicants for deferred finals but will be granted only if a substantial proportion of the term work has been completed and is of high quality. AEG denotes a pass standing.

Students who have obtained approval for a deferred examination in a Carleton University Online course will have access to course materials after the end of the academic term of the original course.

Deferred final examinations are scheduled in the time period approved by Senate. Please refer to the Academic Schedule for deferred examination dates.

4.3.3 Early Departure from Final Examinations

Students are expected to assess their medical situation/ability to write an examination prior to entering the examination room. Students who do not write a final examination because of extenuating circumstances/emergency beyond their control may apply to write a deferred examination. Section 4.3.1 above outlines the regulations governing deferral of final examinations.

Students are expected to complete a final examination once begun. If the student experiences a significant deterioration of  health while the examination is in progress, it may be possible to submit a petition to apply to write a deferred examination.  

A significant deterioration during an exam is a situation whereby the student requires immediate and/or emergency medical attention. In such circumstances, a student will be required to seek appropriate documentation to confirm that the medical situation caused significant, acute symptoms during the examination that completely prohibited the student from completing the exam, describing the specific impacts on the student’s ability to continue the exam. 

A student must then petition to the Registrar’s Office within three (3) business days of the examination with appropriate supporting documentation. The self-declaration form is not sufficient documentation for this application.

Minor illnesses and ongoing chronic illnesses under medical management will normally not be considered valid grounds for granting a deferred final examination.

4.4 Deferred Term Work

In some situations, students are unable to complete term work because of extenuating circumstances beyond their control, which forces them to delay submission of the work. Requests for academic consideration are made in accordance with the Academic Consideration Policy for Students in Medical or Other Extenuating Circumstances.

1. Students who claim short-term extenuating circumstances (normally lasting up to five days) as a reason for missed term work are held responsible for immediately informing the instructor concerned and for making alternate arrangements with the instructor. If the instructor requires supporting documentation, the instructor may only request submission of the University's self-declaration form, which is available on the Registrar's Office website. The alternate arrangement must be made before the last day of classes in the term as published in the academic schedule.
   1. Normally, any deferred term work will be completed by the last day of term. In all cases, formative evaluations providing feedback to the student should be replaced with formative evaluations. In the event the altered due date must extend beyond the last day of classes in the term, the instructor will assign a grade of zero for the work not submitted and submit the student’s earned grade accordingly; the instructor may submit a change of grade at a later date. Term work cannot be deferred by the Registrar.
2. In cases where a student is not able to complete term work due to extenuating circumstances lasting for a significant period of time/ long-term (normally more than five days), the instructor and/or student may elect to consult with the Registrar's Office (undergraduate courses) or Graduate Registrar (graduate courses) to determine appropriate action.
3. If a student is concerned the instructor did not respond to the request for academic consideration or did not provide reasonable accommodation, the student should follow the appeals process described in the Academic Consideration Policy.
4. If academic consideration is granted, but the student is unable to complete the accommodation according to the terms set out by the instructor as a result of further illness, injury, or extraordinary circumstances beyond their control, the student may submit a petition to the Registrar's Office (undergraduate courses)/Graduate Registrar (graduate courses). Please note, however, that the course instructor will be required to submit an earned final grade and further consideration will only be reviewed according to established precedents and deadlines. (More information: Undergraduate | Graduate).