All students must comply with Undergraduate Examinations Policy as approved by Senate. Students who do not observe regulations will be required to withdraw from the examination.

Use of Calculators For Examinations

The McMaster Standard Calculator is designated by the appropriate Associate Vice-President on behalf of the Undergraduate Council and may be specified as an aid for a final examination. If an instructor permits the use of the McMaster Standard calculator, the student will be informed, and it will be included as part of the course outline.

The McMaster Standard Calculator is the Casio fx-991 MS or Casio fx-991 MS Plus. The Casio fx-991 is available with various letter configurations, however only the MS or MS Plus models are acceptable when the McMaster Standard Calculator has been designated for use. The McMaster Standard Calculator may be purchased at the Campus Store. Students who have accommodations with Student Accessibility Services (SAS) may use an approved accessible calculator.

At the Exam

ID – MacCard (McMaster student ID) or government-issued photo identification is required at all examinations (a photo of ID on a phone is acceptable).

• If students do not have any photo ID on them, they will not be allowed in the exam room.
• A single use verification card can be obtained for that exam only ($30.00 fee applies) at IWC B122 or PGCLL M25. No extension of the examination will be permitted to compensate for any delay encountered to obtain a temporary ID.
• Students who seat themselves at an examination without photo ID cards will be accompanied to a location where they can obtain an ID card. No extension of the examination will be permitted to compensate for any delays.

Punctuality

• Punctuality is essential and no extra time will be allowed to those arriving late. No student will be admitted to an examination room more than 30 minutes after the start of any session.

Conduct

• No conversation or any form of communication between students is permitted. No communicating devices or cell phones are permitted. No books, papers or instruments may be taken into any examination room unless specifically prescribed on the examination paper. No examination books or supplies are to be removed from the examination room. Small personal belongings must be left beneath the chairs, not on the desks. The University can assume no responsibility for lost articles.

After the Exam

Leaving the Exam

• No student may leave the room to withdraw from an examination during the first 45 minutes of any session. Students must leave the room immediately after handing in their examination materials.

Tips to Prepare for Exams

• Check your Personal Timetable in Mosaic. 
  • Select My Exam Schedule tile
• Make sure you have your MacCard (McMaster student ID) – it’s required for writing exams. Lost your card? Visit the MacCard counter in the Campus Store in advance to have it replaced (charges apply). Learn more about lost cards on the MacCard website. 

Online Exams

If you have an online examination and need a quiet place to write, the following room has been reserved: CNH 104

Personal exam schedules

June 2025 deferred exams:

• June 23-26, 2025

Personal schedules will be posted in Mosaic at the beginning of June. If you have been approved to write a deferred exam, you will receive an email when the schedule is released.

Deferred exam process

If you have missed an exam due to medical or personal reasons, you will need to obtain and complete the relevant form from your Faculty Office and submit it within five working days of the missed exam. Please note, deferred exams may affect academic decisions and progress.

• Once you have completed an exam, no further requests for special consideration will be granted.
• If the reason for missing your exam is medical, you will need to be seen by a health care professional at the earliest possible date and obtain medical documentation that indicates you were unable to write your exam(s). The health care professional must verify the duration of your illness.
• If the reason for missing your exam is non-medical, relevant official documentation is required within five working days.
• Please check your Faculty’s website for steps to request to defer your exam, and connect with your Faculty Office for a decision on your request
• Deferred examinations are written during the next deferred exam period. Default of the deferred exam will result in a fail for that exam.
• If you are granted more than one deferred exam, you may be required to reduce your course load by your Faculty/Program Office during the term in which the deferred exams are being written. The reduced load decision will be made and communicated along with the deferred exam request decision.
• If you have been granted one or more deferred exams, a hold may be placed on your record in following terms. The hold will remain until all deferred exam(s) are completed and your academic standing is calculated. You will be notified of this decision by your Faculty/Program Office or through Mosaic > Student Centre > View My Grades.

Request to Write Off-Campus

To write your approved deferred exam at an institution other than McMaster, you will need to complete the Request to Write Deferred Examination Off-Campus form and submit it online as a Service Request on Mosaic as least 15 working days before the start of the examination period. Please note that this form is due before the exam schedule is released, therefore, please inform the institution that has agreed to conduct your deferred exam that deferred exams at McMaster are held June 23-26, 2025 at either 9:00 a.m. or 1:00 p.m. and indicate any relevant information on your form related to the institution’s hours of operation.

External exams

Invigilation Services: writing exams from other universities or institutions

McMaster University offers an invigilation (proctor or supervision) service for those of you writing exams from other universities or institutions. You can make arrangements individually or through your home university or institution.

Details

• Exams are scheduled Monday through Friday at 9:00am or 1:00pm upon availability.
• Exams cannot be scheduled on evenings or holidays.
• During the December and April examination period at McMaster University, exams can be scheduled during the following times:
  • Monday through Saturday at 9:00am or 1:00pm.

Examination fee information

• $140 per exam up to 3.5 hours in duration.
• Exams that run longer than 3.5 hours are subject to an additional charge.

Exam fee(s) must be paid at least 5 full business days prior to scheduled exam date(s). If Exam Fee(s) are not paid at least 5 full business days prior to scheduled exam date(s), we reserve the right to cancel your scheduled exam(s).

Example: If an exam is scheduled on Tuesday, payment needs to be made by the end of the business day on the previous Monday.

Scheduling an exam

To schedule an exam at McMaster University, you must contact the Examination Office by sending an email to exams@mcmaster.ca with the following information:

•  date exam is to be written
•  preferred start time
•  course being written
•  home institution

You are responsible for having your exams sent from your home university or institution to the following mailing address:

McMaster University
Office of the Registrar
Examination Office, Gilmour Hall 114
1280 Main Street West
Hamilton, ON  CANADA  L8S 4L8

Cancellation policy

If an exam is cancelled 3 full business days before scheduled exam date, 50% of the exam fee will be refunded.

Example: If an exam is scheduled on Tuesday, the Examination Office needs to be notified of the cancellation by the end of the business day on the previous Wednesday.

If an exam is cancelled less than 3 full business days before scheduled exam date, 0% of the exam fee will be refunded.

Rescheduling policy

An exam can be rescheduled subject to your institution’s policy. Submit requests in writing to exams@mcmaster.ca at least 4 full business days prior to scheduled exam date to avoid a cancellation fee.

Example: If an exam is scheduled on Tuesday, the Examination Office needs to be notified of a rescheduling request by the end of the business day on the previous Tuesday.

Have questions?

Contact us for assistance:

exams@mcmaster.ca

Exam Location Legend

Exam Locations in the Ivor Wynne Centre

Other Buildings Used for Exams