Exams

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.

Online Examinations:

If you have an online examination and need a quiet place to write, the following rooms have been reserved:

• BSB 137
• BSB 147
• BSB B156
• T13 123
• TSH 120

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 – McMaster student photo identification cards are required at all examinations.

• If you arrive without a student ID card, you will be required (before being seated) to obtain a student ID card from Registrar’s Office located in Gilmour Hall room 108 (Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 4:30pm). 
• After 4:30pm and weekends, a single use verification card can be obtained for that exam only ($30.00 fee applies) at IWC B122. 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 I.D. cards will be accompanied to a location where they can obtain an I.D. 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
• In Mosaic
  • Select Task Tile
    • Select Exam Guidelines Agreement
    • Read through the Exam Policy
      • Check the Accept box, Save and Exit. 
• Make sure you have your student card – it’s required for writing exams. Lost your card? Visit the Registrar’s Office (Gilmour Hall 108) in advance to have it replaced (charges apply).

Personal exam schedules

June 2022 deferred exams:

• June 20 to June 24, 2022

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, please use the approved McMaster University Medical Form. You will need to be seen by a doctor at the earliest possible date, normally on or before the date of the missed exam. The doctor 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 with your Faculty Office for a decision on your request. If a deferral is granted, “DEF” will appear in Mosaic (My Academics > Grades).
• 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 submit a Request to Write Deferred Examination Off-Campus form at least 15 working days prior to the start of the deferred exam period. Any fees incurred are your responsibility. This includes the fee to courier the written exam(s) back to the Office of the Registrar.

The deadline to submit this form has passed. Please note that we are no longer accepting requests.

External exams

Please note: we are closed until further notice. We will respond to requests once we are offering invigilation services again.

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.
• 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

• $110 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

Have questions?

Contact us for assistance:

•  exams@mcmaster.ca

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.

Business hours

Monday – Friday
8:30 am – 4:00 pm
(Excluding holidays)