What to know before your exam

You must comply with Undergraduate Examinations Policy as approved by Senate. If you do not observe regulations, you will be required to withdraw from the examination.

Illness

If you miss or leave an exam for medical reasons, you must submit a Petition for Special Consideration form with supporting documentation of illness, personal or family reasons. The form is available from the Office of the Associate Dean (Studies) of your Faculty. Your petition, along with supporting documentation is normally required within 5 working days of the missed examination.

If you become ill during an examination you may be excused by the Chief Presider or designate.

Deferred exam status can be viewed in Mosaic (Student Centre > Academics > Deferred Exam Approvals).

Academic accommodation for Religious, Indigenous and Spiritual Observances (RISO)

If you have a scheduling conflict between a Registrar invigilated final examination and religious, Indigenous or spiritual observance, please complete the RISO form and submit it to Gilmour Hall, Room 114 or by email to exams@mcmaster.ca at least 10 working days before the start of the examination period.

The McMaster RISO Policy can be found here.

Exam accessibility

If you are registered with Student Accessibility Services (SAS), contact SAS for any accommodation requirements prior to the start of the examination period.

What you need to know at your exam

Student ID

McMaster student photo identification cards are required at all examinations.

If you arrive without your McMaster photo ID card, you will be required (before being seated) to obtain a single-use verification photo for that exam only; a $30.00 fee applies. This verification can be obtained from the Ivor Wynne Centre room B122 or MDCL room 1016. No extension of the examination will be permitted to compensate for any delay encountered.

Punctuality

Punctuality is essential and no extra time will be allowed to those arriving late. You will not 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 candidates 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.

Calculators

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, you 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. If you have relevant accommodations with Student Accessibility Services (SAS), you may use an equivalent, accessible calculator.

Exam conflicts

The only way you would have a conflict would be through an instructor-led exam, in which case you would have to speak to your instructor. The Office of the Registrar’s exam scheduling system resolves all exam conflicts before personal schedules are posted in Mosaic. 

The following types of problems are resolved by the Office of the Registrar before personal timetables are posted in Mosaic.

1. More than one examination scheduled at the same time.

2. Three examinations in one calendar day (midnight to midnight).

Examples:

• 9:00am, 12:30pm and 4:00pm
• 12:30 pm, 4:00pm and 7:30pm
• 9:00am, 4:00pm and 7:30pm
• 9:00am, 12:30pm and 7:30pm

3. Three consecutive examinations over two days (e.g. December 14th and 15th). 
Examples:

• 4:00pm,  7:30pm and 9:00am on the next day
• 7:30pm followed by 9:00am and 12:30pm on the next day

After your exam

Leaving the exam

You cannot leave the room to withdraw from an examination during the first 45 minutes of any session. You must leave the room immediately after handing in your examination materials.

Grades

Learn where to find your grades after your exam, as well as more information about McMaster’s grading system.

Deferred exams

If you have missed an examination because of compelling medical or personal reasons, you must fill out the Petition for Special Consideration: Request for Deferred Examination (Form B) and normally submit the form within five working days of the missed examination. Please contact your Faculty office to obtain the form.

Please note: deferred examinations may affect academic decisions including the eligibility to graduate, admission into a program and progression.

1. Once you have completed an examination, no subsequent request for special consideration will be granted.
2. If the reason is medical, the approved McMaster University Medical Form must be used. You must be seen by a doctor at the earliest possible date, normally on or before the date of the missed exam and the doctor must verify the duration of the illness. Relief will not be available for minor illnesses. If the reason is non-medical, appropriate documentation with verifiable origin covering the relevant dates must be submitted, normally within five working days.
3. In deciding whether or not to grant a petition, the adequacy of the supporting documentation, including the timing in relation to the due date of the missed work and the degree of your incapacitation, will be taken into account.
4. It is your responsibility to check with the Faculty office for a decision on the request for a deferred examination. If the deferred examination is granted, you will be informed officially by means of the notation DEF which will appear against the relevant course on your academic record and on your grade report (available in Mosaic > My Academics > Grades).
5. Deferred examinations are written during the next official University deferred examination period. Default of the deferred examination will result in a fail for that examination.
6. If you have been granted more than one deferred examination, you may be required by your Faculty/Program office to reduce your course load during the term in which the deferred examinations are being written. The decision on a reduced load will be made and communicated with the decision on the request for deferred examinations.
7. At the discretion of the Faculty/Program office, those of you who have been granted one or more deferred examinations may have a hold placed on their record in subsequent terms. The hold will remain until all deferred examinations(s) are completed, and the Academic Standing is calculated. You will be notified of this decision by your Faculty/Program office or through the ‘View My Grades’ page in the Student Center.

If you are wanting to write your approved deferred examination at an institution other than McMaster, you must submit a Request to Write Deferred Examination Off-Campus form at least 15 working days prior to the start of the deferred examination period. Any fees incurred are your responsibility. This includes the fee to courier the written examination(s) back to the Office of the Registrar.

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.
• 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?

Please connect with the Examination Office for assistance:

• 905.525.9140 ext 24453
•  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)