Preparing for Exams

Option 1: Write the scheduled exam

You can write your 7:00 p.m. exam at the regularly scheduled time.

Proctors will be aware that Muslim students are likely to bring food and drink into the exam room to have it available at sunset. The expectation is that you will eat and drink quietly to avoid distracting other students.

In addition, proctors will allow Muslim students to leave their seats to pray.

Note: for online exams, you will be allowed to eat or engage in prayers at the appropriate time. For Proctortrack exams, students will be flagged, but instructors should realize that this does not constitute a scholastic offense.

Option 2: Write in a designated room

You can write your 7:00 p.m. exam in a designated room that will be proctored. You will write beginning at 4:00 p.m. on the same day as your exam. Students will not be permitted to leave the designated room earlier than 7:30 p.m., by which time students should not be permitted to enter the regularly scheduled exam.

To take advantage of this option, you need to contact your academic advising office. The deadline to make this arrangement is 3 days before the exam if you want to write in the designated room. The Office of the Registrar will contact you to communicate the necessary arrangements.

Option 3: Write the make-up exam in May

Another option is for your academic advisor to grant a make-up exam. Even though Muslim students are not prohibited from writing exams during Ramadan, deferring the exam will allow them to write it while in a better physical state and not force them to choose between their religious convictions and their grades.

In addition to the above, at the end of Ramadan, Eid al Fitr is celebrated. This year it is anticipated that Eid will fall on Friday, April 21st (although, depending on the moon, there is a chance it takes place on Saturday, April 22nd). To accommodate our students who will be celebrating Eid, no exams have been scheduled for Friday, April 21st. If Eid should fall on Saturday, April 22nd, students celebrating Eid can approach their faculty Academic Advising office for academic consideration.

If you have two exams scheduled in the same time slot and neither is a Business course (i.e. two exams scheduled at 2:00pm on the same day), you will have received an email to your Western account. Details will be provided on how to proceed and the appropriate people to contact.

If you have multiple exams within a short timeframe, please see the information available relating to a “Multiple Exam Situation” on the following page. 

Where possible, students should inform their instructor prior to the date of the exam.

You will need to present a Student Medical Certificate (SMC), signed by a licensed medical or mental health practitioner, detailing the duration and severity of illness, or appropriate documentation supporting extenuating circumstances to your home faculty Academic Counselling Office no later than two business days after the date specified for resuming responsibilities.

Where possible, students should inform their instructor prior to the date of the exam.

Contact your Home Faculty Academic Counselling unit immediately and be prepared to provide supporting documentation. If your emergency occurs on a weekend, contact your Home Faculty Academic Counselling unit on the subsequent Monday morning.

If you have a medical concern, and are visiting an off-campus physician, please ensure you bring a copy of the Student Medical Certificate. This is the documentation the Home Faculty Academic Counselling units will expect to see to determine if a make-up exam is warranted.

If you decide to write your exam, you should be prepared to accept the mark you earn. Re-writing exams, or having the value re-weighted on a retroactive basis, is not normal practice.

Carefully consider the implications of postponing exams or delaying handing in work. For example, a delay in completing your work may impact you if you are expecting to graduate in June or, if you are continuing your studies next year, may impact the timing of your course registration appointment. Check with your academic counselling office to confirm potential impacts.

You are encouraged to make appropriate decisions based on your specific circumstances, recognizing that minor ailments (upset stomach) are not normally an appropriate basis for an academic consideration.

You must communicate with your instructors no later than 24 hours after the end of the period covered by the Student Medical Certificate, or immediately upon your return following a documented absence.