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Final Examinations

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Final Examinations

Formal final examinations are held during an examination period at the end of the course term. The dates of the examination periods are listed at www.mcgill.ca/importantdates.

Important Note: You are advised not to make travel plans prior to the release of the Final Exam Schedule. Vacation plans do not constitute grounds for the deferral or re-scheduling of final exams.
Note for Summer Studies: All information pertaining to final exam conflicts can be found at www.mcgill.ca/summer/finalexams.

In some courses there is no final examination; your standing in these courses is determined by term work and class tests.

Programs, Courses and University Regulations—2017-2018 (last updated Jan. 23, 2018) (disclaimer)

Final Examinations: University Regulations Concerning Final Examinations

Final Examinations: University Regulations Concerning Final Examinations

Preamble

Preamble

The objectives of these regulations are as follows:

  1. to protect students from excessive workloads;
  2. to use the full 15-week term to maximum advantage.

Regulations

Regulations

  1. These regulations shall apply to undergraduate courses up to and including the 500 level that are evaluated by the use of written examinations. They shall not apply to clinical, field, laboratory, performance, and seminar courses, or to other courses that are evaluated solely by means of a design, paper, program, or project.
  2. Written examinations (including take-home examinations) shall not be held during the last two weeks of scheduled classes during the Fall and Winter terms, except where a pattern of continuous evaluation has been established, in which case the total value of examinations given in this period shall comprise no more than 10% of the final mark.
  3. If the written examinations in a course constitute 50% or more of the final mark, one of these shall be given as a final written examination, and it shall take place during the examination period after the last day of scheduled lectures in December or April.
  4. A final examination given during the examination period shall be worth at least 25% of the final mark.
  5. Students shall be informed of all course requirements by the end of the course change period. All term work shall be assigned early enough in the term for students to complete the assignment(s) by the last day of class.
  6. The due date for term work in courses to which these regulations apply shall be no later than the last day of classes.
  7. In courses that span the Fall and Winter terms (course pairs with numbers ending D1 and D2), instructors who wish to give a mid-year examination in December must schedule it in the formal examination period.
  8. The principles enunciated in these regulations shall be applied, appropriately modified, to courses given during the summer, to other courses of less than a 13-week duration, and to courses in the Faculties of Law, Medicine, Dentistry, and Education that do not follow the normal University Timetable.
  9. Individual faculties may propose variations in these regulations to the Academic Policy and Planning Committee in order to meet their special needs.
  10. These regulations, and any variations to them, shall be made known to students by each faculty.

Instructors are not permitted to grant any special treatment regarding examinations to any student. Students who believe there are circumstances which might justify making special examination arrangements for them or which might legitimately be taken into account in evaluating their performance should apply to the Associate Dean or Director of their faculty.

Note for the Faculties of Arts and Science (including B.A. & Sc.): Requests are made at Service Point (3415 McTavish Street). However, it is important that you also see a Faculty adviser in Dawson Hall to talk about your options and the effects that your request may have on your studies. For more information, see www.mcgill.ca/students/advising.

It is the responsibility of the student to confirm the date, time, and place of the examination by checking examination schedules posted on www.mcgill.ca/students/exams. This information is not available by telephone. No student will be allowed to enter an examination later than one hour after it has started.

Programs, Courses and University Regulations—2017-2018 (last updated Jan. 23, 2018) (disclaimer)

Final Examinations: Deferred Examinations

Final Examinations: Deferred Examinations

If, for serious reasons such as illness or family affliction, you have not written one or more examinations, you may receive the permission of your Faculty Student Affairs Office or Service Point (for students in the Faculties of Arts or Science) upon providing supporting documentation to defer the examination to the next deferred/supplemental examination period, except for courses administered by the Faculty of Engineering (where students write the examination the next time the course is given; see Deferred Examinations: Faculty of Engineering). You should provide supporting documents such as an appropriate medical report as soon as possible after missing the exam. You should be aware that the University will only defer examinations for compelling reasons, verified and accepted by the Student Affairs Office or Service Point.

First Time Deferred Exam Pilot Project

Beginning in Fall 2016, undergraduate students in the following faculties:

  • Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (including School of Human Nutrition)
  • Arts (including Schools of Information Studies, Religious Studies, and Social Work)
  • Education
  • Engineering (including Schools of Architecture and Urban Planning)
  • Law
  • Management
  • Science (including School of Computer Science)

who request a first time deferral, due to illness or another extenuating circumstance, will be granted the deferral without the need for supporting documentation (ex.: a medical note). Please note that travel plans scheduled during the final exam period are not a valid reason for requesting a deferral.

This is a one-year pilot project meant to support students who may have to defer a final exam due to medical or mental health reasons. Regular deferred application deadlines apply.

Note: Students registered in the following faculties, schools, and academic units: Continuing Studies, Dentistry, Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies, Medicine, Music, Nursing, and Physical & Occupational Therapy, are not participating in this pilot project. The existing guidelines for your home faculty or school are applicable for deferring an exam.

Applying for a Deferred Examination

You must apply for deferred examinations on Minerva if you are in one of the following faculties or schools:

  • Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (including School of Human Nutrition)
  • Arts (including Schools of Information Studies, Religious Studies, and Social Work)
  • Continuing Studies
  • Education
  • Engineering (including Schools of Architecture and Urban Planning)
  • Physical and Occupational Therapy
  • Science (including School of Computer Science)

If you do not belong to one of the above faculties, consult your faculty for application procedures.

The deferred examination application deadlines for the following faculties and schools are available on the Exams website:

  • Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (including School of Human Nutrition)
  • Arts (including Schools of Information Studies, Religious Studies, and Social Work)
  • Continuing Studies
  • Education
  • Management
  • Music
  • Nursing
  • Physical and Occupational Therapy
  • Science (including School of Computer Science)

If your request is approved, an L will appear in place of a grade in those courses. The grade you obtain on the deferred examination will replace the grade of L on your official transcript.

If you receive a grade of D, F, J, or U in a course after a deferred examination, no supplemental examinations will be available. You must either re-register in the same course the following term or in an approved course substitute.

For Summer term courses, check with your Student Affairs Office on the availability and restrictions of deferred examinations. For more information about application procedures and deadlines, see www.mcgill.ca/summer/finalexams.

Beginning in Fall 2017, deferred examinations for courses taken in the Fall term will be held during Study Break in the following Winter semester. Deferred examinations for courses taken in the Winter term will be written in August of that year.

If you have already written an examination, you cannot request for the exam to be deferred. You should consult your Student Affairs Office regarding the availability of supplemental examinations.

Note: Students should be aware that deferred exams are granted in situations when you have missed an examination due to extenuating circumstances. If you choose to write your final exam you are not eligible to apply for a deferred exam.
Note for the Faculties of Arts and Science (including B.A. & Sc.): Submit your supporting documents to Service Point (3415 McTavish Street). However, it is important that you also see a Faculty Adviser in Dawson Hall to talk about your options and the effects that your request may have on your studies. For more information, see www.mcgill.ca/students/advising.
Note for the Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences: The Faculty offers deferred exams for medical reasons and exceptional circumstances (to be approved by the Associate Dean (Student Affairs)) for the Fall and Winter periods. Verify dates on the Important Dates website at www.mcgill.ca/importantdates, apply on Minerva, and provide medical documentation to the Student Affairs Office.
Note for the Faculty of Engineering: You should refer to Deferred Examinations: Faculty of Engineering for more information on the Faculty of Engineering policies on deferred exams.
Note for the Faculty of Law: You should refer to www.mcgill.ca/law-studies/courses-registration-exams for more information on the Faculty of Law policies on deferred exams.
Note for the Schulich School of Music: A Music student who has not cleared a grade of L by mid-May is ineligible for scholarships.

If you are not granted deferred status, you will receive a grade of J in the course, which will count as a failure in the TGPA and CGPA. You may, however, be allowed to write a supplemental examination. Please note that there are no supplemental exams in Agricultural and Environmental Sciences or Management courses. For the Faculty of Engineering, supplemental exams are exceptionally offered for some Science, Humanities, and Social Sciences courses. For a list of these courses, see the Faculty of Engineering website (www.mcgill.ca/engineering).

Programs, Courses and University Regulations—2017-2018 (last updated Aug. 17, 2017) (disclaimer)

Deferred Examinations: Faculty of Engineering

Deferred Examinations: Faculty of Engineering

For more information, see www.mcgill.ca/engineering/students/current-students/undergraduate/courses-registration/exams-assessment/deferrals.

All requests to defer a final exam must be submitted online through Minerva, no later than one week (or five [5] working days) after the missed exam. You must submit complete supporting documentation to:

A detailed explanation in support of the application must be entered in the "reason(s) for deferral" section of the application on Minerva. Supporting documents must cover the date of the missed exam and must include the student's official name.

For requests due to medical reasons, a deferral is granted only if the nature of the illness is serious enough to justify absence from the examination. The nature of the illness must be clearly indicated on the medical certificate. You may be required to meet with an adviser.

If you miss your examination for reasons other than medical reasons, you must submit supporting documentation from the appropriate authority.

You will receive an email when there is a change in the status of your deferral; therefore you are to verify the status of your application on Minerva to determine whether any additional information has been requested by the Student Affairs Office, Engineering Student Centre.

You will receive an email notification once a decision has been made.

Rules and regulations:
  • Deferred exams for courses administered by the Faculty of Engineering are written during the final examination period the next time the course is offered, excluding the summer term. (Exception: deferred examinations for CHEM 234 will be offered during the supplemental/deferred examination period). The final examination schedule is available at www.mcgill.ca/students/exams.
  • The following courses are administered by the Faculty of Engineering: CHEM 233, COMP 208, EPSC 221, MATH 262, MATH 263, MATH 264, MATH 270, MATH 271, MATH 363, MATH 381, and PHYS 271. CHEM 234 is also administered by the Faculty of Engineering; however, deferred examinations for this course are offered during the supplemental/deferred examination period.
  • If taking the deferred exam will delay your graduation, you should include this in your detailed explanation to support your deferral application. The Student Affairs Office may grant an earlier deferral exam in such cases, and will notify you via your Ã山ǿ¼é email.
  • For each deferred examination that is approved, an L (deferred) grade will appear on your record, but will not appear on official transcripts after the final grade has been determined. The grade you will receive in the deferred examination will replace the grade that you would have received in the original final exam. An L grade will be replaced by a J if you miss the NEXT deferred or regular examination in the course, whichever happens first.
  • The format of the deferred examination will not necessarily be identical to the original final examination of the same course. You are responsible for contacting the professor if you have any questions.
  • If you have written your final examination, you may not request that the exam be deferred.
  • You are not permitted to redo any portion of the coursework such as assignments, projects, labs, midterms, quizzes, etc. (i.e., all grades previously obtained will be calculated with the final grade of the deferred examination to determine the final grade).
  • Once a deferred exam has been granted, you will be limited to no more than 18 credits or six final examinations per term, whichever is greater. This will give you sufficient time during the term and the examination period to properly prepare for your deferred examination(s).
  • The Faculty of Engineering does not grant extensions to deferred examinations. Students who are unable to write their deferred exam must contact the Ã山ǿ¼é Engineering Student Centre before the deferred exam application deadline.

Non-Engineering Courses

Non-Engineering Courses

Deferred examinations for courses administered by the following faculties and schools are offered during the supplemental/deferred examination period:
  • Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
  • Arts
  • Education
  • Management
  • Religious Studies
  • Science (courses administered by the Faculty of Science, including Year 0 math and science courses)
  • Social Work

The supplemental/deferred examination schedule is available at www.mcgill.ca/students/exams/dates/supdefer.

School of Continuing Studies Courses

School of Continuing Studies Courses

Deferred exams for courses administered by the School of Continuing Studies are offered during the next term's final examination period. The final examination schedule for School of Continuing Studies courses is available at www.mcgill.ca/continuingstudies/current-students/exams.

Summer Studies

Summer Studies

For courses offered in the Summer term, you must submit a detailed request for a deferral by email to examdeferral.engineering [at] mcgill.ca within one week or 5 working days following the missed exam.

You must also submit complete supporting documentation to the Engineering Student Centre (Frank Dawson Adams Building, Room 22), within one week or 5 working days following the missed exam.

For courses administered by the Faculty of Engineering, the deferred examination is written during the final examination period the next time the course is offered.

For non-Engineering courses, the deferred examination schedule is available at www.mcgill.ca/students/exams/dates/supdefer. See also Non-Engineering Courses above.

Programs, Courses and University Regulations—2017-2018 (last updated Aug. 17, 2017) (disclaimer)

Final Examinations: Reassessments and Rereads

Final Examinations: Reassessments and Rereads

In accordance with the Charter of Students' Rights, and subject to its stated conditions, you have the right to consult any written submission for which you have received a grade. You also have the right to discuss this submission with the examiner. If you want to have a formal final examination reread, you must apply in writing:

OR

You should check with that office regarding application deadlines for formal rereads.

Programs, Courses and University Regulations—2017-2018 (last updated Jan. 23, 2018) (disclaimer)

Reassessments and Rereads: Faculties of Arts and Science (including B.A. & Sc.)

Reassessments and Rereads: Faculties of Arts and Science (including B.A .& Sc.)

There are two recognized types of impartial reviews, i.e., reassessments or rereads:

  • reassessment of coursework (term papers, mid-terms, assignments, quizzes, etc.)
  • reread of a final exam

In both cases, rather than recorrect the work and then grade it as they would have done themselves, reviewers assess the appropriateness of the original grade based, for example, on the application of the grading key to the student's work. If a grade is deemed unfair, it is changed, whether the new grade is higher or lower than the original, i.e., the reviewer's grade takes precedence over the original grade.

Reassessment of Coursework

Reassessment of Coursework

These reassessments are administered and conducted solely by the units involved according to procedures specified by the units and made available to staff and students. Requests for such reassessments must be made within 10 working days after the graded material(s) has been made available for students to view. Reassessments should normally be completed within 20 working days of the request.

Rereads of Final Examinations

Rereads of Final Examinations

Deadlines to request final exam rereads:

  • March 31 for courses in the Fall term
  • September 30 for courses in the Winter and Summer terms

Exam reread fees apply; refer to the Student Accounts website for fee amounts and information.

For students pursuing a Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, or the Bachelor of Arts & Science:

  • Requests for a final exam reread must be made via the Service Point webform;
  • It is strongly recommended, but not required, that you consult with the instructor of the course before requesting a reread of a final exam.

Students from outside the Faculties of Arts or Science who are taking a course administered by the Faculty of Arts or Science must submit final exam reread requests directly to the Student Affairs Office of their Faculty for approval.

Reassessments and rereads in courses not in the Faculties of Arts and Science are subject to the deadlines, rules, and regulations of their relevant faculties.

Programs, Courses and University Regulations—2017-2018 (last updated Jan. 23, 2018) (disclaimer)

Reassessments and Rereads: Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences

Reassessments and Rereads: Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences

Two forms of formal re-evaluation of graded work are possible: reassessments of term work (midterm exams, quizzes, assignments, etc.) and rereads of final exams.

In both cases the first step is to discuss your grades with your instructor, for explanation and possible adjustment. If a satisfactory conclusion cannot be reached, a formal re-evaluation by a qualified and impartial evaluator can be requested.

For term work, you must apply for a reassessment in writing to the chair of the department that administers the course. An email request is sufficient. If in doubt about whom to contact, ask your Academic Adviser. The request for reassessment of term work must be made within 10 working days after the graded material has been made available to you.

For formal final examinations, you must apply for a reread in writing to the Associate Dean (Student Affairs). Application for rereads must be made by March 31 for Fall term courses and by September 30 for Winter term and Summer term courses. You will be assessed a fee for formal rereads; if your examination grade increases, the fee is waived.

You should be aware that, in either case:

  • grades may be raised, stay the same, or be lowered as the result of a re-evaluation;
  • the final course grade will be determined using the new grade, whether it is higher or lower;
  • re-evaluations in courses outside the Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences are subject to the deadlines, rules, and regulations of the relevant faculty.
Programs, Courses and University Regulations—2017-2018 (last updated Aug. 17, 2017) (disclaimer)

Reassessments and Rereads: Faculty of Law

Reassessments and Rereads: Faculty of Law

For information on the Faculty of Law's grade review regulations (rereads of failed examinations, rereads of failing assignments, and review of final evaluations) refer to: www.mcgill.ca/law-studies/courses-registration-exams.

Programs, Courses and University Regulations—2017-2018 (last updated Aug. 17, 2017) (disclaimer)

Rereads: Faculty of Engineering

Rereads: Faculty of Engineering

You can request a formal reread of a final examination once you have discussed it with your instructor. You must complete a Request for a Reread of a Final Exam form and submit it to the Student Affairs Office, Engineering Student Centre.

The following regulations apply:
  • You may request rereads for only one course per term, unless you obtain permission from the Student Affairs Office, Engineering Student Centre.
  • Grades may be either raised or lowered as the result of a reread.
  • A fee for each reread will be assessed directly to your Ã山ǿ¼é account if the result remains the same or is lowered. If the grade is raised, there is no charge. Consult the Student Accounts website for the fee at www.mcgill.ca/student-accounts/tuition-fees/non-tuition-charges/other.

Reread application deadlines:

  • Fall courses: last working day of March
  • Winter courses: last working day of July
  • Summer courses: last working day of November

Non-Engineering courses: Rereads in courses not in the Faculty of Engineering are subject to the deadlines, rules, and regulations of the relevant faculty.

Programs, Courses and University Regulations—2017-2018 (last updated Jan. 23, 2018) (disclaimer)

Supplemental Examinations

Supplemental Examinations

To write a supplemental examination for a course, you must submit a request on Minerva (www.mcgill.ca/minerva) by going to Student Menu > Student Records Menu > Supplemental Exam Application.

The following rules and conditions apply:
  • You must be in Satisfactory or Probationary Standing;
  • You must have received a final grade of D, F, J, or U in the course;
  • A non-refundable fee for each supplemental exam application is assessed at the time of application and charged directly to your Ã山ǿ¼é account; consult the Student Accounts website for the fee at www.mcgill.ca/student-accounts/tuition-fees/non-tuition-charges/other;
  • Only one supplemental examination is allowed in a course;
  • Supplemental examinations are available for most courses given in the Faculties of Arts, Science, Education, Religious Studies, and the School of Social Work;
  • Supplemental examinations are not available for courses administered by Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Engineering, Management, Music, or Nursing;
  • Special permission is required if you want to write supplemental exams totalling more than 8 credits;
  • The format of the supplemental examination (e.g., multiple-choice or essay questions) will not necessarily be the same as the final examination, so you should consult the instructor before you write the supplemental examination;
  • The supplemental result may or may not include the same proportion of class work as did the original grade; the instructor will announce the arrangements to be used for the course by the end of the Course Change Period;
  • The supplemental grade will not replace the grade originally obtained, which is used in calculating the GPA; both the original mark and the supplemental result will be calculated in the CGPA;
  • For courses in which both a supplemental examination and additional work are available, you may choose the additional work, or the examination, or both; where both are written, only one supplemental mark will be submitted, reflecting marks for both the supplemental examination and the additional work;
  • There are no supplemental examinations for Summer Studies courses;
  • Additional credit will not be given for a supplemental exam where the original grade for the course was a D and you already received credit for the course;
  • No supplemental examinations are available if you fail to achieve a satisfactory grade in a course where you have written a deferred examination;
  • Supplemental examinations in courses outside your faculty are subject to the deadlines, rules, and regulations of the relevant faculty.

You must frequently verify the status of your supplemental exam application on Minerva for any additional information required by your Student Affairs Office or Service Point. Once your application has been approved, you will receive a confirmation email at your Ã山ǿ¼é email address.

If you register for a supplemental examination but find yourself unprepared for it, you should not write the exam; except for the loss of the application fee, there is no penalty for missing a supplemental examination. You should consult your Student Affairs Office for further information. It is important that you also see a Faculty Adviser to talk about your options and the effects that your request may have on your studies. For more information, see www.mcgill.ca/students/advising.

You must verify the date and time of the supplemental examination, and make yourself available to write the exam. Beginning with the Fall 2017 term, supplemental examinations for courses taken in the Fall term will be written during Study Break the following Winter semester. Supplemental examinations for courses taken in the Winter term will be written in August of that year. Dates can be found at www.mcgill.ca/students/exams/dates.

Note for Continuing Studies: Availability of supplemental exams and the conditions under which you will be permitted to take them are different in each academic area.
Note for the Faculties of Arts and Science (including B.A. & Sc.): It is important that you also see a Faculty Adviser in Dawson Hall to talk about your options and the effects that your request may have on your studies. For more information, see www.mcgill.ca/students/advising.
Note for the Faculty of Engineering: Supplemental examinations are available for the following courses: CHEM 110, CHEM 120, CHEM 212, CHEM 234, COMP 202, MATH 133, MATH 140, MATH 141, PHYS 131, PHYS 142, and other courses administered by the Faculty of Science as well as courses administered by the Faculty of Arts (ex. some Complementary Studies courses from Group A Impact of Technology on Society and from Group B Humanities and Social Sciences, Management Studies and Law).

Supplemental examinations are not available for the following Engineering courses: CHEM 233, COMP 208, EPSC 221, MATH 262, MATH 263, MATH 264, MATH 270, MATH 271, MATH 363, MATH 381, and PHYS 271. These courses are offered by the Faculty of Science, but administered by the Faculty of Engineering. If you are not sure which courses offer supplemental examinations, please contact the Engineering Student Centre.

Note for the Faculty of Law: Regular supplemental examinations are available to a student who has failed a course, but who is not required to withdraw from the Faculty. Regular supplemental examinations may be written in up to two courses that do not exceed a total of seven credits together, or in any one course even if it exceeds seven credits. Supplemental examinations are written at the Law Faculty in the month of August. For more information, see Supplemental Examinations at www.mcgill.ca/law-studies/courses-registration-exams/exams.
Programs, Courses and University Regulations—2017-2018 (last updated Aug. 17, 2017) (disclaimer)

Additional Work: Faculty of Science (including B.A. & Sc.)

Additional Work: Faculty of Science (including B.A. & Sc.)

Instructors of courses that include graded, written term work may choose to provide the option of additional work to eligible students. The following conditions apply:

  • if there is an option for additional work, it must be announced in the course outline at the beginning of the course;
  • additional work involves revising one or more previously submitted papers or submitting new written work to replace the original work;
  • you must be in Satisfactory or Probationary Standing;
  • you must have received a final grade of D, J, F, or U in the course;
  • the weight of the additional work will be equal to the weight given to the work that was revised or replaced when the original grade was submitted;
  • the grade resulting from the revised or additional work will be recorded as a supplemental grade;
  • the supplemental result will not replace the grade originally obtained, which is used in calculating the GPA; both the original grade and the supplemental grade will count in calculating the CGPA;
  • in courses in which both a supplemental examination and additional work are available, you may choose the additional work or the examination or both; where both are written, only one supplemental grade will be submitted, reflecting grades for both the supplemental examination and the additional work;
  • additional work in courses outside the Faculty of Science (including B.A. & Sc.) is subject to the deadlines, rules, and regulations of the relevant faculty.
Note for the Faculty of Science (including B.A. & Sc.): Requests are made at Service Point (3415 McTavish). However, it is important that you also see a Faculty adviser in Dawson Hall to talk about your options and the effects that your request may have on your studies. For more information, see www.mcgill.ca/students/advising.
Programs, Courses and University Regulations—2017-2018 (last updated Aug. 17, 2017) (disclaimer)
Programs, Courses and University Regulations—2017-2018 (last updated Jan. 23, 2018) (disclaimer)
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