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Final Examinations
Final examinations in regularly scheduled courses are held during the final examination period at the end of the term. The format of the final exams can be either online or in person, depending on the situation. The dates of the final examination periods are listed at mcgill.ca/exams.
In some courses there is no final examination; your final grade in these courses is determined by different forms of assessment(s) indicated in the course outline. During the first week of class, students will be provided with a course outline, which along with other details, will include the types of assessment to be used in the course and the weight accorded to each assessment.
Final Examinations: University Regulations Concerning Final Examinations
Final Examinations: University Regulations Concerning Final Examinations
Regulations
Regulations
- 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.
- 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 grade.
- If the written examinations in a course constitute 50% or more of the final grade, 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. Final examinations can be administered as either in person or online assessments.
- A final examination given during the examination period shall be worth at least 25% of the final grade.
- Students shall be informed of all course requirements by the end of the course add/drop 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.
- The due date for term work in courses to which these regulations apply shall be no later than the last day of classes.
- 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.
- 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 and Health Sciences, Dental Medicine and Oral Health Sciences, and Education that do not follow the normal University Timetable.
- Individual faculties may propose variations in these regulations to the Academic Policy and Planning Committee to meet their special needs.
- 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.
It is the responsibility of the student to confirm the date, time, format for online or location of an in person examination by checking examination schedules posted on mcgill.ca/exams. No student will be allowed to enter an in person examination later than one hour after it has started.
Final Examinations: Deferred Examinations
Final Examinations: Deferred Examinations
Step 1: Understanding your options and the consequences
- Exams during the regular period are scheduled shortly after the end of the course. Deferred exams are held much later after the end of a term, meaning course material will not be as fresh.
- Applying for a deferred exam does not guarantee approval. Deferred exam requests are not automatically granted, even with supporting documentation. Consult the "Eligibility" section for more information.
- Deferrals are meant to help students who are severely ill or dealing with unforeseeable, significant extenuating circumstances. Requests due to minor illnesses (cold), minor personal matters, or scheduling conflicts (travel plans) will not be approved.
- Do not use deferral requests to manage your exam schedule or to reduce your exam load. If you request to defer one exam due to illness, then write another exam the same day or the next, your request will likely be refused. It is your responsibility to plan how you will meet the academic requirements of your program.
- Deferred exam requests will not be approved if you attend your exam and partway through decide that you were not well enough to perform at full capacity.
- In cases of incidental illness (e.g., a cold, cramps, nausea, etc.) that affected your study time leading up to the exam, but where you recovered on the day of your exam, you are expected to write your exam, and a deferral will not be granted.
- If you have requested a deferred exam in the past, any future requests will be reviewed more stringently, and requests with similar reasons or circumstances as previous requests will not likely be approved.
- If you have made requests due to disability or chronic illness in the past, it is your responsibility to take measures to manage your condition and your course schedule to avoid relying on deferred exams in subsequent exam periods. Please refer to resources available (listed in final bullet for Step 1) and consult with your academic advisor to assist you in this process.
- You cannot defer a deferred exam. If you fall ill right before your deferred exam, you will not have the option to defer it again.
- You will have to provide supporting documentation for your request if this is not your first deferral.
- A deferred exam may have an impact on future plans, such as exchanges, studying abroad, internships, etc.
- Deferring an exam merely pushes it to the future, to a time when you may have a full course load of other exams to prepare for. You are strongly advised not to defer more than two exams in an exam period, as this could make for an unmanageable deferred exam period and workload for the following semester.
- The course with a deferred final exam will show a grade of "L" on your transcript until the deferred exam is written and graded. Both the grade of "L" and your final grade will display on your advising/unofficial transcript.
- McGill offers many resources to help you avoid having to defer, including McGill Tutoring Services, McGill Counselling Workshops, faculty-specific resources, and other academic resources. If you have a disability or a chronic illness, register with the Student Accessibility & Achievement to help you manage your accommodation needs
- Your academic advisor can help point you toward valuable resources and support services, as well as outline how a deferral might affect your career and timeline.
Step 2: Find out if you are eligible for a deferred exam
The following are the eligibility requirements for a deferred exam:
- Requests are submitted according to your Faculty Guidelines (see "Submitting a request").
- You must cite a valid reason for requesting a deferred exam, even if this is your first-time request. Valid reasons are:
- If this is not your first deferred exam request, you must also provide supporting documentation (such as a medical note) which confirms your inability to write the exam on the original date. Documents should be submitted as soon as you submit your deferral request in Minerva. Incomplete requests will be cancelled, and late documents will not be accepted. See "Submitting a request" for details on accepted supporting documents and how and when to submit supporting documents.
- First-time requests: Students in eligible faculties (listed below) who request a first-time exam deferral due to illness or other serious extenuating circumstance may be granted the deferral without the need for supporting documentation (such as a medical note). Students requesting a first-time deferral are nonetheless required to have a valid reason, and all other requirements and deadlines for submitting a request for a deferred exam will apply.
- For ineligible faculties/schools, the guidelines for your home faculty or school are applicable.
Step 3: Submit your request
- Read Step 1: Options and consequences, and Step 2: Eligibility.
- Check the deadlines for submitting a request applicable to you. Visit My Exams to view deferred exams application deadlines.
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Submit your request. You must do this by the posted deadline in your faculty guidelines.
Faculty How/Where do I submit an exam deferral request? Where do I submit supporting documents (e.g., medical note)? Where can I seek academic advising? Agriculture and Environmental Sciences Minerva (Student Menu>Student Records Menu>Deferred Exam Application) Student Affairs at Macdonald Campus Student Affairs at Macdonald Campus Arts (including Information Studies and Social Work) Minerva (Student Menu>Student Records Menu>Deferred Exam Application) Current Student Contact Form OASIS at Dawson Hall Continuing Studies Minerva (Student Menu>Student Records Menu>Deferred Exam Application) In person at School of Continuing Studies or joey.settino [at] mcgill.ca (by email) Continuing Studies Front Desk (688 Sherbrooke W., 11th floor) Dentistry Minerva (Student Menu>Student Records Menu>Deferred Exam Application) Associate Dean of Student Affairs within Dentistry Student Affairs within Dentistry - or norman.miller [at] mcgill.ca (Norman Miller) Education Minerva (Student Menu>Student Records Menu>Deferred Exam Application) In person at Student Affairs (3700 McTavish, room 243) or sao.education [at] mcgill.ca (by email) Student Affairs at Education (3700 McTavish, room 243) Engineering (including Architecture and Urban Planning) Minerva (Student Menu>Student Records Menu>Deferred Exam Application) In person at Frank Dawson Adams Building (3450 University, Room 22) Student Affairs at Frank Dawson Adams Building (3450 University, Room 22) Graduate Studies Consult with the Graduate program department - your Graduate Program Coordinator must submit a Deferred Exam Request on your behalf Consult with your Graduate department Departmental Supervisor Law Minerva (Student Menu>Student Records Menu>Deferred Exam Application) In person at Law Student Affairs (3644 Peel, room 433) In person at Law Student Affairs (3644 Peel, room 433) Management Minerva (Student Menu>Student Records Menu>Deferred Exam Application) Student Affairs at Desaultels Faculty of Management Student Affairs at Desaultels Faculty of Management Medicine and Health Sciences Minerva (Student Menu>Student Records Menu>Deferred Exam Application) Office of Medical Learner Affairs (3708 Peel Street) Office for Medical Learner Affairs (3708 Peel Street) Music Minerva (Student Menu>Student Records Menu>Deferred Exam Application) Student Affairs at Music - Elizabeth Wirth Music Building (527 Sherbrooke St W., 7th floor) Student Affairs at Music - Elizabeth Wirth Music Building (527 Sherbrooke St W., 7th floor) Nursing Minerva (Student Menu>Student Records Menu>Deferred Exam Application) Student Affairs (680 Sherbrooke Ouest, 19th floor, room 1944) Student Affairs (680 Sherbrooke Ouest, 19th floor, room 1944) Physical and Occupational Therapy Minerva (Student Menu>Student Records Menu>Deferred Exam Application) In person at Student Affairs (3630 Sir William Osler) In person at Student Affairs (3630 Sir William Osler) Religious Studies Minerva (Student Menu>Student Records Menu>Deferred Exam Application) In person at Service Point or servicepoint [at] mcgill.ca (by email) (BA in Religious Studies) Religious studies (Birks Building, 3520 University) Science (including B.A. and Sc.) Minerva (Student Menu>Student Records Menu>Deferred Exam Application) Current student Contact Form SOUSA at Dawson Hall Summer Studies - Special Students Minerva (Student Menu>Student Records Menu>Deferred Exam Application) In person at Service Point or servicepoint [at] mcgill.ca (by email) N/A -
Submit supporting documents.
What do you need to provide?
Supporting documents must substantiate your claim of incapacity or inability to attend your exam(s) on the given date(s).
Medical notes must be from a health practitioner who has observed and diagnosed your condition directly and in-person (telephone or remote diagnoses are not permitted). The following is a list of registered and licensed health practitioners deemed acceptable:
- A Dental Surgeon or Dentist
- A Psychologist, Psychotherapist, or Social Worker
- A Physician, Psychiatrist, or Surgeon
- A Nurse or Nurse Practitioner
- A health professional from any of the McGill health services (i.e., Student Wellness Hub)
All supporting documents must be clear, complete, and include the following:
- Your full name, and where applicable McGill ID#
- Information about your health practitioner:
- Information about your circumstances:
When do you need to provide it?
Supporting documents must be sent as soon as you have submitted your Minerva request. Note that incomplete requests will be cancelled.
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Arts and Science students:
- Submit PDF copies of your documents to Service Point by completing the Current student Contact form mcgill.ca/servicepoint/current-student-contact-form and selecting the option "Final Exams".
- Students from all other Faculties must submit documents directly to their Faculty Student Affairs Office.
Step 4: Understanding your decision (approved or refused)
If your deferred exam request is approved
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It is your responsibility to verify the Deferred Exam schedule for the exact date, time, and location of your exam. The schedule will be posted at mcgill.ca/exams approximately two weeks prior to your deferred exam period.
- Exams deferred from the December exam period (i.e., from the Fall term) are scheduled in the Winter term Reading Break.
- Exams deferred from the April exam period (i.e., from the Winter term) are scheduled in the 3rd week of August.
- You are expected to be available during a deferred exam period to write your exam.
- You can only defer your final exam once. If you request a late course withdrawal (late-W) from a course with an approved exam deferral and the reasons for the late-W are similar to those for your deferred exam request, then your request will not be granted.
- If you requested a deferred exam and then ended up writing the original final exam, you will no longer be eligible to write the deferred exam, even if your request was approved. It is your responsibility to inform your Student Affairs office (or Service Point, for Arts and Science students) that you wrote the final exam at the originally scheduled time. Failure to meet this obligation may place you in violation of the Code of Student Conduct and may involve disciplinary measures.
- Take measures to avoid similar issues arising in your next exam period. If you have a chronic condition or disability, register with the Student Accessibility & Achievement. If you are experiencing anxiety or other mental health issues, see a counsellor or therapist and talk to your faculty advisor regarding ways you can better manage your course load. McGill offers many resources to help you avoid having to defer, including McGill Tutoring Services, McGill Wellness and Life Skills Workshops, Counselling resources through the Student Wellness Hub, and other academic resources.
If your deferred exam request is refused
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The refusal could be for any number of reasons, including but not limited to:
- You did not provide a valid reason for your request;
- Your medical documentation was non-specific, inadequate, or missing;
- You have made previous requests for similar or the same reasons and there is no evidence that you have taken measures to address the challenges you are facing during exam periods.
- You must write the final exam at its originally scheduled date and time. If you do not or did not write your final exam, you will receive a grade of J, which counts as a failure in your TGPA and CGPA. If you receive a J, a supplemental exam may be an option for you if you meet the eligibility requirements. See Supplemental Exams.
- If you are an Arts or Science student, you may make a written request to have the decision reviewed; there must be new information or documentation relevant to your initial request that you did not originally submit.
If you believe that your situation warrants a decision review, submit your written request no later than 5 business days after the refusal of your initial request.
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How to submit a request:
- Write a concise (max 500 words) statement explaining why you are requesting a decision review, and what new and relevant information you are sharing to support your request.
- Email your statement - including PDF-formatted supporting documents - to servicepoint [at] mcgill.ca from your McGill email account, ensuring that the subject line reads "Decision Review: Deferred Exam".
- Decisions are reviewed by a committee consisting of the following individuals: Director, Service Point; Registrar and Executive Director of Enrolment Services; and either the Associate Dean (Arts OASIS) or the Director of Advising (Science SOUSA), depending on your Faculty.
- Decisions made by this committee are final.
Deferred Examinations: Faculty of Engineering
Deferred Examinations: Faculty of Engineering
For information regarding deferred examinations in the Faculty of Engineering, please see mcgill.ca/engineering/students/undergraduate/courses-registration/exams-assessment/deferred-exams.
Final Examinations: Reassessments and Rereads
Final Examinations: Reassessments and Rereads
In accordance with the Charter of Students' Rights, and subject to its stated conditions, students have the right to consult any written submission for which a grade has been received and the right to discuss the submission with the examiner. If a formal final examination reread is sought, an application must be submitted in writing. A reread fee is applicable, which is charged to the student's fee account and reimbursed only if the reread results in an increase in the final grade.
- Students in undergraduate faculties, except in the Faculty of Arts or the Faculty of Science, must contact their Student Affairs Office to determine the process to request a formal reread; see Contact Information for Faculty & School Student Affairs Offices;
OR
- Students in the Faculty of Arts or the Faculty of Science must submit a Final Exam Reread Request.
Students must consult their faculty Student Affairs Office or their faculty/school website for the most up-to-date information on exam rereads in their specific faculty/school.
The deadlines to submit a formal reread for undergraduate courses are:
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: reassessments and rereads:
- reassessment of coursework completed during the term (term papers, mid-terms, assignments, quizzes, etc.)
- reread of a final exam
In both cases, rather than correct and grade the work again, 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:
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 Bachelor of Arts & Science:
- Requests for a final exam reread must be made via Service Point;
- 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 outsside the Faculties of Arts or Science taking a course administered by them 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.
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 Advisor. 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 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.
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: mcgill.ca/law-studies/courses.
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 Reassessment of a Grade and Reread webform and submit it to the Student Affairs Office, Engineering Student Centre.
Reread application deadlines:
- Fall courses: last working day of March
- Winter courses: last working day of July
- Summer courses: last working day of September
Non-Engineering courses: Rereads in courses not in the Faculty of Engineering are subject to the deadlines, rules, and regulations of the relevant faculty.
Supplemental Examinations
Supplemental Examinations
If you are in satisfactory or probationary standing and received a grade of D, F, J, or U, you may be eligible to write a supplemental exam, which will count for a substantial percentage of your final grade. Your initial grade will still appear on your transcript, and both will be calculated into your CGPA.
To apply for a supplemental examination for a course, you must submit a request on Minerva (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 McGill account; consult the Student Accounts website for the fee at 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 or Music;
- 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 add/drop Period;
- The supplemental grade will not replace the grade originally obtained, which is used in calculating the GPA; both the original grade 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 grade will be submitted, reflecting grades 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 McGill email address.
If you register for a supplemental examination but find yourself unprepared for it, you should not take 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 advisor to talk about your options and the effects that your request may have on your studies. For more information, see mcgill.ca/students/advising.
You must verify the date and time of the supplemental examination and make yourself available to write the exam. Supplemental examinations for courses taken in the Fall term will be written during Reading Break the following Winter term. Supplemental examinations for courses taken in the Winter term will be written in August of that year. Dates can be found at mcgill.ca/exams/dates.
Supplemental examinations are not available for the following Engineering courses: CHEM 233, EPSC 221, MATH 262, MATH 263, MATH 264, MATH 271, MATH 363, and PHYS 271. These courses are offered by the Faculty of Science, but they are administered by the Faculty of Engineering. If you are not sure which courses offer supplemental examinations, please contact the Engineering Student Centre.
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.
