What to Expect

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Exam Sign-Up

Sign-up at least 14 days before your exam (applies to all timed assessments)

What To Expect

For a smooth exam-writing experience, familiarize yourself in advance with the Student Accessibility and Achievement exam environment and expectations.

Before Your Exam

Depending on your exam location (our Exam Center, an office, or classroom), you'll be asked to leave your belongings either outside the room, or at the front of the room. This includes coats, electronic devices (e.g. phones, smart watches), hats, bags, pencil cases, food, etc.

When will I write my exam?

Our Exam Center hosts exams between 8:30 am - 7:30 pm. Typically, you'll write your exam starting at the same time as your class. We may adjust your start time for your exam to fit within our operating hours. Your start time will be emailed to you 1 business day before your exam.

Where will I write my exam?

The location of your exam will be emailed to you 1 business day before the exam date. Typically, exams are in our Exam Center (downtown campus), or in Student Services (Macdonald Campus, Centennial Centre). Especially during final exams, we also use various classrooms, offices, and buildings on campus, including (but not limited to):

Student Accessibility and Achievement
McConnell Engineering
McDonald Engineering
Arts Multimedia Language Facilities (McClennan Library Building, Room MS10)
Leacock
Brown Student Services
Centennial Centre

Use the campus map to find your exam location.

During Your Exam

► Exam Environment

Exam rooms are quiet spaces, with as few distractions as possible. Please enter and exit your exam room quietly. You will be asked to show your McGill ID card and sign in. You'll have an assigned seat.

If you're writing a computer-based exam in our Computer Lab, make sure to save your exam regularly on the desktop. When you're done, our staff will save it to a Student Accessibility and Achievement USB key and print it.

► Permitted Items

Pens, pencils, rulers, water (in unlabelled bottles), ear plugs, and stress balls or fidget toys. A calculator, dictionary, or scrap paper is only permitted if your instructor has indicated this in the exam instructions provided to our office.

► Not permitted Items

Pencil cases, coats, scarves, bags, electronic devices (phone, smart watch, etc.), electronic headphones.

► Questions During an Exam

Notify an invigilator by raising your hand. A staff member will then contact your instructor and you'll be able to ask your questions. If we can't reach your instructor, you can write your question on the front page of your exam paper and follow up with your instructor after the exam has finished.

► Washroom Breaks

Students are of course entitled to washroom breaks! This counts towards your exam time. You cannot bring exam materials with you, use electronic devices, make phone calls, talk, leave the building, or consult any course materials.

After Your Exam

► Sequestering

Sequestering means you cannot leave an exam until 1 hour past the start time of the exam, as posted on the exam schedule. This ensures exam security. For example, if your class is writing an exam at 6:30pm, but you start earlier at the Student Accessibility and Achievement Exam Centre, you still cannot leave until 7:30pm.

You do not have access to personal electronic devices while being sequestered (e.g. cell phone, iPad, smart watch, etc.). Snacks and physical reading materials are permitted. Students remain supervised until the sequester period is over.