Permitted Calculators

The ONLY calculators allowed during final examinations of the Faculty of Science are:

• Texas Instruments TI-30, TI-34,
• Casio fx-260, fx-300.

Absence from exams

Justification of absence from an examination (mid-term, final or deferred) or from a test, or of late submission of assignments

If you are absent from any mid-term, examination or test, or late submission of assignments due to illness, psychological problems or exceptional personal circumstances, you must complete the Absence Declaration Form. You do not need a supporting document for the first absence in a course, whether for medical reasons or exceptional circumstances. Please contact the professor of your course directly for the next steps.

If you are requesting an absence for a final exam in a Science undergraduate course, the Undergraduate Office will contact you to follow up on your request for a deferral.

Students who write an examination during the period of disability specified on the medical certificate cannot later plead illness to appeal their examination results.

Students are expected to assess their health situation and ability to write an examination before taking the exam. Students who do not write a final examination because of illness or other circumstances beyond their control may apply for a deferred examination.
Please refer to Academic Regulation A-8.6 - Justification of Absence from an Examination or of Late Submission of Assignments for more information on deferring an examination.

Students are expected to complete a final examination once begun. If the student experiences a significant deterioration of health while the examination is in progress and needs to stop writing the exam, they must notify the proctor and arrangements for the evaluation will be made by the faculty offering the course. 

A significant deterioration of health during an examination is a situation whereby the student requires immediate and/or emergency medical attention. In such circumstances, a student will be required to provide appropriate documentation to confirm that the medical situation caused significant, acute symptoms during the examination that prohibited the student from completing the examination. The student must then fill out the deferred examination form within five (5) business days of the examination with appropriate supporting documentation.

Minor illnesses and ongoing chronic illnesses under medical management will normally not be considered valid grounds for granting a deferred final examination.

All exams are on local Ottawa time (GMT-5).

This information can be modified or updated without warning up to 48 hours before the exam. It is your responsibility to check this web page regularly.

If you are already registered with Academic Accommodations and wish to write your exams (final or deferred) with them, you must submit a request by email to the Exam Centre.

Information for deferring a final exam

The Faculty of Science’s Undergraduate Office approves and manages deferred final exams of students for all undergraduate science courses: BIO, BIM, BCH, BPS, CHM, EVS, GEO, MAT, PHY and SCI.

To defer any evaluations that take place during the term (midterms, tests, quizzes…), students must complete the Absence Declaration Form.

Procedure to defer a final exam in a science course

To defer a final exam in a science course, you must complete the Absence Declaration Form. You do not need a supporting document the first absence in a course, whether for medical reason or exceptional circumstances. The Undergraduate Studies Office will contact you to follow up on your request for a deferral of a final exam.

All deferred final exams for science courses will either take place during the deferred exam period indicated in the university calendar’s Important dates and deadlines or during the next regular exam period in which the course is offered, whichever comes first.

For students who are graduating in June, if you want to defer one of your exams, please note that the deferred exam period will take place in July and you will no longer be eligible to graduate in June and you will be able to have you degree conferred in the Fall.

Reasons for deferring a final exam

In general, we will only accept to defer an exam for the following reasons:

Exam conflicts

• Two final exams on the same date and at the same time
• Three final exams within four consecutive blocks
  • Blocks during final exam periods (9:30 am, 2:00 pm, 7:00 pm)
  • Blocks during deferred exam periods (9:00 am, 1:00 pm, 7:00 pm)
• Take-home exams and final projects are not considered within the exam conflicts listed above.

Please notify your faculty at least seven business days prior to the first exam in conflict. The faculty will look at the situation and will determine which exam can be deferred.

Travel, employment and misreading the examination schedule are not acceptable reasons for deferring an exam.

Absences Requiring Justification

Medical reasons

If you miss a final exam due to illness, please refer to Academic Regulation 8.6which governs medical certificates. The key points are the following:

• If you fall ill on the day of the exam, it is essential that you notify the faculty and submit a medical certificate bearing the date of the absence within five (5) working days of the examination date, except if extenuating circumstances prevent them from doing so; these circumstances must be documented.
• Medical certificates retroactively covering the date of the final exam or medical certificates presenting an inconclusive diagnosis will not be accepted.
• If you choose to write a final exam despite having a medical certificate, you cannot claim illness to request a deferred exam or a revised mark.

Death of a member of immediate family

• Justified by a death certificate or an obituary notice

Students who write an examination

Students who write an examination may not appeal their final grades due to one of the reasons mentioned above. Students who write an examination during the period of disability specified on the medical certificate cannot later plead illness to appeal their examination results and/or request a deferred exam.