If you start an exam and you suddenly become too ill or are impacted by extraordinary circumstances that cause you to abandon the exam, you may submit an exam rewrite petition.
Please note, it is rare for an exam rewrite petition to be granted. You are expected to complete a final exam if you have started it, or to defer the exam if you are feeling unwell before the exam. Petitions to rewrite completed exams will not be granted.
If your exam rewrite petition is granted, a standing deferred (SDF) notation will be applied to that course on your ACORN academic record and the mark obtained from the rewritten exam, whether higher or lower, will be considered your final mark. If you have been scheduled for an exam rewrite and you do not write the exam, you will receive a final mark of zero.
In-Person Exams
If you are feeling ill before an in-person final exam, you should not go to the exam and instead, submit a deferred exam petition. If you begin the exam and suddenly experience an acute illness that prevents you from completing the exam, you can request another opportunity to write your final exam.
At the exam, you are expected to immediately notify the Chief Presiding Officer (CPO) of your illness, sign the appropriate form and leave the exam room. If you do not notify the CPO and sign the form, your exam will be considered complete. After leaving the exam, see a licensed medical practitioner that day. If you have an evening exam, you are expected to see a licensed medical practitioner as soon as possible but no later than 24 hours after the end of the exam.
Online Exams
If you experience extenuating circumstances out of your control during an online final exam, you may submit a petition to rewrite your exam.
While these situations are rare, below are the more common extenuating circumstances that may occur during online final exams and the steps you should take.
- Computer/Technical Issues: If your computer stops working during your exam, remember to stay calm and contact the Information Commons help desk as soon as possible at 416-978-HELP (4357) or help.desk@utoronto.ca for technical support. Ensure you take screenshots or photos of your issue that include metadata, with the date and time. You should notify your instructor immediately. If writing on Quercus, your responses are automatically saved as you progress through the exam. You should write down what happened so you can recall the information later. If you have lost internet access, attempt to use another device (e.g., cellphone) to send your email and take a screenshot or photo of the email that includes the date and time.
- Major disruption: Should you encounter a major disruption, such as a fire alarm, during an online final exam that prevents you from completing your exam, you must submit any work completed (e.g., save and log out of exam) and email your instructor as soon as it is safe to do so. Depending on the major disruption, supporting documentation may differ. Do your best to document the incident as much as you are able by writing down what happened, taking photos and obtaining a third-party letter that corroborates the incident (e.g., building supervisor, law enforcement).
- Illness: If you are feeling ill before an online final exam, you should not start the exam and instead, complete a deferred exam petition. If you begin the exam and suddenly become too ill to write the exam and you must abandon the exam, you must submit any work completed (e.g., save and log out of exam) and email your instructor. After you leave the online exam, see a licensed medical practitioner that day. If you have an evening exam, you are expected to see a licensed medical practitioner as soon as possible but no later than 24 hours after the end of the exam
Deadline to Submit an Exam Rewrite Petition
The deadline to submit an exam rewrite petition is three business days after the final exam.
If you submit your petition late, it will be denied unless your personal statement includes compelling reasons for the delay. Documentation supporting the reason(s) you provide must be included in your petition. If it is determined that your reason for submitting the petition late does not justify the delay or that the reason provided is not sufficiently supported by documentation, then your petition will not be granted.
Personal Statement for an Exam Rewrite Petition
In addition to the recommendations listed in Preparing a Petition, your personal statement should explain what circumstances prevented you from completing the final exam. The following information should be addressed in your personal statement:
- Explain what happened during your final exam.
- Did you seek support for your circumstances at the time or immediately after you left the exam? If you did not seek out support, explain why.
- If you did not connect with a CPO (for in-person exams) or instructor (for online exams), explain why.
- If you were aware of your circumstances prior to starting the exam, explain why you chose to attempt the exam instead of submitting a deferred exam petition.
- If you wrote any other exams on or around the same time as this exam, explain why you were able to do so.
Supporting Documentation for an Exam Rewrite Petition
You must provide supporting documentation related to your personal statement within three business days after the date of the exam.
If you abandoned your final exam due to illness or injury, your supporting documentation should include the U of T Verification of Student Illness or Injury (VOI) form dated for the day of your exam. This form should be completed by a medical practitioner listed on the form. If you cannot meet with a medical practitioner on the day of the exam, you will need to explain in your personal statement.
If you abandoned your online final exam due to any other reason, your supporting documentation should include any documentation corroborating that the incident took place. Such documentation may include, but is not limited to:
- Screenshots and/or photos with metadata (including the date and time) of the issue(s) you encountered
- A copy of any correspondence with your instructor or anyone else you contacted for support in response to the circumstances
- A letter from a third party who witnessed the incident or can confirm the incident occurred, such as a building supervisor or law enforcement officer
Exam Rewrite Fees & Schedule
If you are approved to rewrite an exam, you will be scheduled to write the exam during a future “Regular” or “Special” exam period. You cannot choose whether you are granted a Special or Regular rewrite exam.
- A Regular Rewrite exam takes place during a final exam period. If you are writing a regular rewrite exam, you are encouraged to audit that course during the session when you will be writing the exam to prepare for it.
- A Special Rewrite exam is scheduled outside of a final exam period. If you are writing a special rewrite exam, it is based on the course that you originally took, so study the course materials from your original course to prepare for it.
You must pay a fee by the published deadline to receive your exam rewrite schedule and be permitted to rewrite the exam.
If you have any questions, please contact your College Registrar’s Office.