Exams

Exam Hardship

There are instances where students are faced with examination hardship, defined as:

·         Three or more end-of-term examinations scheduled within a 24 hour period 

·         An examination at one location (e.g., Burnaby campus) followed immediately by an exam at another location (e.g., Surrey campus)

For three or more exams, a student shall be given a new exam date (within the established exam period) for the second exam causing hardship by the respective instructor or department/faculty. For students with exams at more than one location, advance arrangements will be made by the instructor or department/faculty to write both exams at a single location. Students must notify the instructor(s) and department one month prior to the exam date.

Final Exams

If your course has a final exam, it will be scheduled during the final exam period (see Important Dates and Deadlines).  Exam dates are set by Student Services, not by FHS staff. The day and time of your final exam will likely be different from that of your lecture. However, evening courses will typically have an evening final exam, and daytime courses will typically have a daytime final exam. Weekend days are included in the exam period. 

Note: Final exams must be given during the official final exam period, not during the regular semester. See the SFU examination policy here. 

How to locate details of your final exam:
1. Go to go.sfu.ca
2. Select ‘Class Search / Browse Catalog’ link
3. Select term, click ‘Go’
4. Select ‘Health Sciences’, type in course number
5. Deselect ‘Show open classes only’, click ‘Go’
6. Exam information is shown on the line under the lecture section (e.g. D100, E100), indicated by ‘Exam’

Missed Exams

Midterm exams: There is currently no university policy covering missed midterm exams.  Instructors may use their discretion whether to allow a student to write a deferred exam, to provide an alternative method to make up the percentage of the grade given to the midterm exam (a project, verbal exam, etc.), or to change the grading structure to add the weight normally assigned to the midterm exam to another part of the grading structure (by adding it to the final exam, for example).  Be consistent in applying your exam make-up policies.  

Final exams: The SFU Calendar addresses the subject of missed final exams. Students are aware of final exam dates at the time they register for courses, and are instructed to be available throughout the entire final exam period, and not to make travel plans, etc. during that time period. The normal rule is that students requesting deferral of a final exam due to illness or compassionate reasons should obtain a physician’s certificate or other supporting documents.  Such documents must be filed with the department chair or registrar within four days of the date on which the exam was to be written. The appropriate form is available here – see ‘Appeals / Health Care Provider statement, general (non-withdrawal)’ 

Retaining Exams and Assignments

Per the SFU retention schedule, undergraduate examination papers and course assignments must be kept for the current semester plus one year.

Instructors who have permanent SFU office space should keep these records locked in their office.  Sessional instructors and any other instructors who do not have permanent SFU office space may bring the documents to the undergraduate program assistant in BLU 10701 for secure storage.