- Alternate Test/Exam Scheduling
- Request an Alternate Exam
- Reschedule Your Exam
- Cancel My Request
- Policies and Procedures
- Frequently Asked Questions
Alternate Test/Exam Scheduling is open to accommodate students to write tests and exams for classes that are being held fully in-person.
Courses that are delivered remotely or a blend of in-person and remote with testing being delivered through an online format will be accommodated by your course instructors. Please request your Letter of Accommodations as soon as possible to ensure your instructor has the necessary information to make all adjustments in the online format.
Deadlines for submissions of requests for the Winter 2025 academic session.
There is a 3-week deadline for submitting accommodation requests to write in-person tests and exams in the Alternate Exam Centre.
For example:
| Term | Date of Test | Last Day to Submit Request |
|---|---|---|
| Winter (Term W) & Year (Term Y) | Monday, January 6, 2025 – Friday, April 4, 2025. | 3 weeks before test/exam date |
| Winter (Term W) & Year (Term Y) | Any In-Class Exam held on or prior to April 4, 2025. (not held during the Official April Exam period) | 3 weeks before test/exam date |
| Winter (Term W) & Year (Term Y) | Tuesday, April 8, 2025 – Friday, April 25, 2025. (Official April Exams) | No Later than Friday March 14, 2025. |
During the first two weeks of the term (May 6 – May 21) there is a grace period where requests can be submitted with less than 2 weeks notice.
If you are a graduate student and need to request accommodations for any test/exam date that falls outside of the dates listed above, please contact our office using the “Ask A Question” link.
You can submit all of your accommodation requests at the beginning of the term when you receive the syllabus for your course(s).
Request an Alternate Exam
Important update! We are streamlining the process to request an accommodated test and/or exam for students registered at the Keele and Glendon campuses. Find the updated steps to request an accommodated test and/or exam below. Detailed information can also be found on the Student Accessibility Services eClass website.
If you need an exam or test accommodation, you will need to follow these steps to request an alternate exam:
- Request your letter of accommodation using the letter of accommodation portal.
- Submit all requests for accommodated tests and exams at least three (3) weeks in advance of the scheduled dates using the Accommodated Test and Exam Booking Portal.
- Review the Policies and Procedures for writing your alternate exam/test.
To reschedule an exam or test for students currently registered with Counselling & Disability Services, follow these steps.
- Contactyour course instructor for permission to reschedule the exam or test. Please note that permission to reschedule is at the discretion of the course instructor and is not guaranteed. Scheduling is dependent on space availability. If you have been corresponding with your course instructor by e-mail and have confirmation of their approval to reschedule, you may upload, attach or send a copy of the e-mail as an electronic signature from the course instructor.
- If permission is granted by your instructor, complete and submit a signed Alternate Exam/Test Rescheduling Request Form at least five (5) business days in advance of the rescheduled exam/test date.
- Review the Policies and Procedures for writing your rescheduled exam/test.
* Please use Microsoft Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, Apple Safari or Adobe Acrobat to fill out the online form in your browser or save it and open with Adobe Acrobat.
Note: If you are requesting to reschedule an exam/test as a religious accommodation, ensure that you check the box located on the top of the form. Information regarding religious observance policy and accommodation can be found in the York Courses Website.
If you are submitting a request to write an exam or test on a date that falls after the Faculty deadlines for submission of deferred final grades, you must petition for deferred standing through your home Faculty. In this circumstance,submit an Alternate Exam/Test Rescheduling Request Form only if your petition is granted.
Instructions for Cancelling a Request or Booking
Cancelling your scheduled test or exams ensures that we continue to provide services to other students who may require accommodations. Students are expected to cancel exams or tests no later than 24 hours before the start time.
Requests or bookings are cancelled online. To cancel a request or booking you will be required to:
- Choose the link “View the history of requests” for the appropriate course.
- Click on the “Cancel Request” button for the appropriate request date.
- A “Confirmation Required” box will appear with the question “Cancel request are you sure?” Click “Yes” or “No” as appropriate.
You have now correctly cancelled a request, or if there has been a room scheduled at the Alternate Exam Centre for this request, your booking has now been cancelled. Cancelling directly on our website allows 24/7 access with the exact date and time of the cancellation.
All exams and tests will be administered according to the Senate Policy on Invigilation of Examinations. Students are required to abide by the Senate Policy on Academic Honesty and comply with the following policies and procedures. The details of the Senate policies can be viewed on the Policies, Procedures and Regulations section of the York University Secretariat website.
Arrival
- Please note that a Driver's license will no longer be an acceptable form of identification for exams.
- Arrive at least 15 minutes prior to the scheduled start time. If you arrive more than 30 minutes late, you may not be allowed to take the exam/test at the scheduled time. Unavoidable delays are to be discussed with the Exam Coordinator. Your scheduled exam/test time will not be extended to make up for late arrival.
- Check in with the monitor by presenting your YU-card. The following forms will be accepted:
- physical/mobile YU-card with a photo.
- physical/mobile YU-card without a photo plus a valid passport.
- A valid physical passport (You will need to bring your physical passport. Photos or photocopies will not be accepted)
- Please note: Before your mobile YU-card identification is validated, ensure your phone is on airplane mode and placed face down on the corner of your desk. Once your identification is validated, your phone must be turned off and stored with the rest of your belongings. Phones are not permitted in the exam room during the exam.
- All personal belongings are to be left in areas designated by the monitor. Under no circumstances are these items to be taken into the exam/test room. The Office of Student Affairs, Student Accessibility Services and monitors are not responsible for your personal property.
- Confirm your start and finish time with the monitor and whether you want to be advised of the remaining exam/test time.
Exam/Test Aids
- Unauthorized electronic and telecommunications devices are not allowed in the exam/test room. If you are not sure whether a device is allowed, ask your instructor and the testing centre staff before the exam begins.
- You may bring in prior-approved non-programmable calculators, pens, pencils, erasers, correction fluid, non-programmable clock/watch etc. The monitor may ask to check items brought into the exam/test room.
- Approval by your course instructor is required in order to use prepared notes such as crib/cue sheets, word lists or memory aids. Permission must be obtained prior to the exam/test date.
- Books will not be allowed in the exam/test room unless specified by your course instructor.
- Approval by your course instructor is required to access a dictionary, thesaurus or other word guide (in electronic or print formats). Permission must be obtained prior to the exam/test date.
Computer Use
- The use of Microsoft Word or an approved designated adaptive software program are the only computer programs allowed. A word processing document will be opened by the monitor prior to the start of the exam/test. Save your work frequently during the exam/test.
- Use of any unauthorized computer application such as an internet browser or internet research features on a word processing program is considered academic dishonesty.
- Spell checks, grammar checks and printing of exam/test pages must be completed within your scheduled time.
- Make sure that you initial each printed page of the exam/test.
- The Alternate Exam Centre located in YH A106 and YH A210 have the following assistive software:
| Assistive Software | Available Software Version |
| Dragon Naturally Speaking Preferred Note: For each alternate test/exam, students are required to provide a compatible voice file and headphones. | 11.5 |
| Inspiration | 9.0 |
| JAWS | 13.0 |
| Kurzweil 3000 Professional | 13.0 |
| Text Help Systems: Read And Write | 10.0 Gold |
| ZoomText | 10.0 |
Breaks
- Breaks must be taken in the exam/test area to maintain the integrity of the exam/test process. You will only be allowed to leave the premises to use the washroom facilities, and a monitor escort will be required. Extra time is not allotted for breaks.
- The monitor is not permitted to leave the exam/test area to purchase food, drinks etc. Food and drinks are allowed in the exam/test room for students writing for protracted periods of time.
- Smoking breaks are not allowed.
Questions
- Monitors are not permitted to discuss exam or test questions with you. If you have any questions or concerns, please inform the monitor. They will either accompany you to the classroom, if possible, so the course instructor can address your concerns, or they will document them for the course instructor to review.
- You may make individual arrangements for your course instructor or teaching assistant to drop by the Exam Centre to answer or clarify questions. Ensure that you provide the details of when and where you are writing the exam/test.
Collection of Exam/Test Materials
- The monitor will ask you to stop the exam/test at your scheduled completion time and will collect all the exam/test materials including your notes. Question sheets must also be handed in unless it is clearly stated on the exam/test that you may keep them.
- Completed exams are delivered to the academic department. The academic department will then forward the documents to the course instructor.
Academic Honesty
- Cheating is the attempt to gain an improper advantage in an academic evaluation. Academic dishonesty can appear in many forms, such as: obtaining a copy of an exam/test or question before it is officially available; copying another person's answer to an exam/test question; consulting an unauthorized source during an exam/test; obtaining assistance by means of documentary, electronic or other aids which are not approved by the course instructor or changing the record of an exam/test result. Refer to the Senate Policy on Academic Honesty.
Cancellation/No Show
- Students are expected to cancel requests or booking for exams or tests online as soon as they are aware that they will not write as requested or scheduled.
- It is the student’s responsibility to notify the course instructor of a missed exam/test and request permission to reschedule the missed exam/test.
- If your request to reschedule an exam/test is granted, you must submit a signed Alternate Exam and Test Rescheduling Request Form to the Alternate Exam Coordinator a minimum of five business days in advance of the rescheduled exam/test date. Please note that permission to reschedule is at the discretion of the course instructor and is not guaranteed.
- We will only accept one rescheduling request for any missed exam/test. If you cancel or “do not show” to write the same exam/test for the same course twice, the Office of Student Affairs will not accept additional rescheduling requests for this exam/test. In this situation, please consult with your counsellor.
What do I do if one of my accommodations includes use of a memory aid? Does the course instructor need to give permission to the alternate exam centre?
It is your responsibility to get the course instructor’s approval to use any aids during an exam/test.
To avoid any issues when it comes time to write your exam/test, request that the course instructor sign the document or, if you have been corresponding through e-mail, attach a copy of the approval e-mail to the document as confirmation of approval for the Alternate Exam Invigilator.
Note: A copy of all documents used by a student during an exam/test is sent to the course instructor along with the completed exam materials.
It is important to arrive on time for your exam/test and bring your YU-card for identification. If you arrive late for an exam/test, you will not be given extra time to complete it. If you arrive more than 30 minutes late, you may not be allowed to take the exam/test at the scheduled time. You must request permission from your course instructor to reschedule. Unavoidable delays are to be discussed with the Alternate Exam Coordinator.
If you miss the request deadline, the Alternate Exam Coordinator may not be able to schedule your alternate exams and tests. Under these circumstances, your options are:
- To write with the class
- To ask your course instructor for permission to reschedule the exam or test. (Please note that permission to reschedule is at the discretion of the course instructor and is not guaranteed.)
- Submit the completed and approved rescheduling form using the Rescheduling Request Form.
If the reason for you late request is due to exceptional circumstances, you should contact your Accessibility Counsellor.
Please refer to the cancellation/no-show section of the Policies and Procedures.
Please review the cancellation information page. In all cases of missed exams/tests, it is your responsibility to notify your course instructor and submit a completed Alternate Exam and Test Rescheduling Request Form with required signatures. Permission to reschedule an exam/test is at the discretion of the course instructor and is not guaranteed.
If you drop a course, any request(s) you have made for alternate exams or tests for that course will automatically be cancelled. You do not need to take any action.
If you discover a discrepancy in your alternate exam/test booking, please notify the Alternative Exams Coordinator immediately by emailing alternateexams@glendon.yorku.ca.
Notify the Alternate Exam Coordinator if you decide to take your test with your class or if the date / time of your test is changed, by emailing alternateexams@glendon.yorku.ca.
Based on the Alternate Exam/Test requests you submit, you will receive a confirmation email three days prior to the exam date. You may also check your booking details three days prior on the "My upcoming events" page. If your booking does not appear, please contact the Alternate Exam Coordinator immediately by emailing alternateexams@glendon.yorku.ca.
Rescheduling requests must be received by the Alternate Exam Coordinator a minimum of five business days in advance of the rescheduled exam/test date. Scheduling is dependent on space availability. We cannot guarantee a rescheduled exam or test for a specific date and time.