Rules for Examination

Important Information Regarding Examinations

"Examination’’ means all term tests and final examinations.

The “Presiding Officer” is normally the instructor responsible for the examination, and has authority for decisions throughout the examination in accordance with these rules.  The Presiding Officer may designate another person(s) to assume responsibility for the conduct of the examination as required.

Admittance to Examinations

1.  Candidates should arrive at the place of examination 15 minutes before the time appointed for the commencement of the examination. Following the commencement of the examination, no candidate will be permitted to leave the examination room until one-third of examination period has elapsed.  Similarly, any candidate who arrives after one-third of the examination period has elapsed will not be permitted to write the paper without the consent of the Presiding Officer. In this case, if the Presiding Officer allows the candidate to write the examination, the Presiding Officer will report the circumstances to the Faculty Registrar. Under no circumstance will a candidate be permitted to enter once another candidate has left the examination room.  Candidates admitted to the examination room after the examination has begun will not be provided additional time to complete the examination.

2.  Without the permission of the Presiding Officer, no person is allowed in the examination room during the examination proceedings except the candidates concerned and those supervising the examination.

Examination Room

3.  The Presiding Officer has authority to assign seats to candidates.

4.  Coats, jackets, hats, knapsacks, bags, purses, pencil cases, eye glass cases, notes and books must be deposited in area(s) designated by the Presiding Officer and must not be taken to the examination desk or table.

Valuable items may be stored in a clear plastic bag under candidates’ chairs.  These items may include but are not limited to cellular phones, smart phones, other electronic/wireless devices, wallets and keys.

Personal computers may also be placed under candidates’ chairs but they must be removed from their bags or carrying cases. The bags or carrying cases must be deposited in the designated area of the examination room.

All electronic/wireless devices must be turned off.

5.  When authorized by the Examiner(s), non-programmable calculators may be used.  Calculators must be removed from their cases which must be deposited in the designated area of the examination room.

6.  A time piece is permitted on the examination desk or table provided the sole function of it is to display the time.

7.  Candidates must bring their University of Toronto student card (TCard) to each examination, and place it on their examination desk or table for the duration of the examination.

Candidates

8.  Once they have entered the examination room, candidates may not leave unescorted for any reason including to use the washroom.

9.  Candidates are not permitted to wear baseball caps or other hats (religious head coverings are an exception). Sunglasses are also not permitted. Students who choose to wear earplugs while writing examinations will not receive special consideration should they not hear announcements made during examinations. The Presiding Officers and invigilator(s) have the authority to inspect all earplugs.

10.  Food brought into the examination room for consumption is limited to a small snack in a transparent bag or container. Wrappers on food products, e.g., granola bars, must be removed. Only drinks in transparent bottles (with labels removed) are permitted.

11.  In recording responses, candidates must write in the examination books or other examination materials provided.  They must record responses to be graded in the stipulated areas (e.g., ruled pages of examination books), unless otherwise instructed by the Examiner(s).  If applicable, rough work (not to be graded) may be recorded in designated/other areas of the examination materials.  For examination books, responses must be numbered to correspond with the questions. On the outside of each book candidates must write their name, student number and subject of the examination, and must number each book, indicating the total number used.

12.  Examination books and other materials issued for the examination must not be removed from the examination room except by authority of the Presiding Officer or Examiner(s).

13.  Candidates must not communicate with one another in any manner once they have entered the examination room.  When conversation is necessary between invigilators and candidates, it must be carried out as discreetly as possible.

14.  At 10 minutes and five minutes prior to the conclusion of the examination the Presiding Officer will announce the number of minutes remaining.

15.  Candidates choosing to leave the examination room prior to the last 10 minutes of the examination period must leave promptly after they have turned in their materials.

16.  No candidate still present during the last 10 minutes of the examination period will be permitted to leave during that interval, nor are candidates permitted to hand in their examination materials during that interval.

17.  At the conclusion of an examination, all writing must cease. The Presiding Officer will seize the papers of candidates who violate this rule and a penalty may be imposed. Candidates must remain seated at the close of the examination until all examination materials are collected and until directed by the Presiding Officer to leave the room.  All rules for the conduct of candidates during examinations remain in full force until this announcement is made.

Policies

18.  Candidates are expected to make appropriate judgements about their fitness to attend an examination and must accept the outcome of their choices.  Therefore, in the event that:

a) a candidate begins but does not complete an examination, the candidate is considered to have been present, and the examination will be graded. A make-up examination will not be permitted.

b) a candidate completes the examination, the examination will be graded and there will be no opportunity to re-write the exam.

If candidates believe that there were extenuating circumstances affecting their performance, a petition with supporting documentation may be submitted to the Registrar’s office. Such petitions will be kept on file until the Board of Examiners meets to approve final grades and to discuss candidates who are in academic difficulty.

Offences

19.  It is an academic offence for candidates to access and/or utilize unauthorized materials and/or electronic devices during an examination.  Candidates who assist or obtain assistance from other candidates or from any unauthorized source are liable to penalties under the Code of Behaviour on Academic Matters, including the loss of academic credit or expulsion from the University.

Should an alleged academic offence occur the following steps, as applicable, will be taken:
(a)  The Presiding Officer will be informed of the incident.
(b)  The Presiding Officer will immediately collect all evidence and the examination materials to that point, note the time and sign both the evidence and the examination materials, and have these witnessed by one of the invigilators.
(c)  The candidate will then be given new examination materials and allowed to proceed with the examination.
(d)  Should the candidate require the confiscated written paper for reference to continue, this may be done under the direct supervision of the Presiding Officer.

Unforeseen Circumstances

20.  In the event of unforeseen or unregulated incidents arising before, during or immediately after the examination, the Presiding Officer is authorized to make decisions at their discretion, which will, however, be subject to review.

The University is not responsible for personal property left in the examination room.