Hand holding pencil and filling in circles on a scantron sheet.

Exams

Exams are a vital, mandatory part of your academic journey. They can represent a large part of your final grade in a course. This page features resources to help you prepare for exams, as well as key information on exam procedures, schedules, important dates, cancellation and related academic regulations.

Exam preparation

Need help preparing for exams? There are a lot of resources at uOttawa that can help.
Academic support and advising

Faculty mentoring centres

Faculty of Arts
Faculty of Engineering
Faculty of Health Sciences
Faculty of Science
Faculty of Social Sciences
Telfer School of Management
Graduate students

Study spaces during exam period

Looking for a place to study? Don't look any further. During the exam period, several classrooms will be temporarily converted into study halls to allow you to study on campus. From December 9 to 22, 2022, the following rooms will be open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.

To locate these buildings on campus, please visit our interactive campus map. If one of these classes is locked, you can call 613-562-5800 ext. 5900.

Colonel By (CBY) B202
Learning Crossroads (CRX) C323
Learning Crossroads (CRX) C325
Learning Crossroads (CRX) C326
Learning Crossroads (CRX) C421
Learning Crossroads (CRX) C423
Learning Crossroads (CRX) C440
Learning Crossroads (CRX) C441
Desmarais (DMS) 3105
Hagen (HGN) 305
Social Sciences (FSS) 4012
Social Sciences (FSS) 4013
Social Sciences (FSS) 5023
Social Sciences (FSS) 6004
Lamoureux (LMX) 242
Lamoureux (LMX) 339
Lamoureux (LMX) 360
Montpetit (MNT) 103
Montpetit (MNT) 204
Marion (MRN) 021
Marion (MRN) 130
Roger Guindon (RGN) 2007
Roger Guindon (RGN) 2052
Roger Guindon (RGN) 2055
Simard (SMD) 221
Simard (SMD) 402
Tabaret (TBT) 0019
Tabaret (TBT) 0021
Tabaret (TBT) 317
Tabaret (TBT) 327
Thompson Residence (THN) 124
Vanier (VNR) 1095
Vanier (VNR) 2095
Vanier (VNR) 3035
Vanier (VNR) 4084

Technical support during exams

Due to various reasons, some exams will be conducted online. Here are the resources available to you during this crucial time.

To prepare – Your main resource for preparing for an exam is your professor. Ask your professor what to expect. You should also familiarize yourself with the platform that will be used. It may not necessarily be the same one for all your exams. Conduct a few tests beforehand to ensure that everything will work as planned on the day of your exam (platform, login, account, Internet connection).

During the exam – If you encounter problems after having taken all these precautions, the first resource you should turn to is still your professor. Contact the professor immediately to let them know and to get help. If the technical or access problems persist, contact the IT Service Desk by by chat, by phone at 613-562-5800, ext 6555, or by using the various help options on the IT web page. They offer help from Monday to Friday from 8:15 a.m. to 8 p.m., and on Saturdays and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. You can also get help at any time through the BrightSpace platform, by chat or by phoning 1-866-811-3201.

Open page of a calendar book

Dates and deadlines

For many of the important dates regarding exams, check the important academic dates and deadlines. You’ll find the date that the exam schedule is posted, the official exam period, the deferred exam periods and the date that the official final grades are posted. Select the term you are interested in and then Grades and exams.
Important academic dates and deadlines

Exam schedule

The exam schedule is usually posted about six weeks before the exam period. The exact date it will be posted is in the Important academic dates and deadlines. You can then find your schedule in uoZone (under Applications, select My Exam Schedule).

Check your exam timetable regularly — exam times and locations can change after the initial posting. Also, make sure you look for the information about your specific course sections when checking.

Some graduate and professional courses might not appear and certain programs might have a different exam schedule. If so, contact your faculty or school or visit its website.

When an exam needs to be rescheduled

Special circumstances, such as closed bridges, snowstorms, bomb scares or a fire leading to evacuation, require the University to take special measures regarding exams, such as those below.

Certain faculties might have stricter requirements. If so, the faculty must ensure that professors and students are aware of them.

  • This decision is made as soon as possible. Students are informed by 8 a.m. at the latest on the day of the exam.
  • A notification is posted on the University home page and recorded on the Emergency InfoLine (613-562-5555).
  • Exams are then moved to the first or second weekend after the start of classes for the following term, and the new exam times are posted on the University home page.

Copies of exams are always available at the faculty secretariat, with instructions on how to administer them, so the exam can go ahead as planned.

  • The Faculty determines, in consultation with the professor, the arrangements for a special exam. The students must then be informed as soon as possible.
  • Students who are present at the exam must be permitted to write it. The proctor should be tolerant if some students arrive late.

The decision to evacuate exam rooms and the signal to re-enter these rooms must come from Protection Services.

Decisions concerning the exam are made on site where possible. Authorities can decide to resume the exam as soon as everyone re-enters the building, or to suspend the exam. If the exam is suspended, the faculty decides when to reschedule it.

uOttawa student ID card

Official identification

To write your exam, you will need to present your student card as official ID. If you need a replacement student card, please complete a Request for Documents form (PDF) and bring it along with two pieces of acceptable ID (one of which has a photo) to InfoService. Note that an administrative fee will be charged.
Request for documents form (PDF, 220 KB)

Accommodations

If you wish to request accommodation for a final exam based on your religious observance, you must do so within five working days of the posting of the exam schedule (see the Important academic dates and deadlines).

For the request procedure, see Academic Regulation 1-15 – Religious accommodations.

If you wish to request accommodation for a final exam, please visit the Adapted exams web page.

Academic fraud and regulations concerning exams

Academic integrity is fundamental to all academic activities. Academic regulation 1-14 — Academic fraud defines what constitutes academic fraud and outlines its consequences, including sanctions. We encourage you to read more on academic integrity.

Be sure you know about all the University’s regulations on exams. They cover behaviour during an exam, items you can and cannot bring into an exam, justifiable reasons to miss an exam or hand in an assignment late and destruction of unclaimed exams and assignments.