1. Schedule Exams
2. Deferring an Exam
3. Prepare for Exams
4. Change of Exam Site
5. Exam Schedule
6. Postponement of Exams (online courses)

 1. Schedule Exams

Most courses include at least one supervised written exam. This information is available on Memorial Self Service, under Online Learning in the main menu.

Term tests and midterm exams in online courses are typically scheduled for (though not restricted to) Friday evenings, or Saturday of the week in which the exam is scheduled. (Instructors often state exam weeks in their course syllabus).

Note: Mid-term examinations take place during the Thursday or Friday evening leading into mid-term break. Please check the University Diary to determine the beginning of mid-term break.

Final exams are scheduled by the Registrar's Office in accordance with the university's academic diary. Visit the Online Learning section of Memorial Self Service approximately 3-4 weeks before the end of the semester to view your written exam schedule. Online course exam schedules can be viewed in Brightspace (D2L). Please contact us immediately if your exam schedule is not available.

Although every effort is made to accommodate the sitting of exams in the area you reside, you may have to travel a short distance to another examination center.

If you live outside Newfoundland and Labrador, please complete the Examination Supervisor Form. This will enable you to select an established exam site from a list, or suggest an examination supervisor if a site is not available within an 80-kilometer distance.

If you are taking a combination of online courses and on-campus courses at the St. John's Campus, you will be set up to write your exam in St. John's.

If you are taking online courses only and reside within Newfoundland and Labrador, you will be set up to write your exam at an established exam site based on your Online Learning address.

Please note there is a charge of $50.00 to change your exam location after it has been set up.

 2. Deferring an Exam

Deferred Mid-term Exam: If you are prevented from writing a mid-term exam due to illness, bereavement or other acceptable cause, you may apply, with supporting documents, to have the exam deferred. The completed application form and supporting documents must be sent to the your instructor via Brightspace (D2L) course mail no later than 48 hours after the original examination date. The Application for Deferred Exams is available as a PDF form that can be downloaded and then completed or as Word document that can be saved to your local computer and then completed.

Granting of a rescheduled mid-term exam is not automatic. Instructors may opt to prorate grades in lieu of a rescheduled exam, or may require a comprehensive final to be written. There is a processing fee of $65.00 for each deferred exam approved.

Please ensure you visit your Memorial Self Service account on a regular basis for the most up to date deferred exam information.

Deferred Final Exam: If you are prevented from writing a final exam due to illness, bereavement or other acceptable cause, you may apply, with supporting documents, to have the final examination deferred. The completed application form and supporting documents must be sent to the head of the appropriate academic unit via Brightspace (D2L) course mail no later than 48 hours after the original examination date. The list of departmental contacts is available here. The Application for Deferred Exams is available as a PDF form that can be downloaded and then completed or as Word document that can be saved to your local computer and then completed.

Granting of a rescheduled final exam is not automatic. There is a processing fee of $65.00 for each deferred exam approved.

Please ensure you visit your Memorial Self Service account on a regular basis for the most up to date deferred exam information.

Rescheduling of Deferred Exams:

If you need to make changes to a deferred exam that has already been scheduled, please contact us at defexamscitl@mun.ca.

 3. Prepare for Exams

The purpose of testing is to determine how much of the course material you have absorbed and understood. Some questions are designed primarily to prove the extent of your knowledge of the required readings. Others are designed to explore your ability to analyze or link together several concepts or ideas. Whatever the type of question, try to regard exams as a challenge. If you have read and understood the material, an exam is your chance to show how well you have absorbed it.

Before the Exam

Ensure you understand all the readings. Set a certain amount of time each day to work on the course so that everything is not left until the last minute.
Take notes as you read the material. Although you will need to copy out specific definitions, dates and details, try to keep your notes in your own words as much as possible. Merely copying what someone else has written will not help your own understanding.

If review questions are included in the course manual, be sure you answer them as you go along. Keep your answers since they will help in your review.

Start reviewing a week or two before the exam. At this point, you probably won't have time to reread the text or the manual so having your own summaries, notes and answers to review questions will be beneficial.

Don't try to guess what will be on the exam or what form the exam will take. If you have covered and understood all the material, you will be ready to handle any question.

Don't study the night before the exam or try to memorize last minute details just before going to write. You will find your memory works much better if you haven't tried to cram things in at the last minute. So just relax and look forward to the challenge.

At The Exam

Read through the entire exam.

If there is a choice, select the questions you want to answer.

Allocate your time. Before you start writing, decide how much time you are going to spend on each question. As a general rule, don't spend a greater proportion of your time on a question than it is worth as a percentage of the exam. Start by answering the questions you know best. Leave the questions that you are less sure about until later. Quite often once you start writing you will remember things about other questions. Jot those thoughts down somewhere for later use.

Read each question carefully. If the question contains more than one aspect be sure to answer all parts fully. Organize your answers. Don't just blurt out anything you happen to remember about a topic in a random or haphazard order. Take a few moments to construct a rough outline then follow it. Your answers will be judged on content as well as format.

Be concise. Put down as much as you know about a topic in an organized fashion but don't ramble or repeat yourself. Be thorough. Show that you not only know the stark details of a question but also the context and principles involved. Relax. If you find yourself starting to panic or getting a mind block try taking a few deep breaths and thinking about something pleasant for a few moments, then go back to the exam and start the question you know most about.

 4. Change of Exam site

If circumstances prevent you from writing an exam at your regularly scheduled site, apply to write your exam at an alternative site. Complete the online form.

Requests to change your exam site must be submitted in writing to the Centre for Innovation in Teaching and Learning at least 14 days prior to the exam date to ensure timely delivery of the exam to the requested site. Please note there is a $50.00 fee to change your exam site for each exam scheduled in Memorial Self-Service.

Changing your address does not automatically result in your exam site being changed. An official application must be submitted.

If you move outside of the province you must also submit the Examination Supervisor Form.

Approval of requests is not automatic. Payment of the fee does not guarantee approval of your request. The Centre for Innovation in Teaching and Learning reserves the right to refuse requests for changes in examination sites.

For more information concerning examination regulations, please consult the current University Calendar, or contact us.

 5. Exam Schedule

Mid-term test/exam

Exam schedules for online courses will be available at Memorial Self-Service (for online courses view "Online Learning Exam Schedule") upon finalizing dates, times and locations (approximately 3 weeks after the beginning of each semester).

Final exam for Online Courses

Schedules will be posted by the Registrar's Office toward the middle of the semester. View finalized dates, times and locations at Memorial Self-Service (for online courses view "Online Learning Exam Schedule").

 6. Postponement of Exams (online courses)

Inclement weather or other unforeseen circumstance such as power outages may result in the postponement of examinations, either at the St. John's campus, Grenfell Campus or at any one of the exam sites used by Memorial University.

Exam Postponement Notification

For exams originally scheduled to take place in St. John's, you will be notified in the following ways:

Web:

A message will be posted on the Centre for Innovation in Teaching and Learning homepage under News.

Social Media:

Regularly check CITL's Twitter and Facebook pages for current information.

Radio:
(St. John's and surrounding areas)

CBC Radio One 640 AM
VOCM 590 AM
OZ FM 94.7 FM
Coast 101.1 FM

Telephone:

For exams scheduled in St. John's, please call our Support Centre:
(709) 864-8700.

In Corner Brook, call the Grenfell Campus switchboard: (709) 637-6200.

Note: For exams scheduled outside of St. John's, NL students should contact their exam supervisors.