Formal written examinations are required at the end of all courses and also in December for two-term courses. These are scheduled during official examination periods at term end. Enrolment Services schedules those examinations and makes the information available to students through Workday part way through the term, at which time students are free to make travel plans for a time after their last scheduled examination.
The formal written examination may be replaced by alternative examination procedures only at the discretion of the head of the department and with the permission of the Dean.
Supplemental examinations and examinations for higher standing are not available in any course in the Faculty.
In some courses passing the final examination, or other core element, is a requirement for passing the course but may not in itself be sufficient to pass. Students may be denied a passing grade for unsatisfactory work during the session or if their essays, laboratory reports, or examination papers are deficient in English. Furthermore, in any science course that has both laboratory work and written examinations, students must complete and pass both parts to pass the course. A student who fails the laboratory work may be refused permission to take the final written examination.
Regular attendance and participation is expected of students in all their classes, including lectures, laboratories, tutorials, and seminars. All forms of assessment, whether graded or for self-testing, provide useful feedback on student learning. Students who neglect their academic work and assignments may, on the recommendation of the head of the department, be excluded by the Dean from the final examinations. Students who do not accumulate a record of satisfactory achievement during the term may be denied deferred standing should they be absent from the final exam.
Formal class tests (often called "midterms") are not permitted during "the two weeks preceding the formally scheduled examinations of December and April" (from the Senate Policy on Examinations). This restriction does not apply to term-end laboratory examinations.