Examination FAQ

Most online/blended/alternate delivery courses have a 3-hour in-person final exam which you are required to attend in order to complete the course requirements. To find out if there is a final exam in your course(s), please consult the course outline or syllabus, or ask your instructor.

Final Exams for all online/blended/alternate delivery courses are scheduled at our campus in North Bay, Ontario. Students wishing to write their final exams at a testing centre outside of North Bay may request to do so at their own expense by submitting a Distance Exam Request. Please see ‘Can I request to write my exam somewhere else?’ below for more information.

Final exams are scheduled for a specific date and time during the final exam period for the session. Each spring the academic dates for the year are published in the Academic Calendar. The academic dates include the two-week examination period for each session.  All students are expected to be available to write at any time during these defined examination periods. The exact date and time of your exam will be published on WebAdvisor at least eight (8) weeks prior to the start of the exam period.  You will receive an email from our office when your exam schedule is posted.

Students are expected to be available to write on any date during the defined examination period for their course. You are encouraged to review the academic dates in the Academic Calendar prior to registering in any course to ensure you will be available to complete all course requirements. The scheduled date and time of your exam cannot be changed. If you have prior commitments that will prevent you from writing exams at any point during the examination period, please be advised that there are very limited circumstances for which a deferred exam can be granted. More information about deferred exams is available in the Policy on Final Examinations in the Academic Calendar.

Students may request to write their exam(s) at an alternate location by submitting a Distance Exam Request (described below) provided they meet the following eligibility criteria:

• Must have a home address listed in WebAdvisor that is more than 100km from our North Bay campus.
• Must not be registered in any on-site course(s) located at our North Bay campus during the same session.

Step 1 – Check your schedule

Check your exam schedule on WebAdvisor to find out when you will be writing your exam(s). The schedule will be available eight (8) weeks prior to the start of the exam period.

Step 2 – Find a testing centre

Consult our list of approved testing centres and find a centre that is located near you. These testing centres are the complete package - they will provide a space for you to write your exam in as well as a proctor to supervise your exam. If there are no testing centres listed within 100km of your home, please contact us at distance_exams@nipissingu.ca for assistance.

Step 3 – Book your exam

Contact the testing centre you have chosen and book your exam(s) with them at your own expense. In order to be approved, please ensure that your exam is booked on the same date indicated on your exam schedule on WebAdvisor for the course(s). Changes to the scheduled date of the exam are not permitted, but any changes to the exam time to meet operational availability of the testing centre are always permitted. If you are having difficulty booking your exam for the date indicated on WebAdvisor, please contact us at distance_exams@nipissingu.ca for assistance.

Step 4 – Submit the form

Complete your portion of the Distance Exam Request Form, and send it to your testing centre to have them complete their portion and sign it. You can then email the signed and completed form to distance_exams@nipissingu.ca, or ask the testing centre staff to email it to us directly. You will be notified when it is approved and your exam information has been updated on WebAdvisor, which will be within at least five (5) business days of our receipt of your form.

Please note that Distance Exam Request Forms are due at least four (4) weeks prior to the start of the exam period each term. Distance Exam Request Forms will not be accepted after the deadline, and any student who has not submitted the form by the deadline will be required to write their exam(s) in North Bay. Please be advised that missing the deadline is not considered a valid reason for submitting a Deferred Exam request.

Dates Changes

No, your Distance Exam Request will not be approved unless it is scheduled for the same date as the exam in North Bay for the same course.  Please consult your exam timetable on WebAdvisor for the correct date of your exam.

Time Changes

Yes, changes to the scheduled exam time are always permitted in order to meet the operational hours of your testing centre, as long as you do not change the date of your exam.

Nipissing University does not charge a fee for Distance Exam Requests.  However, students are responsible for covering any and all fees charged by their testing centre for invigilation services, payable directly to the testing centre.  We will cover the cost of shipping your exam to and from the testing centre.  If you have questions about a testing centre’s fees, please contact the testing centre.

If you are registered with Student Accessibility Services and eligible for testing accommodations, please follow the process outlined by Student Accessibility Services for scheduling your final exams.

Even if you are in the College Partnership Program, some of your exams may still be located in North Bay depending on your course selections. Please watch for these section codes when you register for courses, and check your class selections on WebAdvisor to be sure which section codes you are registered in.

Final exams for courses with section numbers ending in one of the codes listed below will be scheduled at your partner college campus:

• 822, 823, 824, 825, 826, 827, 828, 829
• 881, 882, 883, 884, 885, etc.

Final exams for courses with any section number other than those listed above here, your final exam for that course will be scheduled at our campus in North Bay, even if you are in a college partnership program. You can still request to write your exams for such courses at a location outside of North Bay.  Please review the information under “How do I request to write my exam outside of North Bay?”.

Each spring the academic dates for the year are published in the Academic Calendar.  The academic dates include the two-week examination period for each session.  All students are expected to be available to write during these defined examination periods. 

Students can submit a deferred examination request after the commencement, and within one week, of the scheduled examination date.

A: Students are required to complete the Deferred Examination Request via WebAdvisor. Supporting documentation must be sent by e-mail or fax as outlined on the deferred examination request form.

Supporting documentation consists of official documents or letters that support the explanation for your request. Failure to provide suitable documentation will result in the request being delayed or denied.

Medical certificates must be signed and dated by a health practitioner on the day of the final examination except in cases of serious illness (e.g,. mononucleosis or pneumonia) or surgery where the recovery time extends beyond the date of the examination.  Medical certificates must include: patient name, the date(s) and time(s) of an examination, the date(s) of illness, the expected time of convalescence, health practitioner signature and business stamp.

Medical certificates will only be accepted when completed by the following health practitioners:

• A Physician or Surgeon registered with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario
• A Nurse Practitioner registered with the College of Nurses of Ontario
• A Registered Psychologist or Psychological Associate with the College of Psychologists of Ontario
• A Dental Surgeon (Dentist) registered with the Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario
• A health professional at the Campus Health Centre
• Members of the above disciplines registered outside Ontario may be considered

Regardless of whom you choose to see, consideration for the purpose a deferred examination request will only be given for signatures of practitioners listed above.  For information about letters of support from others, please consult the Office of the Registrar.

Students will be notified via their Nipissing University student email account once a decision has been made.

Pre-arranged travel, work, family commitments or misreading the examination schedule are not valid reasons for requesting a deferred examination.