Examinations and Grades

Examinations

Winter 2024 Exam Schedule

Scheduled examinations are held in December for Fall term courses and may be required in any two-term course. Scheduled examinations are held in April for Winter term and two-term courses. Examination schedules are posted in October and February.

Final examinations may be conducted only as formal scheduled examinations or as take-home examinations. Students are allowed the whole examination period to complete take-home examinations and must submit their papers no later than the day of the last scheduled examination

 

Re-Read Procedures

Any request to re-read an examination paper (or its equivalent in a course using an alternative form of assessment) must reach the Registrar within 30 days after release of the final results.

All requests for a re-read will be directed by the Registrar to the Director/Head concerned for implementation. Re-reads will be conducted by the Director/Head of the unit involved and a second faculty member who has expertise in the subject area, after consultation with the original Instructor. In the event that the Director/Head is the Instructor, the Dean will designate a replacement to conduct the re-read.

Re-reads may be requested in any or all courses in which a student is registered without reference to class standing or the final grade assigned. A re-read of a mid-year examination (6h full-year course) will be granted only after consultation with the Head of the Department or Director of the School concerned.

A student who requests a re-read in a course forfeits the grade originally assigned.

Students have the right to review a written examination paper in the presence of the instructor.

Special Examinations

Declaration of Cause Form

A student, who because of medical or other unavoidable circumstances is unable to write a required examination, may request a Special Examination.

A student who wishes to request a Special Examination must, within 48 hours of the end of the examination, report, or have a representative report, to the Registrar and the course instructor the intention to request a Special Examination (in writing if possible). Within one week of the end of the examination, the student must submit to the Registrar a written request for a special examination. This request must include an explanation of the circumstances that made it impossible for the student to write the regular examination
and should be accompanied by relevant supporting documentation (such as medical reports if the request is based on a medical issue).

The Registrar will consult with the course Instructor as to the legitimacy of the request. Should the Registrar and the course Instructor agree that the student be allowed to write the final examination, the procedures for Setting and Conducting Special Exams shall be followed. Should the Registrar and the course Instructor agree the student not be allowed to write the final examination, the Registrar shall communicate that decision to the student in writing, apprising the student of the right to appeal the decision. If the Registrar and course Instructor are unable to reach a decision, the matter shall be referred to the relevant Dean to resolve. Should the Dean decide to not allow the student to write a special examination, the student retains the right to appeal.

Any such appeal is to be made in writing to the Admissions and Academic Standing Committee (Appeals) through the Chair within seven days of the student receiving the decision. The Committee shall convene within a reasonable length of time to consider the appeal, meeting individually with the student (should they wish), the Registrar, and the course Instructor before rendering its decision in camera. The decision shall be communicated in writing to the student, Registrar and course Instructor. Should the Committee
decide to allow the Special Examination, the procedures for Setting and Conducting Special Exams shall be followed.

Setting and Conducting Special Exams
The responsibility for setting and conducting special examinations will lie with schools and departments. Special examinations should be completed as soon as possible and normally (i.e., wherever possible) by the end of January, immediately following December examinations and by the end of the May immediately following April examinations.

 

Grades and GPA

The grade point average is the weighted sum of the grade points earned divided by the number of courses attempted. Courses with a notation of ‘W’ are not included in the GPA.

  • The sessional grade point average (SGPA) refers to a particular session
  • The program grade point average is calculated on courses offered towards a degree program and is used to determine a students’ eligibility to graduate. It does not appear on the official transcript.
  • The cumulative grade point average (CGPA) is calculated on all courses taken, and does appear on the official transcript.
  • Only the most recent grade in repeated courses will be included in any GPA.
Letter Grade Grade Point Value
A+ 4.33
A 4.00
A- 3.67
B+ 3.33
B 3.00
B- 2.67
C+ 2.33
C 2.00
C- 1.67
D+ 1.33
D 1.00
D- .67
F 0.00
W Withdrew
S

Awaiting grade from special exam/ incomplete


Some courses have a Pass/Fail marking scheme. This is not counted in the GPA. Previous courses repeated are marked as duplicate. Only the result and credit hours of the most recent attempt is calculated in the GPA and towards the total of completed credit hours.

In cases where a faculty member uses a grading scheme out of 100 (%) to calculate a final letter grade, that information will be contained in the course syllabus and communicated to students.