The Simon Fraser University (SFU) exam policies apply to distance education students, including those enrolled through Thompson Rivers University—Open Learning (TRU-OL). All approved exam changes must be accompanied by supporting documentation. SFU does not recognize vacations or work conflicts as legitimate reasons for rescheduling exams.

If you enrolled through SFU, your exam schedule is accessible through the SIS. From the Student Centre home page, click on the drop-down menu “other academic…,” and select Exam Schedule.
Your exam schedule is also accessible from the Course Schedule, located in your online materials. The date and time that each exam is to be written as well as the room number, if writing on the Burnaby campus, is available through a link in the Course Schedule.
In addition, exam schedules will also be posted at the Centre for Online and Distance Education (CODE), 1300 West Mall Centre and on CODE’s website.

Missing an exam may result in an academic penalty. The university is under no obligation to reschedule an exam if you miss it as a result of your failure to note the correct date, time, and location.

If you are unable to write an exam as scheduled because of illness or for compassionate reasons (e.g., serious illness or death of an immediate family member or close friend), you must contact CODE (not the tutor-marker or course supervisor) immediately (i.e., within 24 hours of the scheduled exam) by calling 778-782-3524 or 1-800-663-1411 (toll free in Canada) or by emailing codehelp@sfu.ca, and provide acceptable supporting documentation within four days of the exam date.

It is strongly recommended that you provide a Health Care Provider Statement. If the form is not provided, the university may request that you provide one. The form must clearly state that you were unable to write the exam on the scheduled date due to illness and be dated accordingly. Information around procedures for providing medical documentation is available on Health and Counselling Service's website: http://students.sfu.ca/health/healthclinics/sicknotes.html

Note: If acceptable documentation is not provided within four days of the exam, you may not be permitted to write the exam.

Please note that CODE may contact your health care provider to confirm and/or request further documentation within Freedom of Information/Protection of Privacy guidelines. You will be contacted if additional information is required.

Although CODE will make every effort to follow up with you once you have contacted our office, it is your responsibility to keep in touch with CODE and to check and respond to voice and email messages in a timely manner. To ensure the rescheduling of the exam takes place as soon as possible. All rescheduling requests must be approved by CODE and/or the course supervisor. Tutor-markers are not authorized to approve the rescheduling of exams.

If you miss an exam and you have been granted permission to reschedule it, CODE, or the course supervisor, will determine when and where the exam will be written. This may result in you having to re-arrange other commitments, take time of work, etc.

If your request is approved for reasons other than medical or compassionate, (i.e., extenuating circumstances beyond your control,) a special-arrangement fee of $50 will be levied. This fee is due and payable before or at the time you write the exam.

Note: Failure to follow the above procedures may result in your receiving an “F” for the exam.

If you live on the BC mainland, south of Squamish, and west of Chilliwack, you are required to write your exam on the Simon Fraser University Burnaby campus. This regulation also applies to TRU-OL students. You must show acceptable identification (e.g., student card or driver’s licence to the exam supervisor) before you write your exam. Failure to provide this identification may result in your receiving an “F” for the exam.

If you live out of town but wish to write your exam on campus, you must advise CODE of your intention.

You may be required to attend an exam on campus during the evening and/or at a time when the campus is relatively empty. Although the campus is generally a safe place, we encourage you to keep your personal safety in mind and make use of the University’s Safe Walk Program, which is administered by the Security office. The program ensures your personal safety as you travel around the campus. A safe walk can be requested any time of the day or night by calling Campus Security at 778 782 3100. You can find this and other information, including safety tips and a list of on- and off-campus resources, on the SFU Security page.

All students writing exams out of town, including Thompson Rivers University—Open Learning, need to complete the Application to Write Exams. You must submit the application to CODE by the date noted on your online course schedule. Please note the early deadline if you are enrolled in a course with one or more mid-term exams. If you have problems completing the application, please contact CODE by emailing codehelp@sfu.ca.

Late Fees:
You must pay a $25 late fee if your application is submitted after the deadline. CODE must receive the late fee within ten days of when you submitted your application. If you prefer, CODE can charge the fee to your SFU student account. Note: Because there are often mail delays, we do not recommend that you send any applications through the postal system. You are responsible for ensuring your application arrives at CODE by the deadline.

If you change proctors after the deadline, you will be charged an additional late fee of $25.

If we receive your application so late that we must courier the exam to your proctor, you will be required to pay the courier costs.

Note: Every reasonable effort will be made to accommodate late applications to write an exam out of town; however, if the lateness of an application results in you not being able to write the exam on the scheduled day, your exam may be penalized accordingly. Except in extenuating circumstances (e.g., situations beyond the control of the student), CODE cannot fax or email exams to the proctor.

Choosing a Proctor
Please refer to the Application to Write Exams for the proctor occupations that are accepted. The exam proctor you choose must be a professional or administrative person employed in the education field, such as a principal or librarian, who is not your friend or associate or a member of your immediate or extended family (which includes your spouse, common-law spouse, siblings, in-laws, parents, grandparents, children, aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, and nephews). The proctor may not be a current distance student at Simon Fraser University. It is in your best interest to contact CODE prior to submitting your application if the occupation of the proctor you wish to use does not match one of the occupations listed on the application.

If you are writing the exam outside of North America you are strongly advised to contact CODE prior to selecting a proctor. If you are having difficulty finding a proctor, in most cases you will be directed to a Canadian embassy, or the nearest accredited university; however, CODE is not responsible for finding you a proctor. CODE will make the final decision on where you will write your exam and you will be responsible for making the necessary arrangements and covering any related costs (e.g., time off work, transportation).

Note: You must choose a proctor who is able to read and understand English so that he or she can follow the proctoring instructions.

Proctor Fees
Proctors normally charge a fee for invigilating exams. You are responsible for any fees your proctor charges. If you have trouble finding a proctor, please contact our office. The Director of CODE reserves the right to make final decisions about the suitability of proctors.

Approval Process
An email will be sent to the address CODE has on file; the email will notify you whether your application has been approved. If you are enrolled through SFU, the address used will be your official SFU email address. If you enrolled through Thompson Rivers University – Open Learning, (TRU-OL) the address used will be the one you have on file with TRU-OL. You are responsible for checking this email account. Failure to do so may result in a financial or academic penalty. If you have not received confirmation from CODE three weeks prior to the scheduled exam date, contact our office immediately. Most likely we have not received your application. If you do not contact our office, you will be charged the $25 late application fee and any courier charges that may be incurred in sending the exam.

Writing the Exam
You must write your exam on the same day as it is scheduled on campus unless prior arrangements have been approved by CODE and/or your course supervisor. If you write your exam on an alternative date without permission, you may receive a grade of zero.

The exam will be mailed to the proctor’s business address noted on the application form. If the address is not in Canada, the exam will be sent by courier. The exam must be written at the proctor’s place of business and you and your proctor will be asked to certify that this is the case.

The exam proctor will be asked to place your completed exam in the addressed envelope (provided), seal and sign, and take it to a postal outlet for delivery by Priority Post to CODE. If you write an exam outside Canada, the proctor will be asked to return the exam via courier, and you will be responsible for reimbursing him or her for the courier costs. To ensure that we receive your exam in time for marking and grade submission, we strongly urge you to have your proctor return it immediately after you have written it.

Important: You must contact your proctor at least five days prior to the exam date to ensure he or she has received the correct exam and that the package is complete, and to confirm the time and place where you will write the exam. If the exam has not arrived five days before the scheduled exam date, contact CODE immediately. It is your responsibility to verify the exam’s arrival. If you fail to do so and it is necessary to courier the exam, you will be responsible for the charges incurred. If it’s not possible for the exam to arrive in time for you to write on the scheduled day, you may not be permitted to write the exam.