Writing a deferred exam
This page explains what happens after you submit a request to defer a final examination.
Be sure to review all the university regulations concerning DEF notations and supplemental examinations in the undergraduate calendar.
Was your request approved?
We consider requests to defer exams under the following conditions:
- Your grade in the course contains the DNW notation
- We have received your Request for “Deferred” Notation form by the deadline
(see How to apply for a deferral — Step 3 for the deadlines) - We have received your supporting documentation
We begin processing requests for “DEF” notations as soon as the official examination period is over and your final grade has been recorded. You will receive an email informing you of the decision to your DEF request.
Please ensure your email address on file is up to date.
If your request is approved, information about which exam period you will write your exam will be included in the email. Please note that any questions about exam content, such as which version you will write, etc. must be discussed with the department, and not the Examinations Office.
Please follow up if you don’t hear from us within a month of submitting your request. Call us at 848-2424, ext. 2608, 2609 or 2676.
Be sure to review all the university regulations concerning deferred examinations in the undergraduate calendar.
When you write your deferred exam depends on:
- The date of the original examination
- The next session when the course is offered
- Your graduation status
You will be notified by email of the acceptance of your deferral request and the exam session in which you will be writing your deferred exam. Please ensure your email address on file is up to date.
Details of your exam date, time and location will be listed in your Student Exam Schedule once the exam schedule is available for the term in which you are writing. To view your schedule, log in to the Student Hub with your netname and go to My CU Account > Academic > View exam schedule.
If you have an exam conflict with any of your exams, including deferred exams, you must report the conflict before the deadline. In the event of a conflict, you may have to write an alternate exam or write two exams back-to-back. You can report the conflict via your Student Exam Schedule. You can also access this by logging in to the Student Hub with your netname and going to My CU Account > Academic > View exam schedule.
Consult the regulations for your faculty
If you missed your exam in December
| Course offered in January |
Course not offered in January |
|---|---|
| Write with April finals | Write in February (mid-term break) |
Potential graduates for June would write during the replacement period in February (mid-term break).
If you missed your exam in April
| Course offered in FIRST summer session |
Course offered in SECOND summer session | Course NOT OFFERED in either summer session |
|---|---|---|
| Write with June finals | Write with August finals | Write in replacement period after August finals |
If you missed your exam in June
| For a 3-credit course | For a 3-credit course | For a 6-credit course |
|---|---|---|
| Course offered in September Write with December finals |
Course not offered in September Write in October replacement period |
Write in October replacement period |
If you missed your exam in August
| Course offered September |
Course not offered in September |
|---|---|
| Write with December finals | Write in October replacement period |
Potential graduates for November would write during the replacement period in October.
Deferred exams are written in the examination period of the next session in which the course is offered.
If you are a potential graduate and the course for your deferred exam is not offered in the term immediately prior to your graduation, a “special exam” may be provided for you and scheduled prior to the next time the course is offered.
Deferred exams are written in the examination period of the next session in which the course is offered.
If you are a potential graduate and the course for your deferred exam is not offered in the term immediately prior to your graduation, a “special exam” may be provided for you and scheduled prior to the next time the course is offered.
Your exam will be evaluated and a grade submitted to the Office of the Registrar. The new grade submitted for you will replace the DEF notation on your record.
A deferred examination counts for the same weight in the course evaluation scheme and covers the same course material as the original examination.
If you fail a course after writing a deferred examination you may have one opportunity to write a supplemental examination during the next scheduled supplemental examination period. To have this privilege you must meet all the criteria for writing a supplemental exam and receive an original grade other than FNS.
If you choose not to write the deferred exam, your “DEF” notation will be replaced by the original grade submitted for you and it will be calculated in your grade point average. You also forfeit the chance to write the missed exam. You must repeat the course if it is a requirement of your degree.
An examination cannot normally be deferred a second time. If you were prevented from writing the deferred exam due to extraordinary circumstances, you may apply to the University Examinations Committee for a retroactive discontinue notation (DISC) in the course. You would have to submit a second Request for a DEF notation application form along with the fee and provide supporting evidence. Please review the steps for how to apply for a DEF notation.
You may make requests for deferred examinations in a maximum of three exam sessions during your undergraduate or independent studies at Concordia. Requests which exceed this number will be submitted to the University Examinations Committee for consideration only if they have been the consequence of extraordinary circumstances.
