Ever felt unwell or have an emergency happen on the day of your exam? Sometimes the unexpected happens and, therefore, it is important to know what steps to take should this ever happen to you.
You have probably heard that preparation is key when getting ready to take your next exam, but the unexpected can unsettle you and even more so when you are unsure of what to do next.
What does 'Fit to Sit' mean?
If you attend an examination (regardless of whether you leave the examination early or begin to write your answers) or submit an assessment, you are declaring yourself to be mentally and physically ready to sit the exam and thus, have confirmed that you agree to the policy. Therefore, any attempt to try and get another chance to do the exam because you were unwell or something happened is unlikely because you have agreed that you are ready to sit the exam by declaring yourself ‘fit to sit’ this assessment.
Ultimately, our message to you is that if you start to feel unwell or a serious incident occurs that is likely to affect your ability to take the exam, then you should seriously consider whether you are fully prepared to sit the assessment. Warning! If you do not sit your exam, you will need to submit a Extenuating Circumstance application to ensure that you are not marked absent for this assessment attempt.
If something does go wrong before or during your assessment, you will not be able to submit a Mitigating Circumstance application unless your circumstances fall within the permitted grounds. In addition, you will need to provide objective and authoritative evidence in support of your condition.
You may wish to become familiar with the University's Fit to Sit Policy available here.
CHECKLIST - What do I do next?
If you decide that you are unable to sit the exam, you will need to do the following:
- Inform your Programme Support Officer on the day if possible. Do this by email and get a read receipt to confirm that they have seen it. You can use this as supporting evidence.
- If you are feeling ill, if possible, go and see your GP as soon as you can, preferably on the day and obtain written evidence from them of your appointment, what was diagnosed and if medication was prescribed. You will need to use this as evidence.
- If you are unable to obtain medical evidence you may be able to self-certify the reasons for your absence, permitted that this is in line with the latest Covid-19 information and advice.
- Then follow the procedure to submit a Mitigating Circumstances application making sure that the application is received by the ORC within 10 working days of your exam.
