Exam Accommodations

Exam accommodations remove barriers to exam participation for University of Alberta students with documented permanent disabilities. The goal of exam accommodations is to ensure that you are able to demonstrate your knowledge of the material tested by an exam in a manner equivalent to that of  your peers without accommodations.

Examples of exam accommodations include:

  • extended/additional exam writing time.
  • exam breaks. 
  • use of adaptive technology or software.
  • alternate formats of print or digital exam materials.
  • use of special equipment or ergonomic furniture.

Exam accommodations apply to all exams (including quizzes, tests, midterms, and finals) that you register in ClockWork’s Online Student Services portal:

  • Select the Register an Exam icon in the ClockWork Online Student Services portal. 
  • Exams must be registered at least seven (7) full days before the date of the exam.
  • It is probably easier to think of this as 8 days because ClockWork defines a full day as beginning at 12:00 a.m. and ending at 11:59 p.m. (Mountain time). For example, to register an exam scheduled for October 25, you must submit your request by 11:59 p.m. (Mountain Time) on October 17.
  • During Fall and Winter terms, there is a hard deadline, after which exam accommodations cannot be guaranteed. Locate the hard deadline on the Register an Exam page of ClockWork’s Online Student Services portal.
  • During Spring and Summer terms, accommodated exam registrations are governed only by the rolling seven (7) full days (but think 8) deadline.
  • Confirm you successfully registered your exam by checking the “Calendar” tab in the My Schedule page of ClockWork’s Online Student Services portal. In addition, please save the email you receive with the subject line CONFIRMATION OF STUDENT EXAM REGISTRATION SUBMISSION AUTOMATED REPLY as it confirms your exam registration.
  • You will receive two automated email reminders that include a list of the accommodations you requested for your exam--the first will arrive 3 days before your accommodated exam and the second will arrive the day before your accommodated exam. Please check this list and immediately contact your Accessibility Advisor if you have any concerns about the accommodations you selected for your exam.    
  • Please promptly email arrec@ualberta.ca if you have exams in the first week of classes

If students do not successfully register their exams in ClockWork according to the relevant deadlines, there is no guarantee that their exam accommodations will be provided. 

Questions about remote delivery exams?

Check out the Frequently Asked Questions page for more information.