Distance Exam FAQ

Please note, if you no longer intend to take an exam via distance service, no longer need this service, or have dropped the course, you must email Distance Exams to cancel your application. Failure to notify will result in the full distance exam service fee being charged to your student account.

Students should contact Distance Exams with any further questions.

As a uOttawa student studying at Carleton University on exchange, you may be wondering how to pay your fees. It’s important to note that the distance exam fee will be added to your Carleton student account at the end of the term. We recommend that you regularly check your account balance to ensure that you are aware of any fees you may owe. If you have any further questions or concerns about paying your fees, you can contact Student Accounts at student_accounts@carleton.ca.

PMC Students should ensure that they have registered with the Paul Menton Centre in order to receive distance exam accommodations.  Students that do not register with the PMC prior to the distance exam application deadline may not be eligible for distance exam services.

PMC students should also note on their Distance Exam Application that they are a PMC student.

All date changes must be approved in writing by the Professor and submitted to the OnlineExams. You can also refer to the RO website for more details on deferral Defer an Exam – Registrar’s Office (carleton.ca). If you decide to apply for a deferred exam, remember to inform the distance exam team to cancel your original distance exam request. This will ensure you are not charged for the exams.

Students who wish to cancel their distance exam application can do so by emailing DistanceExams. Cancellations received more than 7 days before the scheduled exam date will be cancelled without charge. Cancellation requests received within 7 days of the scheduled exam date will have a cancellation fee of $25 applied to their account.

Students within 160km of campus are not eligible for this service.

Distance students must assume that they will write on the same date as the on-campus students, however, the start time may be adjusted due to time zones, etc.

CoMaS invite/details are sent to students who are approved to write at a distance, one week before their exam start time. If on the 5th day before your exam start time and you have not received any details regarding your CoMaS invite, please contact OnlineExams. You can find more details about our e-proctoring tool by clicking CoMaS.

All distance exams will be written online and invigilated by CoMaS except for those with exceptional circumstances that prohibit the use of technology (i.e., technical infrastructure issues) or Exam format not suitable for online, and for these cases, we will identify a proctor at a post-secondary institution and send the exam securely for writing on paper at the institution.

Late applications may be considered but can result in the application being declined. If approved, a $25 late application fee applies. Applications received less than TWO WEEKS prior to the scheduled exam will not be processed.

Please email Distance Exams or call 613.520.2600 x1571 if the deadline for applying has passed.

Late requests to write a deferred final exam off-campus or at a distance will not be accepted.

Once your location is approved for an off-campus deferred final exam, it cannot be changed. You will write your exam at a post-secondary institution near the city you selected or within 165 km of your location, unless the distance team advises otherwise.

No, you cannot request to write a deferred final exam online if the original exam was in-person. Deferred exams follow the same format as the original. If the final exam was held online, the deferred exam will also be online. If it was on campus (either paper-based or digital), the deferred exam will be held on campus or at a nearby post-secondary institution in the city you mentioned in your application. This ensures a consistent exam environment and fairness for all students.

Yes. If you are approved for a deferred Off-campus/Distance exam, you will still need to pay the fee, even if you were charged for the original exam and didn’t attend. Make sure to inform the Distance Exam Team about any changes to your exam plans, such as deferring or canceling. You must notify them by email if you can’t attend or need to adjust your arrangements. If you don’t, the full fee will still be charged to your account.

You will receive confirmation or additional information about your off-campus deferred exam location and related details approximately one week prior to the exam date. For more information, please refer to the deferred exam page or contact Distance Exam Team via email.

No, the distance exam approval for your finals does not carry over to the deferred exam. You need to apply again for a deferred off-campus exam through the Registrar’s Office. Please submit your deferred off-campus exam request here and be sure to select off-campus.

If you’ve received approval for an off-campus deferral exam, it’s not necessary for you to apply for distance exam service. More information about your deferred off-campus exam will be provided once the deferred exam schedule is released, or at least 7 business days before your scheduled exam. Please consult the deferred exam page for details on the deferred exam period.