If I become unwell during an exam or test, what should I do?

If you become unwell or are affected by unforeseen circumstances during an in-person exam or test and are unable to complete it, you must advise the invigilator (or appropriate member of staff) of your situation as soon as possible and they will provide you with an “unfit to continue” form which you should complete and hand back to the invigilator before you leave. This will be kept as part of our records but does not equate to an extenuating circumstances application.

You will then need to submit an application for evidence based extenuating circumstances (which should include relevant evidence to support the application, such as a letter from your GP) within five University working days after the affected event.

If you become unwell or are affected by unforeseen circumstances during an in-person exam or a test but are able to complete it, you should still advise the invigilator (or appropriate member of staff) of your situation and complete and hand in the “unfit to continue” form (as above). Then, if you wish to apply for extenuating circumstances afterwards, you can follow this up by submitting an application for evidence based extenuating circumstances (which should include relevant evidence to support the application, such as a letter from your GP).

If the nature of the extenuating circumstances prevents you from providing the relevant supporting evidence within five University working days, you can still submit an application for evidence based extenuating circumstances provided that:

• you can provide valid reasons (with evidence where possible) outlining why you were unable to provide the required evidence within five University working days; and

• the Board of Examiners or academic body has not yet met

If you complete the exam and submit an EC application which is then approved, the assessment will not be marked.

Please be aware that approved extenuating circumstances for exams will always defer the exam or test to the next available assessment opportunity.

The process is also the same for online exams or tests held remotely with the exception that instead of notifying the invigilator, you should instead send an email to your module leader to let them know you are unwell. This can be used as supporting evidence as part of an EC application (along with relevant medical evidence) if you wish to submit one.

You can view all of our Extenuating Circumstances FAQs on MySurrey Help.