This December, final exams are going to be different. We know you have questions about how your accommodations will work.

The most common questions (and answers!) are below. Hopefully, this will help you out. If not, send us an email at aesexams@usask.ca

Q. Yikes! I missed the deadline! Now what?

Unfortunately, the November 19 deadline is firm. Now that it has passed, you need to contact your instructors to see if they can provide accommodations without AES being involved.

Some instructors may be unwilling or unable to assist students who didn’t submit their requests through us. If they are unable to help you, you will need to write your exam(s) without accommodations.

Q. I submitted my requests a long time ago and they’re still “In Progress”! What gives?

“In Progress” means that we’re waiting to get information about your exam from your instructor.

Ten days before your exam date, our system will send an automated message to your instructor, telling them that a student requested accommodations and that we need information about the exam.

Once the instructor replies to that email, we insert the information they provided into your exam record and change the status to “Scheduled.”

We can’t change the status of your exam until we hear from your instructor. Some instructors are super prompt and we will be able to change the status 8-10 days prior to the exam date. Some instructors don’t reply to that first email, so we send a follow up about 3 days before the exam. Some don’t reply to that one either! If we don’t get a reply at all, we will make a note of that in your notebox, and change it to “Scheduled” anyway.

Because you followed the correct procedures, your accommodations are guaranteed to be provided. Do NOT worry if the status stays as “In Progress.” It just means that we don’t have information about the exam yet.

Q. What time does my evening exam start? I have two. My AES Exam Service tab says that one starts at 5:00pm and the other starts at 7:00pm. Is this really true?

The start time for evening exams in your AES Exam Service channel is just an arbitrary time chosen by our system. It is not necessarily correct.

If you have a 7:00pm exam, talk to your instructor about the start time NOW.

Some instructors might start the exams at 7:00pm, which means students with time and a half will have until 11:30pm to finish. Other instructors might start the exam early, so that they don’t have to monitor their email or WebEx room until late at night.

AES won’t necessarily get the start time from instructors, and even if we do, we might not get it until a day or two prior to the exam. It’s best to ask your instructor for this information well before the exam date.

Q. If I have a question while writing my exam, who can help me?

If your question is related to technology or to the exam material, reach out to your instructor by whatever means they offered. If your computer crashes, if you’re having trouble downloading your exam, if the timer doesn’t seem correct, or if you don’t understand a question, ask your prof during the exam. Do not wait until after the exam is handed in.

If your question is related to disability issues or temporary illness, email us at aesexams@usask.ca Our email will be monitored from 8:00am to 10:00pm beginning Monday, December 7 through Saturday, December 19 (excluding Sunday, December 13). We will reply ASAP after receiving your email; if you seem to be in distress, we will offer to open a WebEx room to facilitate an easier chat.

Q. I requested a reader and/or a scribe for my final exam. How will that work?

The reader and/or scribe accommodation is provided via WebEx.

The staff person scheduled to work with you will set up the WebEx room a few days in advance of the exam. They will also email you to introduce themselves.

The staff person is scheduled to open the WebEx room 15 minutes prior to the exam time. We encourage you to arrive a little early yourself, to introduce yourself to the staff person and discuss how to work on the exam. The exam itself should not begin earlier than the actual start time.

Q. I  have a question that isn’t answered here.

Email us at aesexams@usask.ca Our phone lines are not monitored while we work remotely.

Please keep in mind that our workload is very heavy during final exam periods. We work as quickly as we can but we do need to prioritize tasks. We will reply to your email as soon as we are able.

Good luck on your exams! Stay safe and enjoy the holiday break after your exams wrap up!