Testing Accommodations

Last reviewed: 11/17/2023

Students with disabilities may be eligible for accommodations related to the administration of exams and quizzes. Testing accommodations are provided for students whose disabilities impact their ability to complete exams and quizzes under standard conditions in the classroom.

Students must register with Disability Services so staff can determine eligibility for these accommodations. Once registered, students should follow the instructions below to access their testing accommodations for specific courses.

Final Exam Scheduling Procedures

The Testing Team has scheduled many final exams based on midterm scheduling and student accommodations.

DS students will receive an email containing their exams scheduled with our office during the final exam period (12/15 - 12/22). These emails will be sent between 11/17 - 11/19.

Exams at DS are scheduled in accordance with the exam dates/times assigned by the registrar. Please note that exams with DS will be scheduled at 9 a.m., 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. All 7 p.m. exams will be scheduled with DS at 4 p.m..

Please review your exam schedule carefully to ensure all of your final exams are (1) scheduled and (2) scheduled at the correct dates/times.

Please note the following action items for scheduling exams for the final exam period:

  • If you were not scheduled for an exam or the date and/or time is incorrect for an exam, send an email to [email protected] with the subject line “Final Exam Scheduling Request” with any additional exams you wish to be scheduled for, and detailing any missed exams and/or scheduling errors so that we can resolve them. Be sure to include the Course Name, Number and Professor for each exam.
  • If you did not receive an exam schedule, please send an email to [email protected] with the subject line “Final Exam Scheduling Request”. In this email list all the exams you wish to be scheduled for and the registrar assigned date/time of each exam. Be sure to include the Course Name, Number and Professor for each exam
  • If your professor has scheduled your final exam during reading days, please send an email to [email protected] with the subject line “Reading Days Final Exam Scheduling Request”. In this email share the date/time your professor has scheduled their exam and share a screenshot of the email or Courseworks announcement where this information was announced. Our reading day proctoring is very limited so your exam with our office may be scheduled at an alternate date/time.

Last-minute request approvals during final exam period are very limited.

The deadline for scheduling any additional final exams is 5 p.m. Tuesday 11/20. We cannot guarantee that you will be able to access your accommodations for those final exams.

Overlapping Finals/ Exam Conflicts/ 3 Exams per Day

By Tuesday, 11/20 at 3 p.m., please also advise us if you have any time conflicts with exams (exams that overlap given your extended time accommodation, and the University’s defined exam schedule) so that we are able to make the necessary arrangements in a timely manner. Please send an email to [email protected] with the subject line “Final Exam Conflicts” to request schedule adjustments to resolve these overlaps.

Religious Observance Conflicts

Students who are Sabbath observant and receive time-based testing accommodations: If you have an exam scheduled at 1 p.m. or 4 p.m. on Friday, December 15, these will conflict with the Sabbath.  Please send an email to [email protected] with the subject line “Final Exam Conflicts” to request schedule adjustment for these exams. Please be sure to specify that this is a religious observance conflict.

Frequently Asked Questions

DS will use the information submitted on this form to schedule your exams and/or quizzes, and you will receive an email notification within a week confirming the dates and times of your exams and quizzes at DS.

Please review your email notification carefully, as the time and/or date of your exam/quiz at DS may differ from that of the in-class exam/quiz in order to resolve an academic conflict or (for evening classes) schedule your exam/quiz within our testing center’s operating hours (8 a.m. - 7 p.m. Monday-Thursday and 8 a.m. - 3 p.m. Friday).

If you have a conflict with the time that your exam or quiz is scheduled, please email [email protected] immediately with the subject line “exam conflict.

Students must inform Disability Services prior to an exam/quiz that they will be unable to take it due to illness; student must also contact professors to ask for permission to reschedule. Students should be aware that the professor’s make up/missed exam/quiz policy may apply. If permission is granted, Disability Services will coordinate an alternate exam/quiz date and time per the professor’s instructions.

If a student informs Disability Services during an exam/quiz that they cannot continue due to illness, Disability Services will contact the professor to ask whether it is permissible to reschedule. Disability Services may not be permitted to reschedule the exam/quiz, and students should consider the professor’s make up/missed exam/quiz policy when deciding if they are well enough to complete the exam/quiz.

Your quizzes and exams will be scheduled according to the dates and times confirmed by your professor. If the dates on the form you submitted contradict those provided by your professor we will defer to the professor’s schedule unless we receive a conflict email from you explaining the discrepancy.

If your professor ever reschedules a quiz or exam you have scheduled with DS please email [email protected] immediately with the subject line “exam date change” and attach the email or Courseworks announcement that communicates the change.

If your professor prefers to administer your exam/quiz with accommodations and has the resources to do so, your exam will not be scheduled at DS Testing Center and you will receive an email with alternate instructions.

Columbia students taking classes at Barnard should follow the same instructions for scheduling an exam/quiz with Columbia's Disability Services by completing an online Testing Accommodation Request.