Help at exam time

Sickness, injury or serious personal circumstances may significantly affect your ability to take exams or assessments. Learn about the support we provide.

If you're physically or mentally unwell, consider seeing a doctor, a nurse, or speaking with a counsellor. We have extra staff on duty at both Student Health and Student Counselling (Mauri Ora) during exam periods.

Extension or other flexible arrangement

If you’re seeking an extension or other flexible arrangement, contact your course coordinator first. Ask them directly for what you need, and where appropriate, briefly explain why. You are not expected to reveal sensitive personal or health details.

If for any reason your course coordinator requires more details or evidence, get in touch with us. We are generally able to contact your course coordinator by email within a few days of you contacting us.

Aegrotat passes

An aegrotat is an ungraded pass awarded to a student who has been unable to adequately prepare for, perform in, or attend an exam, or complete an item of assessment due in the last three weeks of teaching because of illness, injury or other serious circumstances beyond their control. Students need to have done well in enough of their previous course assessments to show they were clearly heading for a pass to be granted an aegrotat pass.

It's important that you act early when applying for an aegrotat pass. As a first step, read about aegrotat passes and how they work, then get in touch with your Student Success team—they may be able to offer you other options, like extensions or sitting the exam at a different time or place.

From there, you can book in with a doctor or counsellor to discuss your aegrotat application.

Alternative exam facilities

We can assist with alternative exam facilities for acutely sick, injured or impaired students.

To request an alternative exam facility, you will need to make an appointment with Student Health who will make a recommendation based on your needs.

If you have a long term condition that may prevent you accessing exam locations, or that means you need additional support in order to sit exams, get in touch with Te Amaru—Disability Services to discuss alternative facilities.