Have you missed your final exam and you are not sure what will happen or what you are supposed to do?
This article will discuss everything that may come up as a result of missing the final exam and what to do to solve the situation. You do not have to panic anymore.
What happens if you Miss a Final Exam?
Missing your final exams is a very serious matter because they are compulsory. The following are some of the things that may happen if you miss the final exam:
1. You miss the marks
This is the most obvious outcome when you miss any exam. You cannot get marks for an exam you did not do. Missing marks can lead to failure if you do not find a way to redo the exam.
Having missing marks on your final exams is not ideal because you are nearing the end of your course completion which cannot be fulfilled without marks from every exam on the transcript.
2. No Graduation
You cannot graduate with any issues of missing marks. To graduate, you need to have all the marks from every exam done in school. It is the only way that you will be allowed to clear up with the school and be on the graduation list.
Also, your total grades cannot be calculated with any cases of missing marks. All marks from every test done must be available for an accurate representation of your performance across all your academic exams in the course you are pursuing.
3. Need for another Exam
When you have missed a final exam, you have no option other than to look for ways that you can do the exam again.
In some institutions, if you miss the final exams you will be required to apply for special exams. This is mostly if your reasons for not sitting for the exams are genuine.
This means that they could not be avoided and you had to miss the exams. These can include sickness or family emergencies.
In other institutions, to redo an exam you are required to repeat the whole course so that you can earn the opportunity to redo it with the students taking it that year.
This is the worst possible outcome because you will have to repeat a whole semester. This can be avoided if you miss exams with a good excuse.
4. Incomplete Marks
In some institutions, the final exams are added together with what you have been scoring in Continuous Assessment Tests within the semester to find the final grade you score.
Therefore, in cases where you have the CATs marks and miss the final exam then you will have incomplete marks? The effects of incomplete marks are the same as those of missing marks.
You will not be allowed to complete your studies without the full marks and you are likely to fail if you do not find a way to get the marks for the final exam.
5. Special Exams
If you have a genuine reason why you missed the final exams, applying for special exams should be the first step you take.
The reason must be a circumstance beyond your control. This can include your parent being unable to complete the payment of school fees in time, family emergencies, and serious illness.
You will not be eligible to sit for special exams if your reasons could be avoided. For example, misreading the exam timetable is not enough reason to miss final exams.
To apply for special exams always be aware of the time frame that your institution sets for application because if you miss it you will have to wait for another application the next semester.
6. Rescheduled Exams
Some institutions can reschedule final exams a few days after their completion. This is done to give students who notice in advance that they will not be able to sit for the exams due to unavoidable circumstances a chance to do their final exams.
The application for rescheduled exams must be done at least three days before the commencement of the scheduled exam period. Supporting documents on why you will miss the exams should be attached to the application.
When your application is approved the later date when the rescheduled exams will take place will be communicated to you for preparation.
7. Punishment
If you missed the final exams for reasons that are avoidable you are likely to get punished. Some of the punishments you receive can include repeating the whole semester or a 10% mark deduction on any makeup test provided.
These punishments vary from one institution to another.
What to do if you missed the Final Exams
The following are actions you can take if you missed the final exam however, the best thing would be to follow policies as each institution is different:
Inform your Professor or Faculty
If you know that you will not be able to do the final exam, contact your professor as soon as you realize it.
Explain to them your legitimate reasons why you will miss the exam and inquire from them what options you have and the chances to sit for the exam at a later date.
This is easier and more effective other than missing the exams and informing the professor later of the reasons that led to it.
Inform your Parents
If you are schooling far away from home, it is good that you inform your parents that you have missed your final exam so that they cannot be expecting the completion of the course you are doing at a particular time.
It is not good to keep your parents in the dark about your academic situation. Explain to them the reasons that made it impossible for you to sit for the exam and explain all the options that you have to ensure that you do the exam.
They can offer help or even talk to your professor or faculty for an easier solution if there was no any.
Get Documents to prove your reason for Missing the Exam
Support documents will always show that you did not miss the exam on purpose. Therefore, if you were sick make sure that you take the doctor’s note to school as proof that you did not fake illness.
Suppose you were at an unmissable religious event, make sure that you take a note from your religious leaders or officials. If you were at a family event your parents can contact the school before and after the event to prove that it was real.
If you were at an unmissable event competition make sure that you take the certificates issued or pictures of you participating.
The documents provided must always be within the dates you missed the exam. you can deliver the documents in person or email them to your professor.
Get Ready to Work Overtime
Once you miss the final exam and you are eligible to sit for special or rescheduled exams, be ready to put more effort into your work.
These exams are usually done within a shorter period compared to the main final exams. For example, if the main exams took two weeks, rescheduled exams take a week.
This implies that you will have exams piled up in some days and you will be required to put in more effort to cope with the situation.
Learn from Mistakes
If you missed exams due to reasons you could avoid, take time and learn from your mistakes so that the situation never comes to a repeat. Especially if you are away from your family, it is the time that you learn how to organize and take charge of your life.
If you misread the timetable, make sure that you are attentive and precise in anything you do. If you overslept and missed an exam figure out how to wake up early every day.
Let the mistakes that led to you missing the exams be a learning curve that changes your life.
