The following procedures take effect as of:
- Class of 2027: April 1, 2025
- Class of 2028: August 1, 2025
At the George Washington University School of Medicine, student preparation, participation, collaboration, attendance, punctuality and sitting for scheduled exams and other assessments are core professional behaviors and responsibilities for students (Professionalism Behaviors & Attributes). It is expected that all students in the M.D. program will take exams and other assessments on the scheduled date and time. If an emergency occurs or an important date/time conflict arises, and a student wishes to request a change in date or time of an exam or in-class assessment, the student must adhere to the procedures outlined below.
Requests to Change Summative Exam Date
The student will complete the “Medical Student Request for Change of Examination Date.” The student will then communicate with Dean Rhonda Goldberg, Associate Dean for Student Affairs, to discuss the request. An Exam Reschedule Review Panel reviews exam reschedule requests then Dean Goldberg responds to students regarding the request as soon as possible. Requests will be expeditiously adjudicated by the Exam Request Review Panel and its decision will be communicated in writing to the student by Dean Goldberg. While the Exam Reschedule Review Panel will take specific date and time requests into consideration, it may not always be possible to reschedule the exam on the student's preferred date.
If a request, regardless of reason, occurs more than twice in a program year, the student will be reviewed by the Exam Reschedule Review Panel with the possibility of being referred to the MSEC. Program year is defined as the first day of the curriculum through the last day of one year (i.e. Classes of 2028 and 2029 - August 4, 2025 through May 2026; Class of 2027 May 1, 2025 through May 1, 2026; Class of 2026 May 1 2025 through May 22, 2026).
Note that once an exam has been re-scheduled, the re-scheduled exam cannot be changed to an alternate date for a non-emergency; the student must take the exam either on the re-scheduled date/time or on the originally scheduled date/time.
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Non-emergency Requests: Requests for non-emergency reasons must be submitted at least 2 weeks before the exam unless an exception is granted. When proposing times for rescheduling the exam, the student should strive to take the exam as close as possible prior to the scheduled exam. Note that the student is responsible for reviewing the course or clerkship schedule and considering what content they would miss or any scheduling conflicts for any proposed rescheduled date/time. By requesting a change in exam date, the student assumes the risk of missing content covered on the exam and having less time to study. Students should not make any plans (e.g., flights, etc.) prior to finalization of the rescheduling request. If approved, Dean Goldberg will then discuss exam availability and scheduling issues with the course or clerkship directors.
For POM PBEs: Students are notified prior to PBE scheduling (via Blackboard and email) about the process for making requests regarding planned conflicts.
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Unplanned, Urgent Circumstances: Requests to change an exam date due to unplanned, urgent circumstances must be discussed with Dean Goldberg prior to the exam. Such requests will only be considered for significant urgent or emergency circumstances, and may require proof of the emergency circumstance such as documentation that the student was seen by a provider. Dean Goldberg will contact the student once a decision has been reached.
If an emergency situation arises which prevents a student from following the above procedure for unplanned or urgent exam change requests, the student should contact Dean Goldberg in the Dean’s Office at (202) 994-3176 or on her cell phone as soon as possible, unless circumstances prevent doing so. If Dean Goldberg cannot be reached initially by phone, the student should leave a message, and email her at rmgoldb [at] gwu.edu (rmgoldb[at]gwu[dot]edu), and should continue reasonable attempts to contact her by phone. The student should not assume that they are excused unless permission has been expressly granted by Dean Goldberg.
- Assessments Other than Exams: For assessments other than exams, such as in-class quizzes, a student may pursue a make-up if they miss the assessment due to sickness or are pre-approved to miss the session for any reason; no make-up will be made available if a student misses the assessment without approval BEFORE the assessment starts. For these assessments, students should contact the relevant block, course, clerkship or discipline director and Dean Goldberg in advance of the session to request permission to make-up the in-class assessment.
Students are Expected to Take Exams as Scheduled. Please remember that we operate with the understanding that all exams and assessments will be taken on time, except for extreme circumstances. If a student arrives at any exam or assessment late, they must complete the exam or assessment by the originally scheduled end time. In the event that a student arrives late for a Performance-based Exam or other standardized-patient exam, the course leadership will determine whether the student is permitted to sit for the exam. If a student has not received permission to reschedule an exam or assessment and does not take the exam or assessment at the scheduled time, the student will receive a zero (0) grade for the exam or assessment. Exam reschedule requests received after the scheduled time of an exam or assessment will not be considered.
Exam Guidelines and Procedures: See Exam Guidelines on the SMHS website and course Blackboard sites for further information on exam and assessment procedures.