Alternative Exam Arrangements

Alternative Exam Arrangements (AEAs) are study adjustments granted to students who require changes to the scheduled conditions or format of an exam.

AEAs apply to all exams, including:

  • End-of-semester and end-of-year exams
  • Supplementary and special exams
  • In-class and mid-semester tests
  • Practical exams.

What circumstances may require an AEA?

Circumstances might include:

  • Chronic or permanent physical or mental health conditions
  • Significant carer responsibilities
  • Elite athletes or performers
  • Defence Reservists
  • Emergency volunteers
  • Official religious or cultural reasons.

What adjustments are available?

Adjustments are determined case-by-case for individual subjects. Possible adjustments include:

  • Additional reading and/or writing time
  • Rest breaks
  • Completing exams on a computer or by hand, according to disability adjustments
  • Provision of a scribe or reader.

How to register

To be considered for AEAs and other study adjustments, Register for ongoing support.

Please note that there are deadlines to finalise AEAs for each study period.  The deadline to finalise AEAs for Semester 2 exams was September 1.

Accessing your AEA exam timetable

Once the exam timetable has been published for the relevant study period, you will be able to view your AEA exam timetable via the my.unimelb homepage.

Here’s how your AEA conditions will display:Example of exam timetable displaying in my.unimelb, My Exams tab. Exam details for a sample subject, Research for Hearing and Speech Sciences, displays: heading ‘AUDI90002 Research for Hearing and Speech Sciences (AEA Exam Conditions)’, calendar icon with date ‘6 June 2023’, clock icon with time ’02:00 pm AEST’,  ‘Reading time: 5 minutes, Writing time: 3 hours 31 minutes, Rest time: 18 minutes, Venue: AEA Main, Kwong Lee Dow, Room 122, Exam format: On campus digital exam (LMS Classic Quiz), View exam details without AEAs’.

If you have time adjustments in your AEA conditions, these will now be itemised in your my.unimelb timetable and you will be able to select ‘View exam details without AEA’s’ to compare how the exam will run without your AEA conditions.

Please note that your AEA timetable will not list a seat number. This information will be provided at the exam venue prior to your exam.

Start date and time

Noted in green beneath the subject name, this is the date and time that you will be able to commence your exam.

Reading time


It is recommended you use this allocated time to read the exam and plan your approach. In the LMS and in my.unimelb, the reading time is automatically included in the official exam time, and begins at the listed start time of the exam.

Writing time


The total writing time including any additional writing time in your AEAs is listed separately.

Rest breaks (if relevant)

If rest breaks are included in your AEA conditions, the total available break time will be listed.

How to apply rest breaks in the exam environment

In the exam environment, rest breaks are self-managed:

  • Each student with rest break adjustments keeps track of their break times. While staff are available to assist, they will not be prompting you to take your rest breaks.
  • You can take those breaks at any time during the exam that you need to.  You may take all your rest time in one go, or break up your rest time into multiple breaks.
  • If you do not need your full break allocation, you simply finish the exam earlier.
  • Rest breaks cannot be converted to additional writing time.  A rest break is time outside of the exam, but without access to electronic devices or any exam related materials.

We encourage students with time adjustments to practice tracking their time while completing their practice exams, and to create a plan for how you think the exam might go. This will help to relieve the pressure on the day of the exam, as you will have your timing plan in place to guide you.

Venue

This will list your exam venue and the necessary AEA conditions for that exam venue.

Kwong Lee Dow Building

  • The Kwong Lee Dow Building is located at 234 Queensberry St, on the corner of Leicester St and Queensberry St. It is a five-minute walk from Gate 10 of the main Parkville Campus.
  • The entrance for exams is off Leicester St. Please arrive 15 minutes prior to the official exam start time.
  • Bathroom facilities are available in the building.
  • Field and medical assistance is available; medics will be on site at the venue.
  • Public Transport: There are multiple public transport options, check the stops and stations nearby to 234 Queensberry St.
  • Bags: Bags will be stored in the foyer area of the building. As this area is unsecured, we recommend only bringing essential items as there is limited storage space and often lengthy wait times to collect items.

Many rows of individual chairs and desks for exams.

Melbourne Business School (MBS)

If you are sitting an exam at Melbourne Business School,  view the venue map to find out more about this venue.

Exam conditions

This displays the format of your exam. Different exam formats will have different time commitments and conditions, so you will need to be prepared for the assigned exam formats for each of your exams.

Time-based conditions

If your assessment conditions include a time-based adjustment (reading, writing or rest time), the adjustments have been assessed and accommodated for in each of your centrally-timetabled exams. Your conditions will be calculated and applied to your exam time in the LMS.

Scheduling conditions

If you have a scheduling condition such as ‘morning exam only’, your condition has been accommodated in your exam timetable.

Equipment and accessible format conditions

Any AEA equipment conditions or accessible format conditions will be detailed in your Academic Adjustment Plan.

What if my exam does not appear in my.unimelb?

If you have an end of semester exam that does not appear on your exam timetable in my.unimelb, it is likely that this exam is being run directly by your faculty.

To discuss AEA conditions being applied to those exams, please contact your relevant faculty staff as per the instructions on your Academic Adjustment Plan.

AEA enquiries

If your AEA conditions do not appear to be accommodated in your exam timetable or if you have any other questions about your AEA exam, please contact equity-disability@unimelb.edu.au.