Rescheduling Exams Due to Schedule Conflict (Non-Emergency Exam Reschedule Requests)

Permissible Reasons to Reschedule an Exam Due to Schedule Conflict

You must take your examinations "at the scheduled times and in the format specified" on the Exam Schedule, unless there are "extraordinary and compelling circumstances" or if the Law School Rules specifically provide for rescheduling. For example, a student scheduled to take two exams "on the same day may postpone the second examination to the first day on which the student does not have a scheduled examination." "A student who has four exams on consecutive days may postpone one of the exams for up to one week." Students may postpone final exams that fall on a Sabbath or other religious holiday. Otherwise, the acceptable reasons for rescheduling exams are few. 

The Law School Rules give the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs some discretion in rescheduling in very limited circumstances and specify circumstances in which an exam may not be rescheduled. An exam may not be rescheduled when a student is taking a bar review course, when a student has a professional opportunity --such as a job interview or conference-- that conflicts with the examination, when a student is late or oversleeps, when a student wishes to leave early for a break, or when the student has three exams on three consecutive days.

Deadline to Request an Exam Reschedule Due to Schedule Conflict

The deadline to petition to reschedule an exam pursuant to Law School Rule 6.03 is posted each term on the Exam Info page under "Exam Updates." The deadline is typically approximately one month before final exams begin.

After this deadline, the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs can only accept requests to reschedule exams based on emergencies or circumstances not known before the deadline (see Exam Emergency Procedures). 

Requesting an Exam Reschedule Due to Schedule Conflict

To petition to reschedule an exam, fill out the "Petition to Reschedule an Exam" form available on the Law School's Forms page and email it to the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs with supporting documentation. On the petition form, refer to the section of the rules that justifies the change of schedule or explain the "extraordinary and compelling circumstance."

The Assistant Dean for Student Affairs will review your petition, email you any follow-up inquiries, and return a decision after the deadline. If approved, the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs will email you the date, time, and place for your rescheduled exam(s). In almost all circumstances, exams will be rescheduled for a date very soon after the scheduled date. Exams are not rescheduled for earlier dates.

Emergency Exam Reschedule Requests

If a health, family, personal, or other type of emergency arises that prevents you from taking or completing an exam, follow these Exam Emergency Procedures. 

Reminders

Do NOT contact instructors regarding rescheduling final exams due to anonymous grading. The Assistant Dean for Student Affairs handles all exam rescheduling. Instructors cannot approve final exam reschedules.

Making a knowingly false statement to a University employee is nonacademic misconduct under Chapter 17 of the Wisconsin Administrative Code. Accordingly, requesting an exam reschedule under false pretenses is punishable nonacademic misconduct. 

See Law School Rule 6.03 for more information about rescheduling exams, and contact the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs with any questions.