A sign at the Student Life Disability Services Exam Services check-in desk in Baker Hall – located at 113 W. 12th Ave. – outlines testing procedures and updated arrival guidelines on Monday. Credit: Hana Alghamdi | Lantern Reporter
Beginning this fall, students registered with Ohio State’s Student Life Disability Services — or SLDS — who use Exam Services no longer have an automatic 15-minute grace period for late arrivals.
The change means students who arrive after their scheduled exam start time may have to complete the exam with the remaining testing time or request a rescheduled exam, subject to instructor approval. Students whose late arrival is related to a verified, extenuating circumstance could still receive their full testing time, but Exam Services staff will review the reason for the delay, according to Cheryl Lyons, director of SLDS.
Exam Services, through SLDS, provide an accessible testing environment where students can take in-person quizzes, midterms and finals with approved accommodations, such as extended time and distraction-reduced spaces, according to the SLDS website.
Lyons said in an email that the grace period was originally intended for one-time extenuating circumstances. However, over time, anyone arriving late was permitted to use it.?
A 2024 operational efficiency study of Exam Services found that just over 60 percent of students were checking in at their scheduled times, Lyons said.
“The primary reason for this change was to address this concern to improve the efficiency and consistency of exam services for all students,” Lyons said. “Over time, we observed that the automatic grace period was creating delays in check-in, exam starts and seat utilization.”
Lyons said staff were often managing check-ins for 30 minutes or more for a single exam start time, reducing their ability to assist students who were already testing or completing exams.
The lack of a grace period was met with some criticism.
Katherine Macfarlane, a professor at Syracuse University College of Law and director of its Disability Law and Policy Program, said arriving at an exact exam time can be more difficult for some students with disabilities because of circumstances such as mobility limitations, unpredictable health conditions or needing additional time to manage symptoms.
“It doesn’t work that way,” Macfarlane said. “We have less time, we have more doctor’s appointments. I’m a person with mobility impairments, it takes me longer to move around campus.”
Macfarlane said she is concerned that eliminating an automatic grace period could create additional steps for students who need flexibility because of their disabilities, as accommodations generally require consideration of a student’s individual situation.
Lyons said SLDS considered the effects on students with disabilities when developing the policy, which Exam Services staff and SLDS leadership reviewed in consultation with Ohio State’s ADA coordinator.?
Lillian Schofield, a third-year in statistics and computer information science, uses SLDS Exam Services and said the grace period helped her when she had back-to-back final exams in different locations on campus.
“The 15 minutes gives me some leeway to reset myself,” Schofield said. “Granted, I understand why, but it does add more anxiety for people who are already taking their exams there for test anxiety.”
Schofield said she arrived about 10 minutes early for an exam this semester but encountered a line during check-in. She began the exam around 9:02 a.m. but received the additional two minutes, allowing her to receive her full testing time.
Jack Stanovic, a third-year in marketing, also uses the service and said he has taken three exams this semester and first noticed the policy change during his first exam.
Stanovic said he arrived about 10 minutes early but lost a small amount of testing time because of the check-in line.
“It seems fair, but maybe not equitable,” Stanovic said.
Stanovic said he understands requiring students to arrive on time, but students using Exam Services have additional steps to complete before beginning an exam, including checking in.
Jade Morse, a fourth-year in industrial and systems engineering, uses SLDS Exam Services and said she has not taken an exam through Exam Services this semester, but used the previous grace period a couple of times after arriving late in other? semesters.
Morse said she understands the change and plans to leave earlier than usual for future exams to make sure she arrives on time.
“It’s a big deal because if you do miss that grace period or if you are late, it’s a pretty big consequence and it’s a hassle to reschedule and figure out your next steps,” Morse said.
