MISSED exam/assignment & need makeup (PROF advice)
GUIDE to talking to your professor about missing an assignment or exam
As a former professor, with over a decade of experience, I am going to share with you exactly what I would have wanted to hear from my students when they missed an exam or assignment.
And it’s probably not what you would think either.
Then I will let you know how often I would let students makeup a missing assignment or exam so you get a better understanding of your chances.
Finally, I will give you an email template of what to say to your professor when you miss an assignment or exam to help get you a second chance to complete it.
What does it mean to makeup an exam or assignment?
If a student wants to makeup an exam or assignment, this means that the student missed the exam or failed to turn in the assignment. And the student received a zero because they were not present to complete it or failed to turn it in before the deadline.
The professor would give the student an opportunity to complete the exam or assignment and turn it in after the deadline. The grade would replace the missing grade you have because you couldn’t take the exam or didn’t complete the assignment.
It is important to understand the difference between a makeup exam and retaking an exam because these are treated differently by your professors. While some professors may allow a makeup exam, they might not allow students to retake exams.
What is an excuse to makeup an exam or assignment?
If a student wants to makeup an exam or assignment, they want another chance to take it and earn a grade for the assignment. There are some excuses for missing an exam or assignment but it will vary based on the institution and the professor. Some of the excuses to MAKEUP a missed exam or assignment include :
Documented medical issues
Hospitalization
Student related activity
Jury duty
Religious holy days
Funeral of immediate relative
Military duty
Disability accommodations
Internet connection or technical issue (if online)
While I listed some reasons why your professor may allow you to makeup an exam or assignment, I will now tell you some reasons why your professor might NOT allow you to complete a makeup exam or assignment. Keep in mind that your professor may still allow you to complete it late regardless of your excuse.
Some of those reasons may include :
Slept in
Forgot about it
Studied for another class
Busy with work
Car trouble
Wasn’t prepared
From reviewing the excuses above, you can tell that some of them are more important than others. For example, if you have a valid and documented reason to miss an assignment, then your professor is more likely to allow a makeup opportunity compared to excuses about your unprepardness.
And if you contacted them BEFORE you missed the assignment, you may get to make it up compared to students who reach out to their professors days or even weeks after the missed assignment or exam.
But if you were just unprepared and didn’t take the class seriously, they probably won’t give you another chance to do the assignment late.
One question you should ask yourself is if you didn’t complete the assignment because you were unprepared or unorganized, you may not be entitled to makeup the assignment. But if something traumatic or unavoidable happened, you may get to make it up.
Can you makeup an exam or assignment in college?
College students may be able to makeup an exam or assignment if their professor allows students to have a second chance. It will depend on the student’s excuse and if they have documentation. It will also depend on the professor’s policy.
Some professors are much more lenient when it comes to makeup assignments, while others have strict policies and won’t budge.
Usually there isn’t a university wide policy regarding missed assignments so your professor has a lot of discretion. Professors usually have the ability to let students makeup assignments. While it is not a guarantee, it is something that happens in college.
You won’t know if you can makeup the assignment if you don’t ask. And there is no harm in asking.
As a former professor, I allowed my students an opportunity to makeup an exam or assignment about 10% of the time. This would depend on my particular late policy I had that semester and the student’s excuse.
One time, there was a natural disaster and students couldn’t get online because the internet was completely down. The students really needed to access their online textbook to study. So, those students who were effected by the natural disaster were given an opportunity to complete it late.
Should you ask your professor to makeup an exam or assignment?
If you have a valid excuse, and talk to your professor early, you should ask your professor if you can makeup an assignment to replace the zero you received.
However, I think that anyone who cares about their course grade should ask their professor for a makeup opportunity. Because this zero will effect your overall grade and you never know what your professor will say.
They might allow you to make it up and you wouldn’t know because you didn’t ask. So, regardless if you have a decent excuse, you should still ask because you might be surprised by their answer.
If they say no, oh well. Nothing is lost. But if they say yes, you have a lot to gain by the second chance you’ve been given.
How to talk to your professor about missing an exam or assignment?
Do it quickly.
Go in person.
Explain your circumstances.
Bring documentation.
You don’t want to wait and talk to your professor about making up an assignment weeks after it was due. After so much time has passed, your professor isn’t going to let you complete it late.
However, if you go soon after the assignment was due or the exam date passed, your professor is more likely to give you have a second chance.
I want to mention that you aren’t required to provide medical documentation to your professor, at least not directly. I wouldn’t want to share my personal medical information with my professor. Now, if it’s just a doctor’s note excusing you from the class, that’s one thing, but if it’s your hospital discharge papers, that’s too personal.
If you have this documentation, you might need to talk to someone in the accommodation’s office to see if you can get some reasonable accommodations for your medical issues.
Just let your professor know that you are working on this process to keep them in the loop. I guess this process could be different depending on what country you live in and if you are at a private or public university.
You may want to try and get an EXTENSION on your assignment rather than missing it and making it up. So, if you see a deadline for an assignment, and you are worried you cannot complete it, you should talk to your professor about getting an extension first.
But if you already missed the exam or assignment, that won’t help you. I will tell you what I wish my students would have said to me when they missed an assignment.
BEFORE you ask for a second chance, please review your professor’s syllabus. Sometimes students would email me about a missed assignment, but I had to explain to them that they could still complete it late for a penalty. They would have known that if they read the syllabus before sending me an email.
I think it’s important to look at your syllabus first because you might be able to turn it in or complete it late RIGHT NOW. And if you take the time to email your professor, it will cause delay. You may miss a deadline for a second chance because you are waiting on an email from your professor.
So, it’s really important to understand what your professor’s policies are in regards to late assignments or missed exams.
What to tell your professor when you miss an assignment
If you miss an exam or assignment in college, you need to talk to your professor immediately. Explain why you missed it. If you have documentation, provide it.
And then tell them that you want the opportunity to complete it late.
You can let them know you would even be willing to complete it for a late penalty.
I need to tell you that you should be honest in your communication to your professor. I don’t want you to simply copy and paste my example, but edit it to fit your needs. I am just sharing with you an example of what I would have liked to hear from my former students.
You should tell your professor the TRUTH when you are asking to makeup something in their course.
Email template to professor for missed exam
Here is an example of what I would have loved to have heard from my students when they missed an assignment.
Dear Professor,
I missed our last exam because I was attending my grandfather’s funeral. I have a link to his obituary at the bottom of this email for verification. I was spending time with my family and grieving the loss of my closest grandfather when I missed our latest exam. The funeral was in another state so I had travel arrangements too. I would have sent an email earlier but I was in a frenzy. I would love the opportunity to complete the exam. If I don’t get to complete this exam, I worry that the zero I received will really hurt my overall grade in this course and this does not reflect my knowledge of the subject. By completing the exam, I will be learning the material better by studying. And the exam grade will let me know if I am on track and I can see my progress in the course. While I am concerned about the zero I received, I am more concerned about missing the opportunity to monitor my progress in this course to understand if I am missing important concepts. When I study for the exam, I will learn more of the class material. This will help me in the future. I am willing to take the exam at the most convenient time for you and with a penalty, if necessary. I would also be willing to take a modified version of the exam, if necessary. Thank you.
Look, you are really trying to let them know that the missing assignment is only half of your concern but your biggest concern is how missing the exam hurts your progress in the course.
Think about it for a second. If you don’t study and prepare for the exam, that is valuable information your will never learn. And if you want to complete an assignment late, the feedback that you get from your professor is critical to your college education.
How can you tell how well you are doing in the class if you don’t get to complete the assignments? Your professor will be glad that you are worried about this more than a grade.
But remember, if you don’t really care either way, you shouldn’t pretend. Just tell them the truth. This is just what I would have wanted to hear.
Can you makeup a final exam in college?
Since college final exams are at the end of the semester, students won’t typically be allowed an opportunity to makeup a final exam.
When I was a professor, we had to enter grades within a day or two after the final exam. This means that there was not an opportunity to allow students a chance to makeup the exam. There wouldn’t be enough time for them to take it before the college wanted grades submitted to them.
So, while you can ask if you can makeup a final exam, just know that there may be little your professor can do if they already submitted grades. Plus, a lot of professors may not even be on campus after the final exam so they won’t have the ability to let you make it up anyway.
What to do if you miss an exam or assignment in college?
If you miss an exam or assignment in college, you need to talk to your professor immediately. I recommend going to your professor in person because it makes it more personable. Let them know your circumstances, and ask them if you can makeup the assignment.
You should be prepared for them to say no. If they say no, and you are not given a second chance, you should ask them how your overall grade will be effected.
Sometimes a zero for an assignment could cause you to fail the class or make a really bad grade. You might be better off withdrawing from the course, if necessary. And if you are failing because of this grade, you should talk to your professor about failing instead.
This is something that your professor can answer for you. I wouldn’t do anything until you talk to your professor.
You will need to get back on track in the course to make up for this zero if you have a chance to pass.
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