- Extended time in Dubai exams — typically 25% additional time — requires a formal psychoeducational or psychological assessment report produced by a DHA-licensed psychologist; reports from unlicensed practitioners are routinely rejected by KHDA-registered schools and exam boards.
- Cambridge International deadlines for the May/June examination series typically fall in February–March, meaning most families whose children have not yet been assessed are now preparing for the November 2026 series rather than the current cycle.
- The IB Organization requires access arrangements applications to be submitted well in advance of examinations with supporting documentation from a qualified professional; for the May 2026 session, submission windows for most IB schools closed in February 2026.
- An overseas assessment report — even from a reputable UK or US practitioner — will generally not be accepted by Dubai schools or international exam boards without being reviewed and, in most cases, replaced by a new DHA-licensed assessment conducted in the UAE.
- A psychoeducational assessment at CAYA World Clinic typically takes 4–6 weeks from initial appointment to final report, making it essential to begin the process as early as possible ahead of the next examination cycle.
What Is Extended Time in Exams and Who Is It For?
Approximately 15–20% of students globally have a learning difference — such as dyslexia, ADHD, or a processing difficulty — that may qualify them for exam access arrangements under international exam board guidelines (Cambridge International, 2023). Extended time is the most commonly granted of those arrangements: typically an additional 25% of the allotted exam duration, applied across all papers. For a three-hour IGCSE examination, that means an extra 45 minutes. For a student whose processing speed, reading fluency, or working memory is genuinely impaired, that time can be the difference between a grade that reflects their knowledge and one that reflects the barrier.
The question I hear most often from parents at CAYA World Clinic is not whether their child deserves extended time — it is how to actually get it, and whether there is still time before exams begin. This guide answers both questions directly, with the specific process steps that apply to Dubai's international schools and the exam boards they use.
Extended time is not a reward for trying hard, and it is not available simply because a child finds exams stressful. Exam boards grant it when there is documented evidence — in the form of a formal assessment report — that a student has a specific, diagnosed condition that places them at a measurable disadvantage in timed examination conditions. The conditions that most commonly meet this threshold include dyslexia, ADHD, developmental coordination disorder (DCD/dyspraxia), processing speed difficulties, anxiety disorders with documented functional impairment, and certain physical or sensory conditions. Dyslexia alone affects approximately 10% of the global population, making it the most common specific learning disability and the most frequent reason families in Dubai seek a psychoeducational assessment for exam accommodations (British Dyslexia Association; Yale Center for Dyslexia and Creativity, 2022). ADHD affects an estimated 5–7% of school-age children globally, and it is the second most common reason we see referrals for exam accommodation assessments at our clinic (American Psychiatric Association, DSM-5-TR, 2022).
The process in Dubai has specific requirements that differ from what families may be used to in the UK, Australia, or the United States — and those differences catch many families off guard, particularly those who have recently relocated.
How Does the Extended Time Application Process Work in Dubai?
The extended time application process in Dubai involves four distinct stages, each with its own requirements and timelines. Understanding the full sequence is essential, because a delay or error at any stage can result in the application being rejected or the deadline being missed entirely.
Stage 1: Identify the need and consult the school's SENCO or inclusion coordinator
The process begins with the school, not the clinic. Every KHDA-registered school in Dubai is required under the KHDA Inclusion Policy (updated 2023) to have a designated Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO) or inclusion lead. This person manages the school's access arrangements process and is the parent's first point of contact. Before a formal assessment is commissioned, the SENCO should confirm which exam board the school uses, what documentation that board requires, and whether the school already has any internal records of the child's learning needs that would support the application. This conversation also determines whether the school has already begun a Student Support Plan (SSP) for the child — a documented plan of in-school support that KHDA requires to be in place before exam accommodations can be formally requested.
Stage 2: Commission a DHA-licensed psychoeducational assessment
Once the school has confirmed the documentation requirements, the family needs to arrange a formal assessment with a DHA-licensed psychologist. This is non-negotiable in Dubai. The Dubai Health Authority requires that psychological and psychoeducational assessment reports used for official purposes — including school accommodations and exam access arrangements — be produced by a DHA-licensed psychologist. Reports from practitioners without DHA licensure are routinely rejected by KHDA-registered schools and by the exam boards operating in the UAE (Dubai Health Authority licensing framework, dha.gov.ae). This catches many families who have relocated to Dubai by surprise: a report from a reputable educational psychologist in the UK, Australia, or the US will not, in most cases, be accepted as sufficient documentation by a Dubai school or by Cambridge International or the IB Organization when the application is being submitted through a UAE-registered institution.
A psychoeducational assessment at CAYA World Clinic is conducted by our DHA-licensed clinical psychologists and typically involves cognitive ability testing (IQ), academic achievement testing across reading, writing, and mathematics, processing speed and working memory assessment, and where relevant, attention and executive function evaluation. The assessment is tailored to the specific exam board's documentation requirements, so the report that emerges is formatted to meet what Cambridge, the IB, or the College Board will actually accept — not a generic assessment report that the school then has to interpret or supplement.
Stage 3: Submit the application through the school's examinations officer
Parents do not submit access arrangements applications directly to exam boards. In all cases — Cambridge, IB, and College Board — the application is submitted by the school's examinations officer or SENCO, using the exam board's own submission portal or process. The assessment report is uploaded as supporting documentation. The school is responsible for verifying that the report meets the board's requirements before submission and for meeting the submission deadline. This means that even if a family has a completed, high-quality assessment report in hand, the school still needs adequate time to review it, prepare the application, and submit it before the deadline closes.
Stage 4: Await the exam board's decision
Cambridge International, the IB Organization, and the College Board each review access arrangements applications and issue decisions. Approvals are typically communicated to the school, which then informs the family. If an application is approved, the accommodation applies to all papers in that examination series. If it is declined, the school can in some cases submit additional evidence or request a review — but this process takes time and is not guaranteed to succeed.
At CAYA World, we often see families arrive at Stage 2 having already missed the deadline for the current exam cycle. The assessment report is the piece they can control, and getting it done quickly and correctly is what we focus on.
Concerned about your child's exam access arrangements?
Our DHA-licensed clinical psychologists can assess your child and produce a report formatted to meet Cambridge, IB, College Board, and Pearson Edexcel requirements.
What Assessment Report Do You Need for Extended Time in Dubai Exams?
The assessment report is the clinical and evidential foundation of the entire application. Getting it right — in terms of content, format, and the credentials of the person who wrote it — is the single most important factor in whether an application succeeds.
What the report must contain
While each exam board has its own specific requirements, there is a core set of elements that all credible access arrangements reports should include. The report must state the assessor's professional qualifications and, in the Dubai context, their DHA license number. It must include the specific diagnosis or diagnoses identified, referenced to a recognised diagnostic framework such as the DSM-5-TR or ICD-11. It must present the standardised test scores that support the diagnosis — including cognitive ability scores, academic achievement scores, and any processing or attentional measures — with percentile rankings that contextualise the scores against age-matched norms. It must explain the functional impact of the identified difficulties on the student's performance in timed, written examination conditions specifically. And it must include a clear, explicit recommendation for the specific accommodation being sought — in this case, extended time, and the percentage recommended (typically 25%).
A report that diagnoses dyslexia but does not explain how that diagnosis affects the student's reading speed under timed conditions, or that recommends "additional support" without specifying extended time as the accommodation, is unlikely to result in a successful application. At CAYA World, our reports are written with the exam board's review criteria in mind from the outset, not retrofitted after the fact.
How recent must the report be?
Cambridge International and the IB Organization both specify that supporting documentation must be current — generally within three to five years, though individual boards may have different thresholds and may require more recent documentation for older students. A report completed when a child was in Year 7 may not be accepted for a Year 11 IGCSE application if it falls outside the recency window, or if the child's profile has changed significantly. Families should confirm the recency requirement with their school's examinations officer before commissioning a new assessment or relying on an existing one.
Extended Time for IGCSE, IB, and Other Exams in Dubai: What Each Board Requires
Dubai's international schools use several different examination systems, and each has its own access arrangements policy and submission process. The requirements are broadly similar in principle but differ in important procedural details.
| Exam Board | Typical Extended Time Granted | Application Submitted By | May/June 2026 Deadline (approximate) | Key Report Requirement |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cambridge International (IGCSE / A Level) | 25% (standard); up to 50% in exceptional cases | School examinations officer via Cambridge portal | February–March 2026 (passed for current cycle) | Report from qualified professional confirming diagnosis and functional impact; DHA-licensed in UAE context |
| IB Organization (MYP / DP) | 25% (standard); other arrangements possible | School IB coordinator via IBIS portal | February 2026 (passed for May 2026 session) | Documentation from a qualified specialist; school must confirm ongoing need and in-school support |
| College Board (SAT / AP) | 50% extended time (standard accommodation) | School SSD coordinator via College Board portal | Varies by test date; typically 7 weeks before test | Documentation of disability and functional limitation; school must have prior history of providing accommodations |
| Pearson Edexcel (IGCSE / A Level) | 25% (standard) | School examinations officer via Pearson portal | Varies; typically February–March for May/June series | Report from an appropriately qualified professional; evidence of normal way of working |
Cambridge International's Access Arrangements and Reasonable Adjustments policy — the governing document for IGCSE and A Level accommodations — requires that applications for extended time be supported by a current psychological or medical report, submitted by the school's examinations officer, with deadlines typically falling in February–March for the May/June examination series (Cambridge International, 2024). For the May/June 2026 series, this deadline has already passed for most Cambridge-registered schools in Dubai. The same is true for the IB: the IB Organization's Access and Inclusion Policy requires applications to be submitted well in advance of examinations with supporting documentation from a qualified professional, and for the May 2026 examination session, submission windows for most IB schools closed in February 2026 (International Baccalaureate Organization, 2024).
For families whose children sit College Board examinations — the SAT, or AP exams — the timeline is different. The College Board's Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) program processes accommodation requests on a rolling basis tied to specific test dates, with deadlines typically seven weeks before the test. This means that for AP examinations in May 2026, the window may still be open for some families, though it is closing rapidly. The College Board also has a specific requirement that the school must have a documented history of providing the accommodation before it will approve the request — making the school's SSP or equivalent record essential.
For students at schools using the American curriculum who are applying to US universities, the ADHD assessment process and the resulting report can serve double duty: supporting both the school's access arrangements application and the student's university accommodation requests.
Why Dubai Families Miss the Deadline — and What to Do If You Have
In my clinical experience at CAYA World, there are four recurring reasons why families in Dubai miss exam board deadlines for extended time applications, and understanding them is the first step to avoiding the same outcome in the next cycle.
The first is the assumption that an overseas report will be accepted. Families who have relocated from the UK, Australia, South Africa, or elsewhere frequently arrive with assessment reports from their home country. These reports are often clinically thorough and produced by highly qualified professionals. But because the assessing psychologist does not hold a DHA license, the report does not satisfy the DHA's requirement for official documentation in the UAE. The school's SENCO may accept it informally as background information, but it cannot be submitted to Cambridge or the IB as the primary supporting document. A new assessment — conducted by a DHA-licensed psychologist — is required.
The second reason is underestimating how long the assessment process takes. A comprehensive psychoeducational assessment is not a single appointment. At CAYA World Clinic, the process typically spans 4–6 weeks from the initial consultation to the delivery of the final written report. That timeline accounts for the assessment sessions themselves, scoring, interpretation, report writing, and quality review. Families who contact us in late January expecting a report by mid-February for a March deadline are, in most cases, too late for that cycle.
The third reason is not knowing that the school's Student Support Plan must already be in place. The KHDA's Inclusion Policy requires that a documented SSP be established before exam accommodations can be formally requested. If the school has not yet completed an SSP for the child, the examinations officer cannot submit the application even if the assessment report is ready. This is a school-side process, but it is one that parents can and should prompt early in the academic year.
The fourth reason — and perhaps the most common — is simply not knowing the process exists or assuming it is more complicated than it is. Many families whose children have been quietly struggling with a learning difference throughout their school years have never been told that formal accommodations are available, or have assumed that applying would be too difficult. The process is genuinely manageable when started early enough, with the right clinical support.
If you have missed the current cycle, the most productive thing to do now is begin the assessment process so that the report is ready well in advance of the November 2026 examination series or the start of the 2026–27 academic year. For Cambridge schools, November series deadlines typically fall in August–September. For IB schools, the November 2026 session deadline will fall in a similar window. Beginning an assessment in April or May 2026 gives families a comfortable margin.
A 2021 study published in the Journal of Learning Disabilities found that students with ADHD who received extended time accommodations showed statistically significant improvements in standardised test performance compared to those who did not (Harrison et al., 2021). The clinical rationale for pursuing accommodations is strong — the question is simply one of process and timing.
How to Get an Extended Time Assessment Report in Dubai Before the Next Exam Cycle
The practical steps for families who want to be ready for the next examination cycle are straightforward, but they need to begin now.
Step 1: Speak to your child's school SENCO this week
Before booking an assessment, contact the school's SENCO or inclusion coordinator to confirm which exam board the school uses, what documentation format that board requires, what the school's internal deadline is for receiving the assessment report (which will be earlier than the exam board's deadline, to allow the school time to prepare and submit the application), and whether an SSP is already in place for your child. If an SSP has not been started, ask the school to begin that process now — it runs in parallel with the assessment and should not be left until the report arrives.
Step 2: Book a psychoeducational assessment with a DHA-licensed psychologist
Contact CAYA World Clinic to schedule an initial consultation. During this appointment, Dr. Nour Al Ghriwati or a member of our clinical team will review your child's background, confirm which assessments are indicated, and explain the full process. We will also confirm the specific requirements of your child's exam board so that the report we produce meets those requirements precisely. The assessment itself is typically conducted across one to two sessions, depending on the child's age and the scope of evaluation required.
Step 3: Allow 4–6 weeks for the full process
From the initial consultation to the delivery of the final written report, allow a minimum of four to six weeks. This is the realistic timeline for a thorough assessment and a well-written report. Rushing the process risks producing a report that is incomplete, poorly normed, or formatted in a way that does not meet the exam board's requirements — any of which can result in a rejected application.
Step 4: Submit the report to the school well before the board's deadline
Give the school's examinations officer at least two to three weeks to review the report, prepare the application, and submit it before the exam board's deadline. If the board's deadline is in February, the school should have the report by late January at the absolute latest — which means the assessment process should begin no later than November of the preceding year. Working backwards from the exam board deadline is the most reliable way to set your own start date.
At CAYA World, we work with families across Dubai's British curriculum, IB, and American curriculum schools. Our psychoeducational assessments are specifically designed to meet the documentation requirements of the major international exam boards, and our reports are written by DHA-licensed psychologists whose credentials are accepted by KHDA-registered schools throughout the emirate.
Frequently Asked Questions About Extended Time Exam Applications in Dubai
An ADHD diagnosis alone does not automatically qualify a student for extended time. What exam boards require is evidence that the condition creates a specific, measurable disadvantage in timed, written examination conditions — and that the accommodation is the student's normal way of working, not something introduced only for exams. A formal psychoeducational assessment that documents the functional impact of ADHD on processing speed, working memory, and sustained attention under timed conditions is what builds that case. ADHD affects 5–7% of school-age children globally (APA, DSM-5-TR, 2022), and many of those children do qualify — but the diagnosis needs to be supported by the right clinical evidence, presented in the right format.
Almost certainly not as a standalone document for a formal access arrangements application. The DHA requires that assessment reports used for official purposes in the UAE be produced by a DHA-licensed psychologist. A report from a UK educational psychologist, however thorough, does not satisfy that requirement. Your child's school may use it as useful background information, but the examinations officer will require a new DHA-licensed assessment before submitting the access arrangements application to Cambridge or the IB. The good news is that a prior report can significantly inform and streamline the new assessment — our clinical team at CAYA World reviews existing reports carefully before beginning new assessments, so the process is not starting from zero.
At CAYA World Clinic, the full process — from initial consultation to delivery of the final written report — typically takes four to six weeks. For the current May/June 2026 exam cycle, Cambridge and IB submission deadlines have already passed for most Dubai schools, meaning an assessment started now would be ready for the November 2026 series or the 2026–27 academic year. If your child sits College Board AP examinations in May 2026, contact us immediately — depending on your specific test date and the school's internal deadline, there may still be a narrow window. Do not wait to find out; call us today and we will tell you within minutes whether it is still possible.
The school submits the application, not the parents. In all cases — Cambridge, IB, College Board, and Pearson Edexcel — the application is submitted by the school's examinations officer or SENCO through the exam board's official portal. As a parent, your role is to commission and provide the assessment report, and to ensure the school has it with enough lead time to prepare and submit the application before the board's deadline. The school is responsible for verifying that the report meets requirements and for the actual submission. This is why the relationship with the school's SENCO is so important — they are the gatekeeper for the formal process.
A rejection is not necessarily final. Both Cambridge International and the IB Organization allow schools to submit additional evidence or request a review of a decision. In practice, rejections most often occur because the supporting report did not adequately document the functional impact of the condition on timed examination performance, or because the report did not meet the board's recency or format requirements. If an application is rejected, the first step is to contact the school's examinations officer to understand the specific reason. If the issue is with the assessment report, a supplementary report or a new assessment may resolve it. At CAYA World, if a report we have produced is challenged or queried by an exam board, we work directly with the school to provide any additional clinical documentation required.
Sources and Further Reading
- Cambridge International — Access Arrangements and Reasonable Adjustments Policy — cambridgeinternational.org/support/access-arrangements
- International Baccalaureate Organization — Access and Inclusion Policy — ibo.org
- American Psychiatric Association — Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, Text Revision (DSM-5-TR) — 2022 — apa.org
- British Dyslexia Association — Dyslexia and co-occurring difficulties — bdadyslexia.org.uk
- Harrison, J.R. et al. — "Extended Time Accommodations and Academic Performance in Students with ADHD" — Journal of Learning Disabilities — 2021 — PubMed
- Dubai Health Authority — Licensing and Registration Framework for Health Professionals — dha.gov.ae
- Knowledge and Human Development Authority — KHDA Inclusion Policy (2023) — khda.gov.ae
About the Author
Dr. Nour Al Ghriwati is Co-Founder and Chief Clinical Psychologist at CAYA World Clinic, Palm Jumeirah, Dubai. She holds a PhD from a leading US university and has published peer-reviewed research in child and adolescent psychology. DHA License #93013624-002.
If you have concerns about your child's learning profile and want to understand whether they may qualify for extended time or other exam access arrangements, our clinical team at CAYA World is here to help. We offer psychoeducational assessments from our clinic in Palm Jumeirah, Dubai, conducted by DHA-licensed psychologists and formatted to meet the requirements of Cambridge, IB, College Board, and Pearson Edexcel. Reach out via WhatsApp on +971 4 572 3755, call us on 04-572-3755, or email [email protected]. We respond quickly.