How to Buy More Time on an Overdue Assignment

Co-authored by Alexander Ruiz, M.Ed.

Last Updated: March 27, 2023 References

Deadlines sneak up fast. If you’re short on time, you can always request an extension from your professor—your request may be based on real or fictionalized reasons. Alternatively, you could submit a corrupted file (a file your professor can’t open) and make the extension appear like an unintentional, happy accident.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Asking Your Teacher for an Extension

1
Talk to your instructor in person. Instead of dashing off a quick email, take the time to talk to your teacher face-to-face. This will demonstrate that your request is sincere and necessary.
- If you're in college or graduate school, drop by your professor’s office hours.
- If you're in high school or middle school, ask to speak to your teacher after class or set up a time to meet with them.
- If you're making up an excuse, your professor might be able to see right through your lie. It might better to skip the face-to-face meeting and email them instead.^{[1]
  X
  Research source}
2
Explain the situation. When you talk to your teacher, your reasons for needing an extension should be as specific as possible. Vague explanations sound fake; detailed reasons have more legitimacy. For example:
- If you are struggling with depression and/or anxiety, don’t just say “I am overwhelmed.” Instead, explain how your mental health is affecting your ability to complete the assignment. “I’ve been struggling with depression all since midterms. I’ve learned that when I feel depressed, I have a very hard time focusing on my assignments. It has been very difficult for me to sit down a complete the paper.”
- If you took on too many responsibilities this semester, don’t just say “I have so much on my plate.” Instead, explain how these additional responsibilities are preventing you from finishing the assignment on time.
  - “Due to my financial situation, I had to start working this semester. My work schedule and class schedule are very demanding. I am struggling to manage both.”
  - "My parents are both working overtime right now. I have been watching my little siblings for them. I am having a hard time balancing school and my responsibilities at home"
  - "I am training for a big competition. My practices are going way longer than expected and by the time I get home I am too exhausted to do my work."^{[2]
    X
    Research source}
Advertisement
3
Ask for an extension. Once you’ve explained your situation to the teacher, request a brief extension for the assignment. Requesting too long of an extension may indicate that you’ve neglected the assignment all semester.
- “May I have the weekend to complete the assignment?”
- “Can I have three days to finish my paper?”^{[3]
  X
  Research source}
4
Accept the instructor's response. Ideally, your teacher will grant you the extension without a penalty. But remember, your teacher has the right to say “no” to your request or penalize the late assignment.
- If they say “yes,” thank them profusely and work hard to meet your new deadline.
- If they say “no,” thank them for their time and start working on the assignment as soon as you can.
- If your teacher says “yes” but attaches a grade penalty, accept the grade penalty, thank them for the extension, and work diligently to meet your new deadline.^{[4]
  X
  Research source}

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Finding an Excuse

1
Blame technology. While technical difficulties are frustrating, experiencing problems with computers, USB drives, and printers can provide very valid reasons for extensions. Explain the situation to your teacher (real or fake) and hope that he or she grants you an extension.
- If you have to print out your paper, experiencing “printer problems” may grant you a few extra hours to work on the assignment.
- If you typically store all of your work on a USB Drive, tell your teacher the thumb drive was stolen or misplaced. They may give you a few days to search for the missing drive.^{[5]
  X
  Research source}
2
Cite a lack of sources. Often times, high school teachers and college professors require students to analyze a variety of primary and secondary sources in their research papers and projects. If you attend a small school, you may have to request the books, articles, and documents you need from other institutions. In an attempt to get an extension, you can explain to your instructor that these sources did not arrive or arrived very late. Asking for a few additional days to wait for and/or analyze the material is a very reasonable request.
3
Explain that you have “too much on your plate.” Students are very busy. In addition to taking several classes, you may also have a job, play on a sports team, and/or be studying for standardized tests, like the ACT, SAT, or GRE. If you explain your situation thoroughly, your professor may accept this excuse and grant you an extension.
- “I am taking the MCAT next month and have been studying for the test non-stop. As a result, the assignment for your class fell off my radar. May I have a few days to complete it?”
- I am taking the SAT on Saturday and I really need to study for my Latin subject test. Can I have a few more days on my project?"
- “I have three papers due at the same time. I am struggling to devote attention to each assignment. May I please have an extension so I can produce a paper I am proud of?”^{[6]
  X
  Research source}
4
Fake an emergency. Life is unpredictable. If you are desperate for an excuse, use this unpredictability to your advantage. Come up with a believable emergency involving a friend, family member, or yourself.
- Be prepared for your professor to ask for proof or to look into your situation.^{[7]
  X
  Research source}

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Turning In a Corrupted File

1
Create a new word document. Instead of asking for a hard copy, your professor may require you to submit the assignment online, allowing you to create your own “technical difficulty.” Instead of sending a functioning word document, you can send your professor a corrupted file. To start this process, open a new word document.
- Professors and teachers are aware of this common trick. If you get caught, you may get a zero on the assignment and/or sent to the school's administrators. Before you consider this method, explore all of your other options and check your school's policies on the matter.
2
Insert filler text. Since your professor won’t be able to read the document, what you type is irrelevant. In order to corrupt the document, however, it has to have text—it can’t be blank.
- You can copy and paste text from the internet, your rough draft, or even use an old paper.
3
Save and name the document. Once the filler text is in place, bring up the “Save As” dialog box with the shortcut ⌘ Command+S for Mac or Ctrl+S for Windows.
- Name the document as your professor requested.
- Save the file to your desktop.
- Click Save.
4
Corrupt the file with a free online service (Mac and Windows). The website [Corrupt-A-File.net] corrupts files of all types for free. This service is available to Windows and Mac users. While Windows users may corrupt their files manually, Mac users do not have this option and therefore must use an online service. Windows users may find that the online service saves them time.
- Navigate to [Corrupt-A-File.net].
- Scroll down to “Select the file to corrupt” and select one of the following options: “From Your Device”, “From Dropbox”, or “From Google Drive”. If you saved the document on your desktop, click “From Your Device”.
- Locate the file and click [[button|Select}} or Open.
- Click Corrupt File. Once corrupted you will receive the following message: “Your file was dutifully corrupted”.
- Click on the download button (black, downward pointing arrow).
- Rename the document (if desired), change the location (if desired), and click Save.^{[8]
  X
  Research source}
5
Corrupt your file manually (Windows only). Windows users may manually corrupt the file by altering the document's code in Notepad. To accomplish this:
- Right-click on the document’s icon, hover over “Open with” and select “Notepad”. A Notepad file will open. In addition to the filler text, you will see the document’s code (a jumble of letters, numbers, punctuation marks etc.).
- Delete a portion of the code. Do not delete it all!
- Press Ctrl+S and click Save.^{[9]
  X
  Research source}
6
Attempt to open the document. Double click on the icon. If the document was successfully corrupted, the following will appear:
- Mac users will see a “Convert File” dialog box.
- Windows users will see the message “The document name or path is not valid”.^{[10]
  X
  Research source}
7
Submit the corrupted file online and start working on your real assignment. It may take your professor a few days to open your document. At that time he or she will email you and ask you to resubmit the file. While you wait for the email, work hard to complete the assignment.^{[11]
X
Research source}
- If your professor or teacher discovers you intentionally corrupted the file, you may get in serious trouble. Ask for an extension or simply submit what you have completed before you try this method. If you are doing online school just be sure to send an email explaining why and you can even make up a lie on why it wasn't turned in on time. Tell them you were stressed and had too much work to do so you forgot about it.

Community Q&A

Question

How do you recover the corrupted file?

Community Answer

The file you corrupt should be a duplicate of the original file. Do not corrupt the original file without backing it up first.