Exams & COVID-19

The College has put in place additional measures and protocols to help mitigate the risk of transmission. These include but are not limited to reduced registration caps, exam day screening (both prior to and on exam day), the mandating of masks and additional PPE, regular disinfecting of clinic and classroom areas, removing practical assessments which would require candidates to unmask (e.g., certain cranial nerve tests) as well as imposing physical distanced seating plans for written exams and staggered rotation schedules.

In the case of an examination cancellation, candidates will be provided with a reimbursement form for the exam fee. In the case of an exam postponement, candidates will be provided with the option of being automatically enrolled for the postponed exam or being refunded the exam fee. Costs incurred by the candidate in travelling in for an exam (e.g., flights or accommodations) remain the responsibility of the candidate.

The College posts exam updates in the news section and the home page of the College website to alert candidates when postponements and cancellations are imminent or have occurred. If an exam is postponed or cancelled, information will be posted to the home page, the exam schedule page, and the exam info page for that examination. All candidates registered for that exam session will also be contacted directly by e-mail.

Decisions on whether to postpone or cancel an exam are made as soon as possible, but no later than one week prior to the scheduled exam.

Examinations will be postponed or cancelled if provincial restrictions a) result in a full or partial lockdown or stay at home order for the GTA where examinations are run, or b) limit indoor gatherings to 25 individuals or less. An exam may also be postponed or cancelled if it’s determined that the associated risk to exam candidates and exam staff outweighs the potential negative impact in not running the exam.

Wherever possible, the College has moved the administration of its ETP examinations to a secure online delivery and proctoring platform, just like with the Ontario Clinical Sciences and Ontario Biomedical multiple-choice examinations. There are however certain exams, such as the Ontario Clinical (Practical) examinations, which cannot be administered via virtual means as doing so doesn’t offer the means to effectively assess a candidate’s hands-on practical competencies and skill. For these in-person examinations, the College has set contingency back-up exam dates to ensure candidates still have a fair and equal opportunity to sit ETP examinations if postponements occur.