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Information for Examiners

Ontario Clinical Exam

Register for the OCE

Preparing for the OCE

Technology Requirements

Exam Fees

Exam Policies

What to Expect on Exam Day

Exam Reviews and Appeals

Exam Results

For Examiners 

OCE: FAQs

What is an Examiner and How are They Selected?

Examiners are required to support the clinical exam 2-3 times per year; however, examiners can examine for as many sessions as they are able. All examiners will receive training on examinership and the Ontario Clinical Exam. Additionally, there is another mandatory training which occurs before all exam dates and includes calibration training, exam delivery platform training, and practice simulations.

On each exam day, Examiners will work in pairs to evaluate the candidate’s performance during the 3-hour exam which follows a structured interview format with objective scoring cues and rubrics. Examiners will see one candidate in the morning, have a lunch break, and then see a second candidate in the afternoon. The total number of Examiners required per session depends on the number of candidates.

Examiners will be assigned to exam sessions based on interest and availability. Although we value all of our examiners' expertise, the number of examiners required depends on the total number of candidates; therefore, we cannot guarantee that all interested examiners will be selected to participate in all exam sessions. We ask that examiners attend 2-3 exam sessions annually, in alignment with our fiscal year (April to March), in order to be listed as active examiners.

Examiners are paid an hourly training rate of $49.00 for participation in training activities such as the New Examiner Training and the Pre-Exam Training, and an hourly examining rate of $65.00 for exam days. 

What is the Conflict of Interest (COI) Policy?

All examiners must attempt to avoid any actions or situations that could result in a conflict of interest. Prior to each exam date, the College will work with examiners to identify conflicts which include actual, perceived or potential conflicts of interest. Examiners will not be assigned to examine a friend, spouse, relative, colleague, or individual they have a previously established relationship with. Simply knowing or recognizing a candidate does not qualify as an COI.

Conflicts of Interest that disqualify individuals from participation in Examiner role:

  • Supervising physiotherapy residents,
  • Providing paid services to physiotherapy university programs, and
  • Engaging in examination test preparation activities such as creating or delivering mock examinations to physiotherapy students/residents
 

Ontario Clinical Exam (OCE)

What is the Ontario Clinical Exam (OCE)? Is it like the previous PCE-Clinical Exam?

The Ontario Clinical Exam (OCE) is very different from the previous PCE-Clinical Exam. The OCE is a structured interview examine where two examiners interview 1 candidate for the entirety of the 3-hour exam. Examiners will present the candidate with information to review and ask questions to assess their knowledge, critical thinking and clinical judgement. Examiners will use a standardized scoring rubric to mark the candidates. There are no standardized patients in the OCE. 

What is a virtual exam? 

The Ontario Clinical Exam (OCE) is a virtual exam. Candidates will complete the exam from a location of their choice, such as their home or office, using a device of their choice, as long as stated technology and room set up requirements are met. The OCE is not delivered at a centralized testing site. Candidates who cannot meet the technology requirements should contact the exams team directly to review their options.

Examiners will also engage in the exam remotely using the virtual exam platform. They will be responsible for meeting the technology and room set up requirements including using their own device (laptop or computer). Examiners are supported using a secure messaging system so that they can stay in contact with the exams team should they require assistance.

Both candidates and examiners are provided with training on the exam delivery platform. Examiners and candidates can see and hear one another throughout the examination process.  

What software is used? 

The College has partnered with Fry-IT to facilitate the administration of the OCE using their web-based exam delivery platform, Practique. The platform allows examiners and candidates to interact through audio and video connections in addition to enabling examiners to share pertinent case information with candidates as they progress through the different parts of the exam. The Fry-IT Practique platform has been used nationally and internationally to deliver hybrid and fully remote high stakes exams for a variety of sectors.  

Where will I be when I participate in the OCE Exam? 

Examiners interact with candidates through a virtual exam delivery platform. Participation in the exam is virtually from your own home/office and by using your own device (laptop or desktop computer). Examiners will participate in the exam from a location of their choosing as long as they are able to meet the location requirements.

These requirements include:

  • Stable internet connection that meets upload and download speed requirements (See Internet Connection Requirements)
  • Quiet, private, and tidy space to conduct examination activities 

Do I need to travel to be an OCE Examiner? 

No, examiners are not required to travel to participate in the OCE. Examiners will participate in the training sessions and the exam from a remote location of their choosing (See Exam set up requirements)

When are exams scheduled? 

Please see our Exam Dates section to review the most up to date exam schedule. 

How many exams do I need to commit to complete annually? 

We ask that examiners attend 2-3 exam sessions throughout our fiscal year (April to March) in order to be listed as active examiners. There is no limit to the number of exams you can examine at. 
 
 

Examiners Receive Two Types of Training

 

1) New Examiner Training

All examiners will be required to attend a new examiner training course. This is a full 1-day course that will address key skills of being an effective examiner, review of the OCE tool, anti-bias training, and will include time for hands on practice where you will be provided feedback by a facilitator as well as your peers. 

2) Pre-Exam Training

All examiners will be required to attend pre-exam training that will be scheduled before each exam. This is a full 1-day training session. During this pre-exam training examiners will review the content of the exam, participate in calibration activities to ensure marking is consistent between examiners and have time to learn/practice with the exam delivery software. This training is essential to ensure that the exam experience is smooth for both examiner and candidate. It is also an important step in delivering a valid and reliable exam.

Technical Requirements

Exam Set Up Requirements

  • Examiners should use a PC or Mac laptop or desktop computer to engage in the OCE. iPads are NOT to be used by examiners. Chromebook, iPads, tablets, mobile phones or smartphones do NOT meet the exam requirements and should NOT be used for the OCE.  
  • A headset is recommended but not required.  
  • A webcam (external or built in) is required. 
  • Location chosen should be:
  • Private: to preserve the confidentiality of the exam material
  • Quiet: to ensure minimal disruption to the candidate and examiner
  • Professional: to convey the importance of the high stakes' nature of the examination.

Internet Connection Requirements for Participating in the Virtual/Hybrid OCE

  • A stable internet connection with sufficient bandwidth is necessary. A minimum of 3.0 mbps upload and download speed is required. You can check your upload and download speed for free at www.speedtest.net. Tests on internet speed should be done using the same device (PC or Mac laptop or desktop) and in the same location that will be used on the day of the exam.
  • If you are using a work device, ensure that you have checked the firewall settings ahead of time to ensure that you are able to access the exam site and that your microphone and webcam function properly. 

  • In order to verify that your device meets the specifications to run the exam, please complete the Amazon Chime Readiness check in advance. 

  • You should NOT use a 'Hotspot' connection

Compatibility — Browser Support 

This table shows which versions of browsers have been tested with the use of Practique. 

Browser  Fully Supported Supported, Not Tested Not Supported 
 Chrome  > 50.x  50.x > version >= 42.x  < 42.0.2311
 Firefox  > 50.x  46.x > version >= 37.x  < 37.x
 Safari  > 9.x  9.x > version >= 8.x  < 8.x
 Microsoft Edge  •    > 25.x  <25.x
Internet explorer should not be used and is not supported. Internet Explorer (IE) was officially retired and out of support as of June 15, 2022. 







Operating System and Storage

Examiners should ensure that their computers have an up-to-date operating system (OS) installed and sufficient disk space:

  • OS requirements: 

    • Windows: minimum Windows 8 or 10
    • macOS 10.15: Catalina – 7 October 2019
    • macOS 11: Big Sur – 12 November 2020

      Note: There is further information about how to check these below.

  • Hard drive storage space

    Minimum 20 GB free space on the desktop/laptop

  • RAM requirements

    Desktop and laptop, 4 GB minimum and 8 GB recommended

Checking Hard Drive (HDD) Storage

Minimum 20GB free space on a device is required. 

  • Mac

    1. Open the Apple menu, then select ‘About This Mac’
    2. Click the Storage tab in the toolbar to see how much disk space you have available. On OS X Mountain Lion or Mavericks, click the ‘More info’ button, then click ‘Storage’

  • Windows

    1. Open File Explorer. You can use the keyboard shortcut—Windows key + E—or click the folder icon in the task bar
    2. Click ‘This PC’ from the left pane on your screen
    3. You can see the amount of free space on your hard disk under the Windows (C:) drive, in the right pane

Checking RAM 

  • Mac

    1. Open the Apple menu
    2. Click on the Apple logo in the top-left corner of your screen and select ‘About This Mac’. On the Overview tab, the Memory line lists the amount of RAM in GB. Ensure you have at least 4 GB; we recommend 8 GB

  • Windows

    1. Right-click the Start menu or press the Windows key on your keyboard to open the start menu and type ‘About’ and press enter when ‘About your PC’ appears or select ‘About your PC’
    2. A new window will open. On the right side of the window scroll down and, under device specifications, you will see ‘Installed RAM’. Ensure you have at least 4 GB of usable RAM; we recommend 8 GB

Note: Examiners will be provided with dedicated technical support as they prepare for the exam and during the exam.  

Ontario Clinical Exam: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

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Questions? Email exam@collegept.org or call 1-800-583-5885 ext. 215.

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