Be advised that following the licence renewal period ended on April 30, a complete update of the information and licence status of all real estate brokers and agencies (e.g. valid, revoked or suspended) appearing in the Register is underway. This will be finalized on May 6. The status displayed during this period may change. Thank you for your understanding.
I completed my basic training in a real estate brokerage program recognized by the OACIQ. What is my deadline to register for a certification exam?
There is no deadline to register for a certification exam.
Note that the Education Department is responsible for the registration for the OACIQ certification exams. For any questions regarding exams, please check out the Examination registration procedurepage or contact the Education Department.
I passed my real estate brokerage certification exam. Do I have a deadline to apply for a licence?
Yes, you have 12 months from the date you receive your examination’s result letter to apply for a licence. If you exceed this period, you will have to rewrite the OACIQ certification examination.
For whom the Interprovincial Challenge Examination is intended and what are the eligibility criteria?
This exam is intended for real estate brokers from other Canadian provinces. It was implemented as part of the mutual recognition agreements of professional skills concluded between Québec and other Canadian provinces.
These agreements aim at promoting the mobility of workers between Canadian provinces. Registration applications for this exam are assessed to ensure that they respect its purpose and spirit.
To be eligible for this exam, you must show–by providing the required documents–that you are qualified and authorized to engage in real estate brokerage activities in another province and that you have practised real estate brokerage in that province. A proof of residency may also be requested to assess your eligibility.
For more information about the interprovincial challenge exam, please check this page.
I wish to write my certification examination in English. Do I need to register for the French exam of the Office québécois de la langue françaie (OQLF)?
No. You may write your examination in English without first demonstrating your knowledge of French. However, once you have successfully taken the examination in English and you are applying for issuance of a licence, you will need to demonstrate that you have a working knowledge of French and provide a copy of an official document, such as:
A certificate issued by the Office québécois de la langue française (OQLF);
A proof of successful completion of the French exam from the OQLF (for more details, read this article);
A certificate or a secondary school diploma issued by an educational institution in Québec starting from the school year 1985-1986;
A transcript from the ministère de l’Éducation du Québec proving that you passed the 4th or 5th year secondary level examinations in French as a mother tongue;
A school report card, transcripts or a diploma showing that you have attended a French language secondary or post-secondary establishment full time for three years;
If you cannot provide an official document, your knowledge of French will be evaluated using the French exam from the OQLF.
I would like to register for an OACIQ certification exam. How to proceed and what are the applicable fees?
View the following pages for more details on this matter:
I wish to register to a certification examination, but the calendar shows sessions that are already full or available later than I would like, what should I do?
Each session can accommodate a maximum of 95 candidates. Due to the very high demand for the certification examination, it is possible that several sessions already show as sold out on the calendar. However, the OACIQ has adjusted its examination calendar to accommodate the increased demand.
You must note that the Training Education department only handles requests sent by email. Check out the examination registration procedure and make sure to submit all required documents so that your request can be processed.
How can I check my examination result?
The OACIQ will notify you by email when your examination result is available. You can then check it out in My record on synbad.com.
To access your record:
Go to synbad.com
Click on « Section reserved for brokers” at the top of the page
To log in, use your licence number, made up of a letter and 4 digits
In the left menu, click on “My record”
In the blue section: “Exam results letters,” click on “Download.” Your results letter will then be downloaded, and you will be able to print it or save it electronically.
What is the passing grade for the certification examination?
There is no passing grade. All OACIQ certification examinations require that the candidate master all seven competencies listed in the competency framework corresponding to the type of brokerage which the candidate wishes to practice.
I did not pass the certification examination, what shall I do?
The candidate who did not pass the exam can apply for a supplemental examination, using the Application to take a supplemental examination. This means retaking the entire exam. You may apply to a maximum of three supplemental examinations within 12 months following the date of the initial examination. If a candidate fails all the supplemental examinations, he can re-apply for an examination only after a period of 12 months following the date of his last supplemental examination.
Is it possible to request a certification examination grade review?
Yes, every grade review request must be filed using the Request for examination grade review form, where you will find all the information pertaining to this process. The form must be sent no later than 15 days following the date the exam results were issued. Grade review does not provide access to your exam papers.
Why has the OACIQ decided to change certification examinations by using forced-choice questions (FCQ) and open-ended short answer questions (OSAQ)?
The use of FCQs and OSAQs allows us to make an objective and consistent evaluation of each of the competencies required to become a real estate broker. In addition, these will help prevent candidates from getting lost in too many explanations when answering a question on a given scenario.
When will forced-choice questions (FCQ) and open-ended short answer questions (OSAQ) start being used in certification examinations?
The addition of FCQs and OSAQs took place in June 2021 for the Residential real estate brokerage certification examination. The addition to the Commercial real estate brokerage certification examinations is scheduled for 2022.
Will certification examinations held in June 2021 include only forced-choice questions (FCQ) and open-ended short answer questions (OSAQ)?
No, FCQs and OSAQs are integrated gradually into certification examinations since June 2021. Therefore a portion of the examination will be in the form of FCQs and OSAQs, and the other portion will take the form of scenarios based on hypothetical situations. However, candidates retaking the exam and who have completed their training before December 2020 will only be required to respond to scenarios that simulate complete fictitious cases, without FCQ or OSAQ, as they have not been trained with these types of questions in their training course.
Have the certification examinations containing forced-choice questions (FCQ) and open-ended short answer questions (OSAQ) been designed based on the existing competency frameworks?
Yes, all OACIQ certification examinations are based on the skills-based approach, so the examinations are designed based on the competency frameworks. This allows us to validate a candidate’s proficiency in the competencies identified in the corresponding framework and to evaluate the behaviours expected.
Are educational establishments that offer recognized basic training programs aware of the changes that are coming concerning OACIQ certification examinations?
Yes. The Guide was provided to all teaching establishments during the course of 2020. Several communications were sent and presentations of the Guide were held in December 2020.
What is a forced-choice question (FCQ)?
A forced-choice question (FCQ) presents a short scenario, sometimes accompanied by documents, followed by a question and a choice of four answers. An FCQ forces the candidate to choose the correct or best answer, as the case may be. Only one answer is accepted.
When answering an open-ended short answer question (OSAQ), can the candidate write outside of the predefined space provided for the answer?
Only what is contained in the predefined space provided for the answer will be corrected. Any answer or portion of answer contained outside of this space will not be taken into consideration when marking the examination. The candidate can use the outside space to makes notes or to draft his answer, but this content will not be corrected.
What resources does the OACIQ use to develop forced-choice questions (FCQ) and open-ended short answer questions (OSAQ)?
FCQs and OSAQs are developed in close cooperation with real estate brokers and content expert from the field of real estate brokerage. In addition, skills-based evaluation professionals take part in the design of certification examinations, which ensures a good level of difficulty as well as consistency with different evaluation trends.
What is the purpose of the Certification Examination Preparation Guide?
The purpose of this Guide is to provide examples of forced-choice questions (FCQ) and open-ended short answer questions (OSAQ) to students enrolled in a basic training program in residential real estate brokerage. The Guide is a tool to help prepare for OACIQ certification examinations.
With the use of forced-choice questions (FCQ) and open-ended short answer questions (OSAQ) in OACIQ certification examinations, does the passing grade remain the same?
Yes, the passing grade remains the same. For all OACIQ certification examinations, the candidate must be proficient in all competencies outlined in the framework corresponding to the type of brokerage he wishes to practice. To pass the certification examination in residential real estate brokerage for example, the candidate must master all seven competencies contained in the framework.
What is the difference between a forced-choice question (FCQ) and a multiple-choice question (MCQ)?
A forced-choice question (FCQ) provides specific answer choices to the situation presented and the question being asked; for this type of question, only one answer is possible. A multiple-choice question (MCQ) can call for different combinations of answers (e.g. “answers a and b” or “all of the above”); for this type of question, several answers can be possible. Forced-choice questions (FCQ) are therefore better adapted to the skills-based approach used in OACIQ certification examinations.
What is an open-ended short answer question (OSAQ)?
An open-ended short answer question (OSAQ) presents a scenario, sometimes accompanied by documents, followed by a question and a predefined, limited space to enter the answer. The candidate must keep within this space when drafting his answer, which can be, for example, a word or short phrase, completing certain sections of a form, etc.
To register for the exam, what documents do I need to send for my application to be considered complete?
If you were born in Canada: A copy of your act or certificate of birth.
If you were not born in Canada: A copy of your Canadian citizenship certificate.
If you are not a Canadian citizen: A copy of the document issued by Canadian immigration authorities certifying your permanent resident status or a copy of the work permit issued by Canadian immigration authorities.
2) An official transcript
A copy of the final transcript certifying that a training program recognized by the OACIQ has successfully been completed.
Name, date of birth, program code, session, result (program completed: yes)
Following the coming into force of amendments to the Real Estate Brokerage Act and modifications to mandatory brokerage forms in June 2022, when was the new material integrated into the certification examination?
Although educational establishments that offer a basic training program recognized by the OACIQ must adapt their programs accordingly to reflect all the changes, the OACIQ certification examination was officially updated as of January 2023.