Digital real estate brokerage certification examination

To adapt to new technologies, the OACIQ shifted toward digital examinations to significantly reduce the use of paper. The commercial real estate brokerage exam was the first to be offered digitally in October 2023. The digital residential real estate brokerage exam will be introduced in December 2024.

 The agency executive officers’ examination will eventually be offered digitally as well.

The use of FCQs and OSAQs allows us to make an objective and consistent evaluation of each competency required to become a real estate broker. This will also prevent candidates from getting lost in lengthy explanations when answering a scenario question.

Yes, all OACIQ certification examinations are based on the skills-based approach. They are developed based on competency frameworks, which allows us to validate a candidate’s proficiency in the competencies identified in the corresponding framework and to evaluate the behaviours expected.

A forced-choice question (FCQ) presents a short scenario, sometimes accompanied by documents, followed by a question and a choice of four answers. A candidate must choose the correct or best answer among these choices. Only one answer is accepted.

FCQs and OSAQs are developed in close cooperation with real estate brokers and content experts from the real estate brokerage field. In addition, skills-based evaluation professionals take part in the design of certification examinations, which ensures an appropriate level of difficulty and consistency with current evaluation trends.

There is currently no deadline in the Real Estate Brokerage Act (REBA) or its regulations for applying for a certification exam. 

Note that the Training Department is responsible for the registration for the OACIQ certification exams. For any questions regarding exams, please check out the Examination registration procedure page or contact the Training Department. 

View the following pages for more details on this matter: 

• Examination registration procedure 
• Examination administrative fees 

It is strongly recommended that you send all the following documents to examen@oaciq.com in a single email. 

1. The Examination Application duly completed and signed
2. If applicable, the Request for Accommodation form duly completed and signed
3. Proof of identity:

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. 

An official transcript
 
A copy of the final transcript certifying that a basic training program recognized by the OACIQ has successfully been completed. The following information must appear on the official transcript: full name, date of birth, program name, program code, program completed: yes, qualification obtained, term obtained.

Payment of fees
 
Examination fees must be paid upon receipt of the exam application.

See the OACIQ certification exam administrative fees page for full details.

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. Please note that there is no waiting list when a session is full. You must register for the next available examination session.

Note that the Training Department only processes registration requests sent by email and mail. Consult the examination registration procedure to register and make sure you submit all the documents requested so that your application can be processed. It is important to note that the examination fee must be payable once your application is processed.

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 a licence, you will need to submit proof of knowledge of French, 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, please visit this page) 
• A certificate or a secondary school diploma issued 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 language 
• 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, you must register for the OQLF’s French exam.

To register for this exam, you must contact the OQLF directly.

Yes. Like the paper exam, the digital exam includes a transaction file, forced-choice questions and open-ended short answer questions. All competencies listed in the competency framework, corresponding to the type of brokerage the candidate wishes to practice, are assessed.

No. As of December 2024, all candidates taking the residential real estate brokerage exam for the first time will take it digitally. Thereafter, all candidates registered for a real estate brokerage exam, whether they are taking it for the first time or retaking it, will write their exam digitally.

No, regardless of your exam format, it is the proficiency in all the competencies set out in the framework that is assessed.

Yes. This allows the Organization to offer a secure environment and access to a reliable and controlled Internet network.

No. The OACIQ will provide you with a computer connected to a secure server. Your exam will be available specifically for you on the OACIQ digital exam platform.

As this is your first exam attempt on the digital exam platform, you will receive an email at least 20 days before the exam date. This email will contain your username (your file/licence number, composed of a capital letter and 4 digits) and a temporary password.

You will then need to log in to the platform to access the mock exam. This is when you will need to choose a new password. Memorize your new password, as you will need to use it for the certification exam.

The aim of the mock exam is to familiarize you with the digital exam platform and help you navigate through its various components before your exam day.  

For any login problems, email the OACIQ Training Department at examen@oaciq.com.

The examination session takes place over two consecutive half-days, each divided into two blocks of 3 ½ hours.

To prepare yourself properly, you must change your temporary password and complete the mock exam at least 10 days before the exam start date, because no extra time will be granted to complete the exam if you experience problems logging in with your password.

Please read the Digital Certification Examination Preparation Guide available on the OACIQ website. To familiarize yourself with the digital exam platform, it is important to complete the mock exam provided to you. The procedure for logging in to your mock exam will be emailed to you approximately 20 days before your exam, following the sending of the exam invitation.

Yes. A paper transaction file will be provided to you, and you can take notes on it. However, this document will be destroyed at the end of the examination and the notes written on it will not be corrected.

When calculations are requested, you must enter them in the space provided in your digital exam.

Only the answers saved in the digital exam will be corrected.

In the event of a technical problem, you must immediately notify the invigilator. A support team will be present on site for each session.

As for all OACIQ certification exams, a team marks the digital certification exam by assessing the candidate's proficiency in the competencies included in the framework. You are required to successfully complete all competencies outlined in the framework to pass the certification exam.

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 residential real estate brokerage certification examination for example, the candidate must master all seven competencies contained in the framework. To pass the commercial real estate brokerage examination, the candidate must master all six competencies contained in the framework. 

There is no passing grade. All OACIQ certification examinations require that the candidate master all competencies listed in the competency framework corresponding to the type of brokerage which the candidate wishes to practice.

The OACIQ will notify you by email when your exam results are available. You can then check them out in My record on synbad.com. 

To access your record: 

• Go to synbad.com 
• At the top of the page, click on the Licensee Access
• To identify yourself, use your temporary licence number given to you, which consists of a letter and 4 digits 
• Click on My Record tab
• In the left column, click “Exam Result”, click the file name or “Download” icon. Your results letter will be downloaded and you will be able to print or save it. 

The accumulation of skills for the residential and commercial real estate brokerage certification examinations and for the agency executive officer’s examination has ended on November 30, 2024.

This means that for candidates who have started their evaluation process (12-month cycle) since December 1, 2024, all examination competencies must be successfully completed to obtain an overall pass result. If a candidate fails one or more competencies, he or she will have to retake and pass the whole exam since no competencies successfully completed in a previous examination will be accumulated.

Given the applicable rules, and based on the candidate’s situation on December 1, 2024, see this table to learn about the rules that apply to your situation. 

Yes, you have 12 months from the date your examination result letter is issued to apply for a licence. If you fail to meet this deadline, you will have to rewrite the exam. 

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 a 12-month period from the date of the initial examination. A candidate who fails all three supplemental examinations cannot re-apply for an examination for a period of 12 months after the date of the last examination taken.

Yes, every grade review request must be filed using the Request for examination grade review form, which contains all the information required for 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. 

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 it.

For more information about the interprovincial challenge exam, check this page.