Preparing for the OCE

Sam, an 86-year-old retired elementary school teacher, was transferred from an independent retirement facility to an acute care hospital. Sam fell while walking and holding books in each hand. Prior to the fall, Sam was ambulatory without a gait aid. Currently, Sam is confused and is unable to accurately respond to one-step commands. Sam’s daughter is available to answer questions.

The patient record indicates:

• X-Ray shows flail chest, 7th, 8th, and 9th right-sided ribs are fractured in multiple places and are free-floating, and 4th and 5th ribs are fractured and are minimally displayed.
• CT scan of the head was unremarkable for fracture or bleeding of the brain.
• Prior left hip replacement due to osteoarthritis, confirmed with X-Ray as non-displaced from fall.
• Comorbidities include hypertension, type 2 diabetes, hypercholesterolemia.
• Sam wears glasses and hearing aids.

Question the examiners will ask about the case study:

Describe the steps you would take to conduct the assessment.

After you provide your answer to the above question, the examiner may ask some additional follow-up (probing) questions.

Examples of probing questions that the examiners may ask you:

• What is the most important objective information that you should collect?
• Why is this information important?
• How would you determine the patient’s level of pain or discomfort?
• What effect does the patient’s pain level or discomfort have on your assessment?
• Explain how you would get informed consent for the assessment.

The owners of a gym offer you a monthly membership to their gym, in exchange for you referring clients to them. The gym is in the same building as the physiotherapy centre, and the monthly membership is valued at $75.

Question the examiners will ask about the vignette:

• In this scenario, what concerns do you have if any?

After you provide your answer to the above question, the examiner may ask some additional follow-up (probing) questions.

Examples of probing questions that the examiner may ask:

• How would you proceed in this situation?
• Explain why you would take this action.
• Tell me about the conversation you would have with the gym owner.

There is no dress code for the exam, but you should wear something comfortable. Past candidates have worn clothes that they would wear when working with a patient.

Depending on the temperature in your room, you may want to dress in layers and have a sweater in case you need it. You are not allowed to have blankets, jackets, or other bulky items, but you can have a sweater that you wear or place on the back of your chair. Your sweater cannot be on your desk, workspace, or in your lap. For more information on how to organize your space for the exam, please review the Room Set Up Requirements.

Each exam day has two sessions, one in the morning and another in the afternoon. You will receive confirmation of your exam session and start time no later than 30 days before your scheduled exam date.

An email with the link to the exam platform, your login credentials, and confirmation of your exam time will be sent to the primary email listed in your PT Portal account.

This email will arrive no later than 45 minutes before your exam opens:

Make sure your contact information (email and phone number) in the PT Portal is accurate. If your contact information changes, please update it at least 45 days before your scheduled exam.

If you do not receive this email by the designated time, contact the Exams Team directly at 416-591-3828 ext. 215.

Log in precisely at your specified time.

Morning candidates can begin logging in at exactly 7:30 a.m. and must be logged in no later than 8 a.m. to enter the virtual waiting room. You will be connected to the exam platform at 8 a.m. The exam will begin at 8:30 a.m., however, you will be marked as a late arrival if you log in later than 8 a.m.

Afternoon candidates can begin logging in at exactly 12:30 p.m. and must be logged in no later than 1 p.m. to enter the virtual waiting room. You will be connected to the exam platform at 1 p.m. The exam will begin at 1:30 p.m., however, you will be marked as a late arrival if you login later than 1 p.m.

Please ensure you review the Exam Failure to Attend and Late Arrival Policy.

The exam is a synchronous start, meaning all candidates who arrive on time and all examiners must be ready to start before the exam can begin. We will never start the exam early. It will always start on time, or a few minutes late. Your examiners will keep you informed regarding the exam start time.

1. Click on the link (URL) provided in your login information email. This is a different URL than the demo site.
2. Enter your login credentials. Log in no earlier than the specified time using the credentials provided. Your email will have all the necessary information to login.

3. One you have entered your ID and password, press the “Login” button. The exam will begin to download. This may take a few minutes. It is strongly recommended that morning candidates log in at exactly 7:30 a.m. and afternoon candidates log in at exactly 12:30 p.m. to avoid any delays with download speeds.
4. You will then be prompted to select your exam from the green drop-down bar (“Choose an exam to take”). There should only be one option. Select the correct date.
5. Once submitted, all buttons will display as grey. This means you have successfully logged in and arrived at the holding page. There is no PIN. No action is required on your part.

6. You will be connected to a waiting room within the platform at the exam start time. The exam is a synchronous start, meaning all candidates need to start the exam at the same time. The exam start will not be delayed if you do not log in on time.

You are recorded as soon as you are connected to the exam waiting room.

The proctor is a real person who has received training for their role in the exam. They complete security checks, ensure that the room and technology requirements are met and followed, and monitor the entire exam experience to flag any concerning activities or behaviours to the exam team. If you are connected to the exam platform, be mindful that the proctor is watching and listening.

Your proctor will complete three tasks: ID verification, room scan, and technology confirmation.

The proctor’s instructions and steps to complete the security checks may seem excessive but be assured that all guidelines are set to ensure a fair, standardized testing experience for all candidates, regardless of the testing location. Carefully reviewing the Room Set Up Requirements and taking time to prepare will reduce delays on exam day. The proctor will verify your identification, instruct you to complete a 360-degree room scan, and ensure that technology is functioning properly before the exam begins.

The proctor and your two examiners will be observing you for the entire exam.

The proctor is present on the exam platform and can see and hear you. You are not able to see the proctor and will only hear them when they unmute themselves to interact with you. When you connect to the system, please wait for the proctor to speak to you. This may take a few minutes. Each proctor will validate more than one candidate, so please be patient.

Do not navigate to any other areas within the exam site, away from the exam site, or open any additional applications or windows on your computer.

You will be asked to present a valid government-issued photo ID. The name on the ID should match the name that you used to register for the exam. Candidates must provide supporting documents if their name on file does not match their government-issued photo ID. You will be asked to hold the ID up to your camera so the proctor can inspect it.

Refer to the Room Set Up Requirements to make sure you have followed the instructions for setting up the exam room. Certain violations of the Room Setup Requirements may result in the termination and invalidation of your exam session. These violations are explicitly outlined in the Room Setup Requirements document.

Follow the proctor’s directions. You will be asked to slowly complete the following actions:

• Pan across your desk area (Note: if you are using a white board, it must be blank)
• Show the area under your desk
• Slowly complete a 360-degree turn to show the entire room

Once completed, you will be asked to place your webcam or device back in its original place. The proctor will instruct you to make any changes to your set up if necessary.

If you have an external/detachable webcam:

• The proctor will ask you to pick up your webcam and follow their instructions to complete the room scan.

If you have a built-in webcam but can easily lift or move your device (i.e., laptop):

• The proctor will ask you to pick up your device and follow their instructions to complete the room scan. You may need to unplug your charger to move the device.

If your webcam is built-in, and cannot be moved/lifted (i.e., built-in desktop webcam):

• You need to have a mirror available. You must contact the exam team before your scheduled exam to let us know that you will be using a mirror. The mirror should be large enough to reasonably capture your surroundings during the room scan. A pocket mirror or compact is not acceptable. The proctor will ask you to position your mirror in front of the webcam. Please follow their instructions. You will be asked to place the mirror out of reach and face down after the room scan is complete.

The College is committed to supporting candidates of all abilities in accordance with the Ontario Human Rights Code and the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA). If you are unable to complete the room scan as outlined above, please complete the Accommodations Request Form after registering for the exam. Staff will contact you to discuss your individual needs and determine an alternative method to support you.

Any violations of the Room Setup Requirements will be noted in your candidate record and communicated to the exam team. If it is a minor violation, the proctor will direct you to change the room set up accordingly. If it is a major violation, your exam may be terminated and invalidated.

The proctor will confirm they can see and hear you. The proctor can help with minor tech issues and triage issues to the exam team as required.

Proctors will be completing checks for multiple candidates, so they may not be able to work with you immediately after you are connected. Please be patient. Your two examiners will also arrive shortly after you are connected.

The exam team can see all logins (examiners, candidates, and proctors). Your exam will not start without your examiners present.

The examiners will introduce themselves and ask you to provide your full name as confirmation. Please let the examiners know how you prefer to be addressed. Two examiners will be marking you during the exam. One examiner will take the lead asking you questions for the first half of the exam and the second examiner will take the lead asking you questions for the second half. At no point will both examiners be asking you questions at the same time.

Examiners will be scoring you and taking some notes to assist in their decision making. As a result, there may be brief pauses in the interaction – this is okay.

You will be presented with information, and you will have time to review the material before answering. Take a moment to write out some of your thoughts if you like. You will not be penalized or lose marks for pausing to think about your answer before providing it. Examiners have a script of questions they can ask you and a standardized list of probing (follow-up) questions if your answer seems incomplete. If you fully answer a question then you will not be prompted further, but if you do not fully answer a question, you will receive additional prompts. Examiners will not be able to provide any additional information about what is already presented in the written scenarios.

If you need to hear a question again, you can ask your examiner to repeat a question or say it again more slowly. All questions have been reviewed by physiotherapists, an editor, and a plain text reviewer, however, if you do not understand a question let your examiner know. Examiners have received extensive training in interviewing skills and may be able to assist in slightly rewording the question.

One of the responsibilities of your examiner is to ensure that you can complete the exam. Examiners will watch the time and work to pace the exam appropriately to ensure you are asked all questions.

Your examiners will prompt you a few minutes before the exam officially starts and then again once the exam begins. Candidates can see the time remaining in their exam on the yellow timing bar in the middle of their screen, between the resource dashboard and camera views. It is clearly labelled “Administration Time.” It will count down from three hours to zero.

There are no untimed washroom breaks during the exam. It is recommended that you use the washroom before connecting to the exam waiting room. If you need to use the washroom after you are connected, please let the proctor or examiners know. We will not hold the start of the exam for candidates in the washroom.

Leave your phone in the exam room when you go to the washroom. If you need to use the washroom during the exam, let your examiners know and be mindful that you will not be given additional time. The recording will continue regardless of whether you are in the room.

Note: Candidates that step off screen should continue to abide by the Room Set Up Requirements and Exam Candidate Conduct and Ethical Behaviour Policy, and be mindful of violations under the Exam Cheating Policy.

If possible, your examiners or proctor will assist. If you are unable to communicate via the exam delivery platform because of a tech issue, call the exam team directly at 1-800-583-5885 ext. 215.

If you are experiencing a tech issue, your examiner may suggest that you press the “Disconnect” and “Connect” button to refresh your connection with the exam platform.

Non-technical issues refer to events that are outside your foreseeable control which may impact your exam day experience. If you encounter a non-technical issue, the exam team will work with you directly to resolve the issue and/or create a plan to mitigate the impact of the issue on your exam performance. The issue will also be documented by staff. Depending on the issue, the exam team may ask you to email exam@collegept.org with a written statement of the issue to keep on record.

Medical (includes mental and physical medical issues)

• Your safety is our priority. Let your examiners know if you feel ill or unwell. Staff will discuss next steps with you.
• You will be asked to provide a statement to the exam team by email (exam@collegept.org) within 24 hours of your exam.

Fire Alarm

• If there is a fire alarm, let your examiners know and follow the emergency procedures of your building. Leave the computer as is and do not log out.
• Once in a safe area, call the exam team at 416-591-3828 ext. 215 to let them know.

Administrative Issues

• During the exam: Let your examiners know if you feel that something is happening that qualifies as an administrative irregularity. They will work with staff to correct the issue.
• After the exam: If you feel that an administrative irregularity has occurred, contact the exam team immediately after your exam by email (exam@collegept.org) to provide an official statement. A written record is required.

Technical issues that are mitigated by extra time or other processes do not constitute administrative issues. All technology-related incidents and the corrective action taken are documented by the exam team during the exam.

More details about medical and administrative issues and exceptional circumstances can be found in the Exam Review Policy and the Exam Appeal Policy.

This exam progresses in a linear format meaning you will start with the first case and move sequentially through the material until you get to the end of the exam. You have a maximum of three hours to complete the exam. Once you have completed the last vignette of the exam, your examiners will prompt you to submit the exam by pressing the “Finish” button and then “Submit” when prompted by the popup.

Once you have submitted your exam, you can log off and close the browser. You cannot restart the exam. If you attempt to login again after submitting the exam, you will receive an error and it will be flagged for the exam team and documented in your candidate file.

Candidates will receive their results eight weeks after their scheduled exam. Exam results will be available in the PT Portal. Candidates will also receive an email from the College with confirmation of their exam results.

Please visit the Exam Results section to learn more.