Advisories NCA August 2020 Online Exams Procedures

PDF of the message below.

As per the NCA Advisory posted on our web site on June 15, 2020, the Federation of Law Societies of Canada will introduce online delivery for all exams offered by the National Committee on Accreditation (NCA) scheduled in August and October 2020. The security and integrity of the examinations will be administered through a partnership with Paradigm Testing and MonitorEDU. Both firms follow industry best practices in compliance with standards defined by international accrediting bodies.

In July and August 2020, NCA exams will be available through a secure, browser-based platform that locks down your computer. This means the computer cannot be used for any other purpose, or to access any other material. The examination will be remotely proctored. That means a proctor will verify your identification and monitor you as you write the exam. Please refer to the TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS section of this notice.

Despite the switch to online delivery, some characteristics of the NCA exam are unchanged. They are long response form, and they are open book. Only hard copy study materials will be permitted; you will NOT have access to electronic copies of your notes or textbooks.

However, to help NCA candidates transition to online long form examinations, the NCA will allocate an extra hour, or four (4) hours in total, for completion of each exam. This extended time applies ONLY to NCA examinations written in July and August 2020.

Please note that any form of scanned document or photograph attachment will NOT be allowed. Only responses to exam questions entered using a keyboard will be considered as an answer.

Prior to the August exam date, you will be asked to select your preferred time to start the NCA exam you have registered for. These start times are available on a first come, first serve basis. A specific link will be sent to you in mid-July for this reservation process.

The specific dates for the August exams are as follows:

MORNINGAFTERNOON

 

August 13EvidenceContracts
August 14FamilyProperty
August 17RemediesCanadian Professional Responsibility
August 18TortsFoundations of Canadian Law
August 19Business OrganizationsCanadian Constitutional Law
August 20Civil ProcedureCanadian Administrative Law
August 21Commercial Law
Taxation / Trusts
Canadian Criminal Law

Prior to the August exam period, the NCA will also provide access to an online demonstration site of the exam formats and presentation, to provide you with the opportunity to experience the online environment.

TESTING ENVIRONMENT

Each NCA candidate is responsible for providing a secure and uncluttered location or room, equipped with internet connectivity, to take the NCA online examinations. This can be in a family home, but it should be an area where you will not be interrupted. If you do not have access to a location with these basic specifications, we recommend you contact a local library, university or other institution to determine if one is available.

Candidates’ hardware requirements and Internet bandwidth must be pre-checked through a link provided by MonitorEDU a minimum of 24 hours prior to examination day and again on examination day to ensure everything is in working order.

In order to support successful completion of the NCA exam(s), candidates are required to set up in a private, enclosed room. The testing environment should be, and remain comfortable, quiet, and free of distractions for the duration of the exam.

This means:

  • access to a cleared desk or tabletop and comfortable chair. The areas beneath the desk and chair must be clear (The proctor will check this.)
  • There can be only limited noise from outside of the examination room (e.g., TV, conversation, music) so it does not interfere with the candidate’s ability to write the examination or the ability of the proctor to monitor the exam.
  • The computer and phone must remain plugged in for the duration of the examination
  • Landlines, non-required electronics, and any security or recording devices in the room must be turned off.
  • No one can enter the examination room while the exam is in progress.


TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS

The basic technical requirements are as follows:

COMPUTER: Laptop or desktop computer and monitor equipped with a webcam, with an operating system of Windows 7 or higher, or Mac OSX 10.15.x or higher. The webcam is to allow the proctor to monitor your room during the exam.

COMPUTER SCREENS: You are allowed the use of two (2) computer screens, but both must be connected to the one computer locked down for use for the NCA exam.

BROWSER: Recent version of Google Chrome (50+). Google Chrome will be loaded during pre-exam configuration if it is not detected on your computer.

MOBILE DEVICE: Either a smart phone or tablet with an Android 4.1 or higher, or (Apple) iOS 6.0 equipped with a camera.  This is to allow the proctor to do a location check.

INTERNET CONNECTION: A reliable internet connection is required with a minimum upload speed of 1MB/second. Wi-fi connectivity will be required for the mobile device.

ELECTRICAL EXTENSION CORD: minimum 6 feet or 2 meters long, available in case the proctor determines your work station should be re-arranged.

Some of these requirements allow the online proctor to monitor you during the exam using audio and two cameras: your computer webcam and the camera in your mobile device. If that device is a smart phone, only the camera must be functioning. All other features and applications of the phone must be disabled during the examination.

If you have questions about the technical requirements at any time, please contact the MonitorEDU live chat line, available 24 hour/7 days a week.

Public health measures regarding social distancing remain in place, and therefore, the NCA is currently unable to schedule future in-person examinations. As a result, online delivery of NCA exams will continue until further notice.

We will continue to monitor the situation and make decisions about test center operations that comply with government and local authorities, and do not jeopardize the well-being of NCA candidates, or those supervising any exam site. Please check the NCA web site for advisories and updates. The NCA will also be providing additional information through emails to all those registered for the August 2020 exam period.


WHO TO CONTACT

For questions about the online exams technical requirements, please contact the MonitorEDU live chat line.

Questions about exam schedules and cancellations should be addressed to [email protected].