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COVID-19: What the College is Doing

Updated on: March 2, 2021 - Planning for OREA College Closing

The recent extension to the college closing deadline has provided some much-needed additional time for some students to complete courses. However it is important to remember that the new college closing date is still rapidly approaching.

With the additional complicating factor of the ongoing pandemic, all students must ensure they stay on track and make every effort to complete their courses and exams quickly.

Here are some things you need to know as you continue with your courses:

  1. General exam availability

    There remains a high demand for exam seats. Many students, like you, are also booking their own exams with the goal of completing their courses. This competition for spots caused a scarcity earlier this year and it will likely happen again.

    Don't delay! Online-exam seats will remain limited.

    While the college plans to continue to expand in-person exams, availability will be strictly tied to regional and provincial health authority recommendations. In-person exams are subject to cancellation without notice, in the event that public health measures change in any region.

  2. If you miss your exam or don't take your exam

    As stated in the college exam guidelines, 'Students who do not write their scheduled examination will be given a mark of "0"… and one examination attempt will be lost'.
    If you choose not to take your exam, make sure that you reschedule it beforehand, in order to retain your exam attempt.

  3. Deadline to enrol in courses

    The last day to enrol into ANY course is Sunday, May 16, 2021.
    There will be no enrolments permitted after that date. This ensures that any student who enrols has sufficient opportunity to prepare for and take the examination for their course. Please plan your course schedule accordingly.

  4. Final exam date

    The last exam date for all courses is June 11, 2021.
    All exams and rewrites must be completed by this deadline date. No exams will be offered after June 11, 2021.

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The last year has presented numerous obstacles for students trying to complete their programs, particularly because of the pandemic. With exam availability constrained because of COVID-19 response measures across the province, students have found it challenging to progress through their courses as quickly as they would have liked to. Despite the various measures the college has taken to mitigate these obstacles, the recent lockdowns have created additional barriers for those students who are close to completing the program on time.

Over the last few weeks OREA and RECO have been engaged in discussions to find a solution that would address the time lost due to the pandemic. Both of our organizations are committed to doing what we can to assist students with their career aspirations.

Today, we are pleased to announce that OREA Real Estate College operations will be extended.

The new deadline to complete all coursework is now June 11, 2021. This deadline applies to exams for all courses, and includes rewrite exams, if applicable. Exams will not be offered after this date.

We will be updating our website and online systems shortly, to reflect this change.

We are confident that this final extension will allow those students who have been impacted by the pandemic the opportunity to complete their programs before the college closes.

However, students in The Salesperson Registration Education Program who do not complete the program with OREA by June 11, 2021 may apply to RECO for an education equivalency assessment (EEA), in order to potentially transition to Humber College and continue their education there. Further information about RECO's EEA process is available on RECO's website.

While students will certainly benefit from the extended timeline, exam availability will remain constrained. We strongly recommend that you stay on track with your courses and do not defer your exam dates.

In the coming days and weeks additional exam dates will be added to the calendar as we continue to make arrangements with our online exam provider, Proctortrack. If provincial re-opening guidelines permit us to, we will also resume in-person exams in locations where and when we can safely do so.

Be assured that we are committed to your success as you work toward your dream of a rewarding career in real estate.

We wish you success.

In recent weeks there has been a tremendous demand for online-proctored exams. While we anticipated and prepared for a surge as students rush to complete their courses, the recent limitations imposed by the province-wide lockdown have intensified the demand.

Prior to the lockdowns late last year, the College had resumed in-person exams at five venues, and together with online exams, there were more than enough exam seats to meet demand. When the lockdowns forced the suspension of all in-person exams, the college immediately began coordinating with Proctortrack to arrange additional online exam spots. Over the course of December we were able to implement two rounds of increases, for a total gain of 23 percent more seats.

We didn't stop there. This month, we have arranged further increases with Proctortrack for January and February and have secured seats for March. The latest increases have given us 24% more seats for the first two months than we had at the beginning of the year.

We recognize that, despite these gains, the demand for exams remains high, and this makes it challenging for students who are trying to complete courses in advance of the college closing. OREA is working diligently to increase availability. Scaling up live-proctored online exams like ours is an involved process for suppliers. We are fortunate that Proctortrack understands the urgency for OREA students and is working closely with us to provide greater capacity, to the extent that they can.

What does the future hold?
As we approach the final exam date of March 13, 2021, the college continues to work to add as many exam spots as possible. We anticipate that additional seats for February and March will be added in the coming days. Demand for seats, nevertheless, will remain high.

We recommend the following to all our students:

  • Do not postpone your scheduled exam dates unless absolutely necessary.
  • Ensure that you have a stable and reliable internet connection on the day of your exam - wired if possible, as you will be streaming video during the examination session.
  • If you are looking for an earlier exam date, check regularly via your My Portfolio account.

We will also resume in-person exams wherever we can, if and when government and health authority restrictions permit us to.

The college is committed to facilitating your progress through your program and on toward a rewarding career in real estate.

We wish you success.

As we approach the last day of exams on March 13, 2021, the College has been working in close partnership with our online exam provider, Proctortrack, to increase the number of exam seats that are available. We recognize that there is heightened demand for exams, especially with lockdown conditions in effect across the province.

The province-wide lockdowns at the end of 2020 forced the College to suspend all in-person exams, which had until then supplemented the online-proctored option. The resulting shift to online-only exams has put tremendous pressure on availability. Both OREA and Proctortrack are working to address the matter and increase exam seat capacity as much as we can.

It is important to note that the College's exams are live-proctored from beginning to end. Although the exams are administered online virtually, since a proctor is required to monitor every exam, there is not an endless supply of sessions that can be added on demand.

Nevertheless, we will continue to work with Proctortrack to add more seats to the extent possible, and as quickly as possible, including for dates between March 1-13.

In the meantime, we strongly recommend that students not defer their currently scheduled exams to a later date unless absolutely necessary. Although we are working with Proctortrack to improve availability, the supply of exam seats may remain limited.

As the College closing in March draws near, we will continue to make every effort to provide all our students the opportunity to complete their courses.

We wish you success in your program.

As of Monday at 12:01 a.m., Toronto and Peel Regions will enter lockdown under provincial measures to slow the spread of COVID-19.

For your safety, and that of our staff, we are suspending all in-person exam sessions scheduled in Don Mills and Mississauga from Monday, November 23 until January 2021, at the earliest.

What happens to exams scheduled in these locations?

As both exam centres will be closed, we recommend that students with exams scheduled in these locations from November 23rd to the end of December schedule into an online-proctored exam session as soon as possible.

To make rescheduling easier, the college will waive the $50 fee for exam changes until December 1, 2020.

In summary:

  • Don Mills and Mississauga iPad exam centres are closed from Monday November 23, 2021 until January 2021
  • Reschedule your exam as soon as possible if you are currently scheduled here during the affected time
  • Standard exam rescheduling fees are currently waived. The fee will be reinstated on Tuesday December 1, 2020

Should you need assistance or have questions, please contact our Customer Services team.

We appreciate your understanding as we do our part to keep each other safe.

On Wednesday night (October 14th), our provider of online exams, Verificient, informed us that they detected a security breach in their Proctortrack exam system. While they assess the extent of the incident, Verificient has shut down all their online exam services to prevent any unauthorized access.

Until Proctortrack’s services are restored and we are confident that appropriate security measures are in place, online exams will not be available.

Verificient anticipates that it may take 7-10 days to complete a full security review and an external audit.

As we gather more information, we will share it with you on our dedicated page.

Update – Online-proctored exams resumed October 27, 2020

As businesses have begun to reopen around the province, we are pleased to re-introduce in-person exams, albeit in a limited fashion.

Beginning Monday, August 24th, OREA will once again offer iPad-based exam sessions at our Don Mills location. All appropriate measures are in place to ensure the health and safety of students and staff attending an exam. Seating capacity has been reduced to allow for recommended seat distancing, our professional cleaning regimens have been enhanced, and new procedures are in place to manage foot traffic in the building.

For students and staff at each centre, we have established safety measures such as mandatory mask-wearing and hand sanitizer stations, and more. To read more about what to expect at an exam venue, visit the In-Person Exams page.

We also anticipate that more venues will resume hosting iPad-based exams, in the coming days and weeks. These in-person exam sessions will supplement the online-proctored exams that many students have taken advantage of already. Our goal is to offer choices, where we can, to help students complete their courses and begin building their careers in real estate. We wish you success as you continue your studies.

It's been over 100 days since OREA has held an exam due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in Ontario. The pandemic has caused significant disruption to all aspects of our personal and professional lives. OREA and the Real Estate Council of Ontario (RECO) realize this has impacted students' ability to finish their programs. Since the shutdown, we have been working closely with RECO to find ways for students to complete their programs to begin their real estate careers.

In response to these extraordinary times, the OREA Real Estate College will continue to operate until March 31, 2021. The last scheduled exam date will be March 13, 2021 (extended from the previously announced date of November 28, 2020). This means that examinations for all courses must be completed by this date.

We are also extending the deadline for admission to The Broker Registration Education Program until November 15, 2020.

Summary of Key Dates:

July 2, 2020 Online-proctored exams launched
November 15, 2020 The final date for admission to The Broker Registration Education Program.
March 13, 2021 The final exam date for all courses
This includes any examination rewrites, if applicable

With the launch of online-proctored exams last week, available timeslots are being booked quickly. We are working with our online exam provider to add more exam spots, to keep up with demand.

To supplement the online exam delivery, we also intend to resume in-person exams when government and health authorities permit, and when we can be assured of a safe environment for our students and staff.

Our commitment has been unwavering to doing what we can to allow students to complete their educational requirements to pursue their dreams of success as a REALTOR® or Broker.
It has been an unpredictable and challenging time for students. We thank you for your ongoing patience as we navigate how to proceed amidst the challenges in our current environment.
For more information, please visit www.orea.com/Education

After weeks of diligent work, the OREA Real Estate College is pleased to announce the launch of our Online-Proctored Virtual Exams! In this endeavour, we have partnered with Proctortrack, a trusted provider of online remote proctoring services using live invigilators and AI assistance.

When you can start

If you are interested in taking your exam online, then on:

Thursday, July 2 You can start booking your online exams on this day.
(Exams must be booked through your My Portfolio account)
Saturday, July 4 Your can take your exams online from this day onward starting on this day.
(If you select this exam date, you must complete onboarding by end of day July 3) OR remember, the Onboarding process must be completed at least one day before your exam

Time slots will be available both day and night to give you as much flexibility as possible when scheduling your exam.

What you should know

As we have outlined in our previous communications, when you elect to take your exams online, you will be responsible for all aspects of exam preparations like:

To aid assist you in having a successful booking, onboarding and exam-taking experience, we have put together a comprehensive set of help pages on the OREA website.

Additionally, our Customer Services team members are available to assist you, Monday to Friday, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

We thank you so much for your patience and understanding during these extraordinary times and we hope that with this exam option, you will be able to proceed and progress through your program of study.

At OREA Real Estate College we want every student to have a fair chance at completing their courses, even in this time of COVID-related uncertainty.

We keep this in mind as our teams in the college and information technology work hand-in-hand on the online exams solution. We are in the final stages of this complex exercise of preparing the online exam platform with our third-party provider. I know the wait has been long and frustrating, and wish we could have launched in mid-June as we originally targeted. We share your sense of urgency to get things moving again. Making online exams available so you can continue your courses is our top priority, and we still aim to have them ready this month.

Our teams have been working nights and weekends on all aspects of our launch and as we draw closer, we would like to provide you with some important information to help you prepare.

What you should expect

The process to schedule an online exam will be very similar to what you currently do when booking an in-person exam. The process of taking an online exam, however, will be quite different. You can expect that you will have a few new responsibilities.

Since the exam is being delivered to your computer, after you book an online-proctored exam you will need to ensure that all preparations are in place. Things such as:

  • Providing the proper venue
  • Ensuring a quiet session with no interruptions
  • Setting up and testing all the hardware required to take the exam
  • Downloading, installing and using the required software tools
  • And ensuring all exam guidelines are followed

Online guidance will be provided along the way.

What you should have

If you will be taking an online-proctored exam, you will need:

  • A Windows or Mac computer with a keyboard and mouse
    • Windows 7 or newer
    • Mac - OSX 10.8 or newer
    • Google Chrome browser installed
  • A reliable high-speed internet connection
  • A webcam and microphone (built-in or plug-in)
  • A smartphone
    • Android or iOS (iPhone)
  • Your valid, government-issued photo ID

What you should know

Google Chrome is the only web browser compatible with OREA's online examinations. Please download Chrome to the computer you plan on using to take your online exam, if you don't have it already installed.

  • Booking your exam
    • When we launch, you will schedule your exam in your My Portfolio account, just as you would for a traditional in-person exam.

    Online exam sessions will be available during both daytime and nighttime, seven days a week. Exams will have specific posted start times and you will pick from the sessions available.

  • Before your exam date
    After you schedule your online examination, you will be required to complete a process called onboarding, at least one day before the exam.
    Onboarding is vital and accomplishes three things:
    • It ensures your computer, webcam and everything else are set up properly to work during your actual exam
    • You create an identity profile with the online proctoring service so they know who you are when you show up to take your exam
    • And finally, it gives you the chance to do a dry run of everything you will do on the day of your exam
      •

  • The day of your exam
    You will log in to the exam site from your My Portfolio account. Before that:
    • Prepare your room and workspace for your exam
    • Ensure your computer is plugged into a power outlet (or has adequate battery life)
    • Have your smartphone (Android or iOS) charged and ready
    • Relax and take your exam by following all the same steps you took during onboarding
      •

College closing date

Many students have asked if the College will extend its closing date beyond the end of this year. OREA is in discussions with RECO now about this matter. Officials from the Ministry of Colleges and Universities have also been consulted. Details have not yet been finalized, but we all are committed to supporting students in completing their educational requirements before the college closes. Further information will be provided when a decision has been finalized.

Online proctored exams

Development work on our online exam solution has been going full steam ahead. The pieces are falling into place and we are beginning the final testing phase. Making sure that the online delivery of exams flows smoothly, from scheduling a date to submitting the last question - and everything in between - has been a complex process. Securing the availability of online proctors has also been a critical piece of the solution. We want to make sure we get everything right.

In our previous communication we had indicated that we were aiming to launch mid-June. With the last round of testing planned for next week, the timeline for launch unfortunately has to be pushed out a little further in June. We still expect online exams to be ready this month. As soon as we have a firm date we will communicate that to you, along with more details about how to proceed.

I understand that this is disappointing news, and that many of you have been waiting a long time to move on with your courses. I appreciate your continued understanding and look forward to announcing further news on this exciting project soon.

In-person exams

With the provincial government’s recent announcement about Phase 2, the topic of in-person paper-based and iPad-based exams becomes more relevant. We’d like to share with you how these developments affect our college’s plans for re-opening.

OREA plans to restart in-person exams only when government and health authorities give the go-ahead and we can be assured of a safe exam environment at all our test centres province-wide. At that point, we will coordinate a launch with our venue partners in different parts of the province. To prepare, we have been augmenting our stocks of PPE and cleaning supplies and we have been updating our procedures for exam venues to include additional safety steps.

We will be cautious. The health and safety of our students and staff are paramount. We will be strictly following physical distancing guidelines. Ultimately, though, we will take advantage of every opportunity to get you going again.

It has been a long haul and sometimes the path has been bumpy.

Thank you for your patience.

Development on the college's online proctored exams is proceeding well. We have been working hard to modify our exam delivery software to enable a transition to a virtual proctoring environment. Providing a seamless and secure exam experience on your computer is essential to us. Preliminary testing of security protocols has been positive, and the remaining development work is on track. Our scheduling system is also being updated to accommodate more flexibility when you choose a date and time for your online exam. We are committed to ensuring a smooth transition to the new online format, and we thank you for your continued patience.

As we approach our forecasted go-live date in mid-June, many students have contacted us with questions about how these may differ from in-person exams and any possible changes that can be expected.
Here are the answers we can provide at his time:

The Exam Format

  • Exams will continue to be closed book, multiple choice questions
  • The duration of exams will be three hours
  • You will need to be in view of your web-cam at all times during your exam
  • All existing exam room guidelines will continue to apply

Scheduling an Online Exam

  • Once we launch online exams, you may reschedule your current exam at no charge
    • The standard $50 fee will apply for all subsequent changes

  • After you finalize your exam booking, you will be required to complete a system-check to ensure you are able to take the exam without issue (onboarding)
    • Onboarding will take between 10 and 30 minutes
    • Onboarding must be completed at least one day before your scheduled exam date
      • A step-by-step guide about onboarding will be provided in a future update

We will continue to provide details here as we conclude arrangements.

The past weeks have been challenging for all of us. As you know, doing our part to protect our community during this coronavirus epidemic required the College to significantly change our learning culture. As a result, we suspended all classroom courses and in-person examinations until it becomes safe to resume them. We understand that these changes have disrupted our students' educational plans, and have caused some frustration at not being able to move forward for the time being.

But we haven't been idle. We are committed to finding solutions that will enable students to continue their studies, and we wanted to share with you some updates on what we have been working on behind-the-scenes. Our goal is to ensure that each student has fair chance to successfully complete the educational requirements needed to pursue their dream of a career in real estate. We do not want the delay caused by COVID-19 to stand in the way of these dreams.

Online proctored exams

Our development team is focusing on implementing live-proctored online exams. The plan is to offer online exams that are accessible to as many learners as possible, ensure a student's privacy, and maintain the integrity of the examination process. You have put a lot of effort into your education and the final exam experience must respect that work. We have met with a number of vendors who specialize in delivering online exams, to find the solution that best meets our collective requirements. As you might imagine in these times, there is great demand for online exam services and not all vendors are able to provide what we need when we need it. Nevertheless, we continue to make good progress and expect to have the implementation and testing done in the coming weeks. We expect that the introduction of online exams will provide students greater flexibility around scheduling times than we had in the past, and will allow students to move through their programs more quickly. Additional details about how online exams will work and what you will need to do will be posted on our website as they become available.

While online exams are an option that works for some members of our student body, we appreciate that it is not a solution for everyone in our programs.

In-person exams

Paper-based exams and iPad exams delivered in our exam centres are still the most customary option for many of our students. During this time we have been following developments in the federal and provincial spheres as we develop our own back-to-school plans. We are in regular discussions with our partners at exam venues province-wide. As soon as it is safe to do so, the college will resume in-person examinations to the fullest extent possible. The most likely scenario is that of a gradual, phased approach that keeps your safety as its overriding element. With safety in mind, we will work to secure more seating capacity for in-person exams in additional facilities, to maximize the exam options available to students and off-set the delay that we have been experiencing.

The college closing and last exam date

The OREA Real Estate College is currently scheduled to close at the end of the year. We understand, though, that this timeline is an area of concern for some students. Together with RECO and officials within the Government of Ontario, we are exploring all possible options, including an extension of the College closing date, that would help to mitigate the delay caused by the COVID situation.

We understand your desire to continue your coursework and we will do everything we can to get you back to your studies. Thank you for your patience as we put the necessary solutions in place. We will continue to keep you updated as things progress.

We recognize that the recent extension of physical distancing guidelines by provincial authorities has brought the topic of online exams to the fore.

We are working diligently to implement live-proctored online exams, and the college is carefully putting the necessary infrastructure in place. Our goal is for OREA’s online exams to be accessible to as many students as possible, while ensuring your privacy and maintaining the integrity of the exams. Here are some details that we are able to share at this time:

  • Online exams will be a maximum of three hours long, like our standard in-person exams
  • Each exam will be overseen by an approved proctor for the duration of the examination
  • Students will require the following, at minimum, to participate:
    • A quiet room to take your exam
    • Uninterrupted time
    • An uncluttered work area
    • A desktop or laptop computer with a webcam and microphone (smartphones, tablets, and Chromebooks do not meet requirements)
      • PC/Mac requirements:
        • Keyboard
        • Mouse
        • Webcam
        • Microphone
        • Stable High-speed internet connection
        • Operating system:
          • PC – Windows 7 or higher
          • Mac - OSX 10.8 or newer

    We will be updating this page with more ‘what-you-need-to-knows’ as preparations are finalized.

As the events of the COVID-19 crisis have continued with almost daily changes, they have undeniably altered the delivery of our educational programs and impacted your studies and plans for completing your courses.

We understand your desire to continue your programs, and the frustration and anxiety at temporarily not being able to do so. Together with numerous partners, we are working on initiatives to counter the impact that the COVID-19 interruption has had on your ability to complete your programs. Our goal is to enable you to continue your courses and move on with your careers in real estate as quickly as possible.

Part of the solution will be to offer online exams, which will allow students to write their exams from home. We will also resume in-person exams as soon as it is safe to do so.

We are working toward implementing an online exam option as quickly as possible, in a manner that meets the needs of students and of the College. Ease of use, maintaining the integrity of the examination process and protecting the privacy of students are matters of paramount importance, and we want to ensure that the solution is done right.

As soon as we have completed the necessary preparations to implement an online exam service, we will provide further details here as to timelines and procedures. Please check our website regularly, and our Frequently Asked Questions for updates.

In the meantime, thank you for your continued patience.

In light of recent announcements by government and public health officials, OREA will not be resuming its normal in-person exam schedule as originally planned. In-person exams cannot begin again until it has been deemed safe to do so. The health and wellbeing of our students, our employees and our communities is our priority. Any new date will be dependent on recommendations from Public Health Ontario and Health Canada.

In the meantime, OREA, in collaboration with other organizations, is exploring all possible avenues that would allow you to continue and complete your programs of study as quickly as possible. As details are finalized, further information will be posted here.

We recognize the disruption and uncertainty that the COVID situation has caused you. Thank you for your patience as we work toward solutions that meet your needs.

(This post has been modified for clarity.)

OREA continues to monitor COVID-19 developments closely. The well-being of our students, instructors, and administrative staff is our top priority. To help minimize the risk of exposure to COVID-19, we are implementing several precautionary measures.

HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Effective immediately until further notice:

  • The OREA Real Estate College is suspending all in-person classroom courses, and canceling all examinations scheduled from now until April 3, 2020.
  • Online courses will continue to be available.
  • The OREA office at 99 Duncan Mill Road is closed to all students and external visitors.
  • Classroom students whose sessions have been interrupted will be able to transfer to a future classroom session if they wish to do so.
  • New classroom sessions will be added later, as needed. Alternatively, students may transfer at any time to an e-Learning version of their course.
  • Students with examinations that have been canceled may reschedule at their convenience to an available date that best suits their schedule.
  • As a temporary measure, we have removed the rescheduling fee.
  • To reschedule your exam, go to “My Current Courses” and click the reschedule button.

For assistance, please contact the College at 1-866-411-6732, Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Note: Due to the heavy volume of calls, wait times may be longer than usual. Thank you for your patience.

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