Examination Candidates Returning After Three Failures

Reason for this Policy

To register as a Registered Massage Therapist/Massage Therapist (RMT/MT) with the College of Massage Therapists of Ontario (CMTO), candidates must pass the Multiple-Choice Question exam (MCQ) and the Objectively Structured Clinical Evaluation (OSCE). Candidates have three attempts to successfully pass the MCQ and the OSCE. If a candidate fails either of the certification examinations three times, they must obtain a new Massage Therapy diploma before they can retake the exams again. This policy describes the requirements for the new diploma.

Background

The General Regulation under the Massage Therapy Act, 1991 states:

3. (2) In every case where a candidate has failed the examinations three times after obtaining a diploma from a massage therapy program acceptable to the Registration Committee, the candidate is not eligible to apply to take the examinations again without obtaining another diploma from a massage therapy program acceptable to the Registration Committee.
O. Reg. 266/04, s. 1.

Requirements

Any candidate who fails one of CMTO’s certification examinations three times must obtain a new Massage Therapy diploma from a program accredited by the Canadian Massage Therapy Council for Accreditation¹ and/or recognized by the Ontario Ministry of Colleges and Universities, Research Excellence and Security before they are eligible to retake the examinations. The new diploma must be issued by a different educational institution than the previous diploma, meaning the candidate must attend a new school. A diploma issued from a different campus of their previous school will not be accepted.

After completing a new Massage Therapy diploma, CMTO will treat the candidate as a new examination candidate. The candidate must obtain a successful result on both the MCQ and OSCE examinations after completing the second diploma. Even if a candidate passed one of the exams before failing the second examination three times, they will have to retake both exams after completing a new Massage Therapy diploma.

Adopted by Council: May 25, 2007
Amended by Council: February 8, 2022
Reviewed and Updated: June 9, 2026

^[1] Please see Canadian Massage Therapy Council for Accreditation and Education Program Equivalence (for programs outside Ontario) Policy for more information.