Proposed Increase to Certification Examination Fees

IMPORTANT NOTICE

 

Consultation Survey: Proposed Increase to Certification Examination Fees

The Council of the College of Massage Therapists of Ontario (CMTO) is proposing an increase to the Certification Examination fees, the first such increase in several years. The proposed increase would not take effect until 2019.

Most of the regulated health professions in Ontario have access to a national examination that must be successfully completed prior to registration. There is no national examination for Massage Therapy in Canada, so the College of Massage Therapists of Ontario (CMTO) develops and administers its own Certification Examinations: the Multiple Choice Question (MCQ) exam, and the Objectively Structured Clinical Evaluation (OSCE). CMTO’s By-Law No. 7 provides information about College fees, including the fee for the MCQ and the OSCE examinations.

Ideally, examination fee revenue will equal, but not exceed, the cost of developing and delivering the exam. However, for several years, Certification Examination revenues have fallen short of expenses, and CMTO has had to use revenue from registrant renewal fees to subsidize the cost of developing and administering the examinations.

Therefore, at its November 13, 2017 meeting, Council directed that proposed amendments to By-Law No. 7: Fees for Registration, Examinations and Other Activities of the College be circulated to stakeholders for comment. It is proposed that the fees for the Certification Examinations be raised such that examination revenue comes closer to the actual cost of developing and delivering the examinations.

In addition, the Registrar is proposing that Schedule A to By-Law No. 7, the Miscellaneous Fee Schedule, be updated so that examination candidates who do not attend their scheduled examination without formally withdrawing in advance (no-shows) will be charged the full examination fee.

CMTO has prepared a comparison chart showing the proposed amendments to By-Law No. 7 to increase the recommended fees for the Certification Examinations, and the proposed amendment to Schedule A regarding the fee for candidates who do not formally withdraw and do not attend their examinations.

CMTO’s Council is sensitive to the costs borne by applicants for registration. For this reason, CMTO’s exam fees have remained unchanged for several years and are extremely low when compared with other health regulators in Ontario that have both an MCQ and an OSCE for registration. However, as noted above, the current fees do not cover the cost of developing and administering the examinations. CMTO’s Council believes that an over-reliance on annual renewal fees to subsidize the Certification Examinations is not in the public interest, and that the cost of developing and administering the examinations should, as much as possible, be covered by examination candidates. Further, Council recommends that the difference between examination revenues and expenses that must be covered by CMTO should be kept to a minimum.

Prior to finalizing these proposals, Council will carefully consider all comments and suggestions from stakeholders, keeping in mind the College’s mandate is to protect the public interest.

 

Please complete CMTO’s By-Law No. 7 and Schedule A Survey to share your feedback.

Please provide your comments by the end of the day on May 7, 2018.

 

If you have questions regarding these proposals, please contact Valerie Browne, Director of Registration Services, at valerie.browne@cmto.com or by phone at 1-800-465-1933 or 416-489-2626, ext. 4117.

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