The Ontario Labour Mobility Act allows individuals who hold a valid real estate salesperson or broker licence in a Canadian jurisdiction the opportunity to write the Interprovincial Challenge Examination in Ontario. Upon successfully completing the exam, qualified individuals may apply to RECO for registration as a salesperson or broker.
What are the qualifying Canadian provinces and territories?
Real estate salespersons, brokers or agents from the following provinces and territories qualify to write the Interprovincial Challenge Examination in Ontario:
- Alberta
- British Columbia
- Manitoba
- New Brunswick
- Newfoundland and Labrador
- Nova Scotia
- Prince Edward Island
- Quebec
- Saskatchewan
- Yukon
Eligibility criteria
Individuals will qualify to take the Interprovincial Challenge Examination if they are currently licenced/registered and authorized to trade in real estate in one-or-more of the qualifying Canadian provinces or territories.
What’s on the Interprovincial Challenge Examination?
The Interprovincial Challenge Examination focuses on the skills and competencies that may be Ontario specific, such as: Ontario laws, including real property law, commercial and residential real estate transactions in Ontario, and RECO’s governing legislation, the Trust in Real Estate Services Act, 2002 (TRESA).
How do I register for the Interprovincial Challenge Examination?
Humber Polytechnic provides the Interprovincial Challenge Examination on RECO’s behalf. Once an applicant has determined their eligibility to take the examination, applicants must visit Humber’s website to pay for and book the examination.
Are there any resources to help prepare for the exam?
To assist in preparing for the Interprovincial Challenge Examination, preparatory resources will be provided after the examination has been scheduled.
What happens after passing the Interprovincial Challenge Examination?
After passing the exam, an applicant will have 12 months to apply for registration with RECO. The registration process will include:
- completing and submitting the application,
- paying the applicable application fee,
- providing a Canadian Criminal Record and Judicial Matters Check,
- providing an exam transcript, and
- providing licensing history from their qualifying jurisdiction.
Keep in mind that although applicants are given 12 months to register with RECO after passing the exam, to be eligible to register they must still meet requirements for registration under the Ontario Labour Mobility Act when submitting their application. This means that when an applicant applies to RECO for registration, they must be currently registered/licenced in their originating jurisdiction. An applicant will only qualify to apply if they meet the eligibility requirements.
Important notes:
Successful completion of the Interprovincial Challenge Examination only fulfils the education requirement to apply for registration under TRESA; applicants must still meet all other registration requirements before registration will be approved.
Successful completion of the Interprovincial Challenge Examination allows qualified applicants to acquire registration with RECO in the equivalent category as the one currently registered to them in their originating jurisdiction(s). When applying for registration, RECO will (at that time) determine the applicant’s eligibility for salesperson or broker registration under TRESA. The determining factor will be the category of registration/licence held by the applicant in their originating jurisdiction at the time of application, and whether the registration/licence category is “equivalent” to a salesperson or broker registration category, as defined under TRESA.
Education equivalency assessment
RECO has an evaluation and course credit granting process whereby individuals can obtain credit for one or more of the program components required for registration. The process is called education equivalency assessment, and it involves RECO assessing the prior related learning and/or real estate licencing experience that an applicant has acquired outside of the real estate education programs in Ontario. If you do not qualify to write the Interprovincial Challenge Examination, you may still be eligible to apply for an education equivalency assessment.
