My NCE access

Any breach of the following policies, rules, and regulations set out by the Canadian College of Health Information Management constitutes a breach of the code of ethics and could result in disqualification from writing an examination, automatic failure of the examination, or a professional conduct inquiry. All candidates and other persons associated with College examination(s) will comply with all national exam policies, rules, and regulations and the code of ethics in the period leading up to, during, and following the examination(s).

If any allegation is upheld, the registrar or designate reserves all rights to reissue the examination, disqualify the candidate, and refuse entry to the Canadian College of Health Information Management, or present the circumstance to the Professional Ethics Committee. Should the registrar or designate disqualify a candidate, the candidate will have no privileges to write the national examination at any other time. The registrar will notify the candidate/person(s) involved of the results of the misconduct determination and action in writing.

Definitions

Examination period

The examination period is defined as the time period upon which a person submits their national examination application to receiving national examination results. All candidate inquiries about the process before, during, and after the examination will be managed directly between the candidate concerned and the College Registrar or designate.

Examination commencement

The examination begins when the candidate selects “Access Your Exam” from the CHIMA dashboard. The examination timer will not start counting down until the “Start now” button is selected.

Candidate conduct

1. Any form of reproduction (verbal or physical) of the examination is contrary to the national exam policies, rules, and regulations and a breach of the code of ethics. All information with respect to the examination remains the property of the College. Candidates who apply to write a national examination enter into a confidential relationship with the College. To ensure confidentiality, all candidate inquiries about the process before, during, and after the examination will be dealt with directly between the candidate concerned and the College registrar or designate.
   
2. A candidate is not permitted to ask any person any examination related questions during the examination. If an online proctor is present, technical support is the only circumstance whereby a proctor may intervene. 
   
3. Physical note pads, paper, writing devices external to the examination platform are no longer allowed to be used during national examinations. Candidates will be provided a digital “scratchpad” within the examination. Use of physical note pads, paper, writing devices external to the examination platform are prohibited, and if used by the exam candidate will result in automatic failure and may result in disqualification from writing the examination. Upon College approval, physical writing devices external to the examination platform may be permitted on a per candidate case basis. If permitted, these materials must be destroyed immediately following the examination. Absolutely no test material or miscellaneous notes are to be shared. Do not copy down questions and answers by writing them down or taking screenshots. Any form of reproduction (verbal or physical) of the examination is contrary to the national examination policies, rules, and regulations and a breach of the code of ethics.
   
4. Personal calculators are not allowed. A digital calculator will be provided within the exam platform where and when required.
   
5. Candidates will not access or use materials that constitute illegal aids during the examination. Illegal aids are any items other than what is acceptable as stated in the national examination policies, rules, and regulations unless the items are approved by the College prior to the commencement of the examination. Illegal aids during the examination include but are not limited to the access or use of: cellphones, electronic devices (including USB drives), earphones, headphones, dictionaries, briefcases, purses, or coats.

Proctoring rules must be followed from examination commencement to finishing the exam by selecting the “finish exam” button or if the exam is submitted automatically.

1. Do not look away from the screen of the device for extended periods of time.
2. Properly perform the environmental scan, show both the room that you are in and your desk/writing area.
3. Leaving the room is allowed ONLY for washroom breaks.
4. Electronic listening devices such as headphones, earbuds, earpieces, headsets, etc. are not permitted.
5. The candidate must be alone in a private room. Do not share spaces with anyone while writing.
6. Do not move into other rooms or spaces during the exam.
7. Talking to other people during the exam or during your bathroom break is not permitted.
8. Mobile phones/devices, instant messengers, emails, etc. that could be used to communicate digitally cannot be accessible or used during the exam by the candidate. Disable or pause all notifications on the device used for the exam.*
9. Remain on the exam page at all times during the examination session. Changing windows, screens, and applications is not allowed during the exam.*
10. Physical note pads, paper, writing devices external to the examination platform are no longer allowed to be used during national certification examinations. Candidates will be provided a digital “scratchpad” within the examination.
11. Background noises like music, television, podcasts, etc. are not permitted.

*Exception: Technical support from the exam team is the exception. If you require technical support during the exam, contact the Exam Team: exam@echima.ca or support@constructor.tech

Please note, this is for technical support only, the exam team cannot provide context or assist with exam questions.

The College is responsible for the validity and integrity of the reported scores. On occasion, occurrences such as computer malfunction or misconduct by a candidate may cause a score to be suspect. The College reserves the right to void or withhold examination results if, upon investigation, violation of the College’s regulations is suspected. Candidates are expected to fully cooperate with the investigation.

The Canadian College of Health Information Management uses a third-party proctoring system that records each and every exam session. This platform requires a human to review the candidate’s behaviour for every recorded session. If the reviewer witnesses or suspects behaviour that contravenes the ‘National examination Policies, Rules, and Regulations’, or which constitutes the use of an illegal aid, the reviewer will document the allegation clearly, including such particulars as the examination title, time of misconduct, student response, and full description of misconduct. Upon receipt of an allegation from the reviewer during the examination process, the Registrar, in consultation with legal counsel, will:

1. Ensure that marking of the candidate’s examination is withheld;
   • Notify the candidate of the allegation in writing, indicating that the candidate has 30 days in which to appeal the allegation by presenting facts; and
2. Review the evidence from the reviewer and the candidate to determine if:
   • The allegation will not be upheld, and the candidate’s examination will be marked; or
   • The allegation will be upheld.

If any person involved in or associated with the examination witnesses or suspects behaviour that contravenes the national examination policies, rules, and regulations before or after the national examination, the person will notify the College registrar or designate immediately. Upon such notification, the registrar or designate, in consultation with legal counsel, may:

• Withhold the writing of the examination; or
• Withhold the marking of the examination and notify the affected candidate(s); and
• Conduct a full investigation and make recommendations to the appropriate body.

If any allegation is upheld, the registrar or designate reserves all rights to reissue the examination, disqualify the candidate, and refuse entry to the Canadian College of Health Information Management, or present the circumstance to the Professional Ethics Committee. Should the registrar or designate disqualify a candidate, the candidate will have no privileges to write the examination at any other time. The registrar or designate will notify the candidate/person(s) involved of the results of the misconduct determination and action in writing.

To support quality improvement at the accredited program level and contingent upon an appropriate sample size, the College shares aggregated graduate pass/fail rates with national* examination rates with the accredited programs.

In cases where an accredited program sponsors or funds a candidate’s examination application, the College may disclose the candidate’s identifying information with individual national examination pass/fail results to the sponsoring program.

Definitions:

Identifying information includes first and last name.

National results includes all exam candidates who write during the exam period, including those who are approved through the experiential pathways.

Do you consent to sharing identifying information and individual examination results (i.e. pass/fail status) with the accredited program you graduated from? Individual grade results will not be shared.