Home > Education and Standards > Certification Exam

CAOT Certification Examination

Information for Canadian OT graduates 
Information for internationally educated occupational therapists

Click here for the New Certification Examination Information Webinar.  If you encounter any problems viewing/hearing the webinar, please contact CAOT.

CAOT and the CEC are pleased to provide the Annual CAOT Certification Examination Bulletin. For details about recent examination updates and statistics on the 2008-2009 exam sittings please Click Here. 

The CAOT Certification Examination is one of three requirements for individual membership in the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists. The three requirements for CAOT membership are as follows:

• Graduation from an occupational therapy educational program in Canada accredited by the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists (CAOT) or a non-Canadian occupational therapy educational program recognized by the World Federation of Occupational Therapists (WFOT) or equivalent.
• Successful completion of the CAOT Certification Examination.
• Canadian citizenship or official authorization to practise occupational therapy in Canada with payment of appropriate CAOT membership fees.

Purpose

The CAOT Certification Examination ensures all individuals who enter occupational therapy practice in Canada meet a minimum standard in the written application of theoretical and applied knowledge and professional behaviour in a practice situation.

Requirements for occupational therapy practice in Canada

Occupational therapists are regulated health professionals in all Canadian provinces. Each province has a provincial regulatory organization responsible for regulating the practice of occupational therapy. When you apply to become registered to work as an occupational therapist in a specific province, it is important to note the following:

• Each provincial regulatory organization has its own set of regulatory requirements;
• Requirements may differ from province to province;
• You must contact the provincial regulatory organization for the province in which you wish to work to obtain its specific requirements;
• Some provincial regulatory organizations require successful completion of the CAOT Certification Exam;
• To find out if you need to complete the exam for provincial regulatory purposes, contact the appropriate provincial organization directly;
• All provinces (except Quebec) require internationally educated occupational therapists to pass the CAOT certification examination as a registration requirement.

If you do not pass the examination, it is the provincial regulatory organization that will determine the conditions under which you may be employed as an occupational therapist. It may specify how many times you may attempt the examination for registration purposes.

Considerations for international occupational therapy practice

There is no reciprocity amongst countries with regard to certification exams i.e. a successful outcome of the CAOT certification exam will not allow you to practice in the US or elsewhere without meeting their requirements, including their certification exam.

Eligibility to write the exam

Occupational therapists wishing to become full individual members with the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists, including:

• graduates from accredited occupational therapy education programs in Canada
• graduates from occupational therapy programs recognized by the World Federation of Occupational Therapists (WFOT) or CAOT-approved equivalent