FAQs

Respiratory therapy is a regulated profession in most areas of Canada. However, Health Professionals Testing Canada (HPTC) does not regulate professional practices in any Canadian jurisdiction.

If you plan to work in Canada after passing the national exam, you should review the regulatory authority's requirements in the province where you intend to work.

You can access your data through our data retrieval page.

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Internationally educated respiratory therapists must have their educational background and credentials reviewed and verified by the provincial regulatory authority in the province where they intend to practice before registering for HPTC examinations.

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If you are ill on exam day, notify us at hptc@hptc.ca immediately. You will need to provide a note from a healthcare professional. 

Your case will be reviewed independently, and you may be granted a credit for the next exam administration.

Yes, bathroom breaks are allowed for up to 10 minutes. However, the exam timer will continue. 

If your break exceeds 10 minutes, the proctor will submit your completed answers and end your exam.

Yes, the appeals process is detailed in the candidate manuals and is time-sensitive. Ensure you review the guidelines carefully.

If you become ill during the exam, seek medical attention immediately and obtain a note from a healthcare professional. Submit this note to hptc@hptc.ca. If verified, your exam results will be discarded, and we will reschedule you for the next exam at no cost.

No, external calculators are not allowed, but the exam software includes a built-in calculator.

No, headphones are not permitted because they can be used to share exam information. This rule helps prevent any suspicion of academic dishonesty.

No, talking is not allowed during the exam to ensure there is no suspicion of communicating with someone outside of the proctor's view.

No, listening to music is not permitted during the exam for the same reasons as talking is not allowed.

If you receive a prompt from the proctor, review the warning and correct your actions immediately. You may be required to adjust your webcam, stay in the viewable area, or cease talking.

Communicate with your roommate and others in your household about the importance of your exam and the need for a distraction-free environment. 

If someone enters the room, notify the proctor immediately and ask the visitor to leave.

If your computer does not meet the minimum system requirements, find another computer that does and test it well before the exam day.

The candidate manuals state that exam results are sent within 90 days. However, results are usually distributed within 30-45 days and include a detailed breakdown of national statistics and your individual performance.

Your results will be sent to the email address you used to register for the exam.

Check your spam or junk email folders. Sometimes, our emails are incorrectly filtered as junk despite having a 'safe sender' designation.

Appeals must be based on objective reasons. Requests for rescoring are not valid because exams are rigorously evaluated.

Your appeal should state clear grounds, such as not being given the same opportunity as others or experiencing significant uncontrollable events (e.g., power outage, natural disaster) that affected your performance.

Please refer to your RT candidate manual for the entire appeals process.

The RT exams evaluate all aspects of your clinical decision-making skills. Candidates are encouraged to prepare a detailed study plan and allocate time to prepare thoroughly for these high-stakes exams.

After your first unsuccessful attempt, you must be registered and approved by a regulatory body or the Canadian Society of Respiratory Therapists (for residents of BC and Qatar). Check with the relevant authority for their policies on re-taking the exam.