Exam Accommodations

One-time and Ongoing Accommodations

CPA Western School of Business grants one-time and ongoing exam accommodations to students and candidates who:

• Need to bring medical items to the writing centre
• Wear a head covering
• Require restricted items at the writing centre
• Require an alternate exam location because they live more than 150 km from the nearest writing centre

Submit accommodation requests via My CPA portal at least 10 weeks before the exam date to allow time for sufficient review. Additional documentation may be required. Once granted, an ongoing exam accommodation will be valid for the duration of CPA education. 

Extenuating Circumstances

In exceptional circumstances, such as an accident or compassionate reasons, applications for exam accommodations may be considered within two weeks of an exam, and may be granted if time permits. Submit accommodation requests via My CPA portal. 

Accommodations for Medical/Physical Reasons

Accommodations for documented medical or physical disabilities are reviewed on a case-by-case basis to ensure equal opportunity for candidates to demonstrate their competencies without altering the nature or the level of the competency being assessed. Submitting a request does not guarantee receiving an accommodation, though each case is considered carefully after reviewing the submitted documentation. A national panel reviews all requests. 

Specific accommodations depend on the nature of the disability and may include, but are not limited to:

• Providing a quiet room with minimal distractions;
• Permitting timed rest breaks during the exam;
• Providing enlarged font on the exam booklet and answer papers;
• Allowing a medical device in the exam room, such as an inhaler or diabetic equipment (if not attached to the student’s body); or
• Increasing time permitted for the exam.

NOTE: Many of the exams in the CPA qualification process are time constrained and evaluate the candidate’s ability to manage time. As a result, it is not unusual for applicants to receive less time than what may be requested or what may have previously been granted in post-secondary studies. The accommodations should not modify the nature of the qualification assessed.

Guidelines

Learning and Cognitive Disabilities

If you are seeking accommodation due to a cognitive or learning disability, or due to a neurological disorder that affects your cognitive abilities, you must submit a comprehensive psychoeducational assessment report or neuropsychological assessment report as part of the accommodation request.

Please note: If you were granted accommodations while at university, you will need to demonstrate a current need to receive an accommodation for CPA Exams. If you were not previously provided an accommodation, the CPA Accommodation Request Form 2 (Medical) should include a detailed explanation as to why an accommodation is needed now.

The psychoeducational or neuropsychological assessment should include clinical findings.

• The applicant must be an adult when testing is done. In most cases, this means testing has been conducted within the past five years.
• The testing must be performed by a qualified professional. Documentation should include the professional’s academic credentials and qualifications that allow them to diagnose the disability and make recommendations on the CPA Exams.
• The testing must include a battery of tests (see below for a list of possible tests). It is not acceptable for the professional to administer only one test, nor is it acceptable for the professional to base a diagnosis on only one of several subtests.

At a minimum, the professional must assess the following:

1. Aptitude: The preferred instrument is the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale — Fourth Edition (WAIS-IV).
2. Achievement: Current levels of functioning in reading and written language are required. Acceptable instruments include, but are not limited to, Woodcock-Johnson Psychoeducational Battery III: Tests of Achievement, and the Wechsler Individual Achievement Test (WIAT). The Nelson-Denny Reading Test (NDRT) is strongly recommended as a timed reading comprehension measure.
3. Information Processing: Specific areas of information processing (for example, short- and long-term memory, sequential memory, or auditory and visual perception/processing speed) must be assessed. Commonly used instruments in this area include information from subtests on the WAIS-III, the Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Cognitive Ability, the Wechsler Memory Scale-III, and the Halstead-Reitan Neuropsychological Battery.

The documentation provided by the professional must:

• Provide actual test scores and standard scores and percentiles on an age-adjusted, rather than education-adjusted, norm. It is helpful to list the test data in a summary score sheet.
• Document the impact of the disability on the candidate’s ability to write CPA exams. Test results should clearly support this claim.
• Include clear and specific evidence and diagnosis of a learning disability. Individual “learning styles” and “learning differences” do not by themselves constitute a learning disability. It is important that the assessment rule out alternative explanations for problems in learning, such as emotional or attention problems that may interfere with learning but do not, in and of themselves, constitute a disorder in learning.
• Explain why each recommended accommodation is necessary, referring to specific test results or clinical observations. We will consider recommended accommodations that give the student a fair chance.

Physical and Systemic Disabilities Documentation 

Physical and systemic disabilities have a definitive physical cause and significantly restrict a student’s physical ability to write CPA exams under standard conditions.

Supporting documentation must be comprehensive and current. Professionals conducting assessments, rendering diagnoses of specific disabilities, and making recommendations for appropriate accommodation(s) must be someone who is qualified to do so (such as a physician).

The documentation provided:

• Must identify an unequivocal diagnosis of a specific disability;
• Must discuss functional limitations caused by the disability and its impact on the student’s ability to take the CPA Exams under standardized conditions;
• Should list current medication, dosages, and existing (not possible) side effects; and
• Should recommend accommodation(s) to compensate for the identified functional limitations.

To Request a Medical Accommodation

1. Submit a request for accommodation through the CPAWSB Student Portal. Please choose “one time” if the request is for one session only. If the accommodation will be needed throughout your studies, please choose “Ongoing”.
2. FORM 1 - Candidate Form: This form should contain all relevant information for the case. (Required)
3. FORM 2 – Medical Form: Provide this form to a qualified professional who is licensed or who has the appropriate credentials to diagnose, treat, and recommend testing accommodations for individuals with your disability. The professional must have treated, diagnosed, or had some other professional relationship with you within the last five years. Attach additional pages/information as needed. Include the completed form in the accommodation request package. (Required)
4. FORM 3 – Cognitive Disability Score Sheet (if applicable). Attach this form or the report to the Accommodation Request: Medical Form (Form 2).
5. Current psychological assessment with clear statement of diagnosis (if applicable).
6. Evidence of accommodations granted by universities or professional education programs (if applicable).
7. Once all forms are complete, send by EMAIL to cpaaccommodations@cpawsb.ca. The subject line should state the program and the requested accommodation, for example: Subject: CPA preparatory courses March 2017 Exam Accommodation Form or CPA PEP Spring 2017 Exam Accommodation Form. If preferred, hard copies of original forms can be mailed to
   
   CPA Western School of Business
   301, 1253 91 Street
   Edmonton, AB T6X 1E9

Appeals

Applicants are welcome to appeal accommodation decisions within seven days of a decision, but only by providing new information or evidence relevant to the case. CPAWSB and CPA Canada may select psychological experts to test or review cases being appealed.