There are three stages to the pre-examination accommodation process:
1. Reviewing the accommodation request for completeness
At this stage, the Examination Administration accommodation coordinators review forms and any supporting documentation to determine completeness. Where appropriate, staff may request additional information from the candidate or a health care professional. A request for accommodation will be deemed incomplete where a candidate
- submits an incomplete Form A or Form B;
- fails to file one or both required forms; or
- fails to submit other required documentation or information (including in response to a request from the Law Society).
A request will be deemed late where any of Form A, Form B, or other requested information or documentation is submitted after the posted deadline. Because not all accommodation requests are straightforward, candidates are strongly encouraged to submit Form A, Form B, and supporting documentation well in advance of the deadline, as requests that remain incomplete or do not contain sufficient information after the deadline are deemed late.
Incomplete requests may affect the Examination Administration team’s ability to develop an accommodation plan and implement it in time for the candidate’s chosen licensing examination date. If this occurs, the candidate may have to choose between deferring the examination date to a new sitting to allow the Examination Administration team sufficient time to review the accommodation request or writing the examination without accommodation (which is generally not recommended).
Where an accommodation cannot be made or the candidate considers the Law Society’s accommodation plan (see #2 below) to be unsatisfactory, the candidate may appeal the decision by following the procedure set out in the Policy.
2. Developing and communicating the examination accommodation plan.
Based on the complete request, Examination Administration will develop the Law Society’s examination accommodation plan for the candidate. Staff may offer candidates alternative accommodations to those requested.
Once approved, details of the accommodation plan will be communicated via the candidate’s personal email address on file with the Law Society or the candidate’s online account. Please note that implementation of the plan will not commence until the candidate is registered for an examination and has met the accommodation request deadline (see below).
3. Registration and implementation of the accommodation plan.
Once the accommodation plan is finalized, it will remain unchanged unless the candidate takes steps to revise it (see Request Deadlines above) or the Law Society takes steps to revise it. If the plan is based on a temporary condition, it will expire in accordance with the date indicated in the approved plan.
An approved plan will generally be automatically implemented upon the candidate registering for an examination, meeting the accommodation request deadline, and completing related financial arrangements with the Law Society.
If a complete request is submitted by the deadline, details setting out the date, time, and location of the candidate’s sitting will be provided to the candidate approximately 10-15 days prior to the in-person licensing examination date (or earlier).
For more information regarding accommodations for licensing examinations, candidates are invited to contact Examination Administration staff at examinationaccommodation@lso.ca.