Retaking the Exam
Your exam result will be sent to you within 10 working days following your session. Regardless of the results in the different sections, it’s always the overall exam mark that determines whether you have passed or failed and, as a consequence, whether or not you will have to retake the exam.
If you have failed, the conditions for registering to retake the exam will be specified in your letter. Please note that a minimum period of 3 months to retake the exam will be applied, as specified in section 9 of the Regulation respecting the vocational training of the workforce in the construction industry (R-20, r. 8). This letter will give not only your overall result, but also the result for each section of the exam (number of correct answers/total number of questions). You can therefore prepare to retake the exam with an orientation toward the skill(s) that you didn’t do so well on. You may also choose to improve your result in a section the subject of which you know well.
Composition of the retake exam
Candidates who retake an exam following a failure receive a different version of the exam(s) that they took before. All sections are submitted again, regardless of the previous result obtained. Out of concern for fairness for all candidates, the versions of the exam are of equivalent difficulty and evaluate the same skills and aspects of skills.
To help you to prepare to retake your exam, consult the information sheets and the sample questions, which are good tools. The sample questions do not constitute a review but are aimed at familiarizing you with the types of questions in a qualification examination and with the computer tool for taking the exam.
Types of retake exam
Since 2020, the CCQ is changing its method for calculating the marks of the exams that it administers in order to offer those who fail the exam a new way to retake it: a retake exam with consolidated marks. The CCQ is thus responding to a request from the industry to review the approach to retaking qualification exams in order to support the success of the workforce.
So, here are the two types of retake exams possible:
Retaking the exam with consolidated marks
This type of retake means that, for each section comprising an exam, the CCQ will retain only the better mark obtained between this retake and the one given on the notice of the results that the candidate had previously received.
Retaking the exam with unconsolidated marks
This type of retake means that, for each section comprising an exam, the CCQ will retain only the mark obtained during this sitting, regardless of the results of any previous exam. It is offered only when the retake follows a major change to the exam due, for example, to the advent of new technologies in a trade or a new code. In other words, the first retake following a major change cannot take account of the marks in any previous exam.
Special characteristics or exclusions
Please take note of the special characteristics of the following exams:
| Exam | Type of retake |
| Blaster | Only a retake with unconsolidated marks is possible, as the CCQ administers the exam for the Commission des normes, de l'équité, de la santé et de la sécurité du travail. |
| Integration into the trade of crane operator | No retake is possible. |
| Qualification for boom truck shared activity |
Retake with unconsolidated marks only is possible. |
Example situations
Here are some examples of cases that show the different calculation methods by type of exam retaken.
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Example #1
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Example #2
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Example #3
Calculation of the mark for an exam retaken with consolidated marks
Alex tries to pass his carpenter-joiner exam for the first time (initial exam) on January 15, 2020 (#1). Following this first attempt, which he fails, he registers again for the exam. On May 4, 2020, he takes the exam again (#2). He passes the exam after two attempts.
| #1 | #2 | ||
| January 15, 2020 | May 4, 2020 | ||
| Type of exam | Initial exam | Retake with consolidated marks (real marks) |
Retake with consolidated marks (marks retained by the CCQ)* |
| Section 1 (maximum 25 points) |
17 | 19 | 19 |
| Section 2 (maximum 12 points) |
5 | 4 | 5 |
| Section 3 (maximum 9 points) |
7 | 0 | 7 |
| Section 4 (maximum 15 points) |
5 | 10 | 10 |
| TOTAL (maximum 61 points) |
34 points | 33 points | 41 points |
| 56% | 54% | 67% | |
| Fail | Pass | ||
*Because it was a retake with consolidated marks, the CCQ retained the better of the two marks obtained per section (shown in boldface in the table) on January 15 and May 4, 2020. The marks in the right-hand column are those given in the results notice of May 4, 2020.
Calculation of the mark from two types of retake (with unconsolidated marks and with consolidated marks)
Emily tries to pass her carpenter-joiner exam for the first time (initial exam) on December 19, 2019 (#1). Following this first exam, which she fails, she registers again for the exam. Since her first sitting took place before 2020, she will not have the right to retake the exam with consolidated marks for her first attempt on May 4, 2020. She must retake the exam with unconsolidated marks (#2), and she fails again.
| #1 | #2 | |
| December 19, 2019 | May 4,2020 | |
| Type of exam | Initial exam | Retake with unconsolidated marks (real marks, retained by the CCQ)* |
| Section 1 (maximum 25 points) |
17 | 18 |
| Section 2 (maximum 12 points) |
5 | 4 |
| Section 3 (maximum 9 points) |
7 | 5 |
| Section 4 (maximum 15 points) |
5 | 6 |
| TOTAL (maximum 61 points) |
34 points | 33 points |
| 56% | 54% | |
| Fail | Fail |
*Because it was a retake with unconsolidated marks, the CCQ does not take account of the results from December 19, 2019 in the calculation of the marks from May 4, 2020. The marks retained by the CCQ following the retake are thus those actually obtained on May 4, 2020. Those are the marks given in the results notice of May 4, 2020.
On her third attempt, on August 20, 2020 (#3), Emily’s results are consolidated with those in the previous attempt (#2), which enables her to pass her exam.
| #2 | #3 | ||
| May 4, 2020 | August 20, 2020 | ||
| Type of exam | Retake with unconsolidated marks (notes retained by the CCQ) |
Retake with consolidated marks (real marks) |
Retake with consolidated marks (marks retained by the CCQ)* |
| Section 1 (maximum 25 points) |
18 | 20 | 20 |
| Section 2 (maximum 12 points) |
4 | 8 | 8 |
| Section 3 (maximum 9 points) |
5 | 3 | 5 |
| Section 4 (maximum 15 points) |
6 | 4 | 6 |
| TOTAL (maximum 61 points) |
33 points | 35 points | 39 points |
| 54% | 57% | 64% | |
| Fail | Pass | ||
*Because it was a retake with consolidated marks, the CCQ retained the better of the two marks obtained per section (shown in boldface in the table) on May 4 and August 20, 2020. The marks in the right-hand column are those given in the results notice of August 20, 2020.
Calculation of the mark following a major change to the exam
Max tries to pass his carpenter-joiner exam for the first time (initial exam) on January 15, 2020 (#1). Following this first attempt, which he fails, he registers for the exam again. On May 4, 2020, he takes the exam again (#2).
| #1 | #2 | ||
| January 15, 2020 | May 4,2020 | ||
| Type of exam | Initial exam | Retake with consolidated marks (real marks) |
Retake with consolidated marks (marks retained by the CCQ)* |
| Section 1 (maximum 25 points) |
17 | 18 | 18 |
| Section 2 (maximum 12 points) |
6 | 4 | 6 |
| Section 3 (maximum 9 points) |
6 | 5 | 6 |
| Section 4 (maximum 15 points) |
5 | 6 | 6 |
| TOTAL (maximum 61 point) |
34 points | 33 points | 36 points |
| 56% | 54% | 59% | |
| Fail | Fail | ||
*Because it was a retake with consolidated marks, the CCQ retained the better of the two marks obtained per section (shown in boldface in the table) on January 15 and May 4, 2020. The marks in the right-hand column are those given in the results notice of May 4, 2020.
In July 2020, the CCQ made a major change to the structure of the exam. In the example below, the maximum number of points per section therefore changed. Max takes the exam for the third time on November 8, 2020 (#3). Because this retake is his first to occur after a major change, the results cannot be consolidated with those of the two previous attempts.
| #3 | |
| November 8, 2020 | |
| Type of exam | Retake with unconsolidated marks (real marks) |
| Section 1 (maximum 20 points) |
15
|
| Section 2 (maximum 20 points) |
14 |
| Section 3 (maximum 10 points) |
4 |
| Section 4 (maximum 4 points) |
7 |
| TOTAL (maximum 61 points) |
40 points |
| 66% | |
| Pass |
*Because it was a retake with unconsolidated marks, the CCQ does not take account of the results from previous exams. The marks retained by the CCQ following the retake are thus those actually obtained on November 8, 2020. Those are the marks given in the results notice of May 4, 2020.