PREREQUISITE EXAM
Exam results can take up to twelve (12) weeks.
Prerequisite Exam
Cost: $75.00 plus tax per Exam
[To register and pay for these exams, you must sign up to receive notices.]
Who must write prerequisite exams:
- Members of the public wishing to become certified in their profession
- ATIO Professionals who wish to expand their professional qualifications
- ATIO Professionals who wish to seek certification by on-dossier
- Certified Members of other CTTIC Member Societies must pass the ATIO Code of Ethics/By-laws exam.
Affiliates & Terminologists – please email info@atio.on.ca to request a registration form.
MANDATORY REQUIREMENTS
- You must have your permanent resident status or be a Canadian citizen.
- You must live in the province of Ontario.
- Your language combination or language pair must include English or French.
- You must be able to provide supporting documents for one or more of the admission criteria for your chosen profession.
If you live outside of Ontario, you must be a certified member of a CTTIC member society to be eligible for membership.
If you do not live in Canada, you are not eligible to join ATIO.
Important Information
- It is up to you, the applicant, to carefully review the admission criteria and ensure that you can provide supporting documentation.
- ATIO Staff has up to 30 days to provide the results of application assessments after the non-refundable application fee is paid.
- ATIO does not guarantee that results will be provided before exam registration deadlines.
- You must pass all required examinations and have a successful application in order to be admitted to ATIO.
- Registrants who were unsuccessful can re-take one or both exams when they are next offered.
VIEW THE FULL EXAM SCHEDULE BY CLICKING HERE.
WATCH: Information Session (February 2024)
Steps that Apply to All Applicants
- Pass the ATIO Code of Ethics/Bylaws prerequisite exam.
- Pass one or more of the ATIO language proficiency exams.
- Have an application package approved by ATIO.
- Translation applicants must pass a translation entrance exam.
Once these conditions are met, you become a candidate for certification in the profession and language combination or pair for which you applied. You can then seek certification either by certification exam or apply for certification by on-dossier.
Certification Exam versus On-Dossier
This file provides more information about the difference in the two certification methods offered by ATIO.
Certification Exam versus On-Dossier
Learn more about the requirements for Certification by On-Dossier by reading Appendix 4 of the ATIO Bylaws.
Are You Eligible to Join ATIO
All admission eligibility requirements are provided on the ATIO Application webpage.
Click here for a one-stop summary of the admission requirements for each of the six professions.
Resources: The ATIO Bylaws
If you are writing the ATIO Code of Ethics and Bylaws Exam, you must have a hard-copy, printed prior to your exam day.
Access the ATIO Bylaws and Code of Ethics here.
No other files are required.
REGISTER HERE!
REGISTER FOR MAY
Deadline: April 16
REGISTER FOR OCTOBER
Deadline: October 1
Save the form to your desktop. Complete all fields and electronically sign the form.
Email your completed registration to info@atio.on.ca.
REGISTER FOR AUGUST
Deadline: July 30
REGISTER FOR FEBRUARY 2026 (CLOSED)
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Editing Exam Sample
Reading Comprehension Exam Sample
Sample Code of Ethics Questions
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Additional Exam Information
- The path to certification for professions and language combinations/pairs are individual and treated separately.
- Anyone wishing to join ATIO must pass the ATIO Code of Ethics/Bylaws Exam. Registrants whose language combination includes French will write the Code of Ethics/Bylaws exam in French. Code of Ethics exams are unique to each member society.
- Only Certified Affiliates are exempt from writing the Language Proficiency Exams.
- Registrants may write a maximum of three exams in the given period.
- Registrants are encouraged to review ATIO’s eligibility requirements for admission to the association before registering for the exams.
- Registrants must be Canadian Citizens or have permanent resident status and be living in Ontario at the time they submit their application.
- Prerequisite exams are required for each profession and language combination/pair for which the registrant intends to apply.
- Exam fees will not be refunded.
- Preparatory Webinars will run in the weeks preceding the Spring and Fall exams. The language proficiency exam preparatory webinars are intended as a refresher regarding grammar rules, practice, and native language interference. The Code of Ethics/Bylaws webinar focuses on ATIO’s Bylaws, is prerecorded, and is offered for a fee prior to each exam date.
Exam Format and Schedule
Exam Format
- Code of Ethics/Bylaws Exam: An open-book exam which consists of multiple-choice questions and a case study in a long answer question format.
- Reading Comprehension Exam (Translators, from English into Other Language): Multiple-choice questions.
- Grammar/Editing Exam (Translators, from Other Language into English): A five-part exam consisting of short passage editing, multiple-choice, and long passage editing.
- Reading Comprehension Exam (Interpreters): Multiple-choice questions.
Schedule
- Code of Ethics/Bylaws Exam: 10 AM to 11 AM
- Reading Comprehension Exam: 1 PM to 2 PM
- Grammar/Editing Exam: 1 PM to 2:30 PM
Registrants intending to apply in translation are welcome to register for all three exams on the same exam date. They will write the Code of Ethics/Bylaws Exam followed by the Grammar/Editing Exam as scheduled above.
Exam links are sent two days before exam day.
Registrants in translation who are writing two language proficiency tests will write the Grammar/Editing Exam at 1:00 p.m. The link to access the Reading Comprehension Exam will be sent after 1:00 p.m. Registrants will have a specific access window starting at 3:00 p.m. to click “Start Test” and complete the second language proficiency exam. If the exam is not written within this window, the exam fee is forfeited, the registration marked as a no-show.
Please also note
- – To ensure anonymity, exams will be identified only by a number.
- – Prerequisite exams are only available online.
- – Attending the preparatory webinars before the exams is highly beneficial.
Exam Rules
Rules
- Registrants must attend the technology session and mock test one week prior to the exams.
- Registrants will receive one email for each exam for which they’ve registered.
- Registrants must click REPORT IN at the reporting time.
- Registrants must appear with valid Canadian government-issued photo identification (Driver’s License, Health card, Passport, etc).
- Registrants must have a paper copy of the ATIO Bylaws and Code of Ethics to use for the Code of Ethics/Bylaws Exam.
- The use of any electronic device during the examination is strictly prohibited. Electronic devices include, but are not limited to, cell phones, BlackBerries®, iPods®, and tablet computers. Any such use will lead to your disqualification; the examination will not be marked, and the fee will not be refunded.
- Registrants must disable spelling and grammar checking, including predictive text. Plug-ins like AI, Antidote and Grammarly must be disabled before starting any test. No exceptions.
Prerequisite Exam Results
- It takes approximately twelve (12) weeks for registrants to receive their exam results by email.
- A passing mark is 70% for the Code of Ethics Exam/Bylaws and 70% for the Language Proficiency Exam (pass/fail mark). No additional details can or will be shared.
- Pass results are valid for a maximum of two years. Exams must be retaken should other admission criteria not be met within that time.
- Registrants must become an ATIO Candidate for Certification before their prerequisite exam results expire.
- Code of Ethics/Bylaws results are valid indefinitely only if all admission criteria are met within two years of passing the prerequisite exam.
- Registrants who were unsuccessful can re-take one or both exams when they are next offered.
- There is no appeal process for prerequisite exams.
- Registrants who pass both prerequisite exams will be invited to apply in the language combination for which they wrote the exams.
- Approved applicants in translation will be invited to write the Entrance Exam in the language combination for which they wrote the prerequisite exams. Learn more about the entrance exam here.
- Registrants wishing to apply in more than one language combination do not need to retake the Code of Ethics/Bylaws exam once the admission process is complete the first time.
- The fees associated with these exams will not be reimbursed.
Prerequisite Exam FAQs
Prerequisite Exam Schedule
| PREREQUISITE EXAM DATES | REGISTRATION DEADLINE | REGISTRATION STATUS | FORMAT | CANCEL/RESCHEDULE POLICY 50% Refund | CANCEL/RESCHEDULE POLICY 0% Refund |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 21, 2026 | January 29, 2026 | CLOSED | ONLINE | January 31 - February 13 | February 14 - February 20 |
| May 9, 2026 | April 16, 2026 | OPEN | ONLINE | April 18 - May 1 | May 2 - May 8 |
| August 22, 2026 | July 30, 2026 | OPEN | ONLINE | August 1 - August 14 | August 15 - August 21 |
| October 24, 2026 | October 1, 2026 | OPEN | ONLINE | October 3 - October 16 | October 17 - October 23 |
If I miss the mock test, can I still write my exam?
A pre-recorded exam technology session is provided prior to the prerequisite exam. Registrants will have access to the recording indefinitely.
A mock test is held 7 days before the exam, allowing registrants the opportunity to test their computer system and the exam platform to ensure their webcam and microphone will operate correctly on exam day.
Registrants who opt out of participating in one or both sessions will still be able to write their prerequisite exams on exam day.
Prerequisite Exam Rescheduling Policy
Requests to reschedule must be emailed to info@atio.on.ca.
After exam registration:
– Registrants may reschedule ONCE without penalty.
Three weeks before the exam:
– If an applicant reschedules their exam between one and three weeks before their scheduled exam date, they will receive a 50% refund.
– The registrant must pay in full (100%) for a new exam date.
7 days or less before the exam:
– Reschedule requests received within this period will not be refunded.
– The registrant must pay in full (100%) for a new exam date.
Exception
The only exception to the above is if an applicant falls ill on the exam day. In such cases, upon receipt of a doctor’s report, ATIO may refund a maximum of 50%.
Prerequisite Exam Cancellation Policy:
Requests to cancel must be emailed to info@atio.on.ca.
After exam registration:
– Registrants may cancel without penalty.
Three weeks before the exam:
– If a registrant cancels their exam between one and three weeks before their scheduled exam date, they will receive a 50% refund.
7 days or less before the exam:
– Cancellation requests received within this period will not be refunded.
– The registrant must pay in full (100%) for a new exam date.
Exception
The only exception to the above is if an applicant falls ill on the exam day. In such cases, upon receipt of a doctor’s report, ATIO may refund 50%.