Pilot exam questions
New pilot-testing approach to exam questions in insurance of persons and group insurance of persons
As announced in the July 2018 edition of Les Nouvelles Express 
This link will open in a new window, This link will open in a new window the new pilot-testing approach to exam questions has been in place since September 1, 2018. This approach was adopted in order to make questions more representative and to renew the exam formats more frequently without affecting quality. The pilot questions allow us to pre-test and statistically validate the qualities of new questions before they are included in the licensing exams for the Life License Qualification Program (LLQP).
Also, certain indexes will help us to better calibrate the exams. Using pilot questions provides us with assurance that decisions about a candidate’s competency are always based on questions that have been scrupulously validated.
The pilot questions will be incorporated into the exams as follows:
- Five pilot questions will be added in the following exams:
- 01-111
- 01-112
- 01-311
- 01-312
- 01-313
- The pilot questions will not be considered in determining in a candidate’s final score.
- To ensure transparency, candidates will be told that there are pilot questions on the exams, but those questions will not be identified as such in the exam questionnaires, enabling us to gather reliable data
- The time allotted to complete the exams will still be 75 minutes. No additional time will be granted.
Canada-wide implementation – mandatory participation
The new pilot-testing approach has been in place in Québec and all other Canadian jurisdictions since September 1, 2018.
Participation in the new approach is no longer voluntary: it is now mandatory.
All candidates will participate in the approach, regardless of whether they are taking the exams for the first time or writing a supplemental examination, and regardless of where they write the exams.
Since the number of questions considered in evaluating candidates will not change and the questions will cover the same material, the values assigned to passes and failures will be the same as under the old procedure, and the normal rules for rewriting failed exams will apply.
FAQ
I have to write a supplemental examination. Will there be pilot questions on it?
Yes. Effective September 1, 2018, all administered exams contain pilot questions.
Is the exam more difficult?
No. The level of difficulty is equivalent to that of the old exams. The pilot questions won’t affect your performance on the exam.
Does the exam cover the same material?
Yes. They’re the same exams and cover the same material, and the same elements are tested.
Is the style different for the pilot questions?
No. They will still be scenarios with multiple-choice questions (4 choices).
Comments or questions
The exam supervisors won’t know any more about the pilot questions than the candidates do, so there’s no point in asking them to explain or justify this approach.
The exam candidates must continue to share their comments and concerns with us using the exam comments page attached to the questionnaires.
Feel free to e-mail us at [email protected] so that a professional in charge of examinations can provide you with additional explanations.
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