BrokerExamFrom January 1, 2027, every exam the Registered Insurance Brokers of Ontario (RIBO) sets, the Level 1 entry-level broker exam included, is written in person. RIBO’s page on the discontinuation of its online exams says all RIBO exams “will be offered exclusively in person” through its two approved exam providers, the Insurance Institute of Canada (IIC) and the Insurance Brokers Association of Ontario (IBAO), and that online exams “will no longer be available after this date.” The same page shortens the wait after a second failed attempt with one provider from eight months to three, from the same day. The October 2026 edition of RIBO’s newsletter, the RIBO Review, carried the announcement.
The page changes how and where the exam is written. It says nothing about the content or the format of the Level 1 paper.
The reasons RIBO gives
RIBO says in-person exams let technical issues be dealt with quickly, with dedicated computers and staff on site. It compares the change to how the Law Society of Ontario, Chartered Professional Accountants of Ontario and the Life Licence Qualification Program deliver their exams, and says online exams were introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic as a temporary way to keep licensing exams running through travel restrictions and lockdowns. Accommodations, it says, will continue.
Three months instead of eight
The body of the page dates the new wait: “Effective January 1, 2027, if you are unsuccessful after two exam attempts with the same provider, you will only have to wait three months instead of eight to re-register for another attempt.” The FAQ further down the same page puts it in the present tense, a waiting period that “is now three months, reduced from the previous eight months.” This post takes the dated sentence: three months applies from January 1, 2027.
The current exam rules have not caught up. RIBO’s Examinations page still prints eight months, both in its rewrite policy and in Exam Rule 2.20. RIBO says it “will publish updated exam rules later in December 2026 that will go into effect January 2027.” The FAQ adds that the two-week wait between a first and a second attempt with a provider still applies. Neither the page nor the FAQ says which wait governs a candidate whose second failed attempt falls in 2026 and who wants to re-register in 2027.
What holds until December 31, 2026
Until the new rules take effect, the Examinations page is what applies. Its rules cover both formats: section 3 of the Exam Rules applies to virtually proctored exams only and section 4 to in-person ones. The change page closes virtual exam schedules “for 2027 and onward”, so an online sitting is a 2026 option only, and the dates and seats are managed by the providers.
The rewrite rules in force through December 31, 2026:
- Two attempts at any RIBO exam in any eight-month period per exam provider. After a second failed attempt with the same provider, the wait is eight months from the last attempt before writing again with that provider (rule 2.20).
- A candidate may rewrite with the other provider without waiting out the eight months.
- Writing during the eight-month period resets the wait from the most recent attempt and nullifies the result (rule 2.20).
- No retake for two weeks after any failed attempt (rule 2.18).
What to do after failing the RIBO Level 1 works through these rules, and how to book the Level 1 exam covers the two providers and the rules for each format.
Results
RIBO does not deliver exam sessions itself. A candidate registers, schedules and pays through the chosen provider, and the provider processes and issues the results. The FAQ on the change page sets out the timing:
- Unofficial results within two business days of writing. They cannot be used for licensing and may change under detailed review.
- Official results after 14 days, which go with the licence application.
- The results report gives an overall score and a performance breakdown by content domain where applicable, and no question-by-question results.
In the 14 days between the exam and official results, the providers run quality assurance reviews and post-exam security analyses, and a flagged irregularity can change the unofficial score or nullify the sitting. The FAQ says a result can be nullified at any time, after a licence application or after a licence has been issued, and that a nullification cannot be appealed. The Surjeet Singh decision shows what followed when a 2022 Level 1 pass was nullified after the candidate had been licensed.
Where the exam can be written
There are no test centres outside Canada, and RIBO says “No international exams will be available under any circumstances.” Most test centres are in Ontario. IIC will initially offer one scheduled session a month at its exam centres outside Ontario, in select major cities in other provinces, with capacity adjusting as demand changes.
An accommodation needs a formal request, supported by documentation of needs under protected grounds, made to the provider before booking. Geographic distance, travel convenience and distance from a test centre are not grounds. A resident of another province who holds an active property and casualty broker or agent licence in good standing there, and needs immediate authorization to practise in Ontario, can apply to RIBO for a one-time, six-month Temporary Labour Mobility licence while completing the Ontario requirements.
The FAQ says the exam fee does not change with the move to in-person testing. RIBO’s Council sets it, and it is the same at both providers; what the exam and the licence cost has the figure.
Passing the exam is one of the qualifications RIBO’s Examinations page ties to O. Reg. 991, s. 5, alongside the “only business or employment” requirement and employment with a registered brokerage.