CACO Registration

Effective June 11, 2012

Beginning October 1, 2012 the April CACO administration will consist of the clinical skills components only. For more information, click here  

Important: Read the CACO section of this website in its entirety to understand the CACO and CEO’s policies and procedures, and to ensure that you are eligible to take the CACO.  The following administration policies and procedures are upheld to allow for appropriate security, bilingual administration, manageable numbers at each location, and optimum efficiency of administration.

Note: Registration for the April 2013 and May 2013 CACO administrations is now closed. The CACO schedule including deadlines are here.

The following steps are required in order to register for the CACO.

1.    Download and complete the CACO Application Checklist 

2.    Download and complete the Identity Verification Form

NOTE: You may have the Photo ID form completed in advance of the CACO registration date. Your photo cannot be more than 6 months old and a new photo is required for each administration.

3.    Download and complete the 1-page CACO Registration Form for the Fall 2013 CACO administration. (TO BE POSTED IN JUNE 2013)

CACO Location and Schedule

The CACO administration schedule is here

·        The CACO will be administered in English-only at the Waterloo site for both Spring administrations, while offered in both French and English at the Montréal site.

·        Space for clinical skills is limited at each location. Per administration capacity for both the Waterloo and Montréal sites is 76 candidates.

·        An Orientation Seminar for clinical skills will be held late afternoon on the day before each of the administrations, and provide you with an opportunity to ask questions and familiarize yourself with the physical facilities of the site. If you are registered for written component(s) only, you do not need to attend the orientation seminar.

CACO Registration Procedures

·        Registrations from all eligible candidates will be handled on a first received, first processed basis.

·        There is NO extension of registration deadline dates. A deadline will not be extended to accommodate late applications. Ensure that CEO receives your completed application form on or before the deadline date.

·        You may register for only one date of administration at one time.

·        When registering for the CACO, you must state your date and location preferences.

·        Eligibility to take the CACO must be verified as outlined in the CACO Eligibility Policy (or CACO Application Checklist).

·        The April ‘skills-only’ administration will be available to registrants who have taken and successfully completed the written components of the CACO in advance and to registrants undergoing reassessment of a clinical skills component(s) only. Note:

§  Candidates enrolled in their final year: The written components may be taken in advance of the clinical components (in separate administrations) in May or October of a candidate’s final year, i.e. immediately after completing 3^rd year. Candidates who have taken the written components in advance may apply to take the clinical components in a subsequent CACO administration as per CACO Eligibility policy. The only time the clinical components are administered separately from the written components (i.e. the only time a candidate may take the written and clinical exams at two different administrations) is when the written components have been completed in advance as outlined as above. Candidates who forego the advance written option will have an opportunity to take the CACO (all components) in May of their graduating year.

§  Candidates undergoing reassessment: A candidate undergoing reassessment of clinical skills component(s) may apply to take these component(s) in April, May or October. A candidate undergoing reassessment of both written and clinical skills or written component(s) only may apply to take these components in May or October. Refer to CACO Eligibility policy for detailed information on reassessments and forfeited attempts.

·        Applicants who apply to take their written components in advance (fourth year) must apply again to register for the clinical skills components. In other words, candidates who register for the written components in their final year of an OD program are not automatically registered for the clinical skills components.

·        Payment: For CACO fees, please see Fees. A valid cheque, draft or money order must accompany your application form in order for it to be processed. Incomplete application forms or applications without appropriate payment will not be processed. Credit cards are not accepted. 

CACO Administration - Materials you will receive:

IMPORTANT: Please ensure you provide your current mail and email addresses to CEO-ECO. CEO is not responsible for any miscommunication as a result of you not providing a change of address notice, in writing, with complete details of all changes. 

·       Confirmation of your candidacy will be emailed to you upon processing of your complete application and verification of registration. Allow 3 weeks for receipt of your confirmation email. Please keep in mind that during the CACO application period, CEO-ECO staff are busy processing applications and will take longer to respond to inquiries. To ensure applications are processed in a timely manner, you are asked to not contact CEO-ECO to inquire about your application status within 3 weeks of mailing your application. If you have not received your confirmation email within 3 weeks, please email CEO-ECO 

·        A personal schedule indicating specific times and locations for the assessment components will be mailed to you approximately two weeks in advance of the assessment date, along with an identification badge.

·        Results will be mailed 8 weeks after the last day of the written administration, or the last day of the clinical administration if there is no written administration. Please allow additional 2-3 weeks within Canada and 3-4 weeks outside Canada to receive results in the mail.

Please Note: If you are sending CACO registration documents via courier from outside Canada, you are advised NOT to assign a declared value. Declared values are subject to duties and taxes for which CEO will not be responsible. As a result your delivery may be declined at point of clearing.

You must contact the regulator to register and/or to obtain further information regarding the jurisprudence process.   

Provincial Jurisprudence Examinations: