The Testing Centre has moved online.
Most post-secondary challenge exams are now offered online through ProctorU, an online eproctoring service. Contact your program area for more information about these exams.
All high school equivalency challenge exams are suspended indefinitely. If you are a currently enrolled NorQuest student looking to write a challenge exam to get into a post-secondary program, contact your retention advisor to discuss your options.
Post-secondary challenge exams
Some post-secondary programs at NorQuest may allow you to write challenge exams to get credit for specific courses.
If you have skills or knowledge relevant to a specific course, you may request permission from the program chair to enrol in and complete a challenge exam. A challenged course will appear on your transcript with the grade received in the exam and will contribute to your grade point average. Some courses may not be eligible for challenge exam at the discretion of the program chair.
Note: You cannot write challenge exams during the last week before the end of the Fall and Winter terms.
Post-secondary challenge exam fee
The challenge exam fee is 50% of the tuition of the course, plus a $25 administration fee and a $31 proctoring fee.
High school equivalency challenge exams
You can also challenge a high school (grade 12) course by writing an exam that tests you on the entire course. This challenge exam is an equivalency only. It will not be included on your Alberta Education transcript. We do not combine coursework grades like Alberta Education courses. The mark you receive on your challenge exam will be the final grade on your NorQuest transcript. You can use this to meet admission requirements at other post-secondary institutions.
Will this exam help me get a high school diploma?
No, you cannot use this exam towards an Alberta Education high school diploma. But, you can use it towards a NorQuest high school equivalency diploma.
When should I challenge?
You should consider taking a challenge exam if you:
- missed your diploma or course final exam
- were ill, late or distracted on the day you wrote the diploma or final exam
- recently completed a prep or review and have a better understanding of the course content
- are close to achieving your competitive entrance mark for post-secondary admission
- need a quick turnaround for an updated transcript for application
When should I take a course or review instead?
You should consider taking a course or review instead of the challenge exam if:
- you need a significant change in your grade from your previous final exam mark
- it has been several years since you have completed the class
- you need a different course sequence than what you studied. For example, you studied Math 30-2 in high school but need Math 30-1 to enter post-secondary.
- your final exam mark of your course was much lower than the mark you need to enter post-secondary
Many of the Alberta Education courses have changed in the past five years. You may not be familiar with them. View Courses you can take to upgrade.
See High school equivalency challenge exams for more information on courses available and how to enrol.