INFORMATION FOR STUDENTS
AND EXAMINATION CANDIDATES
IN GEOPHYSICS

You have received an examination assessment letter advising you:

    • which examinations to write
    • when to write or when to start to write them
    • whether you have been assessed on a confirmatory or course by course basis
    • whether you have been enrolled as a student or as an examination candidate
    • generally what must be done after successful completion of the examinations
    • what Association services you may now access.

You must read this pamphlet in its entirety to familiarize yourself with the remaining requirements of the examination program. Now that you have an examination assessment you have four options:

    • Write the examinations
    • Appeal the examination assessment
    • Defer writing the examinations
    • Withdraw your application.

We will deal with the four in turn.

 

WRITE THE EXAMINATIONS

Examinations are administered twice per year in the first week of May and November. You must use the attached Application to Write Technical Examinations form. It provides details on fees, deadlines, conditions, and other relevant information. Four weeks prior to the examination you will receive specific information on the time, location, materials allowed in the examination room, and an admittance slip. On the day of the examination you will also have to present a piece of photo-identification.

The examinations are of three hours duration and may be either Open or Closed Book at the examiner's discretion. If Open Book, prime textbooks only may be brought into the examination room for your personal use only. If Closed Book, no materials, notes or texts are allowed. Only non-programmable, battery operated, silent, non-printing calculators will be allowed in the examination room.

You will be notified in writing of your marks by the end of June and December. Marks cannot be revealed over the phone.

Examination papers are destroyed 30 days after receipt of notification of the marks.

If your examination assessment gives you a choice in the selection of examinations you write, you must ultimately pass the examinations originally chosen. You may not switch to others and ignore the failed examinations.

 

Syllabus

The examinations follow the APEGGA syllabus. The syllabus covers the subjects, a brief description of the material in each subject, and the recommended textbooks. The geophysics program is divided into three sections:

    • Fundamentals: consisting of up to 7 compulsory examinations, covers technical material basic to a geophysics education. You may be required to write any number of examinations in this area depending on the academic level at which you were accepted into the program.

    • Core Subjects: consisting of up to 12 examinations, covers basic geophysics subjects. You may be required to write any number of examinations in this area depending on the academic level at which you were accepted into the program.

    • Major Options: consisting of up to 6 examinations, covers areas of specialization. You may be required to write any number of examinations in this area depending on the academic level at which you were accepted into the program.

 

Textbooks

While the subject descriptions in the attached Syllabi are brief and are only meant to broadly outline the subject material listed, the prime texts, in whole or in part, have been selected for their detailed coverage of the material. Supplementary texts listed may also be useful. Every attempt is made to keep the references current. Texts may be revised after the May and November examination sessions as a part of the examination review and it is your responsibility to ensure you have the current recommended texts. Please note that it takes a minimum of 6 weeks to order textbooks not in stock and that it is your responsibility to get your own books. In a limited number of examinations, certain parts of the subject matter are not covered in the textbooks. In such cases, it may be helpful to use library resources and/or to consult with others who are knowledgeable in the subject area.

 

Old Examinations

Old technical examination papers are available for purchase through the APEGGA office, Examinations Department. Only one old examination paper is available for each subject and may be purchased for a nominal fee by using the attached Old Technical Examination Order Form.

The Board wishes to caution applicants against relying too heavily on the old examinations as an indication of what to expect. The Board will not protect you against changes in format, difficulty or emphasis.

 

Course Equivalents

If assessed confirmatory examinations you must write the APEGGA examinations. Course equivalents will not be considered. The purpose of confirmatory examinations is to confirm your understanding of material already taken.

If assessed examinations on a course by course basis due to deficiencies in your academic background, you may be granted exemption from the examinations by taking course equivalents from the University of Alberta or The University of Calgary. A list of course equivalents is attached. Should you wish to take a course that is not approved but that you feel may qualify as a course equivalent, you must submit a detailed course description to the APEGGA office at least two months in advance of the deadline to apply for the requested course equivalent.

If you are contemplating taking equivalent courses you should contact the appropriate institutions because course quotas may exist. If you advise them that you need the course to fulfill an APEGGA requirement they are usually very accommodating.

 

Grades

For APEGGA examinations, a mark of 50% or greater is required to pass.

For course equivalents, a clear pass is required. For the U of A a passing grade of 5 or above is required, for the U of C a passing grade of C (not C-) or above is required.

 

Time Limitations

You must write confirmatory examinations at the times indicated in your examination assessment letter. You must start to write course by course examinations by the examination session specified in your examination assessment letter and must attempt at least one examination (or course equivalent) every year (two examination sessions) thereafter. For non-degreed applicants the examinations should be completed within ten years. For those with baccalaureate degrees that are not in engineering, geology or geophysics (e.g. B.Sc.-Chemistry, Math, Physics, etc.) the examinations should be completed in five years.

If you do not apply for and pay for the examinations by the appropriate deadlines, your file will be withdrawn.

 

Failure to Appear

If you apply for and pay for your examinations but fail to appear for the designated examinations, there will be no refund of the examination fees and you will be given a mark of zero (i.e. a failure).

 

Failure to Pass

Any marked examination may be reviewed under supervision in either the Edmonton or Calgary APEGGA offices. If you disagree with a mark you must request a reread in writing accompanied with a cheque for $50.00 within 30 days of having received notice of your marks. The fee will be refunded if you are successful in obtaining a passing grade.

If you have been assessed confirmatory examinations, and you fail an examination you will likely be assessed an additional penalty examination. If you fail all the original assessed examinations you will be given a full assessment of examinations which usually includes 9 Professional level examinations plus 3 Complementary Studies examinations, and may also include additional Preliminary and Basic Studies examinations. If you fail all examinations as a result of failing to appear, your application will also be withdrawn.

If you have been assessed examinations on a course by course basis and you fail an assessed examination, you will be permitted three further attempts. Should you fail to pass the failed examination in four attempts the Board may withdraw your application.

APPEAL THE EXAMINATION ASSESSMENT

Keeping in mind the assessment policies of the Board, if you feel that the Board has overlooked something and you wish to question the examination assessment you may request:

A Reconsideration by the Executive Committee of the Board of Examiners.

1. A written request for reconsideration of a decision must be received by APEGGA within 30 days of receipt of the letter advising you of the Board's decision.

2. A fee of $100.00 (G.S.T. exempt) must accompany the request. If the examination assessment is waived or reduced, the fee will be refunded.

3. The request must provide grounds or basis for reconsideration.

4. The request will be directed to and reviewed by the Executive Committee of the Board of Examiners.

5. The applicant making the request must include the words:

"I recognize in making this request that the Board may make a different decision than the one previously given. I agree to be bound by the new decision given by the Board of Examiners upon reconsideration of my application."

If you are still not satisfied with the decision of the Executive Committee after reconsideration of your assessment you may request:

An Appeal to the Full Board of Examiners.

The Full Board meets twice a year.

1. An appeal must be made in writing, and received by APEGGA within 30 days of receipt of the letter advising you of the decision of the Executive Committee.

2. A fee of $100.00 (G.S.T. exempt) must accompany the appeal.

3. The appeal must provide detailed reasons, appropriate supporting materials, and grounds for the appeal.

4. If your appeal is successful, both the fee for the reconsideration and the appeal fee will be refunded, otherwise, both are forfeited.

5. The appeal letter submitted should also state:

"I recognize in making this request that the Full Board of Examiners may make a different decision than the one previously given. I agree to be bound by the new decision."

* Please note that nothing done by way of a reconsideration or appeal under this policy removes from the applicant the statutory right of an appeal to the Appeal Board given by Section 31(4) of the Engineering, Geological and Geophysical Professions Act in the event of a decision by the Board of Examiners to refuse an application. If the Board has required an applicant to pass one or more examinations and/or to obtain additional experience, it means the Boards' decision has been to defer, not refuse, approval of the application until it is satisfied that the applicant has complied with the requirement.

DEFER WRITING THE EXAMINATIONS

If you are not in a position to attempt to write examinations at the specified time the following rules will apply:

1. APEGGA will receive deferral requests up to the day of the examination, if examination fees have been paid.

2. Examination fees paid will not be refunded if the deferral request is received after the deadline to apply to write the examination.

3. One deferral request may be granted by staff. Subsequent requests will be evaluated by the Board. If there is no clear commitment by you as to when the examination will be written your application will be withdrawn.

 

WITHDRAW YOUR APPLICATION

If you do not wish to pursue registration with APEGGA you may withdraw your application. Fees paid are not refunded. It is better to advise APEGGA of your decision to withdraw voluntarily than to have APEGGA withdraw your application involuntarily for failing to have met examination deadlines.

 

REACTIVATION

Files withdrawn may be reactivated at a later date but you will be subject to review under whatever rules may be in place at that time. You will be charged a reactivation fee. The reactivation fee will be based on whether the original application was for M.I.T. or P. Eng./P. Geol./P. Geoph. status.

Revised March 2001