Diploma Exams

Diploma exams are mandatory for students enrolled in an eligible Alberta Education program. These exams must be written at a VVS Writing Centre (WC) for courses taken with VVS.

Our WC’s are typically located in the geographical area of Pembina Hills School Division (Barrhead/Westlock (North) or Calgary (South). If you are a non-primary student writing your diploma exam at your primary school, please continue with those agreed-upon plans.

WRITING CENTRES

Please confirm your exam location ahead of time. In most cases, diploma exams are NOT held at the Vista Virtual School Calgary campus due to space limitations.

WRITING SESSIONS

Diploma exams are offered in January, April, June, August and November. Note: not all exams are offered at all sessions. 2024/25 Diploma Exam Schedule

June Diploma Exam location information: coming soon!

Summer School – August Diploma Exam Registration

Opens June 16, 2025 @ 9:00 a.m. and closes on July 7, 2025 @ 3:00 p.m.
*Students must register through their myPass account.

PREPARATION INFORMATION

ARRIVAL TIME

Students must plan to arrive at:

  • Morning Exams: 8:30 a.m. for exams that start at 9:00 a.m. Students cannot be admitted after 10:00 a.m. 
  • Afternoon Exams: 12:30 p.m. for exams that start at 1:00 p.m.. Students cannot be admitted after 2:00 p.m. 

WHAT TO BRING

  • PHOTO IDENTIFICATION (Passport, Driver’s License, Provincial ID card, School ID, etc.)
    • You will be required to sign in and present photo ID prior to writing your exam.
  • DICTIONARY, THESAURUS, AND APPROVED WRITER’S HANDBOOK
    • A dictionary and thesaurus are provided by Vretta. Students may bring their own to English and Social Studies Part A exams, subject to examination prior to use.
  • APPROVED CALCULATOR
    • Math and Sciences students are expected to provide their own approved calculator (calculator memories will be cleared before and after the exam). You may also bring a ruler and a protractor.

Important: Review the Diploma Exam Guide for Students for a full list of what is allowed. 

PART A WRITTEN RESPONSE REQUIREMENTS

This section is applicable to students writing a Part A exam for one of the following courses: English Language Arts 30-1 or 30-2, Social Studies 30-1 or 30-2, and/or French Language Arts 30-1.

SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS

Software RequirementDescriptionAction Required
Respondus Lockdown browser
Must be installed on the personal device (laptop or Chromebook) you will bring to the exam BEFORE coming to the WCClick here for installation instructions. Contact techsupportstudent@pembinahills.ca if assistance is needed.
Old Safe Exam Browser If you have used your laptop or Chromebook for a diploma exam before (or are borrowing one from someone who has), please ensure you remove any old Safe Exam Browser versions, as the Respondus lockdown Browser is now being used.Click here to uninstall earlier versions.
Vretta System FamiliarizationIf borrowing a Chromebook, we strongly recommend you familiarize yourself with the Vretta system. This will help ensure you are prepared for the exam.Click here to familiarize yourself with Vretta.

AT THE WRITING CENTRE

  • WI-FI AND LOGIN: Upon arrival, you will need to connect to the WC’s Wi-Fi and log in to Vretta.
  • UNIQUE EXAM CODE: After logging in, you will receive a unique code (provided verbally at the writing centre) to access your exam. 
  • ARRIVE EARLY: We strongly recommend arriving early at your designated writing centre to make sure that you have sufficient time to get set up before the exam begins.

REGISTRATION INFORMATION

Once registration for an exam sitting is open, we send students an email with instructions to sign up for their exam.

Please note that students have until 3:00 p.m. MST on the registration deadline to register for their diploma exams. Those who miss the deadline must contact vvsupport@pembinahills.ca to be added to the waitlist.

REGISTRATION DATES

Diploma ExamRegistration DatesStatus
November 2024September 11, 2024 - October 1, 2024CLOSED
January 2025October 11, 2024 - November 1, 2024CLOSED
April 2025February 3, 2025 - February 18, 2025CLOSED
June 2025March 20, 2025 - April 9, 2025CLOSED
August 2025June 16, 2025 - July 7, 2025CLOSED

Please be advised that late registrations or walk-in students will not be accepted.

These writing centres are for VVS students only. Third party venues are booked to accommodate our exam writers (typically at universities).

MYPASS INFORMATION

Students are reminded that they are expected to write their diploma exams at VVS Writing Centres for courses that they have taken with VVS. Students are asked NOT to register at Alberta Education’s Provincial Writing Centres.

  1. LOGIN TO YOUR MYPASS ACCOUNT: All students must register to write a diploma exam through Alberta Education’s myPass website.
  2. CONFIRM WRITING LOCATION: Once logged in to myPass, follow the prompts to register for a diploma exam.
    • Students will register at either:
      • Vista Virtual School – South (school code 1558) – Calgary
      • Vista Virtual School – North (school code 1682) – Westlock or Barrhead
  3. GRANTING PERMISSION: As a VVS student, you may enter VVS Principal, Steven Kaplan, as granting you permission to register for the exam with our school.

As listed above, we offer two writing locations for diploma exams, one in Calgary (Vista Virtual School – South) and one in the geographical area of Pembina Hills School Division, eg. Barrhead or Westlock (Vista Virtual School – North). The locations in which we hold diploma exams are determined by the number of exam writers registered and availability. Students will be notified of the location details closer to the writing date. If you cannot write at either writing location, please reach out to your local school about supervising your diploma exam, however, they are not required to do so.

EXAM FEE INFORMATION

  • REWRITE FEE: If you are rewriting a diploma exam, you must submit the Alberta Education rewrite fee in myPass.
  • ALBERTA EDUCATION ADMINISTRATION FEE: International or Out-of-Province students are required to submit the Alberta Education administration fee in myPass for first-time diploma exam writing and for rewriting each diploma exam.
  • VVS DIPLOMA EXAM FEE: Adult and International students have a $60 non-refundable, non-transferable, fee (per diploma exam) to access the VVS writing centre. This will be added to your student ledger in PowerSchool. 
    • Note: Adults registered with VVS must write under the school’s supervision.

ACCOMMODATION INFORMATION

Exam accommodations are approved and offered to students who supply Vista Virtual School with the required documentation. This may include:

  • Educational Assessments (5 years old or less)
  • A School Support Plan (current or from your last school year)
  • A Medical Note (less than 1 year old)

Exam accommodations must be used for VVS school exams. If VVS is not able to confirm that you received accommodations for school exams, Alberta Education may decline to provide accommodations for diploma exams.

Students with extensive exam accommodations may be able to write their diploma exam at our Calgary campus. Availability is limited, particularly in June and August. To apply for special accommodations for your diploma exam, please email vvsupport@pembinahills.ca or call 1-855-974-5333 x5317.

All students are permitted to use double time for diploma exams without applying for exam accommodations.

*Please note that we do not offer isolation for writing PATs or diploma exams.

Special Writing Centres

Students are required to write their diploma exam at an accredited Alberta Education school. There are writing centres throughout Alberta, the Northwest Territories, Nunavut, and at Alberta Accredited International Schools.

In extenuating circumstances, VVS students may be permitted to use a Special Writing Centre. This is a highly detailed application process with strict Alberta Education rules that must be followed.

  • Requests must be made at least three months in advance and are subject to approval by our principal.
  • Students must provide a letter explaining why they must write the diploma exam and why they cannot come to Alberta to do so.
  • Students are responsible for finding a Special Writing Centre location. It must be an academic organization or similar institution which has the experience and capacity to administer large-scale assessments. Written evidence and photographs of the space will be required.
  • Special Writing Centre supervisors must be employed by the approved organization or institution, in a position of authority (e.g. teacher, assistant principal, or principal), and provide proof of employment. Supervisors must also be fluent in reading and speaking English or French, depending on the language of the diploma exam(s).
  • Students must have a final school-awarded mark in the course for which the diploma exam will be written prior to the exam date.
  • All diploma exams administered at a Special Writing Centre will be administered in a digital format. A practice test must be successfully completed before the diploma exam.

If you can meet the above requirements, please email vvsupport@pembinahills.ca to request the Special Writing Centre application.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Are diploma exams the same as course final exams?

  • No, diploma exams are separate from course final exams. Students must write both to complete their course.

2. Do I need to register for the diploma exam?

  • Yes, registration is required to write a provincial diploma exam during one of the scheduled exam sittings.

3. How is my final mark calculated?

  • Your final mark will be a combination of both your course mark and diploma exam mark. Both are needed to appear on your transcript.

4. Can adult upgrading students challenge diploma exams?

  • Yes, adult upgrading students can challenge diploma exams. Proper preparation is recommended.

5. Can I use a previous diploma exam mark if I’m upgrading my course mark?

  • If you have already completed a diploma exam for the course, you may be able to use your previous diploma exam mark when upgrading your course mark.

6. Do I still need to write a diploma exam if I have already completed my high school diploma?

  • Yes, even if you have achieved your high school diploma, you must write the diploma exam for each course.

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