British Columbia
The EGBC NPPE and the BC practice seminar
Engineers and Geoscientists BC uses the national NPPE and adds its own online seminar. Here is how the two fit, what the exam costs, and how to prepare.
Two requirements in BC: the NPPE and the seminar
EGBC asks for two things that are easy to confuse. The first is the NPPE, the national exam on professionalism, ethics, professional practice and law that applicants to 13 other Canadian regulators also write. The second is EGBC's own requirement: the Professional Engineering and Geoscience Practice in BC Online Seminar, which older guides and forum posts still call the Law and Ethics Seminar.
They are separate requirements, and completing one does not cover the other. The NPPE is national and written at a fixed sitting; the seminar is EGBC's and is about practising in British Columbia specifically. Check EGBC's site for the current details on the seminar and how it fits into your application, so you can plan both before the year fills up.
- The NPPE: national exam, 110 questions in 2.5 hours, $300 plus GST per attempt through EGBC.
- The BC seminar: EGBC's own requirement, formerly the Law and Ethics Seminar.
- You need both. One does not replace the other.
How EGBC's NPPE rules compare with Alberta and Saskatchewan
The exam is identical in all three provinces. The fee and the rules on attempts are not, which is worth knowing if you are moving between them.
EGBC (British Columbia)
- NPPE fee (CAD)
- $300 plus GST, from July 2026
- Attempts
- No limit, but a 12-month wait may apply after three consecutive fails
APEGA (Alberta)
- NPPE fee (CAD)
- $250 plus GST
- Attempts
- Up to four
APEGS (Saskatchewan)
- NPPE fee (CAD)
- $175.09 including GST and fees
- Attempts
- Four, then a one-year wait before a fifth
Sources:EGBC: NPPEAPEGA: NPPEAPEGS: Professional practice exam
No attempt limit, but three fails in a row can mean a year's wait
EGBC sets no limit on how many times you can write the NPPE. That sounds generous next to the four attempts APEGA and APEGS allow, but EGBC may require a 12-month wait after three consecutive fails, and every attempt costs $300 plus GST. A fail is never just a fee: it adds at least one more sitting on the way to your licence.
The practical answer is to write when your preparation says you are ready, not when a sitting happens to be next. Use timed mock exams to check, and if a sitting goes badly, read the content-area report that comes with the result before you register again. Our NPPE retake guide covers how to rebuild a plan after a fail.
How to write the NPPE as an EGBC applicant
Five steps for the exam itself. Plan the BC seminar alongside, on EGBC's instructions.
- 1
Confirm what EGBC needs from you
Check EGBC's NPPE page for eligibility and how the exam fits your application, including the BC online seminar, which is a separate requirement.
- 2
Register with EGBC before its deadline
Register for your chosen sitting through EGBC by its deadline and pay the $300 plus GST fee. You pay it again for any later attempt.
- 3
Book a seat in the booking window
After EGBC registers you, book an exam time with the exam administrator. The booking window opens about a month before the sitting.
- 4
Write online, with a second camera
You need your computer and, since June 2026, a phone or tablet as a second camera. You then have 2.5 hours for 110 closed-book questions under a remote proctor.
- 5
Get your result through EGBC
Your pass or fail result comes through EGBC about 2 to 3 weeks after the sitting, and at least a week before the next registration deadline.
Upcoming NPPE sittings for BC applicants
BC applicants write at the national sittings, 5 a year over three days each. EGBC sets its own registration deadline for each one. Leave room for the online seminar too, so the two do not compete for the same weeks.
NPPE exam dates (nppexam.ca)APEGA: National Professional Practice Exam
November 2 to 4, 2026
Booking window Oct 2 to Oct 18
January 11 to 13, 2027
Booking window Dec 11 to Dec 27
March 22 to 24, 2027
Booking window Feb 26 to Mar 14
June 7 to 9, 2027
Booking window May 7 to May 23
August 23 to 25, 2027
Booking window Jul 23 to Aug 8
November 1 to 3, 2027
Booking window Oct 8 to Oct 24
How to prepare for the NPPE in BC
The exam is national, so the preparation is too. A plan that holds up beside a job:
Give yourself about eight weeks
Our NPPE study plan breaks eight weeks into stages, from learning the topics to a final week of review.
Let the plan set the pace
NPPE Pro's study plan counts back from your sitting and gives you one task a day, so a busy week does not derail the whole schedule.
Spend most of your time on practice and law
Professional practice and law together make up more than half the exam. Short daily sessions on engineering law and ethics questions add up.
Rehearse on the clock
Sit the 4 timed mock exams in your last weeks. Each reports your strengths and gaps by topic, so you know what to fix before the real sitting.
Follow a strategy, not only a reading list
How to pass the NPPE sets out how to split your weeks between learning, practice and mock exams.
What candidates say about NPPE Pro
5.0 on Google(read the reviews on Google, opens in a new tab)“I had already attempted the NPPE exam 3 times... the practice questions, flashcards, and review tools helped me focus on my weak areas. This time, I passed successfully.”
Omer Kanam
Passed after 3 failed attempts. Google review
“The practice questions closely reflect the actual exam and helped me identify my weak areas and improve my confidence. Thanks to NPPE Pro, I passed my NPPE exam.”
Nazar Smil
Passed the NPPE. Google review
Questions people ask
More answers in the NPPE FAQ.
What is the EGBC Law and Ethics Seminar called now?
It is now the Professional Engineering and Geoscience Practice in BC Online Seminar. EGBC requires it in addition to the NPPE, so passing the exam does not cover it. Check EGBC's site for the current details on how and when to complete it as part of your application.
How much does the NPPE cost through EGBC?
EGBC's NPPE fee is $300 plus GST, the amount in effect from July 2026. You pay it again for each attempt, and it goes to EGBC rather than to any prep provider. Fees change, so confirm the current amount on EGBC's NPPE page before you register.
Is there a limit on NPPE attempts with EGBC?
No. EGBC sets no limit on NPPE attempts, but it may require a 12-month wait after three consecutive fails. Each attempt also costs the full fee again, so it pays to write when your mock exam results are steady rather than to test the water.
Is the NPPE the same in every province?
Yes. It is one national exam with the same blueprint, questions and pass standard wherever you write it. What differs by regulator is the fee, the registration deadline, and rules such as how many attempts you get and when you write it in your application.
What is the format of the NPPE?
The NPPE has 110 multiple choice questions, each with four options and one correct answer, to be answered in 2.5 hours. 100 questions are scored and 10 are experimental questions that do not count, and there is no penalty for guessing. It is closed book and remotely proctored, and since June 2026 candidates need a phone or tablet as a second camera.
What is the pass mark for the NPPE?
The pass mark is a scaled score of 65, which is not the same as 65 percent. Scores are scaled so that a pass means the same thing at every sitting, and results are reported only as pass or fail. Candidates who fail receive a report showing their performance by content area.
When do NPPE results come out?
Results usually arrive about 2 to 3 weeks after the sitting, and they come through your regulator rather than from the exam administrator. They are released at least a week before the next registration deadline, so a candidate who fails can usually register for the next sitting.
Is NPPE Pro affiliated with my regulator or the NPPE?
No. NPPE Pro is an independent study platform built by CertNova, the team behind CBA Pro and competencybasedassessment.ca. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or approved by any engineering or geoscience regulator, or by the administrators of the NPPE.
Your first session takes fifteen minutes.
Tell NPPE Pro your sitting and it builds the plan. The 14-day trial starts from your first finished lesson, and no card is needed.