The exam
The NPPE exam: what it is and how it works
The National Professional Practice Examination in one place: who requires it, what it covers, how it is scored, when it runs and how to register.
Who has to write the NPPE
Every engineering and geoscience regulator in Canada except Quebec's uses the NPPE: 14 regulators in all. If you are applying for a P.Eng or P.Geo licence in any other province or territory, passing it is one of your requirements, alongside your academic qualifications and work experience. It is one national exam, with the same blueprint, questions and pass standard wherever you write it.
The 14 are APEGA, APEGS, APEGNB, ASET, EGBC, Engineers Geoscientists Manitoba, Engineers Nova Scotia, Engineers PEI, Engineers Yukon, Geoscientists Nova Scotia, NAPEG, PEGNL, PEO and PGO. In Quebec, the Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec does not use the NPPE and sets its own professional exam in French. Compare the professional practice exams across Canada.
What changes from one regulator to the next is the administration: the fee, the registration deadline, the number of attempts allowed and where the exam falls in your application. PEO applicants, for example, write the NPPE before they apply, and EGBC also requires its own online seminar on practice in BC. See the NPPE requirements by province.
Sources:NPPE participating regulators (nppexam.ca)PEO: National Professional Practice ExamOIQ: professional exams
What the NPPE covers: the six blueprint sections
The blueprint sets how many questions come from each section. Professional Practice and Law for Professional Practice supply 50 to 60 questions between them. The current blueprint dates from 2017 and was still in force on October 1, 2026; a review was expected around mid-2026, so check nppexam.ca before you start studying.
Professionalism
- Questions
- 7 to 10
- What it covers
- What professional status means, the professions' scope of practice, and a professional's duty to society and to an employer.
Ethics
- Questions
- 17 to 21
- What it covers
- Ethical theories, the codes of ethics of Canadian regulators, and how to resolve common dilemmas such as conflicts of interest.
Professional Practice
- Questions
- 27 to 32
- What it covers
- Accountability and standards of practice, codes and standards, risk, quality and insurance, the environment, sealing documents, and the duty to inform.
Law for Professional Practice
- Questions
- 23 to 28
- What it covers
- The Canadian legal system, contracts and tendering, tort and negligence, business and employment law, dispute resolution and intellectual property.
Professional Law
- Questions
- 7 to 10
- What it covers
- The acts, regulations and bylaws that create the professions, admission to them, and enforcement against unlicensed practice and misuse of title.
Regulation of Members and Discipline Processes
- Questions
- 7 to 10
- What it covers
- Discipline procedures, practice reviews of individuals and firms, and continuing professional development.
Sources:NPPE blueprint (nppexam.ca)
The same six areas, as NPPE Pro teaches them
NPPE Pro splits the blueprint into 52 topics. Law for Professional Practice and Professional Practice carry the most questions on the exam, and they also hold the most topics.
- 6 topics
Professionalism
What it means to hold a licence: the duty to the public, competence, and acting within your expertise.
- 9 topics
Ethics
Codes of ethics, conflicts of interest, whistleblowing, and the dilemmas the exam builds questions around.
- 12 topics
Professional Practice
Sealing documents, supervision, quality management, risk, the environment and sustainability in practice.
- 17 topics
Law for Professional Practice
Contracts, tort and negligence, tendering, insurance, employment, intellectual property and dispute resolution.
- 4 topics
Professional Law
The acts and regulations that create the professions and give regulators their powers.
- 4 topics
Regulation of Members and Discipline
Licensing, complaints, investigations, discipline hearings and the penalties regulators can impose.
Format, scoring and results
The NPPE has 110 multiple choice questions, each with four options and one correct answer. 100 are scored and 10 are experimental questions that do not count toward your result. There is no penalty for a wrong answer, so leave nothing blank. You have 2.5 hours, and the exam is closed book. The full breakdown is on the NPPE exam format page.
The pass mark is a scaled score of 65, which is not 65 percent. The standard is set with the modified-Angoff method, in which subject experts judge how a minimally competent candidate would do on each question, and scores are equated across sittings so a pass means the same thing every time. You receive pass or fail only.
Results come through your regulator about 2 to 3 weeks after the sitting. If you pass, you get no score detail. If you fail, you get a report of your performance by content area. No official pass rate is published, so treat any pass rate you see quoted online as unofficial.
Meazure Learning delivers the exam online with a remote proctor, and test centres are used only in exceptional cases. Since June 2026 you also need a phone or tablet as a second camera. APEGA manages the NPPE on behalf of the participating regulators. Every question is available in French, and you can switch language during the exam.
Sources:Exam format (nppexam.ca)Scoring (nppexam.ca)Results (nppexam.ca)Exam administration (nppexam.ca)
NPPE exam dates
The NPPE runs 5 times a year, each sitting over three days. Register with your regulator by its deadline, then book a seat in the booking window. NPPE exam dates covers deadlines and how to choose a sitting.
NPPE exam dates (nppexam.ca) (opens in a new tab)APEGA: National Professional Practice Exam (opens in a new tab)
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
NPPE fees by regulator
NPPE fees are about $175 to $300 CAD plus tax, set by each regulator. You pay the fee to your regulator, and you pay it again for every attempt. Fees change, so confirm the amount on your regulator's page before you apply.
APEGS
- Province
- Saskatchewan
- NPPE fee
- $175.09 including GST and fees
Engineers Nova Scotia
- Province
- Nova Scotia
- NPPE fee
- $235
APEGA
- Province
- Alberta
- NPPE fee
- $250 plus GST
Engineers Geoscientists Manitoba
- Province
- Manitoba
- NPPE fee
- $260
PEGNL
- Province
- Newfoundland and Labrador
- NPPE fee
- $262.50 including HST
APEGNB
- Province
- New Brunswick
- NPPE fee
- $264.50 including HST
EGBC
- Province
- British Columbia
- NPPE fee
- $300 plus GST (from July 2026)
Sources:APEGSEngineers Nova ScotiaAPEGAEngineers Geoscientists ManitobaPEGNLAPEGNBEGBC
How to register for the NPPE
Registration always goes through your regulator first. Booking an exam time comes after your regulator approves you.
- 1
Check when you can write it
Your regulator decides where the NPPE falls in your application. PEO applicants write it before they apply; elsewhere, your regulator's NPPE page says when you become eligible.
- 2
Register with your regulator by its deadline
Apply to write the NPPE through your regulator and pay its fee. Each regulator sets its own deadline for each sitting, so the date differs from one regulator to the next.
- 3
Book a seat in the booking window
Once approved, book your exam time during the booking window, which opens about a month before the sitting.
- 4
Prepare your exam setup
You write online under a remote proctor, with a phone or tablet as a second camera. Test your computer, room and second device well before exam day.
- 5
Receive your result
Your regulator sends a pass or fail about 2 to 3 weeks after the sitting. If you fail, you get a report by content area and can register for a later sitting.
How to prepare for the NPPE
Six sections of law, ethics and practice take time to learn well. These guides cover how to plan, what to study and how to practise.
Build a study plan
Count back from your sitting and spread the six sections over the weeks you have.
Learn morePrepare section by section
What to study in each section, and where most of the questions come from.
Learn moreHow to pass the NPPE
Technique for scenario questions, pacing over 2.5 hours, and how to use mock exams.
Learn moreChoose your books
The suggested reading pairs one ethics and practice book with one law book.
Learn moreStudy with NPPE Pro
A daily plan to your date, 580 practice questions with every option explained, and 4 timed mock exams.
Learn more
Questions people ask
More answers in the NPPE FAQ.
What is the NPPE?
The National Professional Practice Examination (NPPE) is the law, ethics and professional practice exam that 14 Canadian engineering and geoscience regulators require before they grant a licence such as the P.Eng or P.Geo. It is a 2.5 hours, closed-book, multiple choice exam written online with a remote proctor.
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.
What is the NPPE pass rate?
No official national pass rate is published. The exam is scored against a fixed standard, with no set share of candidates meant to pass or fail at a sitting. Pass rates quoted by prep companies or online forums are not official figures.
What happens if I fail the NPPE?
You receive a report showing how you did in each content area, and you can register for a later sitting. You pay the exam fee again for each attempt. Limits differ by regulator: APEGA and APEGS allow four attempts, while EGBC sets no limit but may ask for a 12-month wait after three consecutive fails.
Who runs the NPPE?
APEGA manages the NPPE on behalf of the participating regulators, and Meazure Learning delivers it online with remote proctoring. You register through your own regulator, which also sends you your result.
How much does the NPPE cost?
The NPPE fee is set by each regulator and is about $175 to $300 CAD plus tax, set by each regulator. For example, APEGA charges $250 plus GST and EGBC $300 plus GST. You pay the fee again for each attempt, and it goes to your regulator, not to any prep provider.
Which provinces require the NPPE?
Every province and territory except Quebec. The NPPE is used by 14 engineering and geoscience regulators, including PEO in Ontario, APEGA in Alberta, EGBC in British Columbia, APEGS in Saskatchewan and Engineers Geoscientists Manitoba. Quebec's Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec sets its own professional exam.
Is the NPPE the same as the competency-based assessment (CBA)?
No. They are two separate requirements for a licence. The NPPE is a multiple choice exam on law, ethics and professional practice. The competency-based assessment (CBA) is how regulators such as PEO, EGBC and APEGA assess your work experience: you describe examples of your own engineering work against a set of competencies, and validators confirm them. NPPE Pro prepares you for the NPPE. For the CBA, the same team builds CBA Pro.
How long should I study for the NPPE?
Plan for several weeks rather than a few cramming weekends. NPPE Pro's default plan is eight weeks of short daily sessions, because the exam covers six sections of law, ethics and practice and steady daily study is easier to keep up beside a job. If your sitting is sooner, the plan counts back from your date and compresses to fit.
How hard is the NPPE exam?
There is no measured answer, because no official pass rate is published. What candidates tend to find hard is the breadth: six sections of law, ethics and practice, tested through scenarios where more than one option can sound reasonable. It is not a technical exam, and steady preparation over several weeks suits it better than a last-minute cram.
When in the licensing process do you write the NPPE?
It depends on your regulator. PEO applicants write the NPPE before they submit a licence application, while other regulators set their own point in the process. Your regulator's NPPE page says when you become eligible to register and what its deadline is for each sitting, so check it before you pick a date.
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