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NPPE requirements by province and territory

One national exam, fourteen regulators, different rules. Here is what each regulator asks of you, what it charges, and where you register.

Engineering regulators and their NPPE fees

Choose your regulator for its NPPE fee and exam page. PEO, APEGA, EGBC and APEGS have their own guides on this site. Quebec's Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec sets its own exam instead.

Fees are each regulator's published NPPE fee, checked 2026-10-01. They change, so confirm on your regulator's site. Participating regulators (nppexam.ca)

NPPE fees and attempt rules by regulator

Fees are each regulator's published NPPE fee, checked on October 1, 2026, and you pay again for every attempt. Where a cell says See regulator, we have not verified the figure, so check that regulator's own exam page.

  • PEO

    Province or territory
    Ontario
    Uses the NPPE
    Yes, written before you apply
    NPPE fee (CAD)
    See regulator
    Attempts allowed
    As many as needed, per PEO's FAQ

  • APEGA

    Province or territory
    Alberta
    Uses the NPPE
    Yes, and manages the exam
    NPPE fee (CAD)
    $250 plus GST
    Attempts allowed
    Up to four

  • EGBC

    Province or territory
    British Columbia
    Uses the NPPE
    Yes, plus a BC online seminar
    NPPE fee (CAD)
    $300 plus GST
    Attempts allowed
    No limit; a 12-month wait may follow three fails in a row

  • APEGS

    Province or territory
    Saskatchewan
    Uses the NPPE
    Yes
    NPPE fee (CAD)
    $175.09 including GST and fees
    Attempts allowed
    Four, then a one-year wait before a fifth

  • Engineers Geoscientists Manitoba

    Province or territory
    Manitoba
    Uses the NPPE
    Yes
    NPPE fee (CAD)
    $260
    Attempts allowed
    See regulator

  • APEGNB

    Province or territory
    New Brunswick
    Uses the NPPE
    Yes
    NPPE fee (CAD)
    $264.50 including HST
    Attempts allowed
    See regulator

  • Engineers Nova Scotia

    Province or territory
    Nova Scotia
    Uses the NPPE
    Yes
    NPPE fee (CAD)
    $235
    Attempts allowed
    See regulator

  • PEGNL

    Province or territory
    Newfoundland and Labrador
    Uses the NPPE
    Yes
    NPPE fee (CAD)
    $262.50 including HST
    Attempts allowed
    See regulator

  • Engineers PEI

    Province or territory
    Prince Edward Island
    Uses the NPPE
    Yes
    NPPE fee (CAD)
    See regulator
    Attempts allowed
    See regulator

  • NAPEG

    Province or territory
    Northwest Territories and Nunavut
    Uses the NPPE
    Yes
    NPPE fee (CAD)
    See regulator
    Attempts allowed
    See regulator

  • Engineers Yukon

    Province or territory
    Yukon
    Uses the NPPE
    Yes
    NPPE fee (CAD)
    See regulator
    Attempts allowed
    See regulator

  • ASET

    Province or territory
    Alberta (technologists)
    Uses the NPPE
    Yes
    NPPE fee (CAD)
    See regulator
    Attempts allowed
    See regulator

  • Geoscientists Nova Scotia

    Province or territory
    Nova Scotia (geoscientists)
    Uses the NPPE
    Yes
    NPPE fee (CAD)
    See regulator
    Attempts allowed
    See regulator

  • PGO

    Province or territory
    Ontario (geoscientists)
    Uses the NPPE
    Yes
    NPPE fee (CAD)
    See regulator
    Attempts allowed
    See regulator

  • OIQ

    Province or territory
    Quebec
    Uses the NPPE
    No, its own exam in French
    NPPE fee (CAD)
    Not applicable
    Attempts allowed
    Not applicable

Sources:Participating regulators (nppexam.ca)PEO: NPPEAPEGA: NPPEEGBC: NPPEAPEGS: Professional practice exam

One exam, different rules around it

The NPPE is one national exam. Whichever regulator you register with, you write the same 110 multiple choice questions in 2.5 hours, built on the same blueprint and held to the same pass standard: a scaled score of 65, which is not 65 percent. APEGA manages the exam on behalf of the participating regulators, and Meazure Learning delivers it online with a remote proctor.

What changes from province to province is everything around the exam. Each regulator sets its own fee, its own registration deadline for each sitting and its own rules on attempts. Some add steps of their own: PEO applicants write the NPPE before they apply, and EGBC also requires an online seminar on professional practice in BC.

Because the exam is the same, so is the preparation. The NPPE tests principles that apply across Canada, so a province-specific course is not needed. Reading your own regulator's act and code of ethics alongside is still worthwhile, because that is the framework you will practise under once licensed. Our guide to the NPPE covers the exam itself in full.

  • The same in every province: the questions, format, blueprint, pass mark and sitting dates.
  • Set by your regulator: eligibility, the fee, the registration deadline and the attempt rules.
  • Sent by your regulator: your result, about 2 to 3 weeks after the sitting.

Sources:NPPE exam format (nppexam.ca)NPPE scoring (nppexam.ca)NPPE administration (nppexam.ca)

What every regulator asks of an NPPE candidate

The details belong to your regulator, but the shape is the same everywhere. Before a sitting, every licence applicant needs these in place.

  • Eligibility with your regulator

    Each regulator decides who may register and where the exam sits in the licence process. PEO, for example, has applicants write it before they apply. Check your regulator's NPPE page for its rules.

  • Registration by your regulator's deadline

    You register through your regulator, not the exam administrator, and each regulator sets its own deadline for each sitting. APEGS publishes dates of its own, for example.

  • A booked seat

    Once registered, you book an exam time in the booking window, which opens about a month before the sitting.

  • The fee, for every attempt

    Published fees range from about $175 to $300 plus tax, and you pay again each time you write.

  • A computer and a second camera

    The NPPE is written online with a remote proctor, with test centres only in exceptional cases. Since June 2026 you also need a phone or tablet as a second camera.

  • A scaled score of 65

    That is the pass mark, and it is not 65 percent. Results come through your regulator as pass or fail. See the exam format for how scoring works.

Quebec, geoscientists and technologists

Quebec is the one province that does not use the NPPE. The Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec sets its own professional exam: about 100 multiple choice questions in 3 hours, written in French, on Quebec's professional system, ethics and laws. If you plan to be licensed in Quebec, prepare for that exam instead. Everywhere else, every NPPE question is available in French, and candidates can switch language during the exam.

The 14 NPPE regulators are not only the provincial and territorial engineering and geoscience associations. Three more use the exam: ASET, which regulates technologists in Alberta; Geoscientists Nova Scotia; and PGO, which licenses professional geoscientists in Ontario. P.Geo applicants in Ontario therefore go through PGO rather than PEO. For the wider picture of professional practice exams across Canada, see our overview of Canadian practice exams.

Sources:OIQ: Professional examsParticipating regulators (nppexam.ca)

NPPE sittings are the same in every province

Every regulator uses the same 5 sittings a year, each over three days. The registration deadline is what differs, because each regulator sets its own, so check yours before you plan your study weeks.

NPPE exam dates (nppexam.ca)APEGA: National Professional Practice Exam

  1. November 2 to 4, 2026

    Booking window Oct 2 to Oct 18

  2. January 11 to 13, 2027

    Booking window Dec 11 to Dec 27

  3. March 22 to 24, 2027

    Booking window Feb 26 to Mar 14

  4. June 7 to 9, 2027

    Booking window May 7 to May 23

  5. August 23 to 25, 2027

    Booking window Jul 23 to Aug 8

  6. November 1 to 3, 2027

    Booking window Oct 8 to Oct 24

Preparing is the same wherever you register

Because the NPPE is one national exam, your preparation does not change with your regulator. A plan that runs over several weeks is easier to keep up beside a job than a few cramming weekends: learn the six sections, practise until your weak topics are fixed, then sit timed mock exams. Our NPPE study plan lays out eight weeks, and how to pass the NPPE covers the strategy.

NPPE Pro builds that plan for you. Tell it your sitting and its study plan counts back from the date, gives you one short task a day, and ends with 4 timed mock exams that report your strengths and gaps by topic. NPPE Pro is an independent study platform and is not affiliated with any regulator.

Questions people ask

More answers in the NPPE FAQ.

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 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.

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.

How do I register for the NPPE?

Apply to write the NPPE through your provincial or territorial regulator, before that regulator's deadline for the sitting you want. Once approved, you book an exam time with the administrator during the booking window, which opens about a month before the sitting.

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.

What is the difference between the PPE and the NPPE?

PPE (Professional Practice Exam) is the older name, and several regulators used to run their own. Ontario's PEO, for example, replaced its PPE with the NPPE in 2020. Today candidates outside Quebec write the national NPPE, though many people still search for it as the PPE.

Can I write the NPPE in French?

Yes. Every NPPE question is available in French, and candidates can switch between English and French during the exam. In Quebec, the Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec does not use the NPPE and sets its own professional exam in French.

Do I need the NPPE to get licensed in Quebec?

No. The Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec does not use the NPPE. It sets its own professional exam of about 100 multiple choice questions in 3 hours, written in French and covering Quebec's professional system, ethics and laws. Every other province and territory uses the NPPE.

Do geoscientists and technologists write the NPPE too?

Many do. Engineering and geoscience regulators use the NPPE for P.Geo applicants as well as P.Eng applicants, and three more regulators use it: ASET in Alberta, Geoscientists Nova Scotia, and PGO, which licenses geoscientists in Ontario. Your own regulator confirms whether the exam applies to you.

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