Prepare
NPPE study material: what to study, and what to study it from
The six sections and their key topics, the reading the NPPE suggests, and how to turn hundreds of pages into short daily practice.
Start with the blueprint, not the books
The NPPE blueprint is the most useful page of study material you will read. It names the six sections the exam tests and how many questions each carries, from 7 to 10 for the smallest sections to 27 to 32 for Professional Practice. Everything else you study should map back to it.
The blueprint dates from 2017 and is still current, though a review was expected in mid-2026, so check nppexam.ca before you start in case anything has changed. The exam is closed book, so the point of every piece of material is understanding and recall, not knowing where to look something up.
Sources:NPPE blueprint (nppexam.ca)NPPE exam format (nppexam.ca)
The six NPPE sections and what each covers
How the blueprint divides the exam, and how NPPE Pro organizes its 52 topics within it.
- 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.
Key topics by section, and where to read them
A suggested map from each section to its main topics and the source that covers it best. Use it to choose chapters, not to read everything.
Professionalism
- Questions
- 7 to 10
- Key topics
- What a profession is, the duty to the public, competence, practising within your expertise
- Read it in
- Ethics and practice book
Ethics
- Questions
- 17 to 21
- Key topics
- Codes of ethics, conflicts of interest, whistleblowing, ethical theories, common dilemmas
- Read it in
- Ethics and practice book, plus your regulator's code of ethics
Professional Practice
- Questions
- 27 to 32
- Key topics
- Sealing and authenticating documents, supervision, standards and codes, quality management, risk, the environment and sustainability
- Read it in
- Ethics and practice book
Law for Professional Practice
- Questions
- 23 to 28
- Key topics
- Contracts, tort and negligence, tendering, insurance, employment, intellectual property, dispute resolution
- Read it in
- Law book
Professional Law
- Questions
- 7 to 10
- Key topics
- The acts and regulations that create the professions and give regulators their powers
- Read it in
- Your regulator's act and regulations, with either book for context
Regulation of Members and Discipline Processes
- Questions
- 7 to 10
- Key topics
- Licensing, complaints, investigations, discipline hearings and penalties
- Read it in
- Your regulator's act, regulations and bylaws
Sources:NPPE blueprint (nppexam.ca)NPPE suggested reading materials (nppexam.ca)
Your NPPE study material, in one list
Everything you need, and nothing you do not.
The blueprint
From nppexam.ca: the six sections and their question ranges. Read it first and keep it beside your plan.
One ethics and practice book
Andrews, Shaw and McPhee, or Samuels and Sanders. One is enough. See NPPE books.
One law book
Marston, or Samuels and Sanders. Again, one is enough.
Your regulator's act, code of ethics and bylaws
Published on your regulator's website. The exam tests principles common to every province, and your own code is the clearest example of them.
Practice questions with explanations
The only way to find out whether you understood what you read. The explanations for wrong options teach as much as the right one.
Timed mock exams
At least two, at full length on a 2.5-hour timer, before your sitting. See NPPE practice exams.
A list of your misses
The questions you got wrong, kept where you will see them. By the final week it is the most useful material you have.
If you are applying to EGBC
EGBC also requires its Professional Engineering and Geoscience Practice in BC Online Seminar, separate from the NPPE. See EGBC and the NPPE.
How NPPE Pro turns the material into daily study
NPPE Pro covers the same six sections in 52 topics and 564 short lesson cards. Each card is one of five types: a definition, a rule, a scenario, an example or an exam tip. A lesson takes a few minutes and ends with questions on what you just read. See the learning path.
Behind the lessons sit 580 practice questions with every option explained, and 1,000+ flashcards for the rules and definitions you need to recall cold. The suggested books stay useful as references for any topic your readiness score flags.
- Lessons on all 52 topics, sized for a phone
- Questions you miss come back until you answer them right twice in a row
- Flashcards you swipe to Mastered or Review
Try NPPE Pro first, then pick your plan.
The 14-day trial starts from your first finished lesson. Then pick the plan that matches where you are starting from, and pay once, by card or in 4 payments with Klarna.*
NPPE Guided (Safety Net conditions)
Starting from scratch, 4 months of access
$297
NPPE Safety Net (Safety Net conditions)
Studied some already, 3 months of access
$197
NPPE Practice Questions
Finished studying, 1 month of access
$97
- Plans from $97. Prices in Canadian dollars, before tax.
*See Canadian payment terms. (Klarna, opens in a new tab) A higher initial payment may be required for some consumers.
- Complete everything before your sitting. Don't pass? Get your money back and 3 more months to prepare again. (Safety Net conditions)
† Safety Net: finish every lesson, answer every practice question, review every flashcard and complete all 4 mock exams before your sitting, then claim within 30 days of your official result. One claim per person. Read the Safety Net terms (opens in a new tab)
Questions people ask
More answers in the NPPE FAQ.
Which textbooks are recommended for the NPPE?
The NPPE's suggested reading list pairs one ethics and practice book with one law book: Andrews, Shaw and McPhee's Canadian Professional Engineering and Geoscience: Practice and Ethics, or Samuels and Sanders' A Practical Guide to Ethics and Professional Practice; and Marston's Law for Professional Engineers, or Samuels and Sanders' Practical Law of Architecture, Engineering, and Geoscience.
Do I still need the textbook?
Not to get started. NPPE Pro's lessons cover every topic the NPPE tests in short pieces you can study daily. The regulators' recommended textbooks remain the authoritative reference, and they are worth having nearby when you want more depth on a topic the readiness score flags.
Which NPPE study material matters most?
The blueprint, because it tells you where the questions are. After that, material on Professional Practice and Law for Professional Practice, which carry 27 to 32 and 23 to 28 questions. Your regulator's code of ethics is short and worth reading closely, since it is the clearest example of the duties the Ethics section asks about.
What sections does the NPPE cover?
The NPPE blueprint has six sections: Professionalism (7 to 10 questions), Ethics (17 to 21), Professional Practice (27 to 32), Law for Professional Practice (23 to 28), Professional Law (7 to 10), and Regulation of Members and Discipline Processes (7 to 10). Professional practice and law together make up more than half the exam.
Is there NPPE study material I can get without paying?
Yes. The blueprint and the suggested reading list are published on nppexam.ca, and your regulator publishes its act, code of ethics and bylaws on its website. NPPE Pro's 14-day trial also opens a set of topics, practice questions and a short mock exam preview, with no card needed.
Should I make my own NPPE study notes?
Only short ones. Rewriting a textbook into notes takes many hours and tests nothing. A better use of the time is a one-page summary per section of the rules you keep forgetting, plus a list of the questions you missed. Those two things are what you will actually review in the final week.
What is in a lesson?
A lesson is a handful of short cards on one topic: a definition, the rule that applies, a scenario showing the rule in use, and an exam tip. Then you answer questions on it straight away. NPPE Pro has 564 lesson cards across 52 topics.
Does NPPE Pro cover my province?
Yes. The NPPE is one national exam, so the same preparation applies whichever regulator you are applying to. The exam tests principles that are common across provinces, and that is what the lessons teach. Your regulator's own act and bylaws are worth reading alongside.
Start with one short lesson today.
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.