Prepare
An NPPE study plan, week by week
Two templates built on the exam blueprint, a daily routine that fits around work, and how to adjust when a week goes wrong.
How to build an NPPE study plan from the blueprint
Start from the exam, not the textbook. The NPPE blueprint gives each of six sections a range of questions: Professional Practice 27 to 32, Law for Professional Practice 23 to 28, Ethics 17 to 21, and Professionalism, Professional Law, and Regulation of Members and Discipline Processes 7 to 10 each. Your weeks should follow roughly the same proportions.
Then count back from your sitting. Keep the last week for review and the week before it for mock exams, and fill the rest one topic at a time. If you are writing again after a fail, use your mastery report to move time towards the content areas where you scored lowest.
Finally, decide when you will study, not just what. A fixed 15-minute slot at the same time each day is easier to keep than a long session you have to find room for. Studying while working has ideas for protecting it in a busy week.
Sources:NPPE blueprint (nppexam.ca)
An 8-week NPPE study plan
For a first attempt, studying most days. Learn new topics on weekdays; at the weekend, review the questions you missed that week.
1
- Focus
- Professionalism, Professional Law, Regulation and Discipline
- Exam questions
- 21 to 30 combined
- What to do
- Read the blueprint and answer a short mixed set of questions to find your weak spots. Read your regulator's act, code of ethics and bylaws alongside these three sections.
2
- Focus
- Ethics
- Exam questions
- 17 to 21
- What to do
- Codes of ethics, conflicts of interest, whistleblowing, the classic ethical theories and common dilemmas. About ten questions a day.
3
- Focus
- Professional Practice, part 1
- Exam questions
- 27 to 32 for the section
- What to do
- Sealing and authenticating documents, supervision, standards and codes, quality management.
4
- Focus
- Professional Practice, part 2
- Exam questions
- Continued
- What to do
- Risk, the environment and sustainability, the duty to inform. Review every missed question from weeks 1 to 3.
5
- Focus
- Law for Professional Practice, part 1
- Exam questions
- 23 to 28 for the section
- What to do
- Contracts, tendering, tort and negligence. Leave room for the weekend review: these topics take repetition.
6
- Focus
- Law for Professional Practice, part 2
- Exam questions
- Continued
- What to do
- Insurance, employment, intellectual property, dispute resolution. Sit your first full timed mock exam at the weekend.
7
- Focus
- Mixed practice and a second mock
- Exam questions
- All six
- What to do
- Weakest topics first, chosen from your mock results. Sit a second full mock and compare it section by section.
8
- Focus
- Final week
- Exam questions
- All six
- What to do
- No new material. Missed questions, weakest topics, your regulator's code of ethics once more. Check your exam setup and rest the day before.
Sources:NPPE blueprint (nppexam.ca)
A 4-week compressed NPPE study plan
For a sitting about a month away, or a retake where you have covered the material once. Expect to study longer each day, often two short sessions instead of one. For anything shorter, see the fast track plan.
1
- Focus
- Professional Practice
- Exam questions
- 27 to 32
- What to do
- A short mixed set of questions on day 1 to find your weak spots, then the biggest section first, with questions every day.
2
- Focus
- Law for Professional Practice
- Exam questions
- 23 to 28
- What to do
- Contracts, tendering, tort and negligence first, then insurance, employment, intellectual property and dispute resolution.
3
- Focus
- Ethics, then the three smaller sections
- Exam questions
- 38 to 51 combined
- What to do
- Ethics early in the week; Professionalism, Professional Law and Regulation and Discipline after it, with your regulator's act and code open. A full timed mock at the weekend.
4
- Focus
- Final week
- Exam questions
- All six
- What to do
- A second full mock early in the week, then missed questions and weakest topics only. Check your exam setup and rest the day before.
The daily 15-minute routine
One short session with the same shape every day. On a busy day, do the first step only.
- 1
Review what is due, about 3 minutes
Start with questions you missed on earlier days and answer them before anything new. This is the spacing that makes topics stick.
- 2
Learn one topic, about 5 minutes
A few pages or a handful of lesson cards from this week's focus: the definition, the rule, then an example of it in use.
- 3
Answer about ten questions, about 7 minutes
On the topic you just studied, without notes. Commit to an answer, then read the explanation for every option, not just the one you chose.
- 4
Log your misses
Add each missed question to your review list. That list, not the textbook, is where tomorrow's session starts.
When you fall behind
Almost every plan slips. Adjust it rather than starting over.
Do not restart from week 1
Pick up where you are. Restarting squeezes the big sections at the end of the plan.
Cut by weight, not by order
If something has to give, trim time from the smallest sections before Professional Practice or law.
Protect at least one timed mock
A full mock exam is the only rehearsal of the pace. Keep one, even in a short week.
Shorten sessions rather than skip days
Five minutes of review keeps the habit and the spacing going. A skipped week costs more than a short day.
Move the sitting if you must
If you are far behind, weigh a later sitting against the cost of a second attempt, which means paying the exam fee again. The exam dates page lists the next sittings.
Let NPPE Pro build the plan for you
Tell NPPE Pro your sitting and it counts back from that date in four stages: learn the topics, practise and review, mock exams, then a final week. Each day shows one task of about 15 minutes, and a pace check tells you whether you are ahead, on track or behind.
Before the final week, about half the time goes to lessons and the rest to practice and mock exams. If you are retaking, the plan moves time from lessons to practice. With no date set, it lays out a default eight weeks. See the study plan feature.
- One task a day, chosen for you
- Missed questions come back until you get them right twice in a row
- Readiness by domain, so you can see whether the plan is working
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.
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 much time do I need each day?
It depends on the weeks to your sitting. A session takes about 15 minutes: a few lesson cards and 10 questions. With eight weeks to go, most days need one or two sessions while you learn the topics; start earlier and one a day is often enough. The plan's pace check tells you which.
Which NPPE section should I study first?
Start with the three smaller sections and Ethics if you want a framework first, or with Professional Practice if your sitting is close. Either way, plan the longest blocks for Professional Practice (27 to 32 questions) and Law for Professional Practice (23 to 28), and never leave law until the final week.
Can I follow an NPPE study plan while working full time?
Yes. A plan built on short daily sessions fits around a job better than one built on long weekends. Fix a 15-minute slot, such as before work or at lunch, use weekends for review and mock exams, and allow eight weeks rather than four. See studying while working.
When should I take mock exams in my NPPE study plan?
Take the first full mock exam about two-thirds of the way through your plan, once you have studied every section, and a second a week or so later. Take the last one early in the final week, never the day before. Each mock should change what you study next, so leave time to act on the results.
How should I change my study plan for an NPPE retake?
Start from your mastery report. It shows how you did in each content area, so move time towards the weakest ones and spend less on lessons and more on practice questions and timed mocks. The 4-week template on this page can suit a retake, since you have already covered the material once. See the NPPE retake guide.
How does the study plan work?
You tell NPPE Pro which sitting you are writing and it counts back from that date. The weeks are split into four stages: learn the topics, practise and review, mock exams, and a final week. Each day the app shows one task, and it tells you whether you are ahead, on track or behind.
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.
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.