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Free CBA Readiness Diagnosis

Find out where your CBA prep is solid, and where it isn't.

Answer a few quick questions and get your readiness score, band, and your three biggest gaps. Takes about 2 minutes.

Free · takes about 2 minutes · unsubscribe anytime.

This readiness diagnosis is a guide, not an official regulator decision. Privacy

About this tool

What the CBA Readiness Quiz measures

The CBA Readiness Quiz is a free, two-minute self-assessment that scores how prepared you are to submit your Competency-Based Assessment (CBA) for Professional Engineer (P.Eng) licensure in Canada. It is built by CertNova Software Solutions Inc., the team behind CBA Pro — the AI-powered platform that helps Engineers-in-Training (EITs) write, self-review, and strengthen their competency examples.

Most Canadian regulators require a CBA as part of the P.Eng application, including Professional Engineers Ontario (PEO), the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta (APEGA), and Engineers and Geoscientists British Columbia (EGBC). This quiz pinpoints where your preparation is already strong and where it still has gaps — before you invest weeks writing in the wrong direction.

Your result is a readiness score out of 100, a readiness band, and your three biggest gaps across the eight areas assessors weigh most. It is a guidance tool from CertNova, not an official decision from any engineering regulator.

How scoring works

The eight areas your CBA readiness score is built from

Each answer feeds a score out of 100. The lowest-scoring areas become your three biggest gaps — the things to fix first.

1

Competency mapping

Whether each of your projects is mapped to the specific competency categories your regulator requires, so assessors see deliberate, complete coverage rather than gaps.

2

Validators

Whether your work-experience validators are identified, confirmed, and briefed for each competency. Unconfirmed validators are one of the most common reasons CBA submissions stall late.

3

Canadian experience

Whether you understand how your Canadian engineering experience will be counted — a frequent source of assessor comments, especially for internationally trained engineers.

4

Rating levels

Whether you can distinguish adjacent competency rating levels well enough to self-rate accurately and defend each level with evidence.

5

Personal (I) ownership

Whether your strongest examples foreground the decisions you personally made, instead of describing team (“we”) work that obscures your individual engineering judgment.

6

Quantified outcomes

Whether your outcomes are backed with concrete numbers — percentages, dollars, or time saved — that make each competency example credible and specific.

7

Time to write

How many hours per week you can realistically commit, which determines whether a self-guided or guided path to your CBA is the better fit.

8

Submission timeline

Whether your target submission date is firmly anchored, so you can plan backward and avoid a last-minute scramble before your regulator's deadline.

Built for P.Eng applicants

Who should take this quiz

The CBA Readiness Quiz is designed for anyone preparing a Competency-Based Assessment for P.Eng licensure in Canada:

  • Engineers-in-Training (EITs) starting their CBA and unsure where to begin.
  • Internationally trained engineers who need to show Canadian engineering context clearly.
  • Applicants to PEO, APEGA, EGBC, APEGS (Saskatchewan), Engineers Geoscientists Manitoba (EGM), and other regulators that use competency-based assessment.
  • Engineers who already have a draft and want to catch weak competency examples before submitting.
  • Applicants who received assessor comments or a rejection and need a focused recovery plan.

After the quiz

What your results unlock

Your readiness band points you to the next step that fits how you want to work:

Self-guided with CBA Pro

If you'd rather write it yourself, CBA Pro gives you structured templates, an approved CBA example, instant feedback on your drafts, and interest-free installment plans. It's the AI-assisted path built for EITs who learn by doing.

Guided with One-on-One CBA Consulting

If you'd rather have an expert beside you, CertNova's One-on-One CBA Consulting reviews your situation, helps you choose stronger examples, and plans your validators and submission before you commit weeks of writing.

Recovery after comments or rejection

If your CBA came back with comments, you need a recovery plan, not another generic checklist. CertNova helps you respond to assessor feedback and rebuild the specific competencies that were flagged.

Not ready to choose? Start with the free CBA checklist or browse the CBA Starter Hub.

Good questions, honest answers

CBA Readiness Quiz FAQ

The CBA Readiness Quiz is a free, two-minute self-assessment from CertNova Software Solutions Inc. that scores how ready you are to submit your Competency-Based Assessment (CBA) for Professional Engineer (P.Eng) licensure in Canada. It returns a readiness score, a readiness band, and your three biggest gaps so you know exactly what to fix next.

No. The quiz is written for engineering applicants preparing a competency-based assessment for any Canadian regulator that uses one, including Professional Engineers Ontario (PEO), the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta (APEGA), Engineers and Geoscientists British Columbia (EGBC), APEGS in Saskatchewan, and Engineers Geoscientists Manitoba (EGM). Your regulator's official requirements always remain the source of truth.

No. You can see your readiness score, band, and three biggest gaps without entering an email. You'll only be asked for an email if you want CertNova to send the full report with a detailed plan for each gap.

The quiz scores eight areas that assessors weigh most: competency mapping, validators, Canadian experience, rating levels, personal (I) ownership, quantified outcomes, time available to write, and your submission timeline. Your answers are combined into a score out of 100 and a readiness band, and the lowest-scoring areas become your three biggest gaps.

A validator is a colleague or supervisor — usually a licensed Professional Engineer — who confirms your engineering work experience for a competency. Most regulators require validators as part of the CBA submission process, and unconfirmed validators are a common cause of late delays, so the quiz checks how far along yours are.

Based on your readiness band, the quiz recommends a next step. If you prefer to write it yourself, it points you to CBA Pro, CertNova's AI-powered tool with templates, an approved CBA example, instant feedback, and interest-free installment plans. If you prefer expert help, it points you to One-on-One CBA Consulting. If you already received comments or a rejection, it routes you to focused recovery support.

The quiz itself focuses on CBA readiness, but CertNova supports the wider P.Eng journey, including preparation for the National Professional Practice Examination (NPPE). The CBA and the NPPE are separate requirements, and many applicants work on both on the way to licensure.

No. CertNova does not control the final decision of any engineering regulator and does not guarantee approval. The quiz, CBA Pro, and CertNova's consulting are designed to help you prepare clearer, better-supported competency examples based on the patterns seen across hundreds of applicant journeys.