ChatGPT, a colleague, free samples, courses, review services, workshops and writing services all promise help with your Competency-Based Assessment. Here is what each one actually gives you, who does the writing, what it costs, and where CBA Pro fits. Prices checked on 26 September 2026.
40+ CBAs reviewed since June 2025. No rejection reported back to us.(CertNova's human review service, not CBA Pro)How we count it
Facts and prices on this page checked 26 September 2026.
“Whatever you do, don't just paste it in the ChatGPT. CBA Pro is professionally trained and keeps your experience private.”
Most P.Eng applicants combine two things: help with the writing, and a check before they submit. ChatGPT, colleagues and free samples cost little but leave the writing and the risk with you. Review services and workshops add human judgment at a higher price. CBA Pro sits between them: guided writing from your own experience, starting free.
Prices are in Canadian dollars as published on 26 September 2026. Every option below can be combined with the others.
CBA Pro is independent software, not your regulator's system. You prepare it in CBA Pro, then enter your final text in PEO's application form, APEGA's competency assessment tool, or the Competency Assessment system used by EGBC, APEGS and four other associations.
“By submitting your application, you certify that you have prepared all included work samples yourself and that they truthfully and accurately represent your professional experience. If you have used AI tools or other aids in drafting your responses, you take full responsibility for ensuring the accuracy and authenticity of the information you have provided.”
Whichever help you choose, the experience must be yours and you remain responsible for every statement. Check your own regulator's current guidance before you submit.
Not a chatbot: a P.Eng CBA guide backed by real review data, personalized to your association, that never invents a fact.
Read the comparisonAdvice helps. CBA Pro is there every time you sit down to write, and it keeps your validator independent.
Read the comparisonSamples show the shape of a strong competency. CBA Pro helps you build yours from your own projects.
Read the comparisonA course with AI scoring, or a workspace that interviews you and drafts from your answers. Prices checked 26 September 2026.
Read the comparisonNitish is writing all 34 competencies of his first submission with CBA Pro. Farbod came to us through a colleague's referral.
40+ CBAs reviewed since June 2025. No rejection reported back to us.(CertNova's human review service, not CBA Pro)How we count it
“The CBA doesn't want a general project summary. It wants your personal responsibility and judgment.”
“It wasn't just the software, and it was actually the care and support.”
Using CBA Pro by CertNova Software Solutions helped me get my P.Eng. approved on the first attempt without any CBA rejections. What surprised me most was that the challenge wasn't my experience, it was how to present it properly. Having the right structure and guidance made the entire process much more manageable. Definitely saved me time and avoided the usual back-and-forth revisions.
I used CertNova to help prepare my Competency-Based Assessment (CBA) for my P.Eng. application, and I couldn't be more satisfied. Their support saved me a significant amount of time and effort, especially when it came to organizing and articulating my experience in line with regulatory expectations. The team was knowledgeable, efficient, and easy to work with. I highly recommend CertNova to anyone navigating the CBA process.
I had a great experience working with the CertNova team. They helped and guided me through the process of preparing my PEO CBA application in a very professional and detailed way. Their team is kind, patient, knowledgeable, and detail-oriented. They clearly know what needs to be done and how to guide applicants properly. I really appreciated their support, clear feedback, and professional approach throughout the process. I highly recommend CertNova to anyone looking for reliable and professional help with their PEO CBA application.
Reviews are quoted as written on CertNova's Google profile. Nobody can promise approval; your regulator decides.
Competitor details are as each company published them on that date. Spotted something out of date? Email info@competencybasedassessment.ca and we will correct it.
Combine help with the writing and a check before you submit. Use free samples to learn the structure, a guided tool such as CBA Pro or a course to build each competency from your own experience, and a colleague or a P.Eng review service to check the result.
PEO's application asks you to certify that you prepared all included work samples yourself and that they truthfully represent your experience. Paying for guidance, structure and review is common. Handing the writing to someone else puts you in the position of certifying work you did not prepare. Check your own regulator's rules before you pay for writing.
On 26 September 2026: free samples and advice cost nothing, CBA Pro is free for one competency and $97 to $297 one-time for more, courses ran $199 to $599 plus tax, workshops $350 to $475, P.Eng review services about $299 to $1,000, and full-service writing from around $1,499.
No. CBA Pro is independent software for preparing your competencies. PEO uses a PDF application form, APEGA runs its own competency assessment tool, and Engineers and Geoscientists BC operates the Competency Assessment system used by EGBC, APEGS, Engineers and Geoscientists Manitoba, Engineers and Geoscientists New Brunswick, Engineers PEI and PEGNL. You prepare them in CBA Pro, then enter your final text in your regulator's system.
Yes, and most applicants do. A common path is a free sample to learn the structure, CBA Pro to draft each competency from your own answers, and a P.Eng review or a trusted colleague to check the finished set.
Nobody can promise approval, because your regulator decides. Some providers offer refunds or continued support under conditions, so read their terms. What any good option can do is help you submit the clearest, most accurate version of your own experience. CertNova's review service: 40+ CBAs reviewed since June 2025. No rejection reported back to us.
Ways to get help with a Canadian P.Eng Competency-Based Assessment, compared on 26 September 2026: ChatGPT (free or subscription, general wording help), a colleague or mentor (free, limited time), free CBA samples (free, structure only, cannot be copied), online courses with AI scoring such as Practice PPE Exams CBA Blueprint ($199 to $599 plus tax), human P.Eng review services such as easyNPPE ($299), InnTec ($749.99 to $999.99) and CertNova CBA Review ($297 to $797), workshops such as OSPE ($350 to $475), and full-service writing (from about $1,499). CBA Pro is guided software that interviews the applicant and turns their own experience into a draft of each competency, free for one competency and $97 to $297 CAD one-time. PEO's application asks applicants to certify that they prepared all work samples themselves. CertNova's separate human review service: 40+ CBAs reviewed since June 2025. No rejection reported back to us.
Start with one full competency, free and with no card, or see what each plan includes. Everything you write carries over when you upgrade.
