Free CBA samples show you the shape. CBA Pro helps you write yours.
We publish free CBA examples ourselves, because seeing a strong competency is the fastest way to understand the structure. But a sample describes someone else's projects, and PEO asks you to certify that every work sample is your own. CBA Pro takes the structure strong examples share and builds each competency from your experience.
- Built from your projects, not someone else's
- Placeholders instead of borrowed details
- Written to your regulator's character limits
Zero rejected CBAs after a CertNova review(Our P.Eng review record to date)
Facts and prices on this page checked 26 September 2026.
“The CBA doesn't want a general project summary. It wants your personal responsibility and judgment in a regulator language.”
The short answer
Free CBA samples are for learning: they show Situation, Action and Outcome structure and the level of detail assessors expect. You cannot submit or adapt someone else's example, because regulators assess your own experience. CBA Pro starts where samples stop: it asks about your projects and drafts each competency from your answers, inside your regulator's limits.
CBA Pro vs free CBA samples, side by side
A sample is a finished answer to someone else's question. Here is what that means when you sit down to write yours.
| What matters | Free CBA samples | CBA Pro |
|---|---|---|
| What it shows you | Free CBA samplesHow a strong competency is structured, using another applicant's project. | CBA ProStrongHow your own project answers each indicator, step by step. |
| Can you submit it? | Free CBA samplesWeakNo. It describes someone else's experience. | CBA ProStrongYes, once you have confirmed every fact, because it is built from your experience. |
| Fits your regulator's limits | Free CBA samplesPartialWritten for one regulator, at one point in time. | CBA ProStrongYour regulator's framework and character limits, enforced as you write. |
| Missing details | Free CBA samplesWeakTempting to borrow numbers or standards that are not yours. | CBA ProStrongMissing facts become [placeholders] you fill from your own records. |
| Feedback on your draft | Free CBA samplesWeakNone. You compare your draft by eye. | CBA ProStrongComments pinned to sentences, a readiness grade and a 0 to 5 self-assessment. |
| Cost | Free CBA samplesFree. | CBA ProFree for one competency. Foundation $97, Progression $197, Professional $297, one-time, plus tax. |
Free samples are the better choice for
- Seeing what a complete competency looks like before you start.
- Understanding the Situation, Action, Outcome structure.
- Deciding whether you need help at all.
CBA Pro is the better choice when
- Turning your own projects into competencies.
- Writing all 22 or 34 without copying anyone.
- Staying inside your regulator's character limits.
Already have competencies written? CBA Pro writes new ones from your experience. For feedback on drafts you already have, CBA Review is the right service. About CBA Review
What PEO asks you to certify
“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.”
A sample can teach you structure. It cannot be one of your work samples. That is why every free example we publish says the same thing: learn from it, then write your own.
How CBA Pro works
- 1
Add your work history
Import your CV or add projects by hand, then check and edit each record. Drafts are built only from your records and your answers.
- 2
Answer questions about each competency
CBA Pro asks for the evidence each indicator needs, with an example answer under every question.
- 3
Get a draft built only from your answers
Anything you have not confirmed appears as a [placeholder] for you to fill, never as an invented detail.
- 4
Check it the way an assessor would
Comments are pinned to exact sentences, and you get a readiness grade and a 0 to 5 self-assessment against your regulator's minimum.
- 5
Enter it in your regulator's system
Copy each finished competency into your application, or export to Word or PDF on the Progression and Professional plans.
What applicants say
Both applicants below are writing their own competencies with CBA Pro. Neither video makes a claim about their result, because that decision belongs to their regulator.
Zero rejected CBAs after a CertNova review(Our P.Eng review record to date)
“The CBA doesn't want a general project summary. It wants your personal responsibility and judgment.”
“I got the software to write my CBA, my competencies.”
From CertNova's Google reviews
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.
They were awesome to work with. They really understood how to take my project experience and turn it into something clear and professional. The team gave helpful feedback, quick responses, and made the process a lot smoother than trying to do it on my own.
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.
Reviews are quoted as written on CertNova's Google profile. Nobody can promise approval; your regulator decides.
Sources, checked 26 September 2026
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.
More CBA Pro comparisons
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Read the comparisonCBA Pro vs Practice PPE Exams
A course with AI scoring, or a workspace that writes each competency with you. Prices checked 26 September 2026.
Read the comparisonCBA Pro vs free CBA samples: questions applicants ask
No. Examples, including ours, are for learning structure. PEO's application asks you to certify "that you have prepared all included work samples yourself and that they truthfully and accurately represent your professional experience." Copying or closely adapting someone else's example cannot meet that.
They show the Situation, Action, Outcome structure, the first-person voice, and how much technical detail assessors expect. Read one or two before you start, then close them and write from your own projects.
A template gives you headings. CBA Pro asks you specific questions about your project for each indicator, drafts from your answers, marks anything unconfirmed as a placeholder, and checks the draft against your regulator's character limits.
Our free PEO CBA example is on the free example page, alongside a reviewed sample and a rejected sample with the assessor's comments.
Yes. APEGA's own 22-competency framework is built in, and CBA Pro personalizes the guidance, character limits and assessor expectations to whichever association you apply to.
Yes. One full competency, every step, with no card. Everything you write carries over if you upgrade.
In short
CBA Pro vs free CBA samples: free CBA examples teach the Situation, Action, Outcome structure and the expected level of detail, but they describe another applicant's experience and cannot be submitted or adapted; PEO's application asks applicants to certify that they prepared all work samples themselves. CBA Pro builds each competency from the applicant's own projects, marks unconfirmed facts as placeholders and enforces the character limits of the applicant's association, with guidance personalized to that association. CertNova's P.Eng review record: zero rejected CBAs after a CertNova review. One competency is free; paid plans are $97 to $297 CAD one-time.
Write your CBA from your own experience
Start with one full competency, free and with no card, or see what each plan includes. Everything you write carries over when you upgrade.