NPPE

NPPE Before or After Your CBA? The Order of Requirements in Each Province

Published September 27, 2026

It depends on where you apply. In Ontario, PEO requires you to pass the National Professional Practice Examination (NPPE) before you submit your licence application, so the exam comes first. In Alberta, APEGA lets you write it only while your P.Eng. application, which contains your CBA, is in progress. New Brunswick lets you complete the NPPE and the CBA in either order, and Quebec does not use the NPPE at all.

The NPPE tests professional practice, ethics and law rather than technical work, and it runs five times a year. Where your regulator gives you a choice, the best time to write it is a quiet stretch away from your CBA deadlines. The table and plan below show the order at each of Canada's engineering regulators as of September 2026.

At a glance (as of September 2026)

PEO (Ontario): pass the NPPE before you submit your licence application (in force October 24, 2025). Attempts before you apply are unlimited and a pass does not expire.
APEGA (Alberta): only while a P.Eng. application is in progress. Engineers Yukon applicants become eligible only after completing the full APEGA application.
APEGNB (New Brunswick): "the NPPE and the CBA may be completed in either order".
Extra requirements: EGBC adds its BC practice seminar, and Engineers Geoscientists Manitoba adds the ABC test.
OIQ (Quebec) uses its own professional exam instead of the NPPE.
Next sittings: November 2–4, 2026 and January 11–13, 2027. Results take about 2–4 weeks.

The order of requirements in each province

Regulator	When you can or must write the NPPE	Also required
PEO (Ontario)	Pass it before you submit your licence application. Unlimited attempts before you apply; a pass does not expire.	No separate law and ethics seminar
APEGA (Alberta)	Only while a P.Eng. application is in progress; must be passed before licensure. A fourth failure withdraws the application.	—
Engineers Yukon	Only after you complete the full APEGA application. If it is your last requirement, you have one year from the Board's letter.	—
NAPEG (NWT and Nunavut)	Required before licensure	300–500-word essay on practice in the North
APEGS (Saskatchewan)	Required; no set order with the CBA published. Maximum four attempts, then a one-year wait.	Three online ethics and law modules strongly encouraged, not mandatory
EGBC (British Columbia)	Required; no set order with the CBA published. Three consecutive failures may trigger a 12-month wait.	Professional Engineering and Geoscience Practice in BC Online Seminar
Engineers Geoscientists Manitoba	Required; EGM's flowchart places it between the CBA assessment and the professional member application	ABC test with your intern application
Engineers Nova Scotia	You must hold EIT status to write it	—
APEGNB (New Brunswick)	Either order with the CBA	—
Engineers PEI	From one year of experience; needed before your interview	Interview for every applicant
PEGNL (Newfoundland and Labrador)	Must be passed within 12 months once it is your last outstanding requirement; 12-month wait after three failures	—
OIQ (Quebec)	Not used; OIQ has its own professional exam	Four online training blocks before OIQ's exam

Ontario: pass the NPPE before you apply

Regulation 941, s. 37(1), as amended by O. Reg. 238/25 (in force October 24, 2025), says an applicant must pass the exam "prior to the date on which the applicant submitted the application". PEO's steps have you complete the NPPE, the CBA, your academics, ID and good character, and only then submit. Since July 1, 2026 you can build your CBA in the portal as soon as you open an application, but you can submit only once you have the NPPE pass, a completed and validated CBA, and at least 24 months of experience after your degree.

Two rules make writing early low-risk: attempts before you apply are unlimited, and a pass does not expire. PEO has no separate law and ethics seminar because the NPPE covers that ground. Limited-licence applicants should confirm the order with PEO, because its limited-licence page still describes the older sequence. More on the experience side in PEO's 24-month rule explained.

Alberta, Yukon and the North: open your application first

APEGA requires every P.Eng. and P.Geo. applicant to pass the NPPE before licensure, but you can write it only while an application is in progress with APEGA. You do not need a pass to start. Because your CBA (the Competency-Based Assessment Tool in myAPEGA) is part of that same application, the practical order in Alberta is: get your application in progress, then book the next sitting while your validators and references respond. They have 90 days from the date you pay. A fourth failure means the application is withdrawn, so treat every sitting as the real thing.

Engineers Yukon and NAPEG send first-time applicants through APEGA's CBA with a verification code. Engineers Yukon adds its own timing: you become eligible for the NPPE only after completing the full APEGA application. NAPEG requires the NPPE before licensure. See how northern applicants complete APEGA's CBA.

Everywhere else: timing rules and extra requirements

APEGNB: either order. APEGNB does not accept a CBA until you have 45 of the 48 months, so the NPPE ($264.50 including HST) can come well before your CBA window opens.
Engineers Nova Scotia: EIT status first, then the NPPE ($235). The switch to the CBA in July 2025 did not change the exam requirement.
Engineers PEI: eligible from one year of experience ($170). Every applicant is interviewed once the experience, CBA and NPPE requirements are met.
PEGNL: once the NPPE is your last outstanding requirement, you must pass it within 12 months ($262.50 including HST). Writing it earlier keeps that clock from starting.
EGBC: the NPPE ($300) plus the Professional Engineering and Geoscience Practice in BC Online Seminar, the former Law and Ethics Seminar (11 modules, about 9 hours, $325). A new seminar version launches October 5, 2026, and the current version counts only for applicants registered by October 1, 2027. MRA registrants skip the seminar but still write the NPPE.
APEGS: no mandatory seminar, but APEGS strongly encourages three online modules: Ethics Module 1, Ethics Module 3, and Law and Professional Practice.
Engineers Geoscientists Manitoba: the ABC test on the Act, By-laws and Code of Ethics (50 true/false questions, open book, 90% to pass) comes with your intern application. The NPPE ($260) comes later in EGM's "Professional Member from Intern" flowchart (effective July 1, 2025).
OIQ: no NPPE. OIQ's own professional exam is in person and in French with a 60% pass mark, taken after four mandatory online training blocks. A revised theoretical component starts November 23, 2026, and October 20, 2026 is the last day to register for an exam on the current content. See how Quebec's CPI program compares with the CBA.

When should you write the NPPE? A practical plan

Find your earliest date. It is set by your regulator's gate: EIT status (Nova Scotia), one year of experience (PEI), an application in progress (Alberta) or a completed APEGA application (Yukon). Ontario requires the pass before you apply.
Work back from your target date. Sittings are two to three months apart and results take about 2–4 weeks. If the pass must come before you submit (PEO) or before a final step (the PEI interview), aim one sitting earlier than you strictly need, so a retake does not hold up your file.
Keep it clear of your CBA crunch. Writing examples, chasing validators and studying for a 2.5-hour exam all compete for the same evenings. Pick a sitting outside the weeks you plan to finish your examples.
Book as soon as you register. EGBC, APEGS and PEO tightened booking and deferral rules in 2026; see NPPE remote proctoring, booking and deferral in 2026.
Respect attempt limits. Most jurisdictions allow four attempts. APEGA withdraws the application after a fourth failure, APEGS imposes a one-year wait after four, and PEGNL a 12-month wait after three.
Let the study feed your CBA. In the 34-competency framework, NPPE topics overlap with 5.1 (code of ethics), 5.3 (conflict of interest) and 6.3 (role of regulatory bodies). A pass will not raise your ratings, but it can make those examples easier to write.

🎯 Free NPPE Practice Test

Take our free NPPE practice test — 20 questions covering professional practice, ethics, and law.

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Frequently asked questions

Can I write the NPPE before I start my CBA?

Often, yes. Ontario requires the pass before you apply, New Brunswick allows either order, PEI allows it from one year of experience and Nova Scotia once you are an EIT. Alberta and Yukon are the exceptions: you need an APEGA application in progress (Yukon: completed), and that application contains your CBA.

Does an NPPE pass expire?

At PEO it does not, and attempts before you apply are unlimited. Some regulators set deadlines instead: PEGNL gives you 12 months once the NPPE is your last outstanding requirement, and Engineers Yukon one year from the Board's letter when it is your last requirement. If your pass is several years old, confirm with your regulator that it still counts.

Is the NPPE required in Quebec?

No. OIQ runs its own professional exam, in person and in French with a 60% pass mark, as part of its CPI program. Engineers already licensed by another Canadian regulator use OIQ's mobility route instead: about 20 business days plus four online trainings in French.

What happens if I fail?

Results are pass or fail only, and a failing candidate receives a mastery report showing weaker areas. You can book a later sitting within your regulator's limits: four attempts in most jurisdictions, a 12-month wait after three failures at PEGNL, a possible 12-month wait after three consecutive failures at EGBC, and a one-year wait after four at APEGS.

Does passing the NPPE improve my CBA ratings?

No. Assessors rate each CBA example on its own evidence, and the NPPE is a separate pass/fail requirement. Studying ethics and regulation can still help you write clearer examples for the Professional Accountability and sustainability competencies.