P.Geo. Competency Assessment: The 29 Geoscience Competencies Explained

If you are applying for a P.Geo. licence through APEGS, EGBC, Engineers Geoscientists Manitoba (EGM), APEGNB, PEGNL, Professional Geoscientists Ontario (PGO) or APEGA, your experience is assessed against 29 geoscience competencies in four categories, rated on the same 0–5 scale as the engineering CBA. Every category must average at least 3, and seven Canadian work-environment competencies must each reach 3.

The first six regulators use the framework on the shared system at competencyassessment.ca. APEGA moved its P.Geo. applicants onto the same 29 competencies on April 11, 2026, inside its own myAPEGA portal. This guide explains how the framework is built and scored, and what each regulator adds.

At a glance (as of September 2026)

29 competencies in four categories: Professionalism (7), Scientific Method (5), Area of Geoscience Practice (7) and Complementary (10).
Every category needs an average of at least 3.0. Unlike engineering, no category has a minimum of 2.
Seven Canadian work-environment competencies (1.1, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 1.7, 4.1 and 4.2) must each reach 3.
APEGS dropped its one-year Canadian work-experience requirement for geoscience on January 1, 2025; APEGA replaced its requirement with the seven competencies on April 11, 2026.
Validators: at least four on the shared system (EGBC, EGM, APEGNB and PEGNL also require one to be your supervisor); at least three at APEGA.
Geoscientists Canada’s 2014 competency profile is a separate, longer document.

The four categories

Category	Competencies	Minimum average	Canadian work-environment competencies
1. Professionalism	7 (1.1–1.7)	3.0	1.1, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 1.7
2. Scientific Method	5 (2.1–2.5)	3.0	None
3. Area of Geoscience Practice	7 (3.1–3.7)	3.0	None
4. Complementary (communication and management)	10 (4.1–4.10)	3.0	4.1, 4.2

APEGA’s pages use slightly different names for the same four categories: Professionalism, Scientific Methods, Areas of Geoscience Practice and Complementary Skills. The title and indicators of each competency are in your regulator’s geoscience guide and competency pages; read them before you choose examples. For comparison, the engineering CBA on the shared system has 34 competencies in seven categories, two of them with a minimum of 2, and eight Canadian-environment competencies.

How the ratings work

Each example is rated from 0 to 5. On the geoscience rating scale, level 3 is “entry to practice”, and you are not expected to reach 4 or 5.

Each category must average at least 3.0.
Each Canadian work-environment competency must reach 3 on its own. On the shared system, one below 3 must be revised whatever the category average.
No competency should be rated 0. At APEGS a 0 fails the category, and EGM adds that no rating may be below 1. At EGBC and EGM, a single other competency below 3 can pass if its category still averages 3.
APEGA’s geoscience scoring page requires at least 1 on every competency and 3 on each of the seven Canadian competencies, and sets out its category averages in its own table, so read it before you self-assess.

Only the assessor’s rating decides. Your self-rating and your validators’ confidential ratings are inputs.

Who uses the 29-competency framework

Regulator	Geoscience CBA	Validators	Other rules
APEGS (Saskatchewan)	Since January 1, 2021, on the shared system	At least 4; at least 2 licensed in Canada or equivalent (a US-licensed P.Geo. counts)	48 months validated; 300 / 1,200 / 300 characters
EGBC (British Columbia)	Shared system, which EGBC built and runs; geoscience since the 2020/21 year	At least 4, covering 4 years; one must be your supervisor	4 years of geoscience experience; decision in about six months
EGM (Manitoba)	Shared system; required for new interns since September 15, 2022	4, covering 4 years; 2 licensed (EGM policy)	Geoscience interpretation statements (March 2026)
APEGNB (New Brunswick)	Shared system; new MIT applicants since January 1, 2022	4, including your supervisor; a P.Eng. may validate geoscience work within their field	Submit from 45 of 48 months
PEGNL (Newfoundland and Labrador)	Shared system; all applicants since September 1, 2022	4: a direct supervisor and 2 P.Eng./P.Geo. or equivalent	Submit from 45 of 48 months
PGO (Ontario)	Shared system	See PGO’s requirements	See PGO’s requirements
APEGA (Alberta; also new NAPEG applicants)	Since April 11, 2026, in myAPEGA alongside the Work Experience Record	At least 3 (see below)	48 months; Action up to 1,800 characters

Geoscience is regulated differently elsewhere: Geoscientists Nova Scotia, not Engineers Nova Scotia, regulates geoscientists in that province; Engineers PEI does not cover geoscience; there is no P.Geo. in Yukon; and in Quebec, geologists belong to a separate professional order, not OIQ.

The seven Canadian work-environment competencies

Five of the seven sit in Professionalism (1.1, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6 and 1.7) and two in Complementary (4.1 and 4.2). They replace time-based Canadian experience. APEGS removed its one-year Canadian work-experience requirement for geoscience on January 1, 2025 (for engineering in 2020), APEGA did the same for geoscience on April 11, 2026, and EGBC, EGM, APEGNB and PEGNL assess Canadian practice through the CBA rather than a time requirement.

Experience from outside Canada can count, but you must show the equivalence. APEGS asks candidates to explain why their experience is equivalent, citing the standards, customs, codes and climates involved, and APEGA asks applicants with foreign experience to describe their familiarity with Canadian practices. On the shared system, validators of these competencies who are not licensed should be direct supervisors in the same area of practice.

Validators for geoscience applicants

On the shared system you need at least four validators who together cover at least four years. EGBC’s geoscience guide (also used by EGM), APEGNB and PEGNL require one of them to be your supervisor. The licensed count varies: APEGS and PEGNL want at least two licensed P.Eng./P.Geo. or equivalent, EGM’s policy is two licensed validators, EGBC prefers licensed validators where possible, and APEGNB publishes no number.

APEGA asks for at least three validators. Categories 1 to 3 must be validated by someone who reviewed your technical work: a P.Geo. or P.Eng. for work in Canada, or an equivalent geoscience practitioner (a geoscience degree plus four years of experience) for work abroad, who may be asked for credentials or a résumé. For the Complementary category, a P.Geo. or practitioner is preferred. APEGA also asks for references, at least one per employer.

Everywhere, validators rate independently, and their ratings and comments are confidential; you will not see them.

Writing your examples

Write one example per competency in Situation–Action–Outcome form, in the first person. The same project can support several competencies if the actions and outcome differ, but whole examples cannot be repeated.
Character limits: APEGS, EGM and PEGNL publish 300 / 1,200 / 300 (Situation / Action / Outcome). APEGA’s geoscience pages allow up to 1,800 characters for the Action.
Using work experience to waive confirmatory exams? At APEGS and EGM, geoscience candidates on that route report Categories 2 and 3 only, with three attempts. See whether your experience can waive confirmatory exams.

Geoscientists Canada’s profile is a different document

Geoscientists Canada published the Competency Profile for Professional Geoscientists at Entry to Practice on June 26, 2014. It lists 68 competencies common to all geoscientists under eight headings, plus 16 for geology, 19 for environmental geoscience, 14 for geophysics and 5 for the area of practice. The 29-competency CBA is a separate, shorter instrument, and the CBA guides do not say it was derived from the profile. The profile is useful background reading, but assessors score your examples against the 29 competencies and their indicators.

APEGS and APEGA also require P.Geo. applicants to pass the NPPE, which covers professional practice, ethics and law and has no technical questions.

🎯 Free NPPE Practice Test

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

Take Free NPPE Test

Frequently asked questions

Is the P.Geo. CBA the same as the engineering CBA?

It uses the same system, 0–5 scale and Situation–Action–Outcome format, but a different framework: 29 competencies in four categories, every category at 3, and seven Canadian competencies instead of eight. Engineering competency guides do not map one-to-one onto it.

Do I still need a year of Canadian work experience for a P.Geo.?

Not at APEGS (since January 1, 2025) or APEGA (since April 11, 2026), and EGBC, EGM, APEGNB and PEGNL assess Canadian practice through the seven competencies rather than a time requirement. If you are applying to PGO, check its current rules.

Can a P.Eng. validate my geoscience examples?

Often, if they know the work first-hand. APEGS and PEGNL count licensed P.Eng. or P.Geo. validators, APEGNB lets a P.Eng. validate geoscience work within their field, and APEGA accepts a P.Geo. or P.Eng. for Canadian work in Categories 1 to 3.

How many validators do I need?

At least four on the shared system, covering four years (EGBC, EGM, APEGNB and PEGNL also require one to be your supervisor), and at least three at APEGA. See how many validators each regulator requires.