APEGA Competency-Based Assessment: A Guide for Alberta Engineers

APEGA is the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta, the regulator that licenses professional engineers and geoscientists in Alberta.

APEGA's Competency-Based Assessment is built on 22 key competencies. You must provide an example and a self-assessed level for each, supported by validators.

At least 48 months of acceptable engineering experience; APEGA declines applications with less. Up to 12 months of pre-graduation engineering work, done after two years of post-secondary engineering or engineering-technology study, can count. Since July 18, 2026, APEGA no longer requires a year of Canadian experience for engineering applicants; instead, eight Canadian-environment competencies must each meet their minimum rating.

Yes. You must pass the NPPE, which covers professionalism, ethics, law and professional practice, before APEGA licenses you, and APEGA only lets you write it once your P.Eng. application is in progress.

APEGA uses 22 competencies and PEO uses 34, with different systems. The core skill of writing clear, owned examples with engineering judgment transfers between them.

Yes. CBA Pro follows APEGA's 22-competency model and character limits. It interviews you about your own work and turns your CV and your answers into a Situation, Action, Outcome draft for you to review and improve, showing you where information is still missing. APEGA expects you to complete its forms yourself, so read every line and change anything that is not exactly what you did.

At least three; APEGA declines applications with fewer. Each competency is rated by one validator (one person can validate up to 20 competencies), a P.Eng. registered in Canada is expected for technical (Category 1) work done in Canada, and an engineering practitioner with an engineering degree and four years' experience can validate work done abroad. You also need at least one reference per employer to confirm your dates and position.

Situation 400 characters, Action 1,800 and Outcome 400, spaces included, per APEGA's CBA Guide V7.4 (July 18, 2026). Staff can't see text beyond the limit, and bullet points or blank lines can use up the space. Write one example per competency, in the first person.

Competencies are rated 0–5, and category averages must reach 3.0 (2.0 for Project & Financial Management and for Social, Economic, Environmental & Sustainability). The eight Canadian-environment competencies (1.1, 1.6, 1.9, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 5.1 and 6.2) must each reach 3 (6.2 needs 2); if any falls short, the application cannot proceed. APEGA's Board of Examiners makes the decision; validator ratings are one input.

APEGA's service standard is up to six months from the point your application is administratively complete. Your validators' and references' forms are due within 90 days of paying the application fee, and the Board of Examiners, which meets monthly except in July, emails its decision by the end of the month after its meeting.

Not to write it. APEGA expects you to complete the forms yourself and warns that content produced by AI is often generic. AI can help you organize your notes and check your own draft for gaps, but your examples must be your own work and you remain responsible for them.