The Canadian Nurse Practitioner Licensing Exam (CNPLE) is a new written exam that reflects current NP education and practice, which includes all client ages and practice settings. BCCNM will administer its first sitting of the CNPLE in February 2027.
How to apply
- 1. Apply for licensure with BCCNM (and accommodations if required)
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- To apply to write the CNPLE, you need to apply for practising licensure. All licensure requirements must be met in order to be determined eligible for the exam.
- Please ensure you review the exam dates and deadlines below and submit your application in advance of when you plan to write the CNPLE.
- If you have a documented disability or special need that requires a testing accommodation, please review the information about requesting an accommodation below. It can take up to eight weeks for BCCNM to assess an accommodation request, so it is important that you apply early.
- 2. Receive confirmation of your CNPLE dates from BCCNM
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- You’ll receive an email confirming the exam window you will be registered for and actions you must take with Meazure Learning to pay for, schedule and select your preferred test centre location. Please read that email carefully for important information about program completion deadlines (for B.C. graduates) and exam withdrawal deadlines.
- If you do not receive an exam date confirmation email from BCCNM by the application due date in the table below, you are not registered for that exam window. Please email exams@bccnm.ca by the application date to request registration for the next CNPLE writing window.
- Late applications cannot be accepted.
- 3. Pay for the exam and select your writing location and date
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- Approximately three to four weeks before the exam window, Meazure Learning will send you an email with instructions to register and pay for the exam. To be sure you receive this email, put
testingsupport@meazurelearning.com in your email contacts list.
- You will select a writing location within Canada from a pre-determined list and select an available exam date during the exam window.
- After registering, Meazure Learning will send you a confirmation email with your exam date, location, exam and venue rules, and confirmation of accommodations (if applicable). Follow the instructions in this email closely.
- IMPORTANT: You will have eight days to purchase your exam. If you do not purchase the exam within this window, you will not be able to write the exam and will have to wait until the next sitting.
Fees
The fee to write the CNPLE is $887.50+tax per attempt. This fee is paid to the exam provider, Meazure Learning, when you schedule your exam. This amount does not include BCCNM application and licensing fees.
Exam dates and deadlines
Exam dates and deadlines are being confirmed. Please check back.
Preparing for the CNPLE
The following materials are available to help you prepare for the CNPLE. If the information you're looking for isn't include in the materials below, check the frequently asked questions.
- Exam Blueprint
- The
CNPLE Blueprint provides a summary of the content convered in the exam and the kind of questions exam writers can expect.
- Study Guide
- The
CNPLE Study Guide provides information about the CNPLE, test taking, and study strategies, and a bibliography of study resources.
- Practice Test
- An
online practice test is available for purchase. The test includes 80 questions similar to those asked on the CNPLE. For each question, rationales are provided for correct and incorrect answers. After the test is completed, you will be able to review your performance.
- A note about third-party prep materials
- Third-party prep materials
- While it is your choice to determine if you will find these materials useful, please know that:
- BCCNM does not review third-party prep courses and cannot endorse them.
- No third-party has access to the CNPLE questions. Be wary of any resource claiming to have access.
Exam results
BCCNM will notify you of your exam result approximately four weeks after the exam window closes.
- If you pass
- When we notify you of your exam result, we will inform you of any remaining requirements for your licence.
- If you have met all requirements and have a provisional licence, your licence will automatically be converted to a practising registered psychiatric nurse licence.
- If you do not have a provisional licence, you'll be provided information by email about how to select your start date and licensing fee.
- If you fail
- You will be sent a performance summary.
- If you have provisional license, you can continue practising if you fail the exam on your first attempt. If you fail the exam a second time, your provisional license will expire four to six weeks after the notification of your second failure.
Learn more.
- You can take the exam a maximum of three times within four years of graduation from an approved psychiatric nursing program (or for international applicants, within two years of approval to write the examination).
- Requesting a re-score
Exam accommodations
Any applicant who plans to take the CNPLE has the right to request an exam accommodation — a modification of exam procedures or testing conditions. It is designed to meet the particular needs of the applicant. Examples include additional time, a separate room, or a separate room and a reader.
- Qualifying for exam accommodation
- To qualify for an exam accommodation, your request must:
- Be based on a professionally recognized diagnosis of a disability, impairment, condition, or disorder (or any other grounds listed in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms or the BC Human Rights Code).
- Show how your condition, disability, or disorder will interfere with your ability to take the exam, and how the accommodation you are requesting addresses it.
- Be based on a current condition, disability, or disorder, not something you no longer live with.
- Ensure the integrity of the exam remains intact.
- Requesting an accommodation
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- You must submit your accommodation request by the apply for accommodation due date for the exam date you intend to register for.
- To request an accommodation, please send an email to
exams@bccnm.ca to request the required documents. We will send you forms to be completed by you, your education program (if relevant), and your health care professional. Please carefully complete these forms and gather all supporting documents required as soon as possible to help avoid delays in the review of your request.
- There is no fee for requesting an accommodation; however, you are responsible for any costs associated with collecting the supporting documentation (e.g., assessment/reporting fees charged by health professionals to complete the form or submit an assessment of your diagnosis, etc.).
- Accommodation requests and your application for licensure
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- Capacity to practise nursing is a requirement for licensure and includes the capacity to practise safely. To determine if your physical or mental condition, disorder, or disability could affect your ability to practise nursing safely, BCCNM may use the information you or your health professional submits.
- If BCCNM or the License Committee plans to review the information submitted with your request for accommodation, we will notify you. You will have an opportunity to submit information for consideration before they decide your eligibility for licensure.
Frequently asked questions
- Why is a new exam needed?
- Regulatory exams are one tool that BCCNM uses to evaluate an NP applicant's readiness to practice safely and competently. A new exam was required to reflect the evolution of NP education and practice in Canada, which includes all client ages and practice settings.
- Who is the exam provider?
- The
Canadian Council of Registered Nurse Regulators partnered with exam vendor, Meazure Learning, to develop the CNPLE.
- What client populations or settings are covered in the exam?
- The CNPLE covers all client ages and health care practice settings, and reflects the NP Entry Level Competencies updated in 2024.
- What is the format of the new exam?
- The CNPLE is a written exam that uses a linear-on-the-fly (LOFT) format. Each test-taker will receive a unique batch of questions, but all test-takers will complete the same number of questions at the same level of difficulty.
- Will the current written NP Licensing exams continue to be available?
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- BCCNM will continue to accept NP exams currently approved by the college for applicaitons submitted on or before December 31, 2026.
- If you choose to take an exam other than the CNPLE, you must submit your exam result by April 30, 2027. If you don't submit your result by this date, you'll be required to take the CNPLE.
- Effective January 1, 2027, The CNPLE will be the only NP licensing exam approved for initial applicants.