To be eligible to take the RPNCE, you must have met all of BCCNM’s other registration requirements for practising RPN registration.
If you are an applicant who has completed an approved psychiatric nursing education program in Canada, you must pass the RPNCE within a timeframe such that you can continue to meet the RPN Registration Requirement: Quality Assurance: Part B (RPN Practice Hours) (i.e. having graduated from a recognized psychiatric nursing program within the last five years, or having practised psychiatric nursing for at least 1400 hours within the preceding 5 years). To achieve this, most graduates should aim to pass the exam RPNCE within four years of completing their program.
If you are an internationally educated applicant, you must attempt the RPNCE within two years from the date you are eligible to write the exam. You must pass the exam within five years of the date you are eligible to write the exam.
To learn more, visit the RPN registration categories and requirements page.
The fee to write the exam is $661.50. The cost is the same across all provinces except for tax.
The RPNCE is a national multiple-choice, pencil and paper exam for RPNs in Canada that measures the entry-level competence and safety-to-practice of applicants seeking registration.
Learn more about the breakdown of exam content
Yes, if you have provisional registration. This registration is available is for those who have met all the requirements of Practicing registration except passing the exam and who have applied for and paid to write the next scheduled RPNCE. For more information about provisional registration, go to our provisional registration section.
If you are a new applicant to BCCNM, you will provide your consent for us to register you for the RPNCE and will pay the exam fee as part of your online application form. We will register you for the next exam for which you are eligible, unless you tell us you want to defer writing the exam for any reason.
If you submitted an application for RPN before Sept. 4, 2018, BCCNM staff will contact you once you are eligible to write the exam, and will explain the process you will need to follow to apply for and pay for it.
The RPNCE is offered three times a year on the third Wednesday in January, May and October. You may only apply for the next scheduled exam, not for one further in the future.
If you have provisional registration, your registration will be automatically converted to practising RPN registration. You will be notified once this has been done.
If you do not have provisional registration, you will be sent an email requesting payment of your registration fee. Once paid, you will receive a second email confirming your practising RPN registration.
If you fail on your first attempt at the exam, you may apply to write the exam again. Please contact register@bccnm.ca for instructions how to do this.
If you fail the exam twice, you may write it a third time after completing any conditions set by the BCCNM Registration Committee in order for you to be eligible to do so.
Note: You must pass the exam within a timeframe that you can continue to meet the RPN Quality Assurance requirement for practice hours.
If you have not successfully passed the exam after three attempts, you will need to complete an approved psychiatric nursing refresher program before any further attempts.
Note: You must pass the exam within a timeframe such that you can continue to meet the requirements set out in Continuing competence Part B (practice hours).
Check out the Frequently asked questions