National Professional Practice Exam (NPPE)

The NPPE is an online exam that covers ethics, professional practice, engineering law and professional liability. It is a requirement for licensure.

The National Professional Practice Examination (NPPE) is a requirement for licensure.

The NPPE is a 2.5-hour, closed-book, online exam that covers ethics, professional practice, engineering law and professional liability. It adheres to the Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing, ensuring the exam is valid, reliable and fair.

Starting July 1, completing the NPPE before submitting your application will make it eligible for processing within 90 days. This streamlines the licensing process while offering excellent flexibility:

  • The timeline to write the NPPE is limitless.
  • Write the NPPE as soon as you’re ready, even right after graduation.
  • Take as much time as you need to prepare for the exam.
  • Write the exam as many times as necessary to ensure success.

How to book the NPPE

To qualify for a P.Eng. licence, you need either a CEAB-accredited engineering degree or a degree from PEO's Recognized Programs List (RPL), along with a technical exam program. All prospective applicants need to confirm their academic eligibility and complete the National Professional Practice Exam (NPPE) before submitting their application.

To confirm your academic eligibility:

  • CEAB graduates must submit official transcripts.
  • Non-CEAB graduates from a program on the RPL must submit a World Education Services Academic Evaluation report.
    • Only select a program from the RPL if it matches your academic credentials; otherwise, your application may be delayed or invalid. You can view the RPL by completing the "Am I ready to apply?" survey.
    • If your program is not listed, you can submit a Program Verification Request through the application portal to verify your credentials.

After confirming your academic eligibility, you can book your NPPE through the application portal during an open registration period. The NPPE is offered via remote proctoring five times a year:

  • January/February
  • April
  • June
  • August/September
  • November

Refer to the NPPE registration schedule below for specific dates. Accommodations can be made for those with a demonstrated need. For more information, contact the PEO Exam Centre at [email protected].

 

If you submitted your application between May 15, 2023, and July 1, 2025, you must pass the NPPE by the date specified by PEO.

The deadline ensures that we can process your application within 180 days, which is the timeline for submissions received during this period, and reflects the time required for exam processing.

We will notify you to confirm that your application is complete and will send instructions for writing the exam, along with the date by which you must take it. Once you have received the notification, you will be able to register for the NPPE through PEO’s application portal during an open registration period.

If you submitted your application before May 15, 2023, you may write the NPPE at any time during the period specified by PEO, if you:

  • Acquired 48 months of engineering work experience
  • Pass the NPPE within two years of being notified that your academic requirements were satisfied

We recommend that you complete the NPPE promptly to reduce the time required to obtain your licence.

Writing the NPPE

The exam includes 110 multiple-choice questions covering six subject areas based on textbook information and other resources. You will have 2.5 hours to complete the exam. Although it contains specialized vocabulary and terms, the exam is not a test of English language proficiency and is regularly verified to ensure it functions at a grade-10 readability level. Click the link to find out more.

Read about the NPPE syllabus 

We recommend three textbooks and several free resources as study materials to prepare for the NPPE. Click the link below to learn more.

Read about recommended study materials

Several practice tests are available to help you prepare for the NPPE. Practice test questions are sampled from previous NPPE exams. The practice test provides detailed feedback indicating areas of strength and weakness in your knowledge. To best use the practice tests, we recommend taking one early when studying to determine which areas to focus on and another later to reassess your understanding.

The practice test site also sells an NPPE preparation package, which includes two textbooks and discounted access to a 100-question practice test. Click the links below for more details.

Order practice tests

Order an NPPE preparation package

Exam and Results Schedule

Candidates who register to write the NPPE should receive a booking confirmation email with their exam date and time from Meazure Learning approximately three to four weeks from the scheduled NPPE date. Contact Meazure Learning at [email protected] if you have not received this confirmation within three weeks from the scheduled NPPE date.

Even if you've registered and paid for the NPPE with PEO, you're not scheduled to write the exam until you confirm the date and time with Meazure Learning. Without this confirmation, you'll be marked as "Withdrawal” This won't count as a failure, but your payment will be forfeited and will need to pay for future sittings, as long as you're still eligible to write again.  

If Meazure deems the technical difficulty encountered is due to personal equipment issues, you will be coded as "Withdrawal" and will need to pay again at your next sitting, as long as you're still eligible to write again. Please note that the equipment used must be your own personal device, not a work or school issued laptop, as such devices often have restrictions that can interfere with the exam software. It is your responsibility to ensure your equipment is fully updated and properly configured to avoid any issues. If you face any issues at the time of the exam, you must inform us immediately and during the exam week, as it is important that we are made aware of the situation right away.

 

NPPE Dates Registration open from Results issued by email approximately by
June 2 - 4, 2025 March 25 - April 28, 2025 July 8, 2025
September 8 - 10, 2025 June 9 - July 14, 2025 October 3, 2025
November 17 - 19, 2025 August 23 - October 6, 2025 December 10, 2025
January 19 - 21, 2026 October 27 - December 8, 2025 February 13, 2026
March 30 - April 1, 2026 January 5 - February 16, 2026 April 24, 2026
June 8 - 10, 2026 March 23 - April 27, 2026 July 3, 2026
August 17 - 19, 2026 June 1 - July 6, 2026 September 18, 2026
November 2 - 4, 2026 August 24 - September 21, 2026 November 27, 2026

NPPE Documents

 

Suggested Textbooks


Please download the study materials and review the suggested textbooks listed below. You must be familiar with this information to pass the NPPE. Textbooks cannot be purchased from PEO. Please get in touch with the publisher or your local university. 

*Please note that textbooks cannot be purchased at PEO. Please contact the publisher or your local university. 

Professional Practice and Ethics

Gordon C. Andrews, Patricia Shaw, John McPhee "Canadian Professional Engineering and Geoscience: Practice and Ethics”, 6th Edition, 2019, published by Nelson Education Ltd.
ISBN: 0-17-676467-4
Tel: (416) 752-9448 or 1-800-268-2222
Fax: (416) 752-8101 or 1-800-430-4445
www.nelson.com
 

Engineering Law and Professional Liability

Title: "Law for Professional Engineers, Canadian and Global Insights", Fifth Edition, 2019 Published by: McGraw-Hill Education
Author: D.L. Marston
ISBN: 978-1-260-13590-9
Tel: 1-800-565-5758
Fax: 1-800-463-5855
www.mheducation.ca/professional
 

Title: “Practical Law of Architecture, Engineering, and Geoscience”, Third Canadian Edition, 2015 Published by Pearson Canada
Author: Brian M. Samuels and Doug R. Sanders
ISBN: 978-0133575231
Tel: 1-800-567-3800
www.pearson.com/ca/en.html