CertNova

How technical exams are assigned

A regulator assigns technical exams when its academic assessment finds that your degree does not match a CEAB-accredited program. Most regulators outside Quebec draw them from the Engineers Canada examination syllabus, so the codes are shared, but how many exams you get and how you write them depends on the regulator.

Reviewed by Reza Kashi, P.Eng. Updated .

Engraved plate of the wooden bridge at Schaffhausen: a section and two plans of its truss.
Bridge, plate XC: the wooden bridge at Schaffhausen. Wellcome Collection.

Why exams are assigned

Canadian regulators measure academic preparation against CEAB-accredited programs. When a degree differs, the regulator either confirms your knowledge with a few confirmatory exams or fills specific gaps with exams on those subjects. Your assessment letter says which, and lists every code.

Reading your codes

Codes have three parts: the syllabus edition, the discipline and the exam. 16-Mec-A4 is the 2016 mechanical syllabus, Group A, exam 4: Design and Manufacture of Machine Elements.

Two code families are in use. PEO's lists and EGBC's Fall 2026 schedule use 04-BS, 11-CS, 16-Civ, 16-Mec and 16-Elec. Engineers Canada's current syllabus pages use newer numbers for some of the same subjects (22-Mec, 22-Elec, 20-BS, 23-CS), but nobody administers exams under those codes yet. Write to the code on your letter.

One trap: PEO's 16-Mec-A6 is Advanced Fluid Mechanics and 16-Mec-B6 is Fluid Machinery. On Engineers Canada's syllabus the two are the other way round. Go by your own letter.

How the regulators differ

RegulatorWhat it publishes (checked November 3, 2026)
PEO (Ontario)Describes a four-exam program for non-CEAB applicants: two Group A and one Group B, from any engineering discipline, plus one CS exam. Two online sittings a year; 50% minimum mark.
EGBC (British Columbia)Under Policy 1.A (January 30, 2026), a confirmatory program of three exams: two Group A and one Group B in your discipline, with no Complementary Studies exam. Accepts the US FE exam in your discipline in their place. Same exam codes as PEO, online sittings.
APEGA (Alberta)Assigns exams by board review; the Board of Examiners may also assign the FE exam. $500 plus GST per exam, two sessions a year, at most five exams per session, 50% minimum mark, written remotely.
APEGS (Saskatchewan)Exams are written online through EGBC; $460 per exam plus a 15% administration fee and GST. Accepts the US FE exam in place of three confirmatory exams.
OIQ (Quebec)Runs its own exams, in French and in person, in May and November.

When the CBA can replace exams

A few regulators let some applicants avoid confirmatory exams by showing their experience through the competency-based assessment instead. The rules are narrow; our guide on waiving exams through the CBA covers them.

Sources

Every fact above comes from these documents, read on November 3, 2026.

The finished Quebec Bridge seen from the north shore, around 1917.

Study on your phone

Lessons and problems you can finish in a lunch break, on your schedule. Prep opens in January 2027, and waitlist members get access for $1.

Join the waitlist