Exam FAQ

When you register for your module or exam, you will choose from the available exam cities. Only cities listed in the drop-down menu are available as in-person exam centres.

No. All writers registered for an in-person exam are required to be in-person at exam centres to write their CPA exams.

Information will be emailed out to all exam writers with specific details of the exam location in each city. Requests to change your exam centre to a different city must be made at least six weeks in advance of the scheduled exam dates and changes are subject to availability.

All writers are required to attend the in-person exam at their approved exam location in Canada. Accommodation is not made for candidates to write outside Canada.

Anyone living over 150 km away from one of the approved exam locations can submit an Alternate Exam Location request through My CPA Portal. Requests must be made at least six weeks before the exam date. Late requests will not be accepted.

If you were unsuccessful on your first attempt at an exam, you have the option to 

• re-write the exam portion only, or 
• participate in the full module for your second attempt.

You can register for a re-write exam during the registration period for any session. If you choose to re-write the exam or retake the full module on your second attempt, you will still be eligible to register for a re-write exam on your third and final attempt. However, you are limited to a maximum of three attempts in total, regardless of the option you choose.

If you are unable to attend your exam due to illness, please contact [email protected] to discuss options available to you to withdraw from or defer your exam. Supporting medical documentation will need to be provided.

Once you are assessed as Qualified to Write to the exam (QTR), you have the option to defer your exam to the next available offering. This can be completed through the My CPA Portal and should be done before the scheduled exam date. There is a fee associated with this option; however, if you defer based on an extenuating circumstance (such as illness) you may be eligible for a refund of the deferral fee and should contact [email protected] to discuss.

Important: If you defer an exam, you are required to write at the next offering, or your deferred exam will count as an unsuccessful attempt. Deferrals of previously deferred exams are considered on a case-by-case basis and require supporting documentation of an extenuating circumstance to be reviewed.

If you do not show up for your exam and do not defer it within the deferral period, you will receive an exam status of Did Not Write (DNW). A DNW exam status counts as an unsuccessful attempt at the module. If you receive a DNW exam status, you are not eligible to register to re-write the exam and must complete the full module on your next attempt.

You can apply for a one-time accommodation or an ongoing accommodation depending on your situation. Review the information regarding the exam accommodation process, including the forms required for submission.

You can submit an accommodation request through the My CPA portal. If you request an exam accommodation you will need to submit the appropriate supporting documentation completed by the appropriate professional(s) and returned at least 10 weeks before the scheduled exam date. We encourage you to provide any additional documentation, such as a psychoeducational assessment, that will assist with supporting the request.

Please email [email protected] for assistance with your request.

For this type of accommodation, please submit an accommodation request to ensure the on-site exam staff are informed of your requirements. Please email [email protected] for assistance with your request.

Exam venue location information will be provided to candidates via email approximately two weeks prior to the scheduled exam date.

To request a change of exam location after registering for an exam, please email  [email protected]. We will do our best to accommodate any requested changes; however, after the registration period closes all location changes are subject to location capacity.

You can request to write your exam in an exam centre outside the CPAWSB Western region by emailing [email protected] at least four weeks before the exam. Granting the request is not guaranteed and it is at the discretion of the other regions.

CPA Canada has strict exam rules. You must review the exam rules and regulations before each exam as this information is updated regularly. Review exam information. 

You will be required to arrive at least one hour before your exam begins. In large locations such as Vancouver, Burnaby, Surrey, Calgary, Edmonton, and Winnipeg, you may be required to arrive more than one hour before your exam starts to facilitate the sign-in and seating process. Arrival times for each exam centre will be communicated with the exam location details.

You will be assigned a seat when you arrive at the centre and must follow all instructions from the CPA staff and contractors on-site. Once seated, you will be provided with an exam booklet, a laptop, and a Texas Instruments BA II Plus calculator for the exam. You are not permitted to bring your own calculator. The information on the length of each exam is available on the exam blueprint: CRC: Resources for CPA evaluation - CPA Canada

Based on the schedule for the exam day, we suggest that writers do not schedule appointments or travel immediately before or after the exam as there could be delays. Food and beverages are not provided at the exam centres.

During sign-in, writers will be asked to provide a valid piece of government-issued photo ID for identity verification before being permitted at the exam centre.

The exam schedule is set nationally by CPA Canada each year. Exam dates cannot be moved or rescheduled as outlined in the Harmonized Education Policies. If you are unable to attend your exam, please contact [email protected] for information on what your options are.

Each module has a standard for participation that you are expected to meet. If you meet this standard, you are given the status of Qualified to Write (QTR) in the My CPA portal approximately one week before the exam. This means that based on your module participation you are qualified to write the exam on the scheduled exam date. 

If you do not meet the minimum requirements for the module, you may be assessed as Did Not Write (DNW) to write the exam. If you are assessed as DNQ, our office will contact you at least one week before the exam with an option to appeal the assessment to write the exam. If you show up at the exam centre with a DNQ status that has not been overturned by our office through the appeal process, you will be turned away.

The duration for exams varies by module and course. Typically, CPA exams are between 3-5 hours. Please refer to the exam blueprints to note the length of the exam you are registered for. 

Please review all exam regulations, including allowable and prohibited items. Any prohibited items brought into the exam centre will be confiscated. The CPA profession has intentionally set very strict exam regulations for CPA exams. These regulations intend to maintain the structure of the CPA exam process and the confidentiality of the CPA exam questions. All exam regulations must be followed at all times, before, during, and after the examination. You must be familiar with the regulations before arriving at your exam centre.

You will receive a laptop pre-loaded with the Surpass (SecureClient) software at the exam centre to write your exam. The laptop is locked down to restrict access to everything other than the exam software and CPA profession-provided reference materials. Within the software, you will have access to a word processor and spreadsheet software to capture your responses. The word processor and spreadsheet software may not have the full functionality of Microsoft Word and Excel. Learn more about the examination software.

SecureClient uses an emulated version of Microsoft Excel so some features from those that you would typically see in Microsoft Excel have been either changed or removed for security purposes. Below are some differences you should be aware of:

• AUTOSUM Function: the AUTOSUM function within SecureClient does not highlight the likely range to create a final number. You need to use your wired mouse/trackpad to highlight the range you wish to generate a sum for and then click Enter. 
• SORT Function: the SORT function within Secureclient does not allow you to specify a range of columns. To SORT in SecureClient, you must create a table of data. Highlight the data in the table, click Format as Table in the navigation bar, specify the type of table appearance and click OK.  
• Equal Sign: within SecureClient, the arrow keys will not allow you to specify a range to calculate. Once you create ‘=SUM’, you need to use your wired mouse/trackpad to highlight a range to calculate. 
• Dollar Sign ($): within SecureClient, if you wish to format a range of data as Canadian dollars, you must highlight the range of data you wish to format, right-click the highlighted range and select Format Cells. Choose the CURRENCY option under Category, select $ENGLISH (CANADA) in the Symbol field and click OK. 
• PLUS and MINUS: within SecureClient, the ‘=’ sign is not automatically added. You must use the ‘=’ sign to start any formula or calculations. 
• Format Painter: the format painter tool is unavailable within SecureClient. You need to use the format function. Please avoid trying to format large amounts of data at once as it may cause the laptop to freeze. 
• ALT-Tab Function: this does not work if you want to navigate between the word processor, spreadsheet, or reference materials. Learners should instead resize the window.

Learn more about the examination software.

Your exam will give a suggested time allotment for each section of the exam. This is a guideline only and you are expected to manage your own time while writing the exam. The exam centre staff and contractors will start the exam for all writers at the same time and will give time updates throughout the exam at each hour and when there are 30 minutes and 5 minutes remaining in the exam.

No. Once the exam time starts, it runs continuously until the time is up. You can request to use the washroom facilities by raising your hand and advising an invigilator before leaving the exam room. The exam clock is not stopped for any time spent away from your exam.

Depending on which exam you are writing, you could have a combination of multiple choice (objective format), constructed response questions, or case-based questions. Please reference the exam blueprints to note the assessment details for the exam(s) you are registered for.

No. You will not have access to any materials at the exam centre other than the profession-supplied laptop and reference materials. Any prohibited items brought into the exam centre will be confiscated.

No, you are not permitted to bring your own laptop to the exam centre. All writers will receive a CPA profession-supplied laptop with the exam software pre-loaded.

No. Please reference all exam regulations, including allowable and prohibited items. Any prohibited items brought into the exam centre, such as an external monitor, will be confiscated. The CPA profession has intentionally set very strict exam regulations for the CPA exams. These regulations intend to maintain the structure of the CPA exam process and the confidentiality of the CPA exam questions. All exam regulations must be followed at all times, before, during, and after the examination. You must be familiar with the regulations before arriving at your exam centre. 

Yes, most exam centres will have on-site IT proctors available to support any technical issues that may arise. Some secondary or remote centres are supported with an on-call IT proctor in the event they are needed. Please reference the list of CPA PEP exam locations.

For applicable exams, you can access the CPA Handbook, the Canadian Income Tax Act, and the Excise Tax Act in Knotia. Access to the e-books is not available during the exam.

You can view your overall exam results via the My CPA Portal and your detailed exam results by obtaining your exam results transcript on the National Candidate Portal. If you are having trouble accessing your result on the National Candidate Portal, please email [email protected].

If you are unsuccessful with a module, you will receive a detailed email to let you know the next steps required within approximately three hours following the results release. You should wait to receive the email to assess your options before taking any further actions in the portal.

If after three unsuccessful attempts in a core module exam, you will be removed from the CPA PEP program. If you want to continue to pursue the CPA designation after being removed from the program, you can apply for re-admission to CPA PEP and be assessed against the current CPA PEP entrance requirements. 

If after three attempts you are unsuccessful at an elective module exam, you can still attempt another elective module provided you have not exhausted three attempts in it. Candidates must successfully complete two of the four elective modules to be eligible for Capstone 1.

For information regarding how CPA Canada has determined your result, visit the Results webpage and select Interpreting Core or Elective Exam results.

If you are unsuccessful on an exam, you can request an exam re-mark through the My CPA portal within three business days of the exam results release.

To submit an exam re-mark, click “view” next to your unsuccessful exam and follow the prompts. Re-marks do not provide you with any additional feedback on your exam, it ensures that you receive credit for all competencies demonstrated.

A decile ranking is a grouping of 1 to 10 that only appears at the top of your transcript if you were unsuccessful on the exam. This means that, if unsuccessful, candidates are categorized into one of ten groupings. The lower the number, the closer the candidate was to meeting the passing standard, while higher numbers indicate a greater distance from the passing standard. The decile ranking is provided to help you decide if you should request a re-mark. The higher the decile ranking, the further away you are from the passing standard and therefore the lower the chance of a change in status on re-mark.