You must read this pamphlet in its entirety to familiarize yourself with the remaining requirements of the examination program. Now that you have an examination assessment you have four options:

We will deal with the four in turn.

Examinations are administered twice per year in the first week of May and November. You must use the attached Application to Write Technical Examinations form. It provides details on fees, deadlines, conditions, and other relevant information. Four weeks prior to the examination you will receive specific information on the time, location, materials allowed in the examination room, and an admittance slip. On the day of the examination you will also have to present a piece of photo-identification.

The examinations are of three hours duration and may be either Open or Closed Book at the examiner's discretion. If Open Book, prime textbooks only may be brought into the examination room for your personal use only. If Closed Book, no materials, notes or texts are allowed. Only non-programmable, battery operated, silent, non-printing calculators will be allowed in the examination room.

You will be notified in writing of your marks by the end of June and December. Marks cannot be revealed over the phone.

Examination papers are destroyed 30 days after receipt of notification of the marks.

If your examination assessment gives you a choice in the selection of examinations you write, you must ultimately pass the examinations originally chosen. You may not switch to others and ignore the failed examinations.

The examinations follow the CCPE (Canadian Council of Professional Engineers) Syllabi. Each syllabus covers the subjects, a brief description of the material in each subject, and the recommended textbooks for each examination. Each engineering program is divided into three sections:

While the subject descriptions in the attached Syllabi are brief and are only meant to broadly outline the subject material listed, the prime texts, in whole or in part, have been selected for their detailed coverage of the material. Supplementary texts listed may also be useful. Every attempt is made to keep the references current. Texts may be revised after the May and November examination sessions as a part of the examination review and it is your responsibility to ensure you have the current recommended texts. Please note that it takes a minimum of 6 weeks to order textbooks not in stock and that it is your responsibility to get your own books. In a limited number of examinations, certain parts of the subject matter are not covered in the textbooks. In such cases, it may be helpful to use library resources and/or to consult with others who are knowledgeable in the subject area.

Old technical examination papers are available for purchase through the APEGGA office, Examinations Department. Only one old examination paper is available for each subject and may be purchased for a nominal fee by using the attached Old Technical Examination Order Form.

The Board wishes to caution applicants against relying too heavily on the old examinations as an indication of what to expect. The Board will not protect you against changes in format, difficulty or emphasis.

If assessed confirmatory examinations you must write the APEGGA examinations. Course equivalents will not be considered. The purpose of confirmatory examinations is to confirm your understanding of material already taken.

If assessed examinations on a course by course basis due to deficiencies in your academic background, you may be granted exemption from the examinations by taking course equivalents from the University of Alberta or The University of Calgary. In addition, Athabasca University offers a limited number of course equivalents at the Preliminary and Basic Studies level. A list of course equivalents is attached. Should you wish to take a course that is not approved but that you feel may qualify as a course equivalent, you must submit a detailed course description to the APEGGA office at least two months in advance of the deadline to apply for the requested course equivalent.

If you are contemplating taking equivalent courses you should contact the appropriate institutions because course quotas may exist. If you advise them you need the course to fulfill an APEGGA requirement they are usually very accommodating.

For APEGGA examinations, a mark of 50% or greater is required to pass.

For course equivalents, a clear pass is required. For the U of A a passing grade of 5 or above is required, for the U of C a passing grade of C (not C-) or above is required, and for Athabasca University an equivalent clear pass must be attained.

Time Limitations

You must write confirmatory examinations at the times indicated in your examination assessment letter. You must start to write course by course examinations by the examination session specified in your examination assessment letter and must attempt at least one examination (or course equivalent) every year (two examination sessions) thereafter. For non-degreed applicants the examinations should be completed within ten years. For those with baccalaureate degrees that are not in engineering, geology or geophysics (e.g. B.Sc.-Chemistry, Math, Physics, etc.) the examinations should be completed in five years.

If you do not apply for and pay for the examinations by the appropriate deadlines, your file will be withdrawn.

If you apply for and pay for your examinations but fail to appear for the designated examinations, there will be no refund of the examination fees and you will be given a mark of zero (i.e. a failure).

Any marked examination may be reviewed under supervision in either the Edmonton or Calgary APEGGA offices. If you disagree with a mark you must request a reread in writing accompanied with a cheque for $50.00 within 30 days of receiving notice of your marks. The fee will be refunded if you are successful in obtaining a passing grade.

If you have been assessed confirmatory examinations, and you fail an examination you will likely be assessed an additional penalty examination. If you fail all the original assessed examinations you will be given a full assessment of examinations which usually includes 9 Professional level examinations plus 3 Complementary Studies examinations, and may also include additional Preliminary and Basic Studies examinations. If you fail all examinations as a result of failing to appear, your application will also be withdrawn.

If you have been assessed examinations on a course by course basis and you fail an assessed examination, you will be permitted three further attempts. Should you fail to pass the failed examination in four attempts the Board may withdraw your application.

Keeping in mind the assessment policies of the Board, if you feel that the Board has overlooked something and you wish to question the examination assessment you may request:

1. A written request for reconsideration of a decision must be received by APEGGA within 30 days of receipt of the letter advising you of the Board's decision.

2. A fee of $100.00 (G.S.T. exempt) must accompany the request. If the examination assessment is waived or reduced, the fee will be refunded.

1. An appeal must be made in writing, and received by APEGGA within 30 days of receipt of the letter advising you of the decision of the Executive Committee.

3. The appeal must provide detailed reasons, appropriate supporting materials, and grounds for the appeal.

4. If your appeal is successful, both the fee for the reconsideration and the appeal fee will be refunded, otherwise, both are forfeited.

* Please note that nothing done by way of a reconsideration or appeal under this policy removes from the applicant the statutory right of an appeal to the Appeal Board given by Section 31(4) of the Engineering, Geological and Geophysical Professions Act in the event of a decision by the Board of Examiners to refuse an application. If the Board has required an applicant to pass one or more examinations and/or to obtain additional experience, it means the Boards' decision has been to defer, not refuse, approval of the application until it is satisfied that the applicant has complied with the requirement.

1. APEGGA will receive deferral requests up to the day of the examination, if examination fees have been paid.

2. Examination fees paid will not be refunded if the deferral request is received after the deadline to apply to write the examination.

3. One deferral request may be granted by staff. Subsequent requests will be evaluated by the Board. If there is no clear commitment by you as to when the examination will be written your application will be withdrawn.