As of 2026, all Canadian nurse practitioners (NPs)–except Quebec and neonatal NPs–will be educated and licensed to practice across all client ages and in all health care practice settings. A new regulatory exam, the Canadian NP Licensure Exam (CNPLE), is under development to support this
new regulatory approach.
Exam development documents
- Entry-level competencies
- The
NP Entry-level Competencies are the integrated knowledge, skills, behaviours, attitudes, critical thinking, and clinical judgment expected of an entry-level (newly graduated) NP to provide safe, competent, and ethical care.
- Exam Blueprint
- The Exam Blueprint provides instructions and guidelines on how competencies and practice statements (i.e., knowledge, skills, attributes and judgments) need to be presented in the exam content to accurately test a candidate’s readiness to practice safely, effectively and ethically.
The Blueprint also includes:
- The total number of exam questions
- Target percentage of questions for each domain or practice statement section.
- The number and percentage of questions targeted to different levels of complexity, from basic knowledge and recall to detailed scenario-based questions requiring analysis and synthesis of knowledge and critical thinking.
- Practice Analysis
- The
NP Practice Analysis was completed in August 2024 by NP practice subject matter experts, and validated through a survey of all Canadian NPs. The Practice Analysis informs the development of test questions for the new national entry-to-practice or licensure exam.
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Frequently asked questions
- Why is a new exam needed?
- Exams currently recognized by BCCNM reflect the streams of NP practice: adult, family, and pediatric. In the future, NPs are going to be educated and licensed to practice with all client ages and in all health settings, so a new exam was required to reflect all streams of care.
- Who is developing the exam?
- The
Canadian Council of Registered Nurse Regulators has partnered with exam vendor, Meazure Learning, to develop the CNPLE.
- When will the new exam be available?
- The exam is under development and is estimated to be available in 2026.
- What client populations or settings will be covered in the exam?
- The CNPLE will cover all client ages and health care practice settings, reflecting the new national regulatory model where NPs will be educated and licensed to practice across the client life span and health care settings. The exception will be neonatal NPs, who will continue to be educated and licensed as they are today.
- What is the format of the new exam?
- The CNPLE is a written exam that uses a linear-on-the-fly (LOFT) format. Each test-taker will receive a unique batch of questions, but all test-takers will complete the same number of questions at the same level of difficulty.
- Will the current written NP registration exams continue to be available?
- While the CNPLE is under development, BCCNM will continue to accept
recognized nurse practitioner written exams for family, adult, and pediatric streams of practice. Once the CNPLE is available, it will be the only licensing exam accepted by BCCNM on a go-forward basis. Applicants who pass one of the currently recognized written exams before the CNPLE is available will not have to take the new exam.
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