As part of the process for becoming a Registered Practical Nurse in Ontario, an applicant must first successfully complete the Canadian Practical Nurse Registration Examination (CPNRE). This national examination measures the competencies required of nurses at the beginning of their practice.

Practical nurse educators, clinicians and administrators from across Canada develop the examination with assistance from Canada’s Testing Company, which ensures the CPNRE meets industry-accepted standards. Provincial and territorial regulatory authorities administer the exam within their jurisdictions and determine writing eligibility.

As of January 2012, the CPNRE will consist of 180-200 objective multiple choice questions. There is one Test Book that is written over a four-hour period.

Important Dates & Deadlines

Ontario Examination Centres

Remember:

• When submitting your application, please provide a first and second choice of examination centres.
• Applicants will be entered into a writing centre on a first come, first served basis.
• Requests for transfer from one writing centre to another will be considered if received in writing by the Deadline to Apply date of the examination.
• Requests for writing the examination in another province should be submitted in writing together with your application by the Deadline to Apply date of the examination.
• Your application and examination fee must be received by the College of Nurses before or on the deadline specified, regardless of the postmark. We recommend that you allow at least five days for your mailed payment to reach us by the due date.
  
  

Special accommodation requests, refund policies, preparing for the exam, what happens when you show up to write the exam, and more…