NP-Primary Health Care (Ontario)

The Canadian Nurse Practitioner Examination (CNPE: F/AA) is administered by Yardstick Assessment Strategies Inc. This exam is approved for NP candidates applying to the College of Nurses of Ontario for the Primary Health Care specialty certificate. 

The exam is based on the 2018: CNPE F/AA Blueprint and has 170-190 multiple choice questions written over a four-hour period. The CNPE blueprint and preparatory tool are available at www.ccrnr.ca/familyall-ages.html.

You have up to three attempts to pass this exam.

How to Apply

The Canadian Nurse Practitioner Examination is a computer-based exam.

Note:

• Once CNO has determined that you are eligible to write the CNPE, you must submit your exam registration through CNO's online portal. CNO will then send your information to Yardstick.
• You will be granted access to Yardstick’s seat reservation and examination delivery website. Approximately 4 weeks before the scheduled exam, you will receive an email notification from Yardstick. You will then be able to choose your test centre location, access the examination platform tutorial and pay your examination fee.
• If you want to request any changes to your examination, contact Yardstick at support@yas.getyardstick.com. Changes can only be made up to 10 business days before your exam. For more information, read the Candidate Examination Handbook by Yardstick.  
• Candidates that require accommodation for writing the exam should contact CNO at least 90 days before the examination.
• The CNPE blueprint and preparatory tool are available at www.ccrnr.ca/familyall-ages.html.

Important Dates and Deadlines

Writing the Examination

You must bring a piece of unexpired government-issued photo identification and a copy of the email that Yardstick sent to you to confirm your booking. Acceptable forms of identification are: a valid passport, a driver's licence or a Permanent Resident card.

For more information, read the Canadian Examination Handbook by Yardstick.

After the Examination

You will be notified about your results six weeks after the examination. Results will not be released over the phone.

It is important that you notify the College promptly of any change of name or contact information during the examination process to ensure you receive your exam results. Requests for name changes must be accompanied by a legal document, such as a marriage certificate.

Questions? Contact the College's Customer Service Centre at 416 928-0900 (toll-free in Canada 1 800 387-5526), or e-mail exams@cnomail.org.

Request a Re-score 

You have the option to request a re-score of your CNPE results.   

If you would like to have your CNPE exam results re-scored, please submit your request to CNO at enp@cnomail.org with the subject line, “CNPE Re-score Request.”  

Please provide the following details when submitting your request:  

• Your first and last name 
• Your application or registration number 
• The date you wrote the exam  

You can request a re-score within two months of receiving your score. 

There is a fee of $110.00 for the re-score request. CNO does not collect payment information in writing. Once your request is received, CNO will contact you about making your payment. Please do not contact CNO to provide payment until we have notified you that your request has been received.  

We will only submit your re-score request to the exam provider once we receive your written request and your payment has been processed.  

Questions? Contact the College's Customer Service Centre at 416 928-0900 (toll-free in Canada 1 800 387-5526), or e-mail at cno@cnomail.org.  

Page last reviewed February 09, 2024