A female and two male professionals working on a project together with pink sticky notes in the background.
A female and two male professionals working on a project together with pink sticky notes in the background.

Examinations

CPA core preparatory course examinations are written in exam centres throughout Western Canada on CPA-issued laptops and marked by CPA Canada national markers. All preparatory course core exams are written in a lockdown exam writing software. The non-core preparatory course examinations are written remotely, using a online exam software. For more information, refer to the exam computer requirements. 

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Registering for an Exam

Exam registration is separate from module registration and must be completed at least six weeks before your preferred exam date. For details about exam dates, registration and withdraw deadlines, please review the exam schedule. 

  • Exams for open enrollment courses must be written within one year of registering for the course.
  • All exams for semester based core courses must be written within one year of the course start date.
Learn more on exam registration and withdrawals

When registering for a CPA preparatory course exam, select one of the following locations within Western Canada to write the exam: 

Primary exam locations (on-site IT support): 

  • BC: Abbotsford, Burnaby,  Kamloops, Kelowna, Nanaimo, Prince George, Surrey, Vancouver, Victoria 
  • Alberta: Calgary, Edmonton, Grande Prairie, Lethbridge, Medicine Hat, Red Deer 
  • Saskatchewan: Regina, Saskatoon 
  • Manitoba: Brandon, Winnipeg 

Secondary examination locations (remote IT support):  

  • BC: Castlegar, Cranbrook, Fort St. John, Revelstoke, Terrace 
  • Alberta: Fort McMurray, Lloydminster, Peace River 
  • Nunavut: Iqaluit 
  • Saskatchewan: Swift Current 
  • Manitoba: The Pas, Thompson 
  • Yukon: Whitehorse 
  • Northwest Territories: Yellowknife 

Anyone living over 150 km away from one of the exam locations listed above can submit an Alternate Exam Location request through My CPA Portal.  Learn more about alternate exam locations in section 6.5 of the CPA Preparatory Courses Student Guide. 

Requests to change exam locations must be made at least six weeks before the exam by emailing [email protected]. Changes are subject to availability. 

Exam locations include convention centres, hotel conference centres, banquet halls, or post-secondary institutions. Specific details (address, start times, etc.) will be emailed to registered students approximately two weeks before the scheduled exam date. Exam locations and times may differ from day to day. 

CPA Canada has strict policies regarding acceptable items to bring into the exam centre. Students are responsible for reviewing the CPA Examination Regulations before every exam as it is updated regularly.  

The only calculator learners are provided with at the exam is the Texas Instrument BA II Plus. No other calculator models – including the Texas Instrument BA II Professional – are permitted. As such, learners are encouraged to purchase one to use through the duration of the course to become familiar with the functions. 

Learners will continue to use their laptops to complete coursework. For all core course exams, learners will use CPA issued laptops preloaded with lockdown software at the examination writing centre to write their exams. For more information on the lockdown software used, and to help familiarize you with the exam writing environment, please refer to the CPA Canada website .

For non-core course exams, learners will use their own laptops to complete the exams securely from a remote location, such as your home or work office. For more information on the computer requirements for the online exam software, please visit the CPA Online Questions and Answers document posted within the Exam Information widget on the course cohort in Brightspace (D2L).
 

CPA Western School of Business provides reasonable one-time and ongoing exam accommodations to students for a variety of reasons.

Learn more about exam accommodations.

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Are you ready to register in an exam?

Check out the Exam Schedule