The CPNRE: the practical nurse exam in most of Canada.

Where do practical nurses write the CPNRE?

The CPNRE blueprint for 2022 to 2026 lists these regulators. Contact yours for eligibility, dates and fees.

Province or territory	Regulator
Alberta	College of LPNs and HCAs of Alberta (CLHA)
Saskatchewan	Saskatchewan Association of Licensed Practical Nurses, as the blueprint names it
Manitoba	College of Licensed Practical Nurses of Manitoba
New Brunswick	Association of New Brunswick Licensed Practical Nurses
Nova Scotia	Nova Scotia Nursing and Midwifery Regulator
Prince Edward Island	College of Licensed Practical Nurses of Prince Edward Island
Newfoundland and Labrador	NL College of Nurses (since 15 April 2026)
Yukon	Registrar of Licensed Practical Nurses

In Ontario, registered practical nurses write the REx-PN for CNO, and in British Columbia licensed practical nurses write it for BCCNM.

What is on the CPNRE?

Between 160 and 170 multiple-choice questions. Between 40 and 60 percent stand alone, and the rest come in sets of about 3 to 5 questions about a short health-care scenario. Some questions are experimental and do not count toward your score.

Competency category	Share of the exam
Foundations of practice	60 to 70%
Professional, ethical and legal practice	15 to 25%
Collaborative practice	10 to 20%

Most questions test application (at least 50%) and critical thinking (at least 45%). Recall of facts is capped at 5%.

How is the CPNRE different from the REx-PN?

The CPNRE is a fixed-length exam of 160 to 170 questions. The REx-PN exam, used in Ontario and BC, is computer adaptive and stops between 90 and 150 questions. Both test entry-level practical nursing, and you write the one your regulator uses, not the one you prefer. Compare the NCLEX-RN and REx-PN.

How many times can I write the CPNRE?

Your provincial regulator sets the limit, so check yours. In Alberta, CLHA allows 4 attempts; if you do not pass on the fourth, you must complete a practical nursing program again before you can write it. Alberta also ends provisional registration after 3 failed attempts or after 1 year, whichever comes first.

The CPNRE runs in 6 month-long testing windows a year: January, March, May, July, September and November. A rewrite goes into a later window, and your regulator gives you the application deadline. The REx-PN works differently: no limit on attempts, with at least 60 days between them.

I trained outside Canada. Where do I start?

With your provincial regulator, which decides whether your education qualifies you to write. Many internationally educated practical nurses begin with a credential assessment through NNAS, which serves RN, LPN and RPN applicants, and the regulator may then ask for a competency assessment or further education before the exam. Two provinces publish their routes in detail:

• Alberta (CLHA): a credential assessment or NNAS report, a verification of registration from the last six months, and 1,000 practice hours in the past four years or graduation in that time. CLHA may refer you to a clinical exam (OSCE). Once approved to write, provisional registration lets you work under supervision while you wait, for up to one year.
• Newfoundland and Labrador (NL College of Nurses): entry-level RN education from Australia, Ghana, Hong Kong, Ireland, India, New Zealand, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines or the UK meets the education requirement. You also need graduation in the last 3 years, or 1,125 hours as an LPN or RN in the last 5 years, or 450 in the last 2. Approved applicants can write the CPNRE and get a 4-month temporary licence with a potential LPN job in the province.

Trained with a diploma such as India's GNM? See the practical nurse routes for GNM nurses.

Who writes the CPNRE?

Yardstick Assessment Strategies develops it with the provincial and territorial practical nurse regulators. Its blueprint is based on entry-level competencies validated by the Canadian Council for Practical Nurse Regulators.