In January 2026 the Canadian Alliance of Physiotherapy Regulators (CAPR) replaced the two-part Physiotherapy Competency Examination with a single exam, the Canadian Physiotherapy Examination. If you prepared for the PCE, or you're using material written for it, here is what's different and what it means for your study.
Updated September 2026 · Sources: CAPR Candidate Guide (November 2025), CAPR transition notice, provincial regulator notices. Verify dates and fees on alliancept.org before you book.
| PCE (to 2025) | CPTE (from 2026) | |
|---|---|---|
| Structure | Two exams on different dates: CAPR Written Component, then a provincial clinical exam (OCE in Ontario, ACEBC in BC, PGCE in Alberta…) | One exam, one day: Oral Section then Written Section, run by CAPR for all provinces except Quebec |
| Delivery | Written at test centres; clinical exams in person | Fully virtual, remotely proctored, from Canada or abroad |
| Clinical / oral part | Practical stations with a standardized patient, varying by province | 10 written cases, 15 minutes each; you answer three questions per case aloud to two examiners who do not prompt or clarify |
| Written part | 200 multiple-choice questions | 100 questions in 2.5 hours: 80 vignette-based (4 questions per vignette) and 20 stand-alone; 20–25% use images, video or audio |
| Weighting | Each exam passed separately | Oral 150 points (60%), Written 100 points (40%), combined into one composite score |
| Result | Pass/fail per exam | One pass/fail; no automatic fails on individual questions or cases |
| Fee | Written + clinical together up to about $2,815 | $2,500 ($1,800 in 2026 for candidates who passed the 2025 PCE Written) |
| Sittings | Several written dates a year; clinical dates set by each province | Eight sittings in 2026; see CAPR's Dates and Fees page for the current calendar |
The oral section is now most of your mark, and it comes first. Under the PCE most candidates spent months on the written and treated the clinical exam as a second project. On the CPTE the oral is 60% of the composite and you sit it at the start of a five-hour day. Your oral preparation needs to be as structured as your written preparation, and it needs to include practising all 10 cases in one sitting.
The oral is not a conversation. Examiners deliver only standardized prompts. They will not ask the questions aloud, clarify, or tell you how much time is left. You read the case, plan, and speak — in question order — inside 15 minutes. Candidates who are used to a standardized-patient format, where you can ask and adjust, find this the biggest adjustment.
Every case tests professional judgement, not just clinical knowledge. Each of the 10 cases has one question on assessment or care planning, one on client safety and client-centred care, and one on professional responsibilities, collaboration, communication or practice management. Through the oral, professional responsibilities alone carry about 14% of the total exam score. For internationally educated physiotherapists, Canadian consent, privacy, scope and reporting rules are where marks are lost.
The written is shorter but denser. 100 questions in 2.5 hours is about 90 seconds each, and 80 of them come in linked sets of four where the scenario evolves. Reading a vignette once and answering four questions from it is a skill worth practising on its own, and media questions need you to interpret an image or a clip before you can even read the options.
Content weighting is explicit. Musculoskeletal 50%, neurological 20%, cardiovascular-respiratory 15%, other systems 15%. If you have limited time, that ordering is your study plan.
Old PCE material is still useful for the written — with care. CAPR says its former Written Component practice exam remains valuable because the platform and question style are similar. It will not prepare you for vignette sets, media questions, or the oral.
No. CAPR held the last PCE Written Component in November 2025 and the provincial clinical exams wound down through 2026 (the Ontario Clinical Exam's final sitting is October 2026). New candidates take the CPTE.
No. CAPR sets a standard for each section, then combines them 60% oral / 40% written into one composite score with a single overall pass/fail outcome.
No. CAPR states there are no automatic fails and no minimum number of cases that must be passed, though low scores across many cases will pull the composite below the pass standard.
CAPR's fee is $2,500. Candidates who passed the PCE Written Component in 2025 paid a discounted $1,800 for sittings from February to December 2026.
In most provinces, yes, if you did not complete the provincial clinical exam before it was discontinued. Check your regulator's transition page; rules differed by province during 2026.
