May 20, 2020
CRPO has confirmed with COMPASS a second date for registrants to write the exam this October has been booked. The exam will be held on October 22 and October 23, assuming this is permitted by the provincial government. Every precautionary method possible will be taken to ensure a clean and safe testing environment for registrants.
Registrants who had confirmed their intent to write the April sitting will be offered first choice of the two October dates. Within the next few weeks, we will message these registrants to confirm:
- whether they intend to write in October
- which date they prefer
- if any of their exam preference details have changed (e.g. city change). If an exam accommodation request was previously approved by CRPO/COMPASS, registrants will not need to re-submit it to write in October; however, registrants must confirm their availability for both October 22 and 23.
CRPO will then survey all other eligible registrants. This will occur within the next few months.
If you will be requesting an accommodation based on a disability, please prepare your form and documentation to support this request and ensure your availability for both October 22 and 23. More information about exam accommodations is available here.
Information about the exam sign up process is available here. For information about the exam format, preparation resources, and steps after passing the exam, please see the Registration Exam page.
Normally, the following requirements apply to the RP (Qualifying) category:
- The first attempt at the exam must be made within the 24-month period following the date on which an application was submitted.
- The final exam attempt must be made within the five-year period following the date on which an application was submitted.
- The registrant must transfer from RP (Qualifying) to RP within the five-year period following the date on which their certificate of registration was issued.
CRPO’s Examination Committee has granted an extension to any registrant impacted by the pandemic who is unable to make their first or final exam attempt within the specified timelines. The extension is to one of the next two exam administrations. For example, a registrant who had been notified that the April 2020 exam was their last opportunity to make their first exam attempt will now have either the October 2020 or spring 2021 exam sitting to make their first attempt.
The Registrar will grant an extension to any registrant who is impacted by the pandemic and as a result not able to meet the requirements to transfer categories within the five-year period. For more information about category transfers, see here.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cost of the exam and when will this payment be required?
The fee to write the Registration Examination is set by and paid directly to COMPASS.
The fee for the October exam is $525 +HST. Registrants who sign up for the exam will make their fee payment in September. Email communication directly from COMPASS will be sent when the booking window to make the payment opens.
As previously noted on CRPO’s website, the fee was set to increase to $545 +HST starting with the October 2020 sitting. Since the April exam was postponed, COMPASS has delayed the fee increase to the spring 2021 sitting.
Am I eligible to write the exam?
You are eligible to write the exam if:
- You have been issued a certificate of registration in the Qualifying category.
- You have successfully completed your psychotherapy program.
If you have not yet submitted a mailed official transcript/credential assessment verifying you have successfully completed your psychotherapy program, please have the institution mail one to CRPO. CRPO staff are still working remotely but we will collect mail once a week.
If you have not yet submitted a statutory declaration that has been signed by a lawyer, notary public, or commissioner of oaths, please obtain one and upload it to the Documents tab of your CRPO account. During the pandemic, these can be completed virtually with electronic signatures.
If there are extenuating circumstances preventing you from obtaining these documents prior to the October exam and you do meet the eligibility criteria, you may be permitted to write the exam but these documents will be required prior to transferring to the RP category. Please note if it were found at a later date that you had not successfully completed your program at the time you wrote the exam, it would be grounds for revocation of your certificate of registration.
CRPO staff will notify registrants if they have outstanding documentation.
Is completion of the 450 direct client contact and 100 clinical supervision hours required to write the exam?
No.
My application is under review, can I sign up for the exam?
Applicants who have submitted an application but who have not yet been approved and issued a certificate of registration are not eligible to sign up for the exam. If the exam surveying period is still open when your application is approved, we will notify you in a message. Applications are processed in the order in which they are received.
Can I write the exam from home?
Currently, COMPASS is not considering offering the exam via remote proctoring. If the pandemic impacts 2021 exam sittings, this may be reconsidered.
Can I write the exam in another country?
The exam is only offered in Canada.
When are exam results released?
Six to eight weeks after the exam date.
If I don’t write in October, what is the next exam date?
The next exam date is tentatively scheduled for April 29, 2021. If this date is impacted by the pandemic, we will update registrants.