If you started your Canadian licensing journey before 2026, you applied for the PCE — the Physiotherapy Competency Examination. If you are applying now, you are registering for the CPTE — the Canadian Physiotherapy Examination. Same regulator, same purpose, different exam — and the difference matters for your money, your timeline, and how you study.
This guide answers the questions IEPTs actually ask about the transition: is the PCE gone, does anything I did under the old system carry over, what does the new exam cost, and when can I sit it. Every structural fact below is taken from the Canadian Alliance of Physiotherapy Regulators (CAPR) — the one official source for this exam — with the CAPR page linked so you can verify it yourself.
The short answer
- The PCE no longer exists as a two-part exam. In January 2026, CAPR launched the CPTE as a single licensure exam that combines the PCE's Written and Clinical Components into one sitting (CAPR — Important Transition Information).
- The CPTE is a five-hour, virtual, remotely proctored exam with two sections taken the same day: an Oral Section worth 150 points and a Written Section worth 100 points — 250 points total (CAPR — Getting Started).
- Exam results do not partially transfer. CAPR has not published any credit-transfer that exempts you from a section of the CPTE based on old PCE results. What it has published is a discounted fee ($1,800 instead of $2,500) for candidates who passed the PCE Written Component in 2025 and now need to take the new exam (CAPR — Dates and Fees).
Now the detail.
PCE vs CPTE: what actually changed
One exam instead of two
The old PCE was two separate components — a Written Component and a Clinical Component — with separate applications, separate fees, and separate sittings, often many months apart. The CPTE merges both into one exam, one application, one day (CAPR — Important Transition Information).
Per CAPR's Getting Started page and the current Candidate Guide, the CPTE runs as follows:
| Oral Section | Written Section | |
|---|---|---|
| Points | 150 (60% of total) | 100 (40% of total) |
| Duration | 2.5 hours | 2.5 hours |
| Format | 10 structured cases, answered verbally to examiners (15 points each) | Multiple-choice and media-enhanced multiple-choice questions |
| Order | Delivered first | Delivered second, same day |
Total: 250 points, delivered virtually with remote proctoring.
The weighting flipped toward oral performance
This is the change that catches most candidates. Under the CPTE, verbal clinical reasoning is worth more than the written test — 150 of 250 points. Each of the 10 oral cases is marked independently by two examiners, and there is no minimum number of cases you must "pass"; it is your overall score that counts (CAPR Candidate Guide). If your prep plan is mostly MCQs, it is weighted for the old exam, not this one. Start with our full guide to the CPTE oral exam — format, scoring, and how to prepare.
One pass/fail outcome instead of two
Under the old PCE you could pass the Written Component and fail the Clinical Component (or vice versa) and retain the pass you earned. The CPTE has one overall pass/fail result, set through a criterion-referenced standard across both sections combined (CAPR Candidate Guide). There is no fixed percentage cut-score to aim for — for how that works in practice, see CPTE pass rate and passing score, explained.
For the full structural comparison — what the blueprint now emphasises and where older prep materials go stale — read CPTE 2026 blueprint changes. This post stays focused on the transition itself.
"I passed the PCE Written Component — does it transfer?"
This is the highest-stakes question of the transition year, so let's be precise about what CAPR has and has not said.
What CAPR has published: candidates who passed the PCE Written Component in 2025 and now need to take the new exam qualify for a discounted CPTE fee of $1,800 (instead of $2,500) through December 2026 (CAPR — Dates and Fees). That is a fee accommodation — it is not an exemption. You still sit the full CPTE, including the Written Section.
What CAPR has not published: any mechanism that carries a partial PCE result into the CPTE as credit. If you passed the old Written but never completed the Clinical Component, the published pathway is the full CPTE at the discounted fee.
If you completed both PCE components before the transition, the exam requirement of your licensing pathway was already met under the old system — the CPTE is for candidates who still need to pass a licensure exam. Your registration status is a provincial matter, so confirm where you stand with your provincial regulator. CAPR itself directs candidates who were mid-process during the transition to review their options and check with their provincial regulators, and we recommend the same: for anything that affects your individual file, get it in writing from CAPR or your regulator rather than from any prep site — including this one.
What the CPTE costs in 2026
- Standard fee: $2,500
- Transition discount: $1,800 for candidates who passed the PCE Written Component in 2025 (available through December 2026)
- The inaugural January 2026 sitting was offered at $1,500 with capacity capped at 120 candidates — that intake is past, but it is worth knowing if you see the lower figure quoted elsewhere (CAPR announcement)
Rescheduling and withdrawal carry significant penalties (up to the full fee if you withdraw within 48 hours of the exam), so treat your sitting date as a commitment — check the current penalty schedule on the same CAPR page before you book.
For comparison: under the old system you paid for two exams, and a failed component meant re-paying for that component and often waiting months for the next sitting. One consolidated fee for one exam day is simpler — but it also concentrates the financial stakes into a single attempt, which is an argument for not booking until your mock scores say you are ready.
Remaining 2026 CPTE dates
As of publication, CAPR lists these remaining 2026 sittings (CAPR — Dates and Fees — always confirm there before planning, as dates and deadlines can change):
| Exam date | Application deadline |
|---|---|
| Wednesday, July 15 | May 6, 2026 (closed) |
| Saturday, August 29 | June 20, 2026 (closed) |
| Wednesday, September 23 | July 15, 2026 |
| Saturday, October 24 | August 15, 2026 |
| Wednesday, December 9 | September 30, 2026 |
Note the pattern: deadlines fall roughly two months or more before the exam date. If you are targeting late 2026, your application window is now, not later. For how to pick a date that matches your preparation runway, see how to choose your CPTE sitting date, and for the application process itself, how to apply for the CPTE step by step.
What this means for how you prepare
- Stop studying for the PCE. Any prep material organised around a standalone written exam plus a separate in-person clinical exam is describing an exam that no longer exists. Check the publication date on everything you use.
- Give the Oral Section the majority of your practice time. It is 60% of your score and the least familiar format for most IEPTs. Rehearsing structured cases out loud — under time pressure, against model answers — is the highest-yield work you can do.
- Practise both sections on the same day at least once. Five hours of examination with the oral first is a stamina event. Your mocks should simulate that, not just isolated question blocks.
- Budget once, sit once. With one consolidated fee and real withdrawal penalties, the cheapest exam is the one you pass the first time.
You can see the full 2026 exam structure, blueprint domains, and scoring summarised on our CPTE exam guide, and start practising against CAPR-aligned questions right away — try a free quiz, no card required. PhysioExamPrep is free to start with a daily question allowance; Premium (a one-time CA$49, valid for two years) unlocks unlimited practice, full mock exams, and the oral case bank.
Start practising for the CPTE →