PEI's exam
The CCTPEI registration exam: PEI's COMPASS exam is the CRPO exam
Facts checked against CRPO's and Ontario's official sources on October 27, 2026.
If you are registering as a counselling therapist in Prince Edward Island, you write the same exam as Ontario's CRPO candidates. The College of Counselling Therapy of Prince Edward Island (CCTPEI) uses COMPASS's Canadian Professional Standard for Counselling and Psychotherapy (CPSCP): Entry-to-Practice Competency Assessment as its Registration Exam, the exam CRPO uses as its Registration Examination. Both colleges list the fall 2026 sitting as 26 to 29 October 2026, the fee is CAD 545 plus tax paid to COMPASS, and the format, scoring and blueprint are the same. So everything written about the CRPO exam's format applies to you, and the CRPO Exam Lab prepares you for it. What differs is the frame around the exam: your college's own documents and PEI law.
The same exam, side by side
| CCTPEI (PEI) | CRPO (Ontario) | |
|---|---|---|
| Exam | COMPASS CPSCP: Entry-to-Practice Competency Assessment | The same |
| Format | Ten client simulations in three hours, nine scored | The same |
| Sections | Information Gathering and Decision Making | The same |
| Scoring | Every option weighted from +3 to -3; you must pass both the IG and the DM totals | The same |
| Blueprint | Seven areas, from making an initial assessment to making use of supervision | The same seven areas and ranges |
| Sample in the manual | Lucia | Lucia |
| Fall 2026 sitting | 26, 27, 28 and 29 October 2026 | The same days |
| Fee | CAD 545 plus tax, paid to COMPASS | The same |
| Languages | English and French | English and French |
The college's Resource Manual (June 2026) describes ten simulations, a three-hour exam, Information Gathering and Decision Making sections, points from +3 to -3, and a pass that requires the total raw score in both IG and DM, built on the nine scored simulations. Its blueprint lists the same seven areas as CRPO's, with the same ranges: initial assessment 10 to 15%, working relationship 10 to 15%, therapeutic relationship 25 to 30%, working towards change 5 to 10%, separation and ending 5 to 10%, professional practice 10 to 15%, and supervision 3 to 5%.
What is different for PEI candidates
- Your college and its documents. CCTPEI's exam rests on the Entry-to-Practice Competency Profile for Counselling Therapists, free on its website. Read your college's profile and standards, not only CRPO's.
- Your law. COMPASS reviews exam options for fit with Canadian, provincial and territorial law, so a well-written option does not hinge on one province's statute. When the lab's explanation of a weight cites an Ontario law or a CRPO standard, check what PEI's law and your college's standards say on the same point.
- Your registration steps. You register with CCTPEI as a provisional applicant, submit the intent-to-write form by the college's deadline (19 August 2026 for the fall 2026 sitting), wait for the registrar to confirm your eligibility, then book and pay with COMPASS. COMPASS needs six to eight weeks to schedule candidates.
- The college's jurisprudence module. For the regular route, the manual lists the college's Professional Practice and Jurisprudence e-Learning Module among the requirements.
How to prepare
- Read CCTPEI's Resource Manual end to end, including the Lucia sample.
- Take the free 10-minute practice test to see your weakest of the seven areas. It uses the exam's format.
- Work the free practice case and read every option's reason, including the ones you did not choose.
- Plan your weeks with the eight-week study plan, working back from your sitting. The exam dates guide has the timeline before a spring sitting.
- Practise full simulations under the exam's timing before the day.
What is the CRPO exam format? explains the sections, the selection rules and the timing in detail; it describes your exam too.
Common questions
Is the CCTPEI exam really the same as the CRPO exam?
Yes. Both colleges name COMPASS's Canadian Professional Standard for Counselling and Psychotherapy (CPSCP): Entry-to-Practice Competency Assessment as their registration exam, and both list the fall 2026 sitting on the same four days.
Can I use the CRPO Exam Lab to prepare?
Yes. Its cases train the exam's format and the clinical judgement it scores. Its explanations cite Ontario's law and CRPO's standards; for anything that turns on the law, check PEI's.
When is the next CCTPEI sitting?
The exam is typically offered twice a year, spring and fall, subject to change. CCTPEI posts each sitting's dates and deadlines in its news. CRPO lists its spring 2027 sitting as 5 to 8 April 2027; check CCTPEI's own news for the PEI dates.
Is it offered in French?
Yes. The exam is offered in English and French, and the lab is fully bilingual.