Spring 2027 sitting
Preparing for the April 2027 CRPO exam: a week-by-week calendar
Facts checked against CRPO's and Ontario's official sources on November 4, 2026.
CRPO lists the spring 2027 sitting of the Registration Examination as 5, 6, 7 and 8 April 2027, subject to change. If you are writing in April, three things set your calendar: the paperwork CRPO usually needs by the end of January, the booking window CRPO announces by email, and eight weeks of study that start in the week of 8 February 2027. This page lays those out week by week, with a track for first attempts, one for retakes after the fall 2026 sitting, and a note for candidates in Prince Edward Island. Confirm every date against CRPO's exam page and CRPO's own emails, which set the official deadline for each sitting.
The calendar at a glance
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| November 2026 | Check your eligibility and your deadlines (below). Take a baseline: one diagnostic and one full timed case |
| Early to late December 2026 | Fall 2026 results arrive, typically six to eight weeks after the sitting (about 7 to 24 December). Retakers start their own track |
| January 2027 | Paperwork: final program documents and any accommodation request, usually due by the end of January. Watch for CRPO's eligibility email |
| Booking window (date by email) | Book and pay for your seat through COMPASS from the link in CRPO's notice, before the window closes. COMPASS's optional practice exam is offered in this window |
| 8 February to 4 April 2027 | Eight weeks of study (next section) |
| 5 to 8 April 2027 | The sitting: you write on one day, for three hours, online with a remote proctor |
| About mid-May to early June 2027 | Results, six to eight weeks after the sitting |
Before January: a baseline, not a cram
The months before the study plan starts are the time to find out where you stand, not to read every standard twice. Two hours is enough for a useful baseline:
- Find your weak areas. The free 10-minute practice test scores you across the seven areas of the exam blueprint.
- Feel the format once. The free practice case is a full simulation with every option's weight from +3 to -3 and the reason for it. Notice whether you lose more points in Information Gathering or in Decision Making.
- Check your deadlines. Your first attempt must be no later than 24 months after your certificate as an RP (Qualifying) was issued, and you must pass in no more than three attempts. If you are still applying to CRPO, the definition of substantial program completion tightens on 1 January 2027; how to become a Registered Psychotherapist in Ontario explains it.
January: paperwork and the booking notice
CRPO says the deadline for your final program completion documentation (final transcript, final credential assessment or a letter from your school) is typically the end of January for the spring exam, and that a complete accommodation request is usually due by the end of January too. Around the same time CRPO contacts eligible registrants to confirm their email, phone, exam language and the location they will write from.
The booking window opens later. CRPO emails a booking notice the day it opens, and you book and pay for your seat through COMPASS before it closes. The fee is CAD 545 plus HST for each attempt. Keep the notice: it states the window's dates, which CRPO does not post in advance.
Eight weeks of study: 8 February to 4 April 2027
| Week | Dates | Focus |
|---|---|---|
| 1 and 2 | 8 to 21 February | The format and scoring, the Competency Profile, CRPO's Professional Practice Standards and the Code of Ethics |
| 3 to 5 | 22 February to 14 March | Simulations grouped by blueprint area, with an 18-minute clock and an error log |
| 6 and 7 | 15 to 28 March | Two full timed mocks of ten simulations in three hours, with error analysis between them |
| 8 | 29 March to 4 April | Consolidation, rest and exam-day logistics |
Six to ten hours a week is enough for most candidates. How to study for the CRPO exam in 8 weeks explains each stage, and the library module The Eight-Week Study Plan goes into each week in depth. If you work full time, start one or two weeks earlier, in late January, and spread the same work thinner.
If you are retaking after October 2026
Results from the 26 to 29 October 2026 sitting are typically released six to eight weeks later, so about 7 to 24 December 2026. If you did not pass, CRPO's rules let you keep practising with clinical supervision and write again at the next available sitting, which is April 2027 unless CRPO advises otherwise.
- Start from your score sheet. It gives your Information Gathering and Decision Making results against the pass mark for each. Put most of your practice into the stream that fell short; strength in one does not make up for the other.
- Use December and January. A retaker has eight weeks of material already in hand. Spend December on review by blueprint area and January on timed cases, then follow the same eight weeks from 8 February.
- A second attempt that fails brings CRPO's upgrading steps before a third. I failed the CRPO exam: what happens next? sets them out, with the appeal rules.
Candidates in Prince Edward Island
The College of Counselling Therapy of Prince Edward Island (CCTPEI) uses the same COMPASS exam as CRPO. CCTPEI publishes its exam dates, deadlines and fees in its news section and asks you to register with the college, submit its intent-to-write form, and then finalise your booking with COMPASS after the registrar confirms your eligibility. Its exam page notes that COMPASS needs six to eight weeks to schedule candidates, so start in January. The study calendar above applies to you as well; the CCTPEI registration exam explains what differs.
Common questions
When is the CRPO exam in 2027?
CRPO lists the spring 2027 sitting as 5, 6, 7 and 8 April 2027, subject to change. The exam is offered twice a year, in spring and fall.
When should I start studying for the April 2027 exam?
An eight-week plan starts in the week of 8 February 2027. Start a week or two earlier if you work full time or are retaking.
Can I retake in April 2027 if I failed in October 2026?
CRPO's rules allow you to write again at the next available sitting unless CRPO advises otherwise, within the limit of three attempts and your other deadlines.
When are the April 2027 results released?
Results are typically released six to eight weeks after the exam, which puts them at about mid-May to early June 2027.
Sources
- CRPO: Requirements and writing the exam (Exam Quick Guide, Steps to Writing the Exam, Conditions) (opens in a new tab)
- CRPO: Entry-to-Practice Registration Examination Resource Manual (June 2026) (opens in a new tab)
- CRPO: Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying) (opens in a new tab)
- CCTPEI: Registration Exam (COMPASS) (opens in a new tab)