FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Note: The FAQs below has been sourced from the EGBC website. Please note that rules are subject to possible changes in the future.

Applying for Registration

  • Being a current registrant with another Canadian association/ordre allows you to register more easily with Engineers and Geoscientists BC (EGBC). Becoming a registrant with EGBC does not affect your status with another Canadian association/ordre.

    Note that all applicants are required to disclose current and prior applications, designations, and memberships with other Canadian associations/ordres. Failure to disclose this information may be construed as a character issue. Engineers and Geoscientists BC may confirm an applicant’s previous application and registration status with any Canadian association/ordre.

    If you currently have an active application with another Canadian association/ordre, it is recommended that you either complete that application or withdraw it prior to applying to EGBC.

    EGBC Website - https://www.egbc.ca/how-to-apply/register-as-an-engineer/profes sional-engineer/apply-to-be-a-professional-engineer-in-bc

  • If you have a minimum of 4 years of professional engineering or professional geoscience work experience, you should apply directly for professional registration (P.Eng. or P.Geo.). It is not a requirement that you first apply as a trainee (EIT or GIT).

    If you apply for professional registration, you will need to meet the academic, experience, and law and ethics requirements before you are registered. If you apply for trainee status, you will be registered once you meet the academic requirements.

     If you are an engineering applicant with a non-accredited degree and at least 5 years of professional engineering work experience, or a geoscience applicant with at least 7 years of professional geoscience work experience, we suggest that you apply directly for professional registration to have your experience considered for a potential reduction or waiver of academic examinations.

  • Certified* copies of 2 pieces of government-issued identification (ID) for registration. Both pieces of ID must contain the applicant’s full legal name, must be valid (i.e., not expired) at the time of registration, and at least one piece of ID must contain your photo. For more guidance on acceptable forms of IDs, please review the Guideline on Certified Identification Documents. Applicants are required to upload as 1 document through their application dashboard.

     *To have your document certified, the copies of both your original IDs must be signed, dated, and stamped by an acceptable certifying official. Please refer to the Guideline on Certified Identification Documents for a list of acceptable certifying officials and the steps for ID certification.

    Guideline on Certified Identification Documents - https://www.egbc.ca/getmedia/7e393751-25ae-4059-9465-87fc7b d8d375/Guideline-on-Certified-Identification-Documents.pdf.aspx

  • If you are applying to register as an engineer-in-training (EIT), we recommend that you apply in the discipline that most closely matches with your undergraduate engineering degree. Refer to the engineering syllabi topics specific to each discipline on our Engineering Syllabus webpage for guidance on selecting the most suitable discipline.

     If you are applying to register as a professional engineer (P.Eng.) and your experience is in a discipline that is different than your undergraduate discipline or the discipline of your EIT enrollment, you should apply in the discipline in which you have gained your experience. Depending on the result of your competency experience assessment, you may be subject to further academic review.

    Engineering Syllabus - https://www.egbc.ca/how-to-apply/programs-and-resources/examinations-seminars/academic-examinations/engineering-syllabus

Academic Requirements

  • Official transcripts should be sent directly from the institution of study by secure electronic means to register@egbc.ca. For institutions that do not offer secure file transfer of official electronic transcripts, EGBC also accept official transcripts mailed directly from the institution of study to:

     Registration Department Engineers and Geoscientists BC 200-4010 Regent Street Burnaby, BC, V5C 6N2

     If an official transcript does not indicate the type and date of degree conferred, an official degree certificate, sent directly from the institution of study, is also required.

  • To apply for registration, you must have the equivalent of a university-level bachelor’s degree in applied science or engineering, or 4 years of full-time post-secondary education in applied science, engineering, geoscience, science, or technology. You will need to successfully complete any assigned examinations, unless otherwise exempted.

    Engineering degrees are evaluated by Engineers and Geoscientists BC as either accredited or non-accredited, in consultation with Engineers Canada. EGBC do not accept evaluations from third-party evaluation services such as World Education Services (WES) or International Credential Evaluation Service (ICES). Detailed evaluations are completed by Engineers and Geoscientists BC once the completed application and fee have been received.

     All applicants applying in geoscience are evaluated against the Geoscientists Canada Knowledge Requirements when they submit a complete application, fee, and the corresponding self-evaluation checklist to EGBC.

     Note, if you do not meet the minimum academic requirements for registration as a professional engineer or professional geoscientist, you may wish to investigate your eligibility for registration as a professional licensee.

     Geoscientist Canada Knowledge Requirements - https://geoscientistscanada.ca/source/pubs/GC-Knowledge-Requ-BKLT--REV--EN--web--final-.pdf

    Self-evaluation checklist -

    https://www.egbc.ca/how-to-apply/programs-and-resources/examinations-seminars/academic-examinations/geoscience-self-evaluation-checklists

  • The checklist should be completed to the best of your ability. If you have completed degrees or courses from multiple academic institutions, you will need to arrange for transcripts detailing all degrees and courses used to meet the syllabus requirements to be sent directly to Engineers and Geoscientists BC. All courses claimed on the checklist must be included in the syllabi, and the sources of the course descriptions must be clearly indicated. If claiming any course against more than one syllabus requirement, you must indicate the allocation of the one course across the multiple syllabus requirements. Engineers and Geoscientists BC will accept an addendum to accompany your checklist, that may include any further information regarding your program structure if it differs from the equivalent Canadian degree.

    For more information, please see the Guideline to Completing Syllabus and Course Description for engineering applications and Guideline to Completing Geoscience Checklist and Course Descriptions for geoscience applications.

  • If your institution cannot provide official course descriptions and they are not available on the institution’s website, Engineers and Geoscientists BC will accept course descriptions created by the applicant, or from sources other than the university, with an explanation provided by the applicant. An applicant must indicate the source of all course descriptions, including those created by the applicant themselves.

  • Engineers and Geoscientists BC has developed institution-specific course equivalency lists for BC universities. Course codes are subject to change so if you have completed a course that is equivalent, but has a different course code, please add this information to your completed syllabus. A course can only be used once on the checklist. At this time, only equivalency lists for the disciplines of geology and environmental geoscience have been developed.

    If you attended a post-secondary institution outside of BC or are a geophysics applicant, please use one of the checklists listed under General Self-Evaluation Checklists. Checklists assist in the academic review of your application. The course code for each corresponding topic on the list must match what is listed on your transcript(s). A course can only be used once on the checklist.

Experience Requirements

  • Notifications can be resent by going to the Competency Assessment System and requesting that the notification be resent. Please note this page is meant to assist validators when requesting links be resent, if you are an applicant requesting a link be resent to your validator you must enter their email address on this page.

    Validators should check their email SPAM folder to ensure their notification email has not been filtered.

    If the validator still cannot find their notification email after you have resent it and they have checked their SPAM folder, send a request to competency@egbc.ca with the name of the validator and your request.

    Competency Assessment - https://competencyassessment.ca/CanadianCompetencies/

  • Please send an email to competency@egbc.ca with your full legal name, system ID, and the specific competency number.

    EGBC will unlock the competency so you may make changes. Once you are done making changes you will need to submit the completed competency to your validator for review.

  • Please send an email to competency@egbc.ca and provide the full legal name of the validator and their current email address and EGBC will add the validator to your list.

  • Engineers and Geoscientists BC recognizes that the availability of professional supervisors is industry, project, and company-dependent, and is sympathetic when applicants for professional registration have difficulty finding appropriate professional supervisors for their engineering or geoscience work. To comply with the Professional Governance Act and to obtain acceptable experience for registration, you should:

    -  Ask your employer to engage the services of a BC registered professional engineer or professional geoscientist in your discipline to provide regular oversight and to take professional responsibility for your work. This will be a definite asset when counting your experience towards registration. It also allows your employer to comply with the Professional Governance Act;

    -  Consider asking for supervision from BC registered professional engineers or professional geoscientists who are affiliated with your employer and who either have detailed knowledge of your work or can review your work on a regular basis. This can include branches of your company in other provinces, research associates in academia, subsidiaries, etc.;

    -  Seek out the support of professional engineer or professional geoscientist clients or colleagues who have a detailed knowledge of your work and ask them to act as referees;

    Consider asking for a secondment (i.e., a temporary transfer to another job) with an affiliated company, or a client that has registered professional engineers or professional geoscientists who can supervise your work; and/or

    -  Seek new professionally supervised employment as soon as the opportunity arises.

  • Up to a maximum of 1 year of pre-graduation or co-op experience may be accepted if it: was gained after completing at least half of your engineering or geoscience degree but before graduation; was supervised by the appropriate professional; and if it otherwise satisfies all experience criteria detailed by Engineers and Geoscientists BC.

  • Applicants with postgraduate degrees may be given credit for engineering or geoscience experience gained as part of their postgraduate studies. Up to a maximum of 1 year of credit will be granted for a master’s degree with a thesis component, and up to 2 years of credit will be granted for a PhD. A maximum of 2 years credit will be given for a combination of a master’s and PhD.

     You should submit a copy of your thesis abstract(s) with your application.

Canadian Experience Requirements

  • The Canadian Environment Competencies are a subset of 8 competencies that have been identified from the existing 34 competencies of the competency framework that best demonstrate knowledge and experience of Canadian regulations, codes, standards, quality control, safety awareness, professional accountability, and communication. The intent is to align the assessment method of the Canadian Environment Competency requirement with the online Competency Assessment System and to provide better definition and objectivity.

  • Canadian Environment Competencies. It is the responsibility of the applicant to provide sufficient examples to establish equivalency, though using international experience does not guarantee the competencies will be met. You should ensure that you elaborate on how your international experience could be considered equivalent to Canadian experience.

    Competency Assessment - https://competencyassessment.ca/CanadianCompetencies/

  • The Working in Canada Seminar is not meant to replace work experience or the Canadian Environment Competencies; it is intended to be a supplemental option for applicants who lack direct experience in a Canadian workplace (or equivalent) but have demonstrated strong knowledge and abilities in all competency areas. Access to the Working in Canada Seminar is only provided if it is recommended after an assessment has been completed.

  • You may be re-assigned the specific Canadian Environment Competencies until you have met the minimum level required. To be registered as a professional registrant, all competency requirements, including the 8 Canadian Environment Competencies, must be satisfied.

Experience Interviews

  • Interviews are granted at the discretion of the Credentials Committee. You will be contacted by staff to make the arrangements if an interview has been recommended for you.

  • The interview panellists are practising professionals who volunteer their time. The interviews are scheduled during working hours and when interviewers are available. It typically takes 2–6 months to arrange an interview.

  • If you are invited to an interview, you should be prepared to present an example of your work that clearly demonstrates your experience and how you have applied your knowledge to solve a technical problem. You should also be prepared to answer technical questions about any of the projects you have mentioned in your competency report.

Examinations and Seminars

  • Academic examinations take place twice a year. The examination sessions are held in the spring/summer (May to July) and Fall (October to December). An examination schedule is released 2 months before the start of the examination period. Registered examination candidates will be notified by email when the schedule has been posted. For the latest information, please refer to the Status of Online Academic Exams page.

    Note that all academic examinations are held online and proctored virtually. For more information, please see the Candidate Guide for Online Examinations. Note that the Candidate Guide is subject to change. Candidates should ensure that they have reviewed the most recent version of the Guide before sitting any scheduled examinations.

  • For BC examination candidates, results will be posted on your Application Status page and a notification email will be sent when your mark has been updated. Engineers and Geoscientists BC aims to provide marks before the next registration deadline so that you can register again if needed. If marks are provided to you after the deadline to register and you need to write your examination again, you may still be eligible to register for the next examination session. To do this, please contact exams@egbc.ca immediately after receiving your mark.

    For candidates applying with other provinces, please check with your jurisdiction’s examination department for updates on your results.

  • For BC candidates, you may have the option to defer before a specified timeframe. Refer to the Academic Exam Deferrals information for details. If eligible to defer, please defer your examination(s) online through your Engineers and Geoscientists BC account.

    For candidates applying with other provinces/territories, please check with your jurisdiction’s examination department for their examination deferral policies and procedures.

    Academic Exam Defferals - https://www.egbc.ca/getmedia/d0a456d4-c516-4c0e-8e7f-e0bda8 86540b/Process-for-Academic-Exam-Deferrals.pdf.aspx

  • Your examination seat is not secured until you book your examination proctoring session with Meazure Learning within the designated booking window. Closer to the examination session you will be sent an email from Meazure Learning with instructions on how to book your date and time for the examination (based on availability). It is important to check your junk email folder to ensure that the email is not accidentally filed there. Should you not receive an email with this confirmation information at least 4 weeks prior to the examination date, you should contact Meazure Learning immediately and request that an examination granted email be re-sent to you: testingsupport@getyardstick.com.

  • Unfortunately, Engineers and Geoscientists BC is not able to accept any examination registration requests after the registration deadline has passed. We coordinate the NPPE with several third-party service providers who establish requirements and deadlines.

    The NPPE session dates and associated deadlines are posted on our website 1 year in advance. It is every examination candidate’s responsibility to be aware of the examination dates and register prior to the examination deadline. Please refer to our upcoming exam dates for other upcoming NPPE sessions.

    National Professional Practice Examination - https://www.egbc.ca/how-to-apply/programs-and-resources/exam inations-seminars/national-professional-practice-examination

  • Before the registration deadline, you will be able to defer your examination at any time prior to the registration deadline of each examination session. To defer your examination please follow these steps:

    1.  Visit the Engineers and Geoscientists BC website – Professional Practice Examinations.

    2.  Click “Apply Online” (blue button on the top of the page).

    3.  Follow the link “Change Your Upcoming Examination Session”.

    4.  Select the examination you wish to defer by ticking the box of the appropriate examination session. Select the session you wish to change your examination to.

    5.  Click “Continue”.

     After the registration deadline: If you do not book your proctoring session with Meazure Learning within the designated booking window, we will automatically defer your examination to the next available examination session at no cost. After the examination session has ended, you will receive an email from Engineers and Geoscientists BC confirming your examination deferral. Please ensure you are not responding to any booking emails received from Meazure Learning after the registration deadline.

  • After booking your proctoring session with Meazure Learning you may no longer cancel or defer your examination. Since Engineers and Geoscientists BC works with third-party service providers, we are required to provide ample time for any changes to the examination schedule. By booking your proctoring session with Meazure Learning, you have secured your seat and a proctor has been retained for your examination. This booking is non-refundable since all the coordination has already taken place and your seat has been reserved.

  • Although the study material may still reference the former legislation, the Engineers and Geoscientists Act, this is a national examination taken by candidates across Canada applying for professional registration in various provincial and territorial jurisdictions. The examination content is focused on common shared themes across all our various acts and regulatory processes. Our transition to the Professional Governance Act should not affect the content of the examination.

  • If technical issues occur while trying to connect to your examination or during your examination, you must contact Meazure Learning as soon as possible. Their contact information will be in your booking confirmation email, and it is best to call them for an immediate response. Rescheduling due to technical issues may be possible within the same exam session, however it is not guaranteed. Please note that additional charges may be required for exam rescheduling.

  • The examination blueprint outlining the content areas that are covered on the examination can be found on the APEGA website. The blueprint is a guide to help applicants determine what information they need to know and what to bring to the examination to demonstrate their knowledge of the material. Although there are recommended study materials that are listed on our Engineers and Geoscientists BC website, applicants can gain mastery of the topics covered on the examination any way that works best for them.

    Please note that Engineers and Geoscientists BC no longer sells study kit textbook bundles. You can buy study textbooks via Amazon, Chapters, directly from the supplier, or second hand.

    There may also be copies available for borrowing at your local library.

  • Yes, the NPPE and the Professional Engineering and Geoscience Practice in BC Online Seminar are separate requirements to be completed to obtain your professional registration. Please note that completing the online seminar will not automatically register you to write the NPPE; you will need to register to write the examination via our webpage. Although the Professional Engineering and Geoscience Practice in BC Online Seminar may be helpful in preparing for the examination, it is not meant to replace the recommended study materials.

  • Applicants and trainees who completed the previous version of the online seminar (version 1) prior to July 26, 2021, when version 2 was released should take note of the following transition provisions that were approved by the Board.

    Applicants and trainees who were not granted registration as a professional registrant before July 1, 2022, are required to complete version 2 of the online seminar prior to registration being granted. Version 2 will be provided at no cost to those who previously purchased Version 1 of the seminar or the Law and Ethics Seminar/CD Set.

    Version 1 of the seminar was accepted as meeting the seminar requirement for registration as a professional registrant until July 1,2022.Iftheywish,applicantsandtraineesinthiscategorycan obtain free access to version 2 of the seminar for voluntary viewing.

Status Change

  • Former trainees, registrants, and licensees can choose to reinstate their status as a trainee or non-practising registrant (registrants without practice rights) or to reinstate their practice rights (registrants with practice rights). Information can be found on Reinstatement of Status.

  • Professional registrants with practising status who intend to switch to non-practising status should review our Non-Practising Registrant webpage for more information.

  • Registrants wishing to resign must do so by logging into their online account and acknowledging the terms and conditions.

Fees and Refunds

  • The annual fee is not included in your application fee. Engineers and Geoscientists BC registration runs on the calendar year and your annual registration is pro-rated to the month of registration.

    Those registered as a first-time P.Eng., P.L.Eng., P.Geo., or P.L.Geo. with Engineers and Geoscientists BC will also be invoiced for a one-time registration/licensing fee. This one-time fee covers costs for your seal and certificate, as well as an award ceremony that new registrants may opt to attend.

    Complete fee information is available in our Fee Schedule. Fees - https://www.egbc.ca/how-to-apply/programs-and-resources/fees

  • Application fees are non-refundable. However, a full or partial refund may be considered if:

    • The fee is not refunded it will cause undue financial hardship on the applicant; or

    • There are extenuating circumstances beyond the applicant’s control that warrant are fund.

  • In the registrant portal, select “Account” and then “Pay Your Fees” from the options on the left side of the page. If you do not find an invoice for your fees within 1–2 weeks, please contact the Accounting Department at billing@egbc.ca.

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