In January 2026, the Canadian Alliance of Physiotherapy Regulators (CAPR) will launch a single licensure examination.
The Council of the College of Physiotherapists of Alberta (CPTA) supports adoption of CAPR’s single licensure examination in principle, subject to transitional provisions.
Relevant Legislation
The requirements for applicants to be registered on the General Register are set out in the Health Professions Act and the Physical Therapists Profession Regulation (PTPR). In part, applicants must successfully complete a written and clinical competency examination approved by the CPTA Council.
CAPR’s single licensure examination is accepted as the examination requirements set out in section 3 of the PTPR.
Current State
Currently, applicants seeking registration as a physiotherapist in Alberta must complete a two-part examination:
- Written Component: The Physiotherapy Competency Examination administered by CAPR.
- Clinical Component: Alberta’s Post-Graduate Clinical Examination (PGCE) or another Canadian physiotherapy regulator’s clinical competency evaluation for full licensure.
Applicants must successfully complete the written component of the Physiotherapy Competency Examination before they are eligible to apply for registration on CPTA’s Provisional Register. Physiotherapist interns registered on the Provisional Register must practice under supervision.
Once admitted to the Provisional Register, the physiotherapist intern is eligible to complete Alberta’s Post-Graduate Clinical Examination (PGCE). The physiotherapist intern may also complete any other Canadian physiotherapy regulator’s clinical competency evaluation for full licensure. These are the clinical competency examinations approved by the CPTA Council to meet the registration requirements set out in the PTPR.
Once the physiotherapist intern successfully completes an approved clinical competency examination, they are moved to the General Register and authorized to practice independently.
What’s Changing
Starting January 2026, CAPR’s single licensure examination will replace the two-exam model.
This single licensure examination supports a return to a national, harmonized registration approach for the physiotherapy profession.
CAPR embarked on a two-year project focused on improving and modernizing its entry-to-practice competency assessment model to assess Canadian and internationally educated physiotherapists for licensure in Canada.
The project involved developing a single licensure examination to replace the current two-exam model.
The single licensure examination will:
- Be offered 8 times in 2026
- Be completed virtually over one day
- Include a written section and an oral, scenario-based section with a single pass mark
- Focus on critical competencies that are required to perform safely, effectively, and independently at entry to practice
Applicants must complete the single licensure examination to be eligible for registration with the CPTA.
The single licensure examination will streamline the registration process. Applicants will apply directly for registration on the General Register once they successfully complete the single licensure examination. This means an end to the need for supervision of physiotherapist interns as the applicant will be directly admitted to the General Register and authorized to practice independently as soon as they are registered in Alberta.
Transition Phase
During the transition from a two-exam model to a single-exam model , applicants and physiotherapist interns on the Provisional Register must pay close attention to deadlines and other limitations to ensure they can act on the options available to them. While options are presented, they are subject to deadlines and available exam seats.
- CAPR plans to discontinue the current written component of the Physiotherapy Competency Examination and has announced written examination dates through to the end of November 2025.
- Alberta’s Post-Graduate Clinical Examination will be discontinued with the last administration currently scheduled for February 2026. Seats are limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis. See https://www.cpta.ab.ca/for-applicants/clinical-examination/ for examination dates, deadlines, cost, and policies.
- CAPR’s new single licensure examination begins in January 2026. The January 2026 exam has limited seats, but subsequent exams will have unlimited availability. The cost of the new CAPR examination has not yet been finalized. However, it will not exceed the previous CAPR combined written and clinical examinations ($2,815).
For Applicants Seeking Registration
For a limited time, applicants may pursue either the two-exam pathway or single-exam pathway.
Two-exam pathway:
- Successfully complete the current CAPR written exam (written component of the Physiotherapy Competency Examination). The last administration is November 26, 2025,
- Apply for registration on the Provisional Register, which requires practice under supervision*, and
- Successfully complete either Alberta’s PGCE or the new CAPR single licensure examination to obtain registration on the General Register and independent practice.
Be aware that the number of seats for the PGCE is limited, and registration is available on a first-come, first-served basis with the last administration in February 2026. Individuals are only eligible to register for the PGCE after obtaining registration on the Provisional Register, unless they are a former member with a remaining exam eligibility.
The new CAPR single licensure examination begins in January 2026. The January 2026 exam has limited seats, but subsequent exams will have unlimited availability. The timelines for release of results are estimated to be 4-5 weeks.
*Note: Individuals are not eligible for registration on Alberta’s Provisional Register if they have two failed attempts at completing any combination of Alberta’s Post-Graduate Clinical Examination, the Physiotherapy Competency Examination Clinical Component administered by CAPR, or any other Canadian physiotherapy regulator’s clinical competency evaluation for full licensure. Individuals are also not eligible for registration on the Provisional Register if they were formerly registered on the Provisional Register and their two-year eligibility ended.
Single-exam pathway:
- Wait and successfully complete the new CAPR single licensure examination.
- Apply for registration on the General Register, which allows for independent practice.
Note: In this option, individuals are not eligible for registration on the Provisional Register. Successful completion of the single licensure examination allows direct eligibility for registration on the General Register and independent practice.
The first CAPR single licensure examination is January 2026. This administration has limited seats, but subsequent exams will have unlimited availability. The timelines for release of results are estimated to be 4-5 weeks.
Key Takeaways
- Applicants who plan to become registered before the end of 2025, will need to follow the two-exam pathway.
- Applicants waiting for the new CAPR single licensure examination in 2026 will need to be mindful of seat availability for the first administration and timelines for release of results before being eligible to apply for registration with CPTA.
For physiotherapist interns on the Provisional Register
Physiotherapist interns on the Provisional Register, can pursue two options to meet the clinical competency examination requirement for admittance to the General Register
- Successfully complete Alberta’s PGCE. The last administration is February 2026. Seats are limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis, or
- Successfully complete the new CAPR single licensure examination. The first administration is January 2026. The January 2026 exam has limited seats, but subsequent exams will have unlimited availability. The timelines for release of results are estimated to be 4 – 5 weeks.
Important: Registration on the Provisional Register cannot exceed two years or two failed clinical exam attempts, whichever comes first. The change in exam models does not change this legislated requirement.
Resources
- Please monitor CAPR and CPTA websites for further details and updates.
- Visit CAPR website for information about the PCE written component.
- Visit CAPR website for information about the single licensure exam, cost, eligibility.
- For information about the PGCE, eligibility, exam schedule and deadlines: https://www.cpta.ab.ca/for-applicants/clinical-examination/
