The theoretical component of the professional admission program consists of a virtual training lasting between 25 and 30 hours, the success of which is assessed by means of an examination.
It is important to remember that all other professional engineering associations in Canada require this type of examination.
Subjects covered by the examination The professional examination is not a technical examination. Its specific purpose is to verify knowledge of the following subjects:
The professional system, the Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec, the social role and professional development of engineers
Ethics, deontology and professionalism
Applicable laws and regulations
Standards of professional practice
Examination conditions
Options after a failure As stipulated in section 10 of the Regulation respecting the terms and conditions for the issuance of permits by the Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec (see regulation, in French), candidates to the engineering profession (CEPs) who fail the examination may apply to have the corrections reviewed, provided they assume the related costs (as specified in the current fee schedule), by sending their request to examenprofessionnel@oiq.qc.ca. Registering for the professional examination
The professional examination is an excellent starting point for CEPs. The OIQ strongly recommends that they register for this examination and pass it as soon as possible. In fact, aspiring engineers will find it easier to enter the profession once they have a solid mastery of the subjects covered in the exam.
Before you can register for the professional examination, you must first take the 4 theoretical training blocks that are required in the professional admission program (directly available in the CEP portal). Once you have completed the theoretical training, you will receive an e-mail inviting you to register for the professional examination. The e-mail will include a link to the registration platform where you can view the examination session schedule (several sessions are offered across Quebec) and register. It is important to note that you must register for a session at least one month before the date of the selected session.
For sessions held after May 16, 2021, you may register on the registration platform starting on June 1, 2021. Forms received by e-mail will not be accepted.
Cost To find out more about the cost of the professional examination registration, please refer to the fee schedule. Please note that a fee will be charged to retake the examination. Changing the examination session after registration Requests to attend a later examination session than the one originally registered for must be e-mailed to examenprofessionnel@oiq.qc.ca, at least four weeks before the scheduled session is held; otherwise, the fee will be charged again.
Preparing for the Professional Examination
Study document for the Professional Examination
All subjects covered by the professional examination are discussed in the following document. These subjects were taken from the theoretical training available online (25 to 30 hours).
The document will be available again following the update on June 1st 2021.
Complete document for the preparation of the exam
You should devote at least 20 hours of study to prepare for the examination and refer to the laws and regulations cited in the study document.
Subjects covered by the professional examination
The professional examination has 3 parts that cover clearly defined subjects:
- Part 1 – Quebec professional law
Objective: Familiarity with Quebec’s legislation respecting the professions, i.e. the Professional Code (chapter C-26), the Engineers Act (chapter I-9) and the regulations applicable to engineers adopted under these 2 laws;
- Part 2 - Practice of the engineering profession
Objective: Familiarity with the principles of professional practice, the concepts of ethics and professional conduct, the role and obligations of engineers in society, the social impact of technology, sustainable development, protection of the environment and the duty to maintain professional competencies;
- Part 3 - The legal environment
Objective: Familiarity with basic legal knowledge of civil liability, contractual law, intellectual property, general commercial law, labour law, construction law, environmental law and occupational health and safety law.