Preparatory Examinations
CPA Ontario preparatory examinations take place at the end of each term. Students are required to enrol in their course and examination during the same term. If you have previously deferred an examination, ensure you have attempted that examination within 12 months of your course start date.
Students are permitted three attempts to pass a CPA preparatory course successfully. Students who are unsuccessful with a course after three attempts must complete the requirements through a post-secondary institution and complete a transcript reassessment. Students can choose to pursue other CPA preparatory courses during this time.
Review the preparatory course schedule for examination dates. You can manage your preparatory course and examination enrolments through My Portal under Manage My Journey.
Key information
In-person Examinations
The CPA preparatory core course examinations will take place in person at writing centres across Ontario.
Refer to the following resources for information on in-person examinations:
Remote Examinations
All non-core examinations are delivered remotely. These examinations will be written using a web-based examination software on students’ personal computers.
Refer to the following resources for information online examinations:
March 2025 Preparatory In-Person Examination Locations
Toronto West | The International Convention Center (Hall 5) | 6900 Airport Road, Mississauga, ON L4V 1E8 |
| Ottawa | Ottawa Conference and Event Centre | 200 Coventry Road, Ottawa, ON K1K 4S3 |
Hamilton | Burlington Convention Centre | 1120 Burloak Dr, Burlington, ON L7L 6P8 |
| London | Best Western-Stoneridge Inn | 6675 Burtwistle Ln, London, ON N6L 1H5 |
| Kingston | DoubleTree by Hilton Kingston | 1550 Princess St, Kingston, ON K7M 9E3 |
| Sudbury | Holiday Inn Sudbury | 1696 Regent St, Greater Sudbury, ON P3E 3Z8 |
| Sault Ste. Marie | Days Inn & Suites | 332 Bay Street, Sault Ste. Marie, ON P6A 1X1 |
| Windsor | Quality Inn & Suites | 675 Goyeau St. Windsor ON N9A 1H3 |
| Thunder Bay | The Superior Inn Hotel & Conference Centre | 555 Arthur St. W, Thunder Bay, ON P7E 5R5 |
Timmins | Timmins MNP Office | 2185 Riverside Dr, Timmins ON, P4R 0A1 |
Examination Deferrals
If you have completed your required course activities but are unable to sit your examination, you can defer your examination to the subsequent term. Students can request a deferral in the 14 days prior to their examination. The Deferral Fee is $200 + HST. Students may withdraw from a preparatory course or examination by going to My Portal, selecting Manage My Journey ► Actions for the course or examination ► Defer Exam. Please note that rewrite examinations are not deferrable.
Examination re-marks
Students who are unsuccessful at passing a core course may submit a request for re-mark of their examination results. You must request a re-mark within three business days of the final results release. Your request can be completed by logging into My Portal, selecting Obligations & Requests ► Student Requests ► Exam Re-marks and Performance Analysis Review (PAR).
A fee of $100 + HST applies for all re-marks. Re-marks take approximately 10 business days. If it is successful, the fee will be refunded.
Examination rewrites
If your minimum grade is inadequate for a successful pass (60 per cent for core courses), you may be eligible to rewrite the examination in order to increase your final grade.
Only students who receive a final grade of 49.5 to 59.4 per cent in core courses are eligible to rewrite the examination. Eligible students can enrol in the rewrite examination by logging into My Portal. The rewrite examination counts as a course attempt. Students who are unsuccessful at the rewrite examination for their second-course attempt will need to retake the full course. An examination re-write costs $200 + HST.
Note: Rewrite examinations are not deferrable. If a student does not attempt the rewrite examination in the semester immediately following the original attempt, they must attempt the entire course again.
A student who is unsuccessful on the first attempt in a core course with a mark of less than 49.5 per cent must retake the full course before a second attempt at the examination is permitted.
A student who is unsuccessful in a non-core course must repeat the entire course before attempting the examination again.