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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.

Please note: The new CPA Professional Program launches in January 2027. We encourage you to continue your path towards completion of prerequisite requirements before the deadline of Semester 4, 2026 (October – December).

Key information

View preparatory fees and policies for courses.

View the semester schedules to plan your learning path.

Review the CPA Harmonized Education Policies Vol. 3 and CPA Preparatory Courses Student Guide policies for admission, administration and course evaluation.

Explore the CPA preparatory course syllabus for each preparatory course.

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:

Exam Accommodation Requests

On a case-by-case basis, CPA Ontario provides reasonable exam accommodations to those with supporting documentation in accordance with the Ontario Human Rights Code. To allow sufficient time for review, please submit an “Accommodation Service Request” and documentation through MyPortal at least 10 weeks prior to your exam.

March 2026 PREP Examination Locations


Toronto West	The International Convention Center	6900 Airport Road, Mississauga ON L4V 1E8
Ottawa	Ottawa Conference and Event Centre	200 Coventry Road, Ottawa, ON K1K 4S3
Oakville	OE Banquet Hall & Conference Centre	2245 Speers Rd, Oakville, ON L6L6X8
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	Fairfield Inn by Marriott	633 Great Northern Rd, Sault Ste. Marie, ON P6B 5A1
Windsor	Quality Inn & Suites Downtown	675 Goyeau St., Windsor, ON N9A 1H3
Thunder Bay	The Superior Inn Hotel and Conference Centre	555 Arthur St W, Thunder Bay, ON P7E 5R5
Timmins	Timmins MNP Office	2185 Riverside Dr, Timmins ON, P4R 0A1
Fort Frances	Fort Frances MNP Office	607 Portage Ave, Fort Frances, ON P9A 0A7

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 and 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.

Please note, there are no re-write opportunities for the Dec 2026 (S4 2026) exams.

Preparatory courses FAQs

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