Canada · Licensing examWho has to write the LPN exam in B.C.?
You must write the REx-PN if you want to practise in B.C. and any of these fits:
- You’re a graduate of a B.C. practical nursing program
- You graduated from a practical nursing program elsewhere in Canada and have never held a practising licence
- You’re an internationally educated nurse who has never held a practising licence in Canada
- BCCNM’s Deputy Registrar of Licensing directs you to, after looking at how long ago you first passed and your practice experience
You don’t need it if you’re licensed as an LPN or equivalent in another Canadian province. New graduates can’t write the CPNRE elsewhere to meet B.C.’s rule. Only people who have held a licence in another jurisdiction can use CPNRE results.
How to apply for the LPN exam through BCCNM
- Create a BCCNM account, and once you’ve finished your program, apply for a practising LPN licence and pay the application fee. BCCNM assesses your eligibility to write as part of this.
- Wait for BCCNM’s email telling you to register and pay on Pearson’s website.
- Watch for your Authorization to Test (ATT) from Pearson. It’s valid for 90 days. If you don’t write inside that window, your exam registration is cancelled and you lose the fee.
- Book your date and place early, then check the confirmation email.
BCCNM’s exam page lists the B.C. test centres open year-round and the dates for the others. Internationally educated nurses should wait for instructions from BCCNM’s licensing team before applying to write.
BCCNM fees for LPN applicants
These apply from April 1, 2026 to March 31, 2027. BCCNM adds the Goods and Services Tax (GST) to the application fees. The exam fee is separate, and it’s paid to Pearson for each attempt.
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| B.C. LPN application | $265 |
| Canadian LPN application | $345 |
| International LPN application | $690 |
| Practising LPN licence, per year | $781.10 |
Provisional licence and the exam
A provisional licence lets you work while you finish your requirements, such as passing the exam. To qualify, you must have applied to write or be waiting for your result, and have met everything else for a practising licence.
You can keep working as a provisional licensee if you fail once. If you fail a second time, you can’t hold a provisional licence again until you pass. BCCNM’s pages say it expires about four to six weeks, or six to eight weeks, after you’re told of the second fail, or sooner if your time limit ends first, and BCCNM confirms the date by email. After a failure, BCCNM says to wait at least 60 days before you register to write again.
Asking BCCNM for exam accommodation
You can ask for changes such as additional time, a separate room, or a separate room and a reader. You flag the request on your licence application, and BCCNM emails three forms for you, your education program if relevant, and your health care professional. BCCNM recommends applying eight weeks before you’d like to write. The request itself is free, but you cover any costs of gathering your documents.
Sources: BCCNM · CPNRE and 5 more. Checked November 2026.
- BCCNM: Exam (REx-PN) ↗
- BCCNM: REx-PN FAQs ↗
- BCCNM: B.C. graduates ↗
- BCCNM: Fees ↗
- BCCNM: Provisional licensure ↗
- BCCNM: Exam accommodation ↗
- CPNRE: Regulatory authorities ↗
Rules and fees can change, so check the official site before your test.
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