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Pan-Canadian Examinations

All applicants except those who qualify for registration through reciprocity registration, applying for registration as a Registered Acupuncturist (R.Ac.), Registered Traditional Chinese Medicine Herbalist (R.TCM.H.), or Registered Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioner (R.TCM.P.) with the College must successfully complete the Pan-Canadian Written and Clinical Case-study Examinations in respect to the title of registration applying for.

Announcements

PCE Language Update

August 31, 2021
This is an update on the Pan-Canadian Entry-level Examinations in TCM and Acupuncture (PCE) and the languages in which these […]

Information on April 2023 PCE – NEW

April 1, 2023
Education and Examination Requirements for April 2023 Pan-Canadian Examinations – download here

Pan-Canadian Entry-Level Examination Fall 2020 Transitions Bulletin

January 7, 2020
The information of Pan-Canadian Entry-Level Examination Fall 2020 transition is available. Click here for more detail.

During the pandemic, the best way to reach CTCMA staff is by email so that your questions can be answered promptly.  All exam application enquiries can be sent to: [email protected]

Examination Schedule

The examination schedule for October 2023 Pan-Canadian Examinations is as below. Please note that to avoid delays in ordering official transcripts and/or credential evaluation reports during the summer season, we would recommend the applicants interested in writing the October 2023 Pan-Canadian Examinations to start to collect information as early as possible.

We accept PCE applications by either mail or e-mail.  If you choose to submit applications by e-mail, please e-mail to [email protected] with the Subject Line as “PCE Oct 2023 Application”

  • Official transcript for education of 2-year study of liberal arts and sciences completed within Canada sent directly from the issuing institutions’ student record/transcript department
  • Official transcript for TCM education program completed within Canada sent directly from the issuing institutions’ student record/transcript department
  • Credential evaluation report for education for education of 2-year study of liberal arts and sciences completed outside of Canada sent directly from the acceptable credential evaluation agency (members of Alliance of Credential Evaluation Services of Canada, e.g. ICES);
  • Credential evaluation report for TCM education completed outside of Canada sent directly from the acceptable credential evaluation agency (members of Alliance of Credential Evaluation Services of Canada, e.g. ICES) with a copy of transcript attached.
OCTOBER 2023 – PAN-CANADIAN EXAMINATIONS
Application Starts: Thursday, June 1, 2023 (8:30 AM PDT)
Application Deadline: Friday, July 14, 2023 (4:30PM PDT)
Deadline for Special Accommodation Request: Friday, July 14, 2023 (4:30PM PDT)
Application Fee Due Date: 48 hours after the payment link sent from CTCMA
Examination Fee Due Date: August 15, 2023 (the payment link will be sent to those approved candidates on August 9, 2023)
Deadline for Withdrawal of Applications August 15, 2023 (application fee is non-refundable)
Date of TCM Herbalists Examination – HER October 2 & 3, 2023
Date of TCM Practitioners Examination – PRA October 4 & 5, 2023
Date of Acupuncturists Examination – ACU October 25 & 26, 2023

Important Notes:

  • The October 2023 Pan-Canadian Examinations will be delivered via online-proctored format. Please check the Candidate Handbook for detailed information
  • All three examinations will be offered in three languages: English, Simplified Chinese and Traditional Chinese.

Examination Requirements and Forms

Education Requirements

Applicants are required to meet the education requirements (both TCM and two years liberal arts/sciences study) for registration in respect to the title of registration applying for.  Please refer to the Registration section of the website for further information.

Application Forms and Fees

Please use the forms below to submit your application to register.

If you fail the Pan-Canadian examination twice or more since October 2020, you are required to complete a 50-hour Upgrading Program pre-approved by CTCMA. The Upgrading Program must be pre-approved by CTCMA before you start it and completed before the examination application deadline. Please use the following form(s) to apply for the pre-approval from the college:

If you request accommodation for special needs, you are required to complete the following two forms and submit to [email protected] directly.  Please note that an Accommodation Request form is required for each specific examination administration,  and the request when approved by CARB-TCMPA, will only apply to the current examination administration.

 Pan-Canadian Examinations Fee Chart:

Examinations

Application

(Non-refundable)

Examination

(plus applicable tax)

PCE Acupuncturists Examination – ACU

 $200

  $915

PCE TCM Herbalists Examination – HER

  $200

  $915

PCE TCM Practitioners Examination – PRA

  $300

  $1258

Examination Resources

Past PCE Examinations Results and Future Dates

Application Guide

The Application Guide is designed to provide candidates with information on the application process, policies, and instructions for the Pan-Canadian Examinations.

Blueprint

The Blueprint documents outline the content tested on the Pan-Canadian exam. For the Pan-Canadian Registration Examination for Acupuncturists, TCM Herbalists and/or TCM Practitioners, the content consists of the competencies that an entry-level practitioner is required to possess in order to practise safely, effectively and ethically. Please refer to the Examination Blueprint Table(s) on Page 12 and 14 of the Pan-Canadian Examination Candidate Handbook – Updated January 5, 2023

Entry-Level Competencies for TCM practitioners

For more information on the Entry-Level Competencies for TCM practitioners, please refer to the Entry-Level Competencies page.

Pan-Canadian Examinations Candidate Handbook

The Examination Guide is designed by the Canadian Alliance of Regulatory Bodies of TCM Practitioners and Acupuncturists (CARB-TCMPA) to familiarize candidates with the format of the actual examination and to provide information on the content of the examination. More information is available at CARB-TCMPA.