The Pan-Canadian Examinations assess occupational competencies of entry-level TCM professionals that are required for safe, competent, and ethical practice ( Candidate Handbook ). Successful completion of the Pan-Canadian Examinations is one of the requirements for registration in the General class of registration. The Pan-Canadian Examinations are administered by the Canadian Alliance of Regulatory Bodies of Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners and Acupuncturists (CARB-TCMPA).
Important Update – In-person delivery format for October 2023 Pan Canadian Examinations
CARB-TCMPA initially introduced online proctoring at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure continuity of service for candidates writing the examinations. To preserve the integrity and security of the examinations, as of October 2023, the Acupuncturists and TCM Practitioners exams will be returning to an in-person format at computer-based testing centers. This change is expected to reduce the number of technical issues experienced by candidates, minimize test taker anxiety, and ensure the timely launch of examinations at each testing center. The October 2023 examinations will not be delivered via online proctoring.
For detailed information about the Pan-Canadian Examinations and the required documentation, please click on the applicable examination tab below.
Traditionally, the College has offered the (1) Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners (Practitioners) Examination and the (2) Acupuncturists Examination in English. Pursuant to the request of the Ministry of Health, the College offered the October 2022 Examinations in Chinese and English. However, the Practitioners Examination was only available in English, thus applicants who wished to sit the Practitioners Examination were required to write both the Acupuncturists Examination and the Herbalist Examination in Chinese.
For the upcoming April 2023 Pan-Canadian Examinations, the College is pleased to announce that both the Practitioners Examination and the Acupuncturists Examination will be available in Chinese and English. Applicants will not be required to sit the Chinese version of both the Herbalist Examination and the Acupuncturists Examination.
The following schedule applies to the Examinations offered in April 2023:
| Application Deadline for all Examinations | January 13, 2023 (5:00 p.m. EST) |
| Deadline for Special Accommodation Request | January 13, 2023 (5:00 p.m. EST) |
| Date of Practitioners Examination | April 5 and 6, 2023 |
| Deadline* for Withdrawal of Applications (Practitioners Examination) | March 6, 2023 (5:00 p.m. EST) |
| Date of Acupuncturists Examination | April 26 and 27, 2023 |
| Deadline* for Withdrawal of Applications (Acupuncturists Examination) | March 27, 2023 (5:00 p.m. EST) |
* The examination withdrawal dates are subject to change and will be confirmed before the examinations’ application deadline.
As set out in the Registration Regulation, in order to be registered as a member of the College, an applicant must be reasonably fluent in English or French. Applicants who complete the Examination(s) in either English or French will be deemed to have met this registration requirement. Applicants completing the Examinations in Chinese will need to demonstrate their reasonable fluency in English or French when they apply for registration to the College. Please refer to the College’s Language Fluency Policy.
Any applicant who does not meet one or more registration requirements of the College will be referred to the Registration Committee. The Registration Committee will review any submissions and then make a decision. For more information, please see the Referral to Registration Committee Policy.
| Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners Examination | |
|---|---|
| Available Language Versions | English or Chinese (Traditional or Simplified) |
| Application Fee (non-refundable) | $300.00* |
| Examination Fee | $1258.00** |
| Examination Date | April 5 and 6, 2023 |
| Acupuncturists Examination | |
|---|---|
| Available Language Versions | English or Chinese (Traditional or Simplified) |
| Application Fee (non-refundable) | $300.00* |
| Examination Fee | 915.00** |
| Examination Date | April 26 and 27, 2023 |
*Examinations application fees are non-refundable.
**Examination fees will be requested when all the eligibility requirements have been met.
To register for the examination, you will first need to complete an online examinations application form. To setup an account on the College’s Portal, click “Click here to Register” on the Sign In section of the College website, then complete and submit the Portal Access Registration Form. Within two business days you will receive an email with an invitation code and instructions on how to redeem the invitation code.
Once you have access to the Portal, you can begin the Examination application. All applicants are encouraged to first read the CTCMPAO Pan Canadian Examinations Application Guide to understand what documents and information are required. Submitting incomplete information will delay the process. All application forms can be found by clicking “My Applications” on the registration dropdown menu. From there, you will click on “Pan-Canadian Examinations” and then choose either the R. Ac or R. TCMP application.
All internationally educated graduates must submit a credential evaluation and authentication report with a course-by-course evaluation from the World Education Services (WES). Applicants are responsible for paying the WES evaluation fee to WES directly. For more information regarding the documents needed to submit to WES, please visit the Required Documents section of the WES website. To apply for the credential evaluation, please visit the WES website.
For the upcoming October 2023 Pan-Canadian Examinations, both the Practitioners Examination and the Acupuncturists Examination will be available in Chinese or English.
The following schedule applies to the Examinations offered in October 2023:
| Application Deadline for all Examinations | July 14, 2023 (5:00 p.m. EST) |
| Deadline for Special Accommodation Request | July 14, 2023 (5:00 p.m. EST) |
| Date of Practitioners Examination | October 4 and 5, 2023 |
| Deadline* for Withdrawal of Applications (Practitioners Examination) | September 5, 2023 (5:00 p.m. EST) |
| Date of Acupuncturists Examination | October 25 and 26, 2023 |
| Deadline* for Withdrawal of Applications (Acupuncturists Examination) | September 25, 2023 (5:00 p.m. EST) |
*The examination withdrawal dates are subject to change and will be confirmed before the examinations’ application deadline.
As set out in the Registration Regulation, in order to be registered as a member of the College, an applicant must be reasonably fluent in English or French. Applicants who complete the Examination(s) in either English or French will be deemed to have met this registration requirement. Applicants completing the Examinations in Chinese will need to demonstrate their reasonable fluency in English or French in another way when they apply for registration to the College. Please refer to the College’s Language Fluency Policy.
Any applicant who does not meet one or more registration requirements of the College will be referred to the Registration Committee. The Registration Committee will review any submissions and then make a decision. For more information, please see the Referral to Registration Committee Policy.
| Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners Examination | |
|---|---|
| Available Language Versions | English or Chinese (Traditional or Simplified) |
| Application Fee (non-refundable) | $300.00 |
| Examination Fee | $1258.00** |
| Examination Date | October 4 and 5, 2023 |
| Acupuncturists Examination | |
|---|---|
| Available Language Versions | English or Chinese (Traditional or Simplified) |
| Application Fee (non-refundable) | $300.00 |
| Examination Fee | $915.00** |
| Examination Date | October 25 and 26, 2023 |
**Examination fees will be requested when all the eligibility requirements have been met.
| Province | City | |
|---|---|---|
| Alberta | Calgary | Lethbridge |
| Edmonton | Lloydminster | |
| Fort McMurray | Red Deer | |
| British Columbia | Burnaby | Richmond |
| Kelowna | Surrey | |
| Nanaimo | Vancouver | |
| Prince George | Victoriar | |
| Manitoba | Brandon | Winnipeg |
| New Brunswick | Fredericton | Saint John |
| Moncton | ||
| Newfoundland | St. John’s | |
| Nova Scotia | Halifax | Sydney |
| Ontario | Barrie | Scarborough |
| Kingston | St. Catharine’s | |
| London | Sudbury | |
| Markham | Thunder Bay | |
| Mississauga | Toronto | |
| Ottawa | Windsor | |
| Prince Edward Island | Charlottetown | |
| Saskatchewan | Regina | Saskatoon |
Note – specific location details will be forthcoming.
If you require any in-person testing accommodations, please download and complete the Request for Accommodation Form and Verification of Candidate s Condition Form, and submit your forms to accommodations@carb-tcmpa.org.
To register for the examination, you will first need to complete an online examinations application form. To setup an account on the College’s Portal, click “Click here to Register” on the Sign In section of the College website, then complete and submit the Portal Access Registration Form. Within two business days you will receive an email with an invitation code and instructions on how to redeem the invitation code.
Once you have access to the Portal, you can begin the Examination application. All applicants are encouraged to first read the CTCMPAO Pan Canadian Examinations Application Guide to understand what documents and information are required. Submitting incomplete information will delay the process. All application forms can be found by clicking “My Applications” on the registration dropdown menu. From there, you will click on “Pan-Canadian Examinations” and then choose either the R. Ac or R. TCMP application.
All internationally educated graduates must submit a credential evaluation and authentication report with a course-by-course evaluation from the World Education Services (WES). Applicants are responsible for paying the WES evaluation fee to WES directly. For more information regarding the documents needed to submit to WES, please visit the Required Documents section of the WES website. To apply for the credential evaluation, please visit the WES website.
