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The National Professional Practice Examination
Regulations
13(c) and 77(c) accompanying the Engineering, Geological and
Geophysical Professions Act require that applicants pass an
examination on the Act and professional practice. The examination
is administered in January, April, July and October in major
centres throughout the province and in other centres in North
America by special consent. Since October 1998, the APEGGA
examination has served as a Pilot National Professional Practice
Examination.
SCOPE
AND SYLLABUS OF THE EXAMINATION
APEGGA
has identified the major subject areas as follows:
A. Professionalism
(30%)
1) Definition
and interpretation of professional status
2) The
role and responsibilities of a professional in society
3) The
role and responsibilities of a professional to management
4) Professional
conduct, ethical standards and codes
5) Safety
and loss management - the professional's duties
6) Environmental
responsibilities
B. Professional
Practice (20%)
1) Professional
accountability for work, workplace issues, job responsibilities
and standards of practice
2) Continuing
competence
3) Quality
management and standards of skill in practice
4) Business
practices as a professional
5) Insurance
and risk management
6) Professional
and technical societies
7) Non-statutory
standards and codes of practice
C. Regulatory
Authority Requirements (9%)
1) Safety
and loss management - regulatory aspects
2) Environmental
regulations
3) Occupational
health and safety
4) Workers
compensation
5) Other
statutory standards of practice
D. Law
and Legal Concepts (25%)
1) Canadian
legal system and international considerations, basics of
business organizations
2) Contract
Law - elements, principles, types, discharge, breach, interpretation
etc.
3) Tort
Law - Elements, application of principles, interpretation,
liabilities of various kinds
4) Intellectual
Property - patents, trademarks, software issues, copyright
5) Arbitration
and Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR)
6) Expert
Witness
E. The
Act (16%)
1) Definitions
of the professions and scopes of practice
2) Structure
and functions of a Provincial Association
3) Regulations
and By-Laws
4) Registration
5) Discipline
and enforcement
6) Use
of seals and stamps
The
examination is closed book and two hours in duration. The
100 multiple-choice questions are broken down into the above
distribution. All questions are common to the professions
of engineering, geology, geophysics and geoscience. The pass
mark is 65%*. The examination is graded as a "pass" or "fail"
with a report available in each area on your specific performance
in the event of failure. You are not penalized for wrong answers.
The grade is final.
*Pass
marks may be slightly adjusted for individual sessions based
on valid psychometric factors designed to ensure that over
time, and among groups of candidates, pass-fail decisions
are made on a consistent basis.
APPLYING
TO WRITE THE EXAMINATION
The
form, Application To Write The National Professional Practice
Examination must be used when applying. It provides more information
on fees, deadline dates, examination dates etc., must be accompanied
with the appropriate fees and must be received before the
first of the month preceding the month you write the examination.
Approximately
two weeks after the deadline you will receive a letter advising
you of the time, location and an admission slip which must
be brought to the examination with one piece of photo-identification
eg. Driver's License.
Four
to six weeks after the examination you will be advised of
the results by mail. For many, a pass may be the last step
in the registration process. For others, there may be additional
requirements before registration is granted. Failure will
require that the examination be repeated. Another application
to write will be required along with another examination fee.
In the unlikely event that the examination is failed 4 times,
the right to write the examination will be suspended for 12
months.
ELIGIBILITY/EXCEPTIONS
APEGGA
feels that it is beneficial for applicants to have at least
two years of work experience after completion of their formal
education before the examination is attempted. To be eligible
to write The National Professional Practice Examination, you
must also have an active application for Professional Membership,
Registered Professional Technologist (Engineering), or be
enrolled as a Member-In-Training, Examination Candidate or
Student. An exemption may be granted to applicants who have
passed a similar examination in another jurisdiction or who
have been registered by another Canadian Association for over
5 years, but such applicants are still required to read, and
confirm in writing that they have read, and agree to practice
their profession, in Alberta in accordance with the Engineering,
Geological and Geophysical Professions Act, Regulations, By-laws
and Code of Ethics.
LITERATURE
The
following is a list of the material required which can be
obtained through the Association offices in Calgary and Edmonton
by using The National Professional Practice Examination Literature
Order Form.
Basic
Kit (for all applicants)
All
applicants with the exceptions noted will be tested on the
primary literature but the secondary literature will be of
interest.
Primary
Literature
1. Canadian
Professional Engineering Practice and Ethics - G.C. Andrews,
J.D. Kemper, 2nd Edition, 1999.
2. Law
for Professional Engineers - D.L. Marston; McGraw-Hill Ryerson
Ltd. Third Edition, 1996.
3. Industry
Booklets:
- A
Guide to Patents
- A
Guide to Trade-Marks
- A
Guide to Industrial Designs
- A
Guide to Copyrights
4. The
Engineering, Geological and Geophysical Professions Act, Regulations
and By-laws including the Code of Ethics, April 2000.
5. Guideline
For Ethical Practice V2.0
6. The
Concepts of Professionalism - An APEGGA Statement.
Secondary
Literature
1. Occupational
Health and Safety Act of Alberta, Revised Statutes of Alberta
1980, Chapter 0-2 with amendments in force as of February
17, 1995 not including unproclaimed amendments Consolidated
March 7, 1995
2. Royal
Bank Letter - "The Soul of Professionalism" Vol. 71, No. 6,
December 1990.
3.
Basic Learnings in Industrial Safety and Loss Management -
ISLMP & APEGGA Publication - January 1998.
Available
textbooks focus on engineering but the concepts are also common
to the geosciences. The following publication, however, is
specific to the practice of geology and geophysics and is
available free of charge to geology and geophysics candidates.
The
Practice of the Professions of Geology and Geophysics -- APEGGA
Publication, Second Edition, March 1990
Portions
of the Kit are also available for those who can borrow some
of the material and are trying to save some money.
SAMPLE
QUESTIONS
Each
question is multiple-choice with four possible answers. Old
examinations are not available, however, sample test questions
are provided below:
For
Engineers, Geologists and Geophysicists
1. According
to the Code of Ethics, which of the following activities by
a professional member would be considered UNETHICAL?
A. Not
charging a fee for presenting a speech.
[
B. Signing
plans prepared by an unknown person.
C. Reviewing
the work of another member with that member's consent.
D. Providing
professional services as a consultant.
B.
is correct. It is unethical for professionals to sign plans
not prepared by themselves or under their direct supervision.
2. Which
of the following is an example of a fraudulent, contractual
misrepresentation?
A. A
party is coerced into signing a contract by means of intimidation.
[
B. A
party knowingly makes false statements to induce another
party into a contract.
C. A
party induces his son-in-law to sign an unfair contract.
D. A
party unknowingly provides false information about a portion
of a contract.
B.
is correct. Knowingly providing false information to induce
a contract is fraudulent misrepresentation.
3. Contractual
disputes of a technical nature may be most expeditiously and
effectively solved through:
A. a
lawsuit.
B. court
appeals.
C. contract
renegotiations.
[
D. arbitration.
D.
is correct. Arbitration provides an effective, expeditious
resolution to technical disputes.
4. Which
type of original work below is automatically protected by
copyright upon creation?
[
A. Paintings.
B. Inventions.
C. Clothing
designs.
D. Signatures.
A.
is correct. Of the works listed, only a painting is protected
by copyright law.
5. In
order for compensation to be awarded to a plaintiff in a tort
liability case, the defendant must have:
[
A. Caused
injury to the plaintiff.
B. Been
wilfully negligent.
C. Signed
a contract of performance.
D. performed
under supervision.
A.
is correct. Injury is one of three criteria that must be met
for compensation to be awarded in a tort liability case.
6. Which
of the following is the most common job activity of top-level
managers?
A. Writing
and reading corporate financial reports.
B. Developing
and testing new products.
C. Designing
and implementing production systems
[
D. Directing
and interacting with people.
D.
is correct. Most top managers spend most of their time interacting
with other people.
7. The
professional's standard of care and skill establishes the
point at which a professional:
A. may
or may not charge a fee for services
B. has
the duty to apply "reasonable care".
[
C. may
be judged negligent in the performance of services.
D. has
met the minimum requirements for registration.
C.
is correct. The standard of care is used to judge whether
or not a professional has been negligent in the performance
of services.
8. To
effectively reduce liability exposure the professional engineer,
geologist or geophysicist should:
A. pursue
continuing educational opportunities.
B. work
under the supervision of a senior engineer, geologist or
geophysicist.
[
C. maintain professional standards in practice.
D.
provide clients with frequent progress reports.
C.
is correct. Maintaining professional standards of practice
is the most effective way of reducing liability exposure.
Revised
September 2000
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