The College of Naturopaths of Ontario (the “College”) has recently announced that it is developing its own entry-to-practise examinations that will eventually replace the use of NPLEX exams in the province beginning in 2019.  A number of factors led to this recent decision, including the College’s desire to make the examinations better reflect current practice and the laws that govern in Ontario (such as the need to offer the exams in French).

The big changes happen in 2019:

1) for students who graduate in 2019 and 2020 and have already completed NPLEX 1: you will be eligible for the first sitting of the College’s clinical sciences examination (the NPLEX 2 equivalent); and

2) for students who graduate in 2021 and thereafter: you will be required to complete the College’s biomedical examination (the NPLEX 1 equivalent) in order to write the clinical sciences examination.

We don’t expect the exams to look that different from NPLEX. The College has reiterated that the competencies of the new exam will measure the same ones that a CNME-accredited school must teach, and which are the same used across North America.

1) Complete NPLEX in 2018 so that you get grandfathered in. The College is known for its VERY HARD exams. You don’t want to be the beta test for the most important exam of your life. Pass the NPLEX now so you don’t have to worry about anything new.

2) Plan to still take the NPLEX exams past 2018, unless you are absolutely certain that you will never practice outside of Canada. Initially it is unlikely that US jurisdictions will accept the College’s examination as equivalent to NPLEX. It’s hard to say where your career or life will take you, and you don’t want to limit your opportunities in the future. Your schooling and studying will prepare you to write and pass both exams, so we encourage you to spend a little extra time and money writing NPLEX to keep your options open for the future.

Whether you’ll be writing NPLEX, the new Ontario entry-to-practise exams or both, we’re here to help get you through the process. We’ll have a new course available for Ontario students when the time comes, which, like all our courses, will serve as your best studying resource. Don’t forget to check out all of our updated resources by clicking the link below.