Changes to Registration Examination Requirement in 2026 - College of Physiotherapists of Manitoba

In January 2026, the Canadian Alliance of Physiotherapy Regulators (CAPR) will launch a single licensure examination.

The Council of the College of Physiotherapists of Manitoba (CPM) made a motion to adopt CAPR’s single licensure examination as an approved entry-to-practice examination in Manitoba.

Relevant Legislation

The requirements for applicants to be registered on the Active Register are set out in Regulations. The current Regulations state that the examination is defined as an examination approved by the council. The requirements for registration state, “the applicant must have (i) on or after January 1, 2002, successfully completed a physiotherapy education program approved by the council, and passed the examination”. Registration on the Examination Candidate register would occur after successfully passing the Written Exam through the Canadian Alliance of Physiotherapy Regulators. An Examination Candidate could then move to the Active register upon successful completion of a clinical evaluation as defined in Registration and Licensing Policy Approved Entry-to-Practice Examination. The Regulations require amendments as the examination will no longer be divided into two separate sections which will impact current graduates’ ability to register with the College. The College has engaged the Legislative Unit with the Manitoba government to address these changes.

Registration Process on or before December 31, 2025

Until December 31, 2025 applicants seeking registration as a physiotherapist in Manitoba must complete a two-part examination:

Written Component: The Physiotherapy Competency Examination administered by CAPR.
Clinical Component: Manitoba’s Practice Based Competency Assessment or another Canadian physiotherapy regulator’s clinical competency evaluation for full licensure.

Applicants must successfully complete the written component of the Physiotherapy Competency Examination before they are eligible to apply for registration on CPM’s Examination Candidate register. Examination Candidates registered with CPM must practice under supervision.

Once the Examination Candidate successfully completes an approved clinical evaluation, they are moved to the Active Register and authorized to practice independently.

What’s Changing

Starting January 2026, CAPR’s single licensure examination will replace the two-exam model.
This single licensure examination supports a return to a national, harmonized registration approach for the physiotherapy profession.
CAPR embarked on a two-year project focused on improving and modernizing its entry-to-practice competency assessment model to assess Canadian and internationally educated physiotherapists for licensure in Canada.
The project involved developing a single licensure examination to replace the current two-exam model. The single licensure examination will:

Be offered 8 times in 2026
Be completed virtually over one day
Include a written section and an oral, scenario-based section with a single pass mark
Focus on critical competencies that are required to perform safely, effectively, and independently at entry to practice

Applicants must complete the single licensure examination to be eligible for registration with the CPM.

The single licensure examination will streamline the registration process. Applicants will apply directly for registration on the Active Register once they successfully passed the single licensure examination.

Transition Phase

During the transition from a two-exam model to a single-exam model, applicants and Examination Candidates on the Register must pay close attention to deadlines and other limitations to ensure they can act on the options available to them. While options are presented, they are subject to deadlines.

CAPR has to discontinued the current written component of the Physiotherapy Competency Examination with the last written examination in Manitoba in November 2025.
Manitoba’s PBCA will start to be phased out in 2026. The last date to initiate registration as an Examination Candidate to work under supervision and proceed with the PBCA will be December 31, 2025. Anyone registering on or before this date will need to have proof of successfully passing the Written Component of the CAPR exam in the 6 months preceding.
CAPR’s new single licensure examination begins in January 2026. The cost of the new CAPR examination is available on their website.

* Failure of the Written Examination through CAPR in November 2025 would result in needing to proceed to the single examination. There will be no opportunity to proceed with the PBCA without a successful pass on the Written Component.

Options:

For a limited time, applicants have more than one option available to them to move to the Active register in Manitoba.

Two-Exam Pathway

Learn more

Single-Exam pathway:

Learn more

Key Takeaways

Applicants who plan to initiate registration as an Examination Candidate on or before December 31 2025, will need to follow the two-exam pathway.

Applicants waiting for the new CAPR single licensure examination in 2026 will need to be mindful of seat availability for the first administration and timelines for release of results before being eligible to apply for registration with CPM.

For current Examination Candidates (excluding Re-Entry candidates)

Examination Candidates who are already registered can pursue two options to meet the clinical competency examination requirement for admittance to the Active Register

Successfully complete Manitoba’s PBCA or another clinical evaluation approved by Council (ACEBC or the OCE).

Successfully complete the new CAPR single licensure examination. The first administration is January 2026. The January 2026 exam has limited seats, but subsequent exams will have unlimited availability. The timelines for release of results are estimated to be 4 – 5 weeks.

Important: Currently, registration on the Examination Candidate register cannot exceed two years or three failed clinical exam attempts, whichever comes first. The change in exam models does not change this legislated requirement. Examination Candidates on the Register must pay close attention to deadlines and other limitations to ensure they can act on the options available to them.