ASSESSMENTS
Alberta Licensed Practical Nurses Competence Exam (ALPNCE)
About
The Alberta Licensed Practical Nurses Competence Examination (ALPNCE) is designed to assess current knowledge, skills, and attitudes of those seeking Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) registration within the province of Alberta. This exam is not intended to replace the national exam, but rather to serve as a step in the LPN registration pathway for those applicants with a nursing credential for whom the College of Licensed Practical Nurses of Alberta (CLPNA) is seeking evidence of sufficient equivalency or prior learning.
The exam is designed to assess an applicant’s competency level in comparison to that of a recent graduate of a CLPNA approved Practical Nursing Program of Alberta. This exam is based on the entry-level competencies as outlined in the CLPNA’s Competency Profile for Licensed Practical Nurses 5th Edition (2020) document.
Key Dates
In-Person MCQ and OSCE: July 23, 2023
Registration Opens - March 1, 2023 at 10:00 a.m. MT
Registration Closes - June 30, 2023, or once capacity has been reached.
Examination Location:
Health Sciences Education and Research Commons (HSERC)
University of Alberta
Edmonton Clinic Health Academy (ECHA), Classroom 1-190
11405-87 Avenue NW, HSERC 2-263
Edmonton, Alberta
Future Exam Dates
Additional examination dates will be posted on our website when they become available.
Touchstone Institute reserves the right to cancel scheduled exams if the minimum number of registrants is not met. Those registered for cancelled exams will be notified by email and moved to the next available date or provided a full refund.
Registration
Registration for the ALPNCE is available to examinees who have received the following:
- Referral from CLPNA
- Email confirmation from Touchstone Institute
For additional information on ALPNCE eligibility, please get in touch with the CLPNA.
Before you register for a Touchstone Institute exam, please ensure you understand how the exam results contribute to your licensure pathway. If unsure, please get in touch with your profession’s regulatory authority.
Request Letter of Participation
Examinees may request a Letter of Participation to support visa travel requirements only after they have registered for an exam date. Letters cannot be issued without an exam date listed on them. Contact us here to request a letter. Please include your full name, email address and exam date.
Request for Exam Accommodation
Touchstone Institute will provide reasonable exam accommodations for examinees with a documented disability or special need. Requests and supporting documentation need to be submitted immediately after registering for an examination with us. See our Exam Accommodation Policy page for additional information.
Fees & Payment
ALPNCE fees are CAN $2,250 and payable by Credit Card through Moneris. Cash and cheques cannot be accepted. Registration is not complete without payment.
Cancellations & Refunds
Touchstone Institute accommodates a high volume of examinees and enforces a strict cancellation policy to ensure fairness. Please refer to our exam cancellation policy here.
Exam cancellation fee: CAN $600
Deadline for a refund (minus an administrative fee): 30 days before the date of your first exam component.
If there is a need to cancel your exam, click here
Code of Conduct
Exam Code of Conduct and Ethical Behaviour
Examinees participating in an assessment must sign an Exam Conduct Agreement attesting that they will not disseminate, circulate, publish or share any content of the examination. Breaches include comparing client responses with your colleagues, sharing exam content with future examinees and posting case information or exam questions online. Any breach in exam content or process may lead to disciplinary and legal measures, including invalidating your results.
Please visit the Ethical Exam Behaviour page and sign the agreement at the bottom.
Exam Format
Exam Format
All of our assessments are designed to standardize as many exam elements as possible. Depending on examinee registration numbers and facility parameters, exam format may vary from the information provided on our website. Information regarding your specific exam will be provided with your invitation. We are committed to ensuring that all examinees are given a fair and valid assessment experience. Click on the tabs for more information.
General Format
General Exam Format
No external contact is permitted during the exam.
The ALPNCE is a two-part examination:
A Multiple Choice Question (MCQ) Examination – Examinees will be given 139 minutes to complete up to 90 questions.
An Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) – Examinees will challenge up to 10 stations of 13 minutes each.
A score report is generated upon completion of both parts of the examination.
The exam is designed to assess an applicant’s competency level compared to a recent graduate of a CLPNA approved Practical Nursing Program of Alberta. This exam is based on the entry-level competencies outlined in the CLPNA’s Competency Profile for Licensed Practical Nurses 5th Edition (2020) document.
The Examination Blueprint can be found within the Exam Resources section.
In-Person MCQ Exam
Part 1: Written Multiple Choice Question (MCQ) Examination (139 minutes)
The MCQ exam consists of up to 90 questions. Examinees are required to choose the correct or best answer from a list of three or four responses.
The Examination Blueprint can be found within the Exam Resources section.
In-Person OSCE
Part 2: Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE)
Examinees complete up to 10 clinical encounter stations where they demonstrate their skills and competencies by interacting with a standardized patient. At the start of each station, examinee instructions will be posted outside the exam room door that introduces the presenting clinical problem and states the task(s) the examinees need to perform. After interacting with the standardized patient, the in-station examiner will ask the examinee questions about the station. The questions will be asked exactly as they are written on the examiner's test sheet.
The OSCE stations for this exam represent common workplace examples of the content areas. Examinees should manage each presenting case as they would in a real-life practice setting. There are no hidden surprises or tricks.
The Examination Blueprint can be found within the Exam Resources section.
OSCE Station Timing Details
Exam Resources
Exam Resources
This page contains the following examination resources: