Alberta Psychology Licensure Requirements

500

CAP states the EPPP passing score is a scale score of 500 or higher (also expressed by CAP as 500/800, 70%). This is CAP's own stated number, not an assumed US convention. CAP requires only the EPPP (Part 1 - Knowledge); EPPP Part 2 (Skills) is not currently a CAP registration requirement. The EPPP may only be applied for AFTER the applicant is on CAP's provisional register. Since 1 January 2023 CAP limits the number of EPPP attempts (policies RP013a/RP013b); as of 1 August 2026 a detailed EPPP Study Plan must accompany a second and third attempt. Fully registered psychologists entering under the CFTA are exempt from the EPPP.

The requirement is a single block of 1600 hours of supervised and evaluated practice completed AFTER the qualifying graduate degree, while registered on CAP's provisional register - it is not split into a pre-doctoral and a post-doctoral figure, so preDoc/postDoc are left null. CAP's registration manual adds a separate 107 hours of supervision on top, for a stated minimum of 1707 hours. Within the 1600 hours, at least 400 hours must be in the professional activity of Interventions; if Formal Assessment is declared, a minimum of 400 hours per branch applies. Applicants who completed a pre-doctoral internship in psychology within the last five years may apply for a Request for Credit against the 1600 hours; hours from a master's practicum/internship do NOT qualify, nor do hours practised under another designation/registration in Canada. A provisional psychologist has five years from the date of provisional registration to finish all requirements. Registered psychologists teaching under s.6 of the Regulation (a closed transitional pathway) could be registered without the 1600 hours.

Required

Law and Ethics for Alberta Psychologists (LEAP) Examination - developed and administered by CAP. Two parts: a self-study guide plus an online, open-book examination of 50 multiple-choice questions applying jurisprudence and ethics concepts to short scenarios, written through the MyCAP portal. Minimum pass score 80%. Must be attempted within six months of provisional status being granted.

Fee: CAD $400.00

The LEAP is mandated by s.3(1)(c) of the Psychologists Profession Regulation ('the ethics and jurisprudence examination approved by the Council'). NO separate oral examination is currently required: CAP's Examinations page lists only two required examinations (EPPP and LEAP), and the current LEAP 2.0 (implemented October 2021) superseded the earlier 'Oral Examination' and LEAP 1.0, which members who already completed them need not repeat. Psychologists entering Alberta under the CFTA are NOT exempt from the LEAP even if they passed a jurisprudence exam elsewhere.

1. Earn a graduate degree (master's or doctoral) with a major in psychology, or a substantially equivalent graduate degree, meeting CAP's Criteria for Evaluating Academic Credentials.
2. Apply to CAP to have your academic credentials evaluated by the Credentials Evaluation Sub-Committee - this is the mandatory first step and must be approved before you can apply to register.
3. Once your credentials are approved, apply for registration as a Registered Provisional Psychologist and submit an approved Supervision Plan on the Hours of Supervised (Evaluated) Practice form to the Registration Approvals Sub-Committee (RASC), with a criminal record check and vulnerable sector check.
4. Complete 1600 hours of supervised and evaluated practice plus 107 hours of supervision (minimum 1707 hours total) under a CAP-approved registered psychologist, including at least 400 hours in Interventions.
5. Pass the EPPP (Part 1 - Knowledge) with a scale score of at least 500, applying through your MyCAP account after provisional registration.
6. Pass the LEAP jurisprudence and ethics examination with at least 80% - you must attempt it within six months of provisional registration.
7. Submit the Final Registration Change form with three positive professional references (at least one from a registered psychologist), complete the mandatory sexual abuse and misconduct prevention training, and pay the pro-rated registered psychologist practice permit fee to be moved to the general register. All requirements must be finished within five years of provisional registration.

Not eligible — U.S. compact

PSYPACT does not apply in Alberta or anywhere in Canada; interprovincial mobility runs through the Canadian Free Trade Agreement (CFTA). CAP recognises three inbound routes. (1) CFTA labour mobility: a psychologist currently registered, in good standing, and authorised to practise autonomously as a fully registered psychologist with a psychology regulator in another Canadian province or territory may apply through the CFTA mobility stream. CFTA applicants are EXEMPT from the EPPP even if their home jurisdiction never required it, but are NOT exempt from CAP's LEAP jurisprudence and ethics examination. Provisional/candidate registrants who must practise under supervision are not eligible and must start with an academic credentials evaluation, as are psychologists whose home registration is restricted to one branch (CAP names British Columbia School Psychologists and Associate Psychologists (Corrections)). CFTA applicants must carry at least $5 million in professional liability insurance including regulatory legal defence. (2) ASPPB Certificate of Professional Qualification in Psychology (CPQ): holders may be deemed to meet the academic requirements without an academic review by CAP. (3) Internationally Trained Psychologists (ITP): those registered and practising independently outside Canada for at least two of the previous five years enter via a credentials evaluation, are granted provisional status under supervision, and must still complete the EPPP and LEAP. Short-term and cross-border practice is handled by the Courtesy register (maximum one year, and a second courtesy registration is normally refused), which includes a Limited Telepsychology category created under a Memorandum of Understanding with the Association of Canadian Psychology Regulatory Organizations (ACPRO) for psychologists registered elsewhere in Canada providing defined continuity-of-care, regional-service, family, expert-witness, student and research telepsychology services into Alberta. Applicants who fit no standard route may seek a Substantial Equivalency review of academic credentials and/or supervised practice under the Health Professions Act.

College of Alberta Psychologists

(780) 424-5070

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