Missions & Mandates
The mission of the Psychologists’ Association of Alberta (PAA) is to advance the science-based profession of psychology and promote the well-being and potential of all Albertans. As such, PAA upholds high professional standards, the ongoing maintenance of foundational and functional competencies of its members, ethically grounded professional guidance, Canadian Psychological Association (CPA) Codes of Ethics, and College of Alberta (CAP) Standards of Practice.
CAP’s mandate is to serve the interests of the public and guide the profession of psychology. The College, therefore, reserves the right to set entry-to-practice and continuing competency requirements in Alberta. PAA recognizes that these requirements are regulatory matters and that, in Alberta, failing the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP) more than three times is rare. PAA also recognizes that credentialing criteria vary dramatically across jurisdictions in North America, thus making direct cross-jurisdiction comparisons difficult.
PAA fully supports CAP’s recommendation that registered provisional psychologists complete all registration requirements, including the EPPP, as soon as possible.
Position Statement on EPPP
On September 6, 2025, PAA’s Board of Directors unanimously approved the following:
PAA officially takes a middle-ground position regarding the EPPP. It supports a maximum of six total EPPP attempts during CAP’s five-year provisional registration period. Formal remediation must occur after the fourth failed attempt. A seventh final/terminal attempt could be considered upon re-application to CAP with documented evidence of additional training, including at least 12.0 graduate-level course credits in foundational areas such as research methods, biopsychology, cognitive-affective bases of behaviour, social psychology, or psychology of individual differences.
Rationale for Position
In taking this position, PAA reviewed published research literature, regulatory norms in North America, surveyed a random sample of PAA members, and reviewed high stakes testing requirements in other professions. Research indicates that EPPP pass rates significantly decline after multiple failed attempts and long delays post-graduation. A point of diminishing returns appears to occur after 6–8 attempts.
Most North American jurisdictions follow the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards (ASPPB’s) general guidelines, that is, four attempts/year, 60-day waiting periods between examinations, and do not enforce lifetime caps; though some jurisdictions impose strict limits. Again, as noted previously, making direct cross-jurisdiction comparisons is difficult, if not indefensible (e.g., analogous to comparing apples to tomatoes).
Two-thirds of a sample of surveyed PAA members support EPPP testing limits of some sort. Over 90% support fair and reasonable lifetime limits (e.g., 4-6 attempts), alongside flexible, case-by-case accommodation.
Some professions (e.g., law, medicine) impose strict re-attempt limits as part of quality control and accountability.
Before making a public statement, PAA attempted to balance public protection issues, research evidence, normative data, sentiments from PAA members, candidate fairness and support for diverse pathways into the profession, and potential biases and limitations of the EPPP. To further help Registered Provisional Psychologists, PAA is proactively developing additional EPPP study materials, low-cost resource supports, and an EPPP Community of Practice. PAA is also developing a referral list of psychologists who specialize in test anxiety. More details will be announced later this fall.
