First Class

Applicants may apply for an examination by logging to their ABSA Account. Applicants that do not have access to their accounts may apply for access by contacting exams@absa.ca and providing the following information:

• Name
• Date of Birth
• File Number
• Preferred Email Address

Applicants may also apply for an examination by submitting an AB-66 "Application for Power Engineers Examination" form, a minimum of 5 business days prior to the requested examination date. Available examination dates can be found on the Power Engineer Examination Schedule.

Applicants submitting operating experience must submit an  AB-66a “Declaration for Power Engineers Experience” form.

To qualify to take a 1st Class Power Engineer’s Certificate of Competency examination, a candidate must hold a 2nd Class Power Engineer’s Certificate of Competency.

NOTE: A 1st Class Power Engineer’s Certificate of Competency examination must consist of questions relating to the subjects contained in the current reference syllabus established by the Administrator for the 1st Class Power Engineer’s Certificate of Competency examination, and must be divided into 2 parts, lettered A and B.

The examination consists of eight (8) examination papers, each of 3½ hours duration. Each paper consists of seven (7) questions of which five (5) should be attempted. The examinations are all long-answer essay style questions. If more than five (5) questions are attempted, only the first (5) attempted will be marked.

To pass a 1st Class Power Engineer’s Certificate of Competency examination, a candidate must obtain at least 65% of the total marks allotted for each examination paper.

Detailed information in regard to this examination can be found in the Revised First Class Power Engineers Reference Syllabus (AB-51a). The Revised First Class Syllabus became effective September 1, 2006. A candidate can write this examination in any one of the examination locations listed in our Examination Schedule.

To qualify for a 1st Class Power Engineer’s Certificate of Competency, a candidate must

(a) pass the 1st Class Power Engineering Certificate of Competency examination, and

(b) have been employed for a period of

(i) 30 months as a chief power engineer or as a shift engineer in a power plant that is required by this Regulation to employ in the chief power engineer and shift engineer positions persons who hold at least a 2nd Class Power Engineer’s Certificate of Competency,

(ii) 45 months as an assistant shift engineer in a power plant that has a capacity exceeding 10 000 kW, or

(iii) 1/2 the period of time specified in subclause (i) 15 months or (ii) 22.5 months, and have been employed for either a period of 15 months in a pressure plant in an operating capacity satisfactory to the Administrator or for a period of 36 months in a supervisory capacity satisfactory to the Administrator in the design, construction, commissioning, installation, repair, maintenance or operation of pressure equipment to which the Act applies,
Note: The Administrator may grant 12 months’ credit towards the experience as required by subsection (1)(b)(i), or (ii) to the holder of a degree in mechanical engineering from a university satisfactory to the Administrator or successful completion of a course in power engineering satisfactory to the Administrator that leads towards a 1st Class Power Engineer’s Certificate of Competency examination.