This is the most substantial part of the journey, where you will formally document and demonstrate
your academic and professional competencies to PEO. It requires meticulous preparation and a
clear understanding of the standards you are expected to meet.

The process begins with an initial application fee. For a Canadian graduate applying through PEO,
this fee is approximately $360, which covers the opening of your file and the review of your
university transcripts.

Academic Assessment
The first formal step after submitting your application is the review of your academic records. PEO
assesses your educational background to ensure it meets the necessary standards for the
profession.

A Real-World Example: Academic Review After applicant Max O. submitted the required information, PEO conducted a review of his
academic background. He later received an email titled “PEO Academic Requirements Notice of
Determination,” which stated that the decision on his academic qualifications had been finalized
and instructed him to log in to the PEO portal to view and download his official decision letter.

Competency-Based Assessment (CBA)

The Competency-Based Assessment (CBA) is a critical evaluation where you must demonstrate
your skills across 34 specific competencies. The PEO process requires that the CBA be completed
before you can take the ethics exam.
The core of the CBA process involves several key tasks.

Here’s what you need to focus on to build
the strongest possible case:

1. Understand the 34 Competencies: The competencies are grouped into seven distinct
categories. PEO provides a comprehensive guide for applicants, and it is essential to review
it thoroughly to understand the expectations for each competency.

2. Draft Work Examples (SAO Format): For each competency, you must provide a specific work
example using the “Situation, Action, Outcome” (SAO) format. The text is space-limited,
with maximum character counts of 300 for the Situation, 1,650 for the Action, and 300 for
the Outcome. It is mandatory to use the pronoun “I” to clearly describe your personal
contributions, even when working as part of a team. To make your examples stand out,
focus on innovation, staff responsibilities, and budgetary control. Always ask yourself, “Why
is this evidence of P.Eng. competency?” to ensure your statements are impactful.

3. Select Validators: Validators are crucial to your application. They must hold a P.Eng.
licence, be familiar with your work, and ideally be a direct line manager, as this strengthens
your application. For experience gained internationally, PEO may accept a senior
practitioner, such as a Chartered Engineer (CEng), as a validator.

4. Complete a Self-Assessment: You must score yourself for each of the 34 competencies
based on your provided examples.

5. Align with Validators: Before final submission, send your completed report to your
validators for feedback. This is not a step to be taken lightly. A mismatch between your selfassessment and your validator’s score is a primary reason for an application to be deferred.

A pre-submission alignment meeting is highly recommended.
A Real-World Example: Validator Contact
After Max O. completed his CBA and identified his validators, PEO sent a formal notification to him.
The email, titled “Validators contacted,” confirmed that his chosen validators had been contacted
on that date and that it was now his responsibility as the applicant to ensure they provide their
responses to PEO.
Once your CBA is complete and your validators have provided their assessments, your application
is ready for formal submission and review