All applicants seeking to be registered with the College of Naturopaths of Ontario (the College), except NDs currently registered and practising in another regulated Canadian jurisdiction, must first complete the College’s Ontario Clinical Sciences Examination. The exam replaced the NPLEX II exam on April 1, 2019, and must be successfully completed in order to be eligible to be registered with the College.

Applicants for registration who have successfully completed the Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR) Program will have completed this exam as part of that program. A second pass is not required.

Exam Content and Structure

The Ontario Clinical Sciences Examination is a 200 multiple-choice, 4-hour exam administered electronically via licensed testing centres or through an online proctoring platform. It consists of a combination of case-based and stand-alone questions, which test clinical readiness and emphasize a candidate’s ability to apply knowledge and critical thinking.

Information about testable content is available in the Ontario Clinical Sciences Examination Reference Guide. The March 2022 version of the examination blueprint includes the competencies and weighting tested in each content area. Additional procedural information about the exam is available in the Ontario Clinical Sciences and Ontario Biomedical Exams Handbook.

Upcoming exams—Ontario Clinical Sciences Exam

Registration for the August 14, 2025, session of the Ontario Clinical Sciences Examination is now closed. The College is no longer accepting exam registration applications for this session.  

For information on all fees and the exam schedule, including timetables and exam transcript release dates, please see our Ontario Clinical Sciences Examination Schedule and Fees page.