Common Final Examination

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The Common Final Examination (CFE) is the final examination of the Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) professional designation in Canada. The 3-day CFE is the culmination of the rigorous two-year graduate-level CPA program. The exam not only includes important accounting disciplines like finance, governance, strategy, and assurance, but also evaluates professional skills such as critical analysis, decision-making, and professional judgment.^[1] Previously known as the Uniform Evaluation (UFE), the UFE has been discontinued following the unification of the three accounting designations (CA, CMA, CGA) in Canada and Bermuda in June 2015.

Administered nationally by CPA Canada, and conducted regionally by the provincial/regional orders, the CFE is written over the course of three sequential days and is the culmination of years of study in financial accounting, management accounting, corporate finance, performance management, taxation, assurance and other business-related university courses. Writing the CFE requires successful completion of preliminary education requirements including CPA preparatory courses and CPA Canada's Professional Education Program (PEP). Upon passing the CFE and completing 30 months of approved practical experience, the candidate is designated a Chartered Professional Accountant^[2] and may use the CPA post-nominal letters.

The Common Final Examination is typically offered twice a year in May (Spring) and September (Fall). During the COVID-19 pandemic, the May 2020 exam was cancelled along with many other CPA modules. The CFE resumed beginning with the September 2020 exam.^[3] The upcoming CFEs are scheduled between:^[4]

• May 28 to May 30, 2024
• September 10 to September 12, 2024