Books & study materials
NPPE books and study materials
Start with the NPPE study guide
The NPPE study guide works through all six blueprint sections and all forty sub-topics, in the same order the exam weights them. It was written from three of the four books recommended below, with a citation under each sub-topic so you know exactly where to read further. Section I is free to read in full, and every sub-topic's summary is open to everyone; the rest is part of PassNPPE premium.
Read the study guideRecommended NPPE books
Four books worth knowing about: three are the sources the study guide draws from, and the fourth sits on the official suggested reading list and adds a second perspective on ethics and professional practice. Each is strongest in different sections of the blueprint; the mapping below comes from comparing each book's own contents against the official blueprint. Regulators publish their own suggested reading, and none of these titles is required by any regulator.
Canadian Professional Engineering and Geoscience: Practice and Ethics
Gordon C. Andrews, Patricia Shaw, and John McPhee · 6th edition (Nelson, 2019)
The main source for professionalism, ethics, and the acts and regulators that license and discipline engineers and geoscientists. It is the only one of the three with a chapter on ethical theories, and it also covers professional practice topics such as whistleblowing, environmental responsibility, and document sealing.
Law for Professional Engineers: Canadian and Global Insights
Donald L. Marston · 5th edition (Pearson)
A deep treatment of Law for Professional Practice: contract law across many chapters, tort law, limitation periods, business organizations, employment and labour law, dispute resolution, intellectual property, bonds and liens, a full chapter on Quebec civil law, and a global chapter on international law.
Practical Law of Architecture, Engineering, and Geoscience
Brian M. Samuels and Doug R. Sanders · 3rd Canadian edition (Pearson, 2016)
Another strong source for Law for Professional Practice, particularly bonds, construction liens, health and safety law, environmental law, privacy law, expert evidence, and dispute resolution, with many worked case studies. Also useful for professional practice topics such as standards of care, insurance, and risk management.
Practical Guide to Ethics and Professional Practice for Engineers and Geoscientists
Brian M. Samuels and Doug R. Sanders · 1st ed. (2022)
On the NPPE Candidate Guide's official suggested reading list, and strongest on Section II Ethics and Section III Professional Practice, the two largest sections of the blueprint. It was not one of the three books the study guide above was written from, so it is a good second perspective on ethics and professional practice for candidates who want to read beyond the guide.
Free official materials
Alongside the books, the NPPE Candidate Guide links to a set of free official materials. They are worth skimming directly from the source, especially the intellectual-property guides and your own provincial regulating Act.
- A Guide to Copyright / A Guide to Industrial Designs / A Guide to Patents / A Guide to Trademarks (CIPO)
- "Concepts of Professionalism"
- The Engineering and Geoscience Professions Act in your own jurisdiction
- "Guideline for Ethical Practice"
- Your provincial or territorial Occupational Health and Safety Act
- Practice standards and guidelines published by your regulator
- Royal Bank of Canada, "The Soul of Professionalism"
Once you've read the study guide and any of the books above, work through free sample questions to see how the material translates into exam-style scenarios, or read the full syllabus to see every blueprint sub-topic.
Frequently asked questions
- The NPPE study guide covers every blueprint section and sub-topic on its own. Section I is free to read in full, and every sub-topic's summary is open to everyone; the rest, including worked examples and case notes, is part of PassNPPE Pro. The recommended books add depth: three of them are the sources the guide was written from, and the fourth is an additional ethics and professional practice title from the official suggested reading list. All four are useful when you want to read further on a specific topic. Many candidates pass with a mix of the study guide, practice questions, and selective reading from one or two of the books.See the study guide and Pro pricing.
- Andrews, Shaw, and McPhee is the main source for Section I Professionalism and Section II Ethics: it is the only one of the study guide's three source books with a chapter on ethical theories, alongside the codes of ethics and professionalism material. Samuels and Sanders' "Practical Guide to Ethics and Professional Practice" is a good second perspective on the same two sections.See the study guide.
- Marston and Samuels and Sanders both serve Section IV, from different angles: Marston goes deep on contract and tort law, business and employment law, and Quebec civil law, while Samuels and Sanders lean toward bonds, liens, health and safety law, environmental law, and worked case studies.See the study guide.
- No. It is written by PassNPPE, following the official NPPE Blueprint section by section and drawing on three of the four recommended books above. The official documents are the Blueprint and the Candidate Guide, and the free materials listed below come directly from regulators and other official sources.See the study guide.