The CKE is the Knowledge Exam run by the Human Resources Professionals Association (HRPA) in Ontario, Canada, for registrants working toward the CHRP or CHRL designation. This page puts the official format, fees, test windows and scoring rules in one place. It also has free practice sets, worked questions with full explanations, a study plan and answers to common questions.
Numbers in brackets link to the official sources listed under Sources & last verified. Dates that have passed are removed automatically.
According to Human Resources Professionals Association (HRPA), Ontario, Canada. Exams are delivered by Prometric, “The CHRP Knowledge Exam has 175 questions whereas the CHRL Knowledge Exam has 250 questions.”[1]
The CKE is the Knowledge Exam from the Human Resources Professionals Association (HRPA) in Ontario, Canada. It is offered as the CHRP Knowledge Exam and the CHRL Knowledge Exam. Prometric delivers it, and registrants must sit it in person at a Prometric test centre. Remote delivery through ProProctor is only available by approved accommodation.
Eligibility is the same for both: you must be an active HRPA registrant or student in good standing and have met the education or equivalent requirement through Routes 1–4.
Format. The CHRP Knowledge Exam has 175 four-option multiple-choice questions and runs 3.5 hours. The CHRL Knowledge Exam has 250 four-option multiple-choice questions and runs 5 hours, in 2 sections with a 15-minute break. About 25 questions on each exam are unscored.
Fees. The CHRP exam is CA$350 plus HST (CA$395.50). The CHRL exam is CA$400 plus HST (CA$452).
Scoring. The CHRP exam has a single overall cut score, so a strong area can make up for a weaker one. The CHRL exam needs a total score above the cut score and a score above the threshold in each functional area.
Retakes and results. There is no limit on attempts as long as your eligibility is still valid. Results are emailed about 4–6 weeks after the testing window ends. A passing result is valid for 15 years while you complete the remaining requirements for the designation.
Dates and fees can change, so confirm them on the HRPA website before you register.
The content areas below are copied from the official CKE content outline published by Human Resources Professionals Association (HRPA), Ontario, Canada. Exams are delivered by Prometric, with the share of the exam each area carries. The right-hand column shows which of our practice sets covers it.
| Official content area | Weight | Practice on this site |
|---|---|---|
| Health, Wellness, and Safe Workplace[3] | 11% | CKE Patient Safety and Infection Control Our set is written around clinical settings, so use it only for general safety and risk-control reasoning and rely on HRPA material for workplace health and safety law. |
| Labour and Employee Relations[3] | 11% | Mixed practice tests above We have no set aimed at this area, so study the official outline and practise telling apart employer duties, employee rights and collective bargaining terms. |
| Learning & Development[3] | 13% | Mixed practice tests above Practise linking a skills gap to a training method and judging whether a training programme worked. |
| Organizational Effectiveness[3] | 13% | CKE Principles of Management Practise goal setting, performance management and how objectives shape motivation and direction. |
| Professional Practice[3] | 11% | CKE Critical Thinking and Problem Solving Practise reading a scenario carefully, spotting the ethical or legal issue and choosing the most defensible action. |
| Reporting and Financial Management[3] | 11% | Mixed practice tests above We have no set aimed at this area, so practise reading budgets and HR metrics and explaining what they say about the business. |
| Strategy[3] | 4% | CKE Principles of Management Practise connecting HR activity to organizational goals and recognising how planning decisions follow from strategy. |
| Total Rewards[3] | 13% | Mixed practice tests above We have no set aimed at this area, so practise telling pay, benefits and recognition apart and matching each to the goal it serves. |
| Workforce Planning and Talent Management[3] | 13% | Mixed practice tests above Practise the order of the talent cycle, from forecasting need through recruitment, selection and retention. |
Prepare for the CKE - Comprehensive Knowledge Exam exam with our free practice test modules. Each quiz covers key topics to help you pass on your first try.
These are practice questions written for this site, not questions from the real exam. Each explanation shows why the right answer is right and why the others are wrong.
Question: Which ethical principle requires healthcare providers to act in the best interest of the patient?
Answer: C. Beneficence
Explanation:
Beneficence is correct. It is the duty to act in the patient's best interest by doing good and promoting wellbeing. Autonomy is wrong because it is about respecting a person's right to make their own informed decisions. Justice is wrong because it is about fairness in how care and resources are shared out. Non-maleficence is the closest distractor: it means avoiding harm, which is about what not to do, while beneficence is about actively acting for benefit.
Rule to remember: match the verb. Do good is beneficence, avoid harm is non-maleficence, respect choice is autonomy, treat fairly is justice. This question comes from our healthcare sets and is not an HRPA question.
Question: What is a nosocomial infection?
Answer: B. A hospital-acquired infection
Explanation:
A hospital-acquired infection is correct. Nosocomial describes where and when the infection was picked up, namely during care in a healthcare setting. An infection acquired before admission is wrong because that is the opposite idea: it was already present, or came from the community. Fungi only is wrong because nosocomial infections can have many causes, and the term says nothing about the organism. A chronic infection present for more than a year is wrong because the term does not describe how long an infection lasts.
Rule to remember: when a medical term names a type of infection, ask whether it describes the source, the organism or the duration. Nosocomial describes the source. This question is from our healthcare sets, not an HRPA question.
Question: Which is NOT an advantage of objectives?
Answer: B. It creates unnecessary competition.
Explanation:
The answer is that objectives create unnecessary competition, because this is the only statement that is not an advantage. Setting specific targets, giving direction and increasing motivation are the reasons organizations use objectives. Some competition between employees can follow, but it is a side effect to manage, not a benefit, and the word unnecessary makes the option a drawback.
Rule to remember: when the stem says NOT or EXCEPT, rewrite it as a hunt for the false statement. Check each option against the question and mark the three that are true. The remaining option is your answer. This question comes from our management set and is not an HRPA question.
Start with the official material. Read the HRPA exam page and the FAQ so you know your exam's format, scoring rule and test window, then read the outline of content areas and mark the ones you feel least sure about.
Next, use the practice sets to find gaps, not to measure readiness. Our sets are written by us with AI tools and are not real exam questions. Several are built around healthcare topics, so they will not match the HRPA outline. The best fits are Principles of Management and Critical Thinking and Problem Solving. Try General Knowledge for mixed practice.
In the last days before your appointment, practise reading stems carefully, especially negative wording such as NOT and EXCEPT. If you are sitting the CHRL exam, make sure no functional area is left weak, because each one has its own threshold.
The CHRP Knowledge Exam has 175 four-option multiple-choice questions and allows 3.5 hours. The CHRL Knowledge Exam has 250 questions and allows 5 hours, split into 2 sections with a 15-minute break. About 25 questions on each exam are unscored, and you will not know which ones they are.
The CHRP Knowledge Exam registration is CA$350 plus HST, which comes to CA$395.50. The CHRL Knowledge Exam registration is CA$400 plus HST, which comes to CA$452. HRPA can change its fee schedule, so check its regulatory services fee page before you pay.
The CHRL Knowledge Exam window is November 16–30, 2026, with a registration deadline of November 16, 2026. The next CHRL window opens for registration on January 6, 2027. The CHRP window is May 17–31, 2027. Its registration opens December 1, 2026 and closes May 17, 2027.
There is no set limit on the number of attempts. The condition is that your eligibility must still be valid when you register again. A passing result is valid for 15 years, which is how long you have to complete the remaining requirements for the designation.
The CHRP exam uses a single overall cut score, so a low score in one functional area can be offset by a high score in another. The CHRL exam needs a total score above the cut score and a score above the threshold in each functional area. Results are emailed about 4–6 weeks after the testing window ends.
Generally no. Registrants are required to take the exam in person at a Prometric test centre. Remote delivery through ProProctor is available only by approved accommodation. If you think you qualify, ask HRPA and Prometric about the accommodation process well before your registration deadline.
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