You can get your firm to support your ExAC prep by putting a specific, costed request in writing. Ask for paid study time, reimbursement of the exam fee and study materials, days off for the sitting, an in-house study mentor and access to the firm's code and contract library. In our view, the strongest pitch ties each ask to the internship hours your supervising architect already signs. This guide from Examitect, an independent ExAC prep platform unaffiliated with the CACB, covers what to ask for, when to ask, the business case and a sample email you can adapt.
| Next sitting | November 2 and 3, 2026, once a year |
|---|---|
| Format | Four three-hour sessions over two consecutive days, pencil and paper |
| Eligibility | Full CACB certification and at least 2,800 approved experience hours |
| Study load | Six to ten hours a week for 12 weeks (our plan) |
| The five asks | Study time, fees and materials, exam days, mentorship, code and contract library |
A vague request for "support" is easy to agree to and easy to forget. Hours, dates and amounts give your principal something to approve. These are the five asks we suggest; the numbers are our examples, so scale them to your firm.
| Ask | A specific version (our example) | Why it matters for the exam |
|---|---|---|
| Paid study time | Two paid hours a week for the 12 weeks before the sitting, booked around deadlines | Our 12-week plan runs six to ten hours a week; paid hours cover part of that load |
| Fee and materials reimbursement | The exam registration fee, a prep subscription and your own NBC 2020 and NECB 2020 paper copies | Fees change, so quote the current amount from exac.ca with receipts or an invoice |
| Flexible hours around the sitting | November 2 and 3, 2026 off, travel time if your test site is far, and no deliverables due that week | The exam takes two full consecutive days, and you must arrive 30 minutes early |
| Mentorship | A licensed architect in the office for a 30-minute check-in every two weeks on code and contract questions | A practitioner can explain the "why" behind a CCDC clause or an NBC lookup |
| Code books and CCDC library | Borrowing CHOP, CCDC 2 (2020), CCDC 24 and RAIC Documents 6 and 9 from the office library | All are on the 2026 Preparation Guide's reference list in Appendix 3 |
Section 2 is open book, and page 12 of the 2026 Preparation Guide is specific. It permits paper copies of the NBC 2020, without the provincial adaptations, and the NECB 2020. Annotations, highlighting and tabs made beforehand are allowed; added pages and marks made in the room are not. A printed PDF needs the appropriate licence, and any other building code is used at your own risk.
So an office library stocked with your provincial code does not cover the exam: ask for the national editions. Because you will tab and annotate heavily, we suggest asking for personal copies rather than marking up the shared set. Our guide on how to tab the NBC 2020 shows what that involves.
For contracts, Appendix 3 lists CCDC 2 (2020), CCDC 24 (1996) and RAIC Documents 6 and 9 (2018, revised 2021). If your firm administers construction contracts, ask whether these are in the office library. With a principal's permission, a real executed contract, client details removed, is a useful companion to the CCDC 2 study notes.
Timing is part of the request, because the ExAC does not move. The Framework Document (p.10) says it is administered annually in four three-hour sessions over two consecutive days in November, on paper at proctored test sites. Page 10 of the 2026 Preparation Guide asks you to arrive 30 minutes before the start. The 2026 sitting is on November 2 and 3, a Monday and a Tuesday, per exac.ca.
If you write on November 2 and 3, 2026, the asks that still matter are the days off, travel time and a quiet exam week. For a later sitting, check the dates on exac.ca and ask well before your study block starts. Here is how we would line the asks up:
| When | What to do (our suggested timing) |
|---|---|
| Spring | Send the written request and agree the plan, so study hours can be planned around project deadlines. |
| Mid-August (12 weeks out) | Paid study hours start, matching Week 1 of the 12-week plan. Fees and books are bought and submitted for reimbursement. |
| October (4 weeks out) | Book the exam days and travel, and ask your project lead to keep the exam week clear of deadlines. |
| Exam week | Two consecutive days off for the sitting. |
| After results | Report back to the firm. If a section needs a rewrite, agree how support carries on. |
Agree that last row up front. Page 16 of the Framework Document gives a candidate three consecutive attempts to pass all four sections; passed sections are not rewritten, and failed ones are rewritten at the next sitting. With one sitting a year, a failed section costs a full year, and our retake plan explains how to use it.
The strongest argument is that ExAC study is not separate from your job. Page 4 of the 2026 Preparation Guide says the objectives are aligned with the experience requirements of the Internship in Architecture Program and generally selected in proportions similar to the minimum hours in the correlated IAP categories. Page 5 of the Framework Document repeats the alignment. The work your firm already gives you is the exam's syllabus.
The table pairs each ExAC section with its closest IAP categories. The pairing is our own reading, since neither document publishes a crosswalk. Minimum hours come from Appendix A of the IAP Manual (p.12).
| ExAC section | Closest IAP categories (minimum hours) |
|---|---|
| Section 1: programming to design development | 1 Programming (80), 2 Site and Environmental Analysis (80), 3 Schematic Design (240), 4 Engineering Systems Integration (140), 5 Building Cost Analysis (80), 8 Design Development (320) |
| Section 2: NBC and NECB | 6 Code Research (120), 7 Envelope Detailing (80) |
| Section 3: final project and sustainability | 9 Construction Documents (760), 10 Specifications and Material Research (120), 11 Document Checking and Coordination (100), 12 Energy Literacy/Sustainability (80) |
| Section 4: bidding to practice management | 13 Procurement and Contract Award (120), 14 Construction Phase, Office (200), 15 Construction Phase, Site (200), 16 Management of the Project (120), 17 Business/Practice Management (120) |
From there, three points tend to carry a request. They are our arguments, not promises the documents make:
Then make it easy to say yes. Total the ask in hours and dollars and offer something back: a lunch-and-learn on how you tabbed the NBC turns your prep into something the whole office can use.
Ask for mentorship carefully, because the IAP already defines two roles and only one of them sits inside your firm. Page 5 of the IAP Manual describes both:
| Role | Supervising Architect | Mentor |
|---|---|---|
| Where they work | Within your practice or place of employment | Not employed at your place of employment |
| Who they are | An architect licensed in the jurisdiction where you gain the experience | An architect or a retired architect acting as an independent guide and advocate |
| What they do | Supervises and directs you daily and certifies your experience before each CERB submission | Reviews your progress, career objectives and broader professional issues |
| Required? | Yes, for recorded experience | Yes in every ROAC jurisdiction except Québec |
So the in-house mentor you ask for is a study mentor, perhaps your Supervising Architect or another licensed colleague, not your IAP Mentor. Your external Mentor can still help: the Manual sets at least one meeting before each Canadian Experience Record Book (CERB) submission, at 900 to 1,000 hours, and says regular contact is better. Bring your study plan.
The experience side matters too. Page 11 of the IAP Manual says you can use the CERB in discussions with your employer to make sure you get suitable experience in each required category. Pair your study request with a project request: if your record is thin in Construction Phase, Site, ask to join site reviews before the exam. Our post on IAP construction administration hours lists ways to do that. You do not need to finish the IAP first: the Framework Document (p.4) requires 2,800 approved hours to write, while the full IAP needs 3,720 (IAP Manual, p.4).
Work through these steps before you send anything:
Check the dates on exac.ca and your approved hours against the 2,800-hour minimum.
Look for study leave, exam fees, book purchases and any repayment clause if you leave.
Turn study time, fees, books, exam days and mentoring into hours, dates and dollar amounts.
Tie each ask to the IAP categories the firm already supervises, and offer something back.
Email your Supervising Architect or principal and ask for 20 minutes to talk it through.
Summarize the agreement in an email and share your progress at each study block.
Adapt the bracketed parts. This is our wording, not a form any regulator requires.
Subject: ExAC study support request for the [November 2027] sitting
Hi [name],
I plan to write the Examination for Architects in Canada (ExAC) at the [November 2027] sitting. It runs once a year as four three-hour sessions over two consecutive days, and I have [number] approved IAP hours, above the 2,800 needed to write.
To prepare properly, I would like to ask for:
The ExAC objectives are aligned with the IAP experience categories, so this study reinforces the code research, documents and contract administration I already do here. After the exam, I can [run a lunch-and-learn on the NBC tabs] for the team.
Could we find 20 minutes in the next two weeks to discuss it? I have attached a one-page plan.
Thank you,
[Your name]
If the answer is partial, take it and ask again at your next review. Even one paid hour a week adds up to 12 hours over the plan, and the exam days off are the ask we would protect first.
If your firm agrees to cover prep, there are two routes on Examitect:
Whichever route you take, the plan matters more than the product. Pair the paid hours with our 12-week study schedule and start practice questions in Week 1, not Week 12.
Your firm will only pay for ExAC prep if its policy allows it and someone asks, so check the professional development policy and put a costed request in writing. Ask for the exam fee, study materials and paid study time as separate items, so a partial yes is easy. Fees change, so quote the current amount from exac.ca.
We suggest asking for about two paid hours a week for the 12 weeks before the sitting, plus the exam days off. Our 12-week plan runs six to ten hours of study a week, so paid hours cover part of the load and your own time covers the rest. Scale the number to your firm's size and deadlines.
Yes, the ExAC needs two full days off work. It is delivered in four three-hour sessions over two consecutive days, and the 2026 sitting is on November 2 and 3. The 2026 Preparation Guide asks candidates to arrive 30 minutes before the start, and the exam is written on paper at proctored test sites, so add travel time if yours is far.
No, your IAP Mentor cannot work at your firm. The IAP Manual defines the Mentor as an architect or retired architect not employed at your place of employment, and requires one in every ROAC jurisdiction except Québec. A colleague can still be your study mentor, and your Supervising Architect, who works in your firm, certifies your experience.
You can use a paper copy of the NBC 2020 without provincial adaptations and the NECB 2020 in Section 2, with annotations and tabs made beforehand. Added pages are not allowed, a printed PDF needs the appropriate licence, and any other building code is at your own risk. Ask before marking up a shared office copy, or ask the firm to buy you your own.
Ask your firm for ExAC support months before your study block starts, so study hours can be planned around project deadlines. For a November sitting, a 12-week plan starts in mid-August, so we suggest sending the request in the spring. If your sitting is only weeks away, focus on the exam days off and a quiet exam week.
Yes, you can write the ExAC before you finish the IAP. The ExAC Framework Document requires full CACB certification and at least 2,800 approved experience hours, while the full IAP needs 3,720 hours. The IAP Manual says interns remain in the program while exams are being written, so your firm keeps supervising your hours.
A firm can buy Examitect seats on the firm pricing page: one seat per person working toward licensure, on the full bundle. The total is capped at the 10-seat price, so seats 11 to 25 are free, and checkout requires an email at the firm's own domain. Individuals can instead request a formal invoice for employer reimbursement.