CBA character limits.
By province, with sources.
Seven regulators publish character limits for each part of a competency example: EGBC, Engineers Geoscientists Manitoba, APEGS, PEGNL and Engineers PEI, on the shared form (Situation 300, Action 1,200, Outcome 300); PEO (Situation 300, Action 1,650, Outcome 300); and APEGA (Situation 400, Action 1,800, Outcome 400). Characters include spaces. For the others, Gusset hasn't found a published number it can rely on, so check with your regulator.
By province
| Where | Situation · Action · Outcome |
|---|---|
| New Brunswick (Engineers and Geoscientists NB) | Check with your regulator |
| Nova Scotia (Engineers Nova Scotia) | Check with your regulator |
| Ontario (PEO) | 300 · 1,650 · 300 |
| Alberta (APEGA) | 400 · 1,800 · 400 |
| British Columbia (EGBC) | 300 · 1,200 · 300 |
| Manitoba (Engineers Geoscientists Manitoba) | 300 · 1,200 · 300 |
| Saskatchewan (APEGS) | 300 · 1,200 · 300 |
| Newfoundland and Labrador (PEGNL) | 300 · 1,200 · 300 |
| Prince Edward Island (Engineers PEI) | 300 · 1,200 · 300 |
| Yukon (Engineers Yukon) | Check with your regulator |
| Northwest Territories (NAPEG) | Check with your regulator |
| Nunavut (NAPEG) | Check with your regulator |
How to count
Count every character, spaces included, the way the online forms count them. APEGA's guide says it plainly: "The Situation and Outcome sections should be concise. Each has a maximum of 400 characters, including spaces, with no overflow. The Action section has a maximum of 1,800 characters, including spaces, with no overflow." (p. 18)
Where your regulator publishes no limit, a shorter example that stays on one situation is easier for a validator to confirm. Gusset counts each part as you write and shows the limit only where one is published.
Checked against the regulators' own pages on Oct 14, 2026. Checked weekly against every regulator's official guidelines. Always confirm with yours.
Sources: PEO, PEO CBA P.Eng. application form, February 2026; APEGA, APEGA CBA Guide for Professional Engineering Applicants V7.4, Jul 18, 2026, p. 18: a maximum of 400 characters each for Situation and Outcome and 1,800 for Action, including spaces; EGBC, Shared competencyassessment.ca form: GNS CBA Guide, 4 March 2026, p. 33 ("300 characters permitted for the Situation and Outcome sections and 1200 characters permitted for the Action section"); EGBC's Engineering Competency Assessment Guide describes the same form; Engineers Geoscientists Manitoba, Shared competencyassessment.ca form: GNS CBA Guide, 4 March 2026, p. 33 ("300 characters permitted for the Situation and Outcome sections and 1200 characters permitted for the Action section"); EGBC's Engineering Competency Assessment Guide describes the same form; APEGS, Shared competencyassessment.ca form: GNS CBA Guide, 4 March 2026, p. 33 ("300 characters permitted for the Situation and Outcome sections and 1200 characters permitted for the Action section"); EGBC's Engineering Competency Assessment Guide describes the same form; PEGNL, Shared competencyassessment.ca form: GNS CBA Guide, 4 March 2026, p. 33 ("300 characters permitted for the Situation and Outcome sections and 1200 characters permitted for the Action section"); EGBC's Engineering Competency Assessment Guide describes the same form; Engineers PEI, Shared competencyassessment.ca form: GNS CBA Guide, 4 March 2026, p. 33 ("300 characters permitted for the Situation and Outcome sections and 1200 characters permitted for the Action section"); EGBC's Engineering Competency Assessment Guide describes the same form. Your regulator's current guide is the authority.
Gusset is independent and not affiliated with or endorsed by any engineering regulator.