Withdrawals or Deferrals

Candidates for specialties in the windowed testing format may withdraw or defer from the April/May or August/September examination application process prior to the close of the application deadline. Candidates for specialties in the continuous testing format have within 365 calendar days to schedule and complete their testing session and will be allowed to withdraw on a case-by-case basis.

Candidates must inform BPS of their intent to withdraw or defer in writing, no later than the close of the application window for specialties in windowed testing format, or before the end of their 365 calendar days for specialties in the continuous testing format, at which point they will be able to make an official request through their MyBPS profile.

Candidates who withdraw from the certification process will be refunded the fee paid, less an administrative charge of $200 USD ($250 USD if the exam has been scheduled). Refunds will be processed within 14 calendar days of the close of the application window. Candidates whose withdrawal or deferral requests are not approved by BPS must either sit for the exam or will forfeit all testing fees. If approved, all administrative fees will apply for the withdrawal process.

Emergency Withdrawals or Deferrals

After the application deadline, BPS will review requests for withdrawals and deferrals with decisions made on a case-by-case basis.

Acceptable withdrawal or deferral requests, with appropriate documentation (e.g., physician’s letter, police report), will be considered under the following situations: serious illness (either of the candidate or an immediate family member), immediate family death, disabling accident, court appearance, jury duty, or unexpected military call-up.

Registration fees for candidates in windowed testing format with an approved emergency deferral request outside of the calendar year, from August/September to April/May of the following year, are non-refundable. Supporting documentation must be submitted to BPS within seven (7) calendar days after the last date in the examination administration window in which they were registered to sit for the examination.

Candidates who receive a denial of their withdrawal request will forfeit all fees. If the withdrawal request is approved, all administrative fees will apply.

Note: Candidates approved for examinations using the continuous testing modality may request an extension to the 365-day eligibility period if they are unable to test during that period due to an emergency. BPS will review requests for emergency continuance with decisions made on a case-by-case basis. Acceptable requests, with appropriate documentation (e.g., physician’s letter, police report), will be considered under the following situations: serious illness (either of the candidate or an immediate family member), immediate family death, disabling accident, court appearance, jury duty, or unexpected military call-up.

Requests for an extension to the 365-day eligibility period will also be subject to any associated reschedule/cancellation fees.

No Shows

Failure to appear, schedule, or reschedule an examination session less than four (4) business days before a testing appointment (outside of the special circumstances listed above) will count as the candidate’s examination appointment. The candidate will be marked as a no-show candidate and all testing fees will be forfeited. No-show candidates will have the option to apply for a future examination at full price.