Class by class in Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia has no 5th Class. Scope and the certificate you must already hold are from the Technical Safety Division classification page. Months of experience are from the Power Engineers Regulations. The regulations count 166 hours as one month, and extra hours in a month do not carry forward. Exam durations below are from the 2026-2027 Technical Safety exam schedule. Question counts are the SOPEEC interprovincial papers, and section 68 sets 65%. Those figures are for the interprovincial certificates, not a separate provincial-only certificate.
Also on this site: Exam format.
4th Class
How you get in. This is the entry power engineer class on the classification page. You need an approved training provider's certificate of training as part of certification. To write, the regulations require grade 12 or an equivalent, or an approved power engineering course the chief inspector accepts as equivalent.
Time in a plant. One of the regulation's routes: 12 months training to operate a fourth class fired power boiler plant or a fourth class heating boiler plant. Shorter routes combine some of that time with design and maintenance experience, an accepted course, a mechanical or chemical engineering degree, or unfired-plant training.
What the ticket covers. The classification page authorizes chief of a fourth class fired power boiler plant, any unfired power boiler plant, a fourth class heating boiler plant, or a compressor plant, plus listed shift roles. The same page's plant table gives a fourth class fired power boiler plant as over 500 kW to 3,500 kW, and a heating boiler plant as over 1,500 kW to 10,000 kW.
The exam. Two interprovincial papers. SOPEEC sets 100 multiple-choice questions per paper. The 2026-2027 Technical Safety exam schedule gives 3 hours. Section 68 of the Power Engineers Regulations sets 65%.
Official page: Nova Scotia 2026-2027 Technical Safety exam schedule. Checked 6 November 2026.
Also: Nova Scotia power engineer classifications · Nova Scotia Power Engineers Regulations
3rd Class
How you get in. You need a fourth class power engineer licence before you apply. An approved training certificate is part of certification.
Time in a plant. Routes include 12 months as chief in a fourth class boiler plant, 12 months as shift engineer in a third class boiler plant, or 12 months as assistant shift engineer in a second class boiler plant. Shorter routes mix that time with design and maintenance work, an accepted course, a mechanical or chemical engineering degree, or unfired-plant time.
What the ticket covers. Chief of a third or fourth class fired power boiler plant, any unfired power boiler plant, any heating boiler plant, or a compressor plant, plus the shift roles on the classification page. The plant table gives a third class fired power boiler plant as over 3,500 kW to 10,000 kW.
The exam. Four interprovincial papers. SOPEEC sets 100 multiple-choice questions per paper. The 2026-2027 schedule gives 3 hours. Section 68 sets 65%.
Official page: Nova Scotia 2026-2027 Technical Safety exam schedule. Checked 6 November 2026.
Also: Nova Scotia power engineer classifications · Nova Scotia Power Engineers Regulations
2nd Class
How you get in. You need a third class power engineer licence before you apply.
Time in a plant. Routes include 24 months as chief in a third class boiler plant, 24 months as shift engineer in a second class boiler plant, or 24 months as assistant shift engineer in a first class boiler plant, with shorter mixes of design work or a mechanical or chemical engineering degree.
What the ticket covers. Chief of a second, third, or fourth class fired power boiler plant, any unfired power boiler plant, any heating boiler plant, or a compressor plant. Shift and assistant shift roles cover any class of boiler plant or a compressor plant. The plant table gives a second class fired power boiler plant as over 10,000 kW to 20,000 kW.
The exam. Six interprovincial papers. SOPEEC sets 100 multiple-choice questions per paper. The 2026-2027 schedule gives 3 hours. Section 68 sets 65%.
Official page: Nova Scotia 2026-2027 Technical Safety exam schedule. Checked 6 November 2026.
Also: Nova Scotia power engineer classifications · Nova Scotia Power Engineers Regulations
1st Class
How you get in. You need a second class power engineer licence before you apply.
Time in a plant. Routes include 30 months as chief in a second class boiler plant, 30 months as shift engineer in a first class boiler plant, or 42 months as assistant shift engineer in a first class boiler plant. Other routes mix 15 months of that kind of time with design and maintenance work or a mechanical or chemical engineering degree.
What the ticket covers. Chief, shift, or assistant shift power engineer for any class of boiler plant or a compressor plant. The plant table gives a first class fired power boiler plant as over 20,000 kW.
The exam. Eight interprovincial papers. The 2026-2027 schedule gives 3.5 hours, except B4 at 3 hours. SOPEEC's 1st Class format is seven essay papers, answer five of seven, plus paper B4 at 100 multiple-choice questions. Section 68 sets 65% on each paper.
Official page: Nova Scotia 2026-2027 Technical Safety exam schedule. Checked 6 November 2026.
Also: Nova Scotia power engineer classifications · Nova Scotia Power Engineers Regulations
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