assessment strategies

What assessment strategies does

Yardstick Assessment Strategies develops and administers the Canadian Practical Nurse Registration Examination (CPNRE) and its officially approved preparation tools. The company was established to deliver the CPNRE, first administered in 1971, in collaboration with subject matter experts and provincial/territorial regulatory authorities across Canada. It serves individual practical nursing candidates, nursing program educators, and ten provincial and territorial regulatory authorities outside Quebec. The firm operates as a subsidiary of Meazure Learning Company.

The product suite comprises two B2C SKUs and one B2B offering. The CPNRE Prep Guide ($95) bundles a secure PDF study document with a 160-question online practice test (ten uses) and a Performance Profile detailing candidate competency categories, cognitive levels, and client age categories. The CPNRE Predictor Test ($50) is a single-use, 75-85 question assessment that produces a probability-of-passing estimate based on historical CPNRE performance. Bulk Products extend the Predictor Test to nursing program educators for classroom assessment with personalized candidate performance profiles. Products are delivered bilingually (English and French) via the proprietary cpnreprep.ysasecure.com platform, while the live exam is delivered through Pearson VUE's network of 500+ proctored test centres across 100+ Canadian cities and towns.

The business model is self-serve, product-led, and almost entirely transactional: one-time license fees paid by individual candidates or institutions, with no subscription tier disclosed. Distribution is direct via the cpnre.ca website, supported by organic search, content marketing, and direct email communication. Revenue also flows from regulatory authorities that commission the CPNRE and from educator bulk orders. Geographic scope is Canada-only, excluding Quebec, and the company maintains three Canadian offices (Ottawa headquarters) with a team that includes 50+ industry leaders. The firm holds the registered CPNRE® trademark and has won 20+ industry awards in psychometrics, technology, and certification.

Name

assessment strategies

Legal name

Yardstick Assessment Strategies

Website

https://cpnre.ca

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Yardstick Assessment Strategies develops and administers the Canadian Practical Nurse Registration Examination (CPNRE) and its official prep tools. It serves Canadian practical nursing candidates, nursing educators, and provincial regulatory authorities as a subsidiary of Meazure Learning Company.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Ottawa

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. CPNRE Prep Guide Sales: One-time purchase of secure PDF document plus online practice test access with 10 uses included. Targets individual nursing candidates preparing for the licensing exam.
2. CPNRE Predictor Test Sales: One-time purchase of online assessment tool providing readiness evaluation and probability of passing the CPNRE. Single-use assessment code.
3. Bulk Orders for Educators: Volume purchasing of Predictor Tests for classroom use by nursing program educators. Includes personalized performance profiles for candidates.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Assessment Strategies develops and administers the Canadian Practical Nurse Registration Examination (CPNRE) and sells the official CPNRE Prep Guide and CPNRE Predictor Test — bilingual (English/French) preparation and readiness assessment products delivered through a proprietary online test delivery system, plus bulk assessment tools for nursing educators. The CPNRE has been administered since 1971 in collaboration with provincial and territorial nursing regulatory authorities across Canada.

Product overview

Assessment Strategies operates as a credentialing and certification assessment company, offering a portfolio of exam preparation and readiness assessment products for the Canadian Practical Nurse Registration Examination (CPNRE). The core product suite consists of two distinct tools: the CPNRE Prep Guide (a comprehensive study tool with practice tests and rationales, priced at $95) and the CPNRE Predictor Test (a readiness gauge using questions from previous exams, priced at $50). Additionally, Bulk Products are offered for educators seeking classroom assessment capabilities. All products are delivered through the company's proprietary test delivery system and are available in both English and French.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CPNRE Prep Guide A comprehensive study tool designed to assist candidates in preparing for the Canadian Practical Nurse Registration Examination (CPNRE). Delivered as a secure PDF download plus access to a 160-question online Practice Test with 10 uses, answer rationales, two references per question, test-taking strategies, and a Performance Profile upon completion. Priced at $95; available in English and French; intended for individual nursing candidates preparing for the licensing exam.
• CPNRE Predictor Test
• CPNRE Bulk Products (Classroom Assessment)

Quantifiable outcome

• Performance Profile identifies specific areas of strength and weakness across competency categories, cognitive levels, and client age categories

Named customers13 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and parent company.

• Pearson VUEcoreTechnology or IntegrationStrategic partnership for computer-based test delivery through Pearson VUE's network of proctored test centres across Canada. The CPNRE is delivered in Pearson VUE's network of test centres in over 100 cities and towns in Canada.
• Provincial and Territorial Regulatory AuthoritiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with regulatory authorities across Canadian provinces and territories (Alberta, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Saskatchewan, Yukon) for exam development and administration. Subject matter experts from across Canada serve as content experts in developing and validating the CPNRE.
• Meazure Learningparent companyOthersYardstick Assessment Strategies is a Meazure Learning Company, operating as part of the larger educational assessment and testing organization.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Meazure Learning: Parent company of Yardstick Assessment Strategies; operates a broader portfolio of credentialing and certification assessments. Direct comparison given shared corporate structure, assessment technology stack, and regulatory relationships.
• Pearson VUE: Computer-based test delivery partner that administers the CPNRE across 100+ Canadian cities. Comparable as a CBT network operator serving professional certification exams, and a partial competitor for assessment delivery contracts.
• Prometric: Global computer-based testing operator with extensive proctored test center networks. Comparable to Pearson VUE and a structural parallel for Assessment Strategies' exam delivery model.
• Assessment Technologies Institute (ATI): Nursing education assessment provider offering standardized testing for nursing school programs. Comparable given the educator-channel bulk assessment use case overlapping with Assessment Strategies' bulk Predictor Test offering.
• Kaplan Nursing: Major nursing licensure exam prep publisher (including NCLEX prep). Comparable as a third-party nursing certification prep provider; differs in targeting the U.S. NCLEX rather than Canadian CPNRE.
• UWorld Nursing: Subscription-based nursing exam question bank and prep platform. Comparable as a digital nursing exam prep provider competing indirectly for practical nurse candidates' study budgets.
• National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN): Operates the NCLEX nursing licensure exam in the U.S. and is the closest international analog to Assessment Strategies' role for the CPNRE. Both serve as the official exam developer and administrator for practical nurse licensure.

Broad incumbents

• Educational Testing Service (ETS): Global leader in standardized testing that acquired Meazure Learning. Comparable given overlapping assessment technology, CBT infrastructure, and certification business lines, though ETS operates at vastly greater scale and breadth.

Emerging players

• HESI (Elsevier): Nursing school admission and readiness assessments used by nursing educators across North America. Comparable bulk assessment and predictive scoring model aimed at educators similar to the bulk Predictor Test channel.

Regional players

• OIIQ (Ordre des infirmières et infirmiers du Québec): Quebec's nursing regulator, which administers its own practical nurse licensure exam, effectively excluding the CPNRE from Quebec. Comparable as a parallel practical nurse exam authority in Canada and a structural constraint on Assessment Strategies' TAM.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about assessment strategies