Red Seal

Overview

The Red Seal Exam is a national exam for skilled trades in Canada. It tests whether a tradesperson can do the work expected of a journeyperson across the whole country, not only in their own province. Every province and territory uses it to give a Red Seal endorsement, and most also use it as their trade certification exam.

There is no single national office that books candidates. Each province or territory runs the exam through its own apprenticeship and certification authority, and each decides who may sit it. The facts below come from the Red Seal Exam Preparation Guide published on the Red Seal site and from two provincial authorities, Alberta and Ontario. Check the exact rules with your own province.

Who can apply

Your provincial or territorial apprenticeship authority decides who can write the exam. The rules differ by trade and by type of candidate, for example an apprentice finishing a program or an experienced worker applying as a trade qualifier. The guide says you should be experienced in the full scope of your trade.

In Alberta, apprentices in Red Seal trades write the exam at their school after they pass their final period exam. Certified journeypersons who do not yet have the Red Seal can apply to write it at an apprenticeship office. Trade qualifiers generally need to pass it after meeting the other program requirements.

Exam pattern

The number of questions depends on the trade. Ontario's guide says its exams (which include Red Seal trades) have between 90 and 150 questions, and that the pass mark of 70% applies to both provincial and Red Seal exams.

Syllabus

Each trade has a Red Seal Occupational Standard, sometimes called a National Occupational Analysis. It breaks the trade into major work activities, then tasks, then sub-tasks. Exam questions are written from the sub-tasks.

Only sub-tasks that are done by journeypersons in at least 70% of provinces and territories count as common core, and only these can be tested. Sub-tasks below that line are not tested. Tradespeople from across Canada decide the content of the standard and write and review every question, and they also set how many questions each section gets.

The standard, not a textbook, is the basis of the exam. Textbooks help, but study the standard for your trade.

Marking and results

Candidates record answers on a bubble sheet. The guide gives 70% as the pass mark. Results are issued by the province or territory where you wrote. Ontario, for example, sends a score report by email with a mark breakdown for each section of the standard.

Fees

Fees are set by each province or territory. Examples listed by provincial authorities: Ontario charged $150 plus HST for a written certifying exam attempt in its 2022 guide, and, as listed on the official site in 2026, Alberta charges$150 for a challenge exam for registered apprentices. Check your own authority for the current amount.

How to apply

1. Confirm with your provincial or territorial apprenticeship office that you are eligible for your trade.

2. Use the Red Seal self-assessment for your trade to see which tasks you are less sure of. Only you see the result.

3. Register and pay through your province. Alberta books Red Seal exams online through an approved MyTradesecrets account. Ontario's 2022 guide describes confirming eligibility with Skilled Trades Ontario, paying the fee, then scheduling the exam; check its current exam scheduling page.

After the exam

If you pass, you receive the Red Seal endorsement, which the guide describes as a national certification based on journeyperson-level work. If you fail, your province sets the rules for rewriting. Under Ontario's 2022 guide, you may schedule another attempt 15 days after the previous one and pay the fee again. Alberta lets trade qualifiers rewrite and may ask for a training plan after repeated failures.

Preparation tips

• Read the occupational standard for your trade first, and mark the common core tasks.

• Use the self-assessment tool to find gaps, then work on tasks where you have little hands-on experience.

• Be careful with practice questions from outside sources; the guide warns they may not match the real exam.

• Exam supplies such as a booklet, formula sheet, calculator and bubble sheet are provided at the exam. Check what your authority permits you to bring.