Exam scheduling

Getting ready for your certifying exam

Skilled Trades Ontario delivers certifying exams in-house and directly manages the exam-day experience. Skilled Trades Ontario will also provide your results and outline your next steps once your exam is completed. Here’s what you need to know:

1. Confirm you’ve submitted your Completion Form
2. Confirm you’re eligible to write your exam
3. Schedule your exam and accommodations as needed
4. Review the available exam centres
5. Prepare for your exam
6. Need more help?

Confirm Eligibility

To be eligible to take a certifying exam, you must:

• Complete an Ontario apprenticeship program in a trade with a certifying exam and receive a Certificate of Apprenticeship after submitting your Completion Form, or
• Be approved through a Trade Equivalency Assessment by Skilled Trades Ontario. This assessment is for experienced workers who have not completed an apprenticeship in Ontario; and
• Pay your exam fee of $150 + HST on the Skilled Trades Ontario Portal account and sign into your account to complete payment.

After payment, you will receive an Authorization to Test Letter by email (or mail if you do not have email access). This letter is essential:

It includes your Eligibility Number (required to schedule your exam)

It provides exam scheduling instructions

You must bring a printed copy of the letter on exam day

Each letter and Eligibility Number is unique to each exam attempt.

Please note that if you do not pass your exam, there is a mandatory 30-day waiting period before you can retake it. You will also need to pay the exam fee again before rescheduling.

Request exam accommodations before you book

If you experience barriers during exams or feel you may benefit from additional support, accommodations may be available. To ensure compliance with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) and maintain exam integrity, some accommodation requests require formal supporting documentation. This may include a recent, signed assessment or letter from a qualified health professional detailing the nature of the disability and recommended accommodations. Accommodation requests submitted without the required documentation cannot be approved. Please fill out this form and submit it to accommodations@skilledtradesontario.ca.

Exams are available in English or French only. Candidates must take the exam in one of these languages. English and French dictionaries are available at all exam locations.

The use of an interpreter or translator must be requested as an accommodation and supported by relevant medical documentation. Interpreters or translators will not be provided for candidates whose primary barrier is low English/French‑language proficiency and not a disability‑related need. Candidates may request to bring their own foreign‑language dictionary. Approved dictionaries must be word‑to‑word translation only and will be inspected before and after the exam.

If you have an urgent medically advised accommodation, please contact Skilled Trades Ontario before you schedule your exam:

• Email: accommodations@skilledtradesontario.ca
• Phone: 647-847-3000, or Toll Free in Ontario at 1-855-299-0028. Hours of operation are Monday to Friday, 7:00 am to 7:00 pm EST.

Schedule your exam

You may notice a new “Examinations” button in the STO Portal. This feature is part of our work to modernize exam services. Skilled Trades Ontario delivers certifying exams in-house and will directly manage the exam-day experience, including identity verification and support for onsite and Training-Delivery-Agent-based delivery.

Please follow the instructions from your emailed Authorization to Test Letter:

1. Create account or sign in to the STO Portal if you already have an account
2. Select “Examination” at the top of the page
3. Enter your STO ID number
4. Click on your name and select exam type
5. Click no for accommodation required — if required contact us by phone
6. Choose a new available date, time, and location
7. Add to cart, review your selection and select book now to complete this process.
8. You will receive email confirmation of the exam booking as the last step

If you require assistance with rescheduling your exam, please contact us by phone at 647-847-3000 Toll-free number (Ontario only): 1-855-299-0028.

Exam Locations

To help facilitate the certifying process and improve accessibility, Skilled Trades Ontario has established onsite exam delivery at the locations listed below.

We continue to work with Training Delivery Agents to improve accessibility across Ontario.

Please note that some campuses offer additional instructions and maps on their website for visitors.

• Central Region
  1. Centennial College, Ashtonbee Campus. For additional information, click here.
  2. Durham College, Whitby Campus. For additional information, click here.
  3. Georgian College, Midland Campus. For additional information, click here.
  4. George Brown College, Casa Loma Campus. For additional information, click here.
  5. Humber College, Trades and Technology Campus. For additional information, click here.
  6. Skilled Trades Ontario Headquarters. For additional information, click here.

• Eastern Region
  1. Algonquin College, Ottawa Campus. For additional information, click here.
  2. Algonquin College, Pembroke Campus. For additional information, click here.
  3. Fleming College, Peterborough Campus. For additional information, click here.
  4. Loyalist College, Belleville Campus. For additional information, click here.
  5. Lawrence College, Cornwall Campus. For additional information, click here.
  6. Lawrence College, Kingston Campus. For additional information, click here.

• Northern Region
  1. Canadore College, Commerce Court Campus. For additional information, click here.
  2. College Boreal, Timmins Campus. For additional information, click here.
  3. College Boreal, Sudbury Campus. For additional information, click here.
  4. Confederation College, Thunder Bay Campus. For additional information, click here.
  5. Confederation College, Kenora Campus. For additional information, click here.
  6. Sault College, Sault Ste. Marie Campus. For additional information, click here.

• Southwest Region
  1. Conestoga College, Skilled Trades Campus. For additional information, click here.
  2. Fanshawe College, London Campus. For additional information, click here.
  3. Georgian College, Owen Sound Campus. For additional information, click here.
  4. Lambton College, Sarnia Campus. For additional information, click here.
  5. Mohawk College, Stoney Creek Campus. For additional information, click here.
  6. St. Clair College, Windsor Campus. For additional information, click here.

Exam Resources

There are many resources available to help you prepare for your certifying exam. First, you will need to be familiar with your Apprenticeship Training Standard. Other preparation resources include preparation courses, sample exams, study guides, materials and various texts. You can also use your own network of support by speaking to your employers, previous instructors and colleagues at work.

Please note: Some of the resource documents may still refer to the Ontario College of Trades (the College), which has ceased operations and has been replaced by Skilled Trades Ontario. These documents are now being revised to reflect this change to the skilled trades system in Ontario. All other information contained in these documents continues to be relevant and accurate.

• General Exam Preparation Guide
  It’s important to prepare for your trade certification exam. In the Exam Preparation Guide you will find resources and tips, along with useful printable PDF sheets, to help you succeed on exam day.

• Interprovincial (Red Seal) Exam Resources
  In addition to the general Exam Preparation Guide, if you are taking an Interprovincial (Red Seal) exam, the Red Seal website offers resources to help you prepare, including trade-specific Red Seal Exam Breakdown and a Red Seal Exam Preparation Guide.

• Provincial (non-Red Seal) Exam Resources
  In addition to the general Exam Preparation Guide, if you are taking a provincial (non-Red Seal) exam there are trade-specific provincial exam counselling sheets available by searching for your trade in the Trades Information section of this website.

• Online Red Seal Exam Instructions
  • General Online Exam Information
    • You will be taking your Red Seal exam using the rsexam.ca online delivery system.
    • Access to the rsexam.ca delivery system is required for practising for the exam and for taking the actual exam on your exam day.
    • Please refer to your exam confirmation email to confirm if the exam location is administering online exams.

  • Set Up Your rsexam.ca Account
    After booking your exam:
    • 7 to 14 days before your exam, you will receive an account activation email from ccda.alerts@gmail.com with subject: “Red Seal Examination Account Activation / Activation du compte pour l’examen du Sceau rouge” as shown below:

      [EXTERNAL EMAIL – Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe.]

      

      Hello,

      You have registered to write the Red Seal Examination using the Red Seal Examination Online Portal. This portal is accessible to candidates prior to the exam to become familiar with how the questions are presented and how to submit the answers in the system. Sample questions are available for practice.

      Your Apprenticeship Authority or Examination Administrator has activated your User Account.

      Username: [email address on file with STO]

      Temporary Password: [system generated value]

      You have 72 hours to login into the account using the temporary password. Please click on the link below to complete your account setup:
      Login
      If the link does not work, copy and paste the following URL into your browser.
      https://rsexam.ca/Account/Login

      For any questions, please contact your Apprenticeship Authority or Examination Administrator.

    • A copy of the email can be found in Appendix A – Red Seal Exam Account Activation Email.
    • Once your account has been activated on the rsexam.ca system, you can access your profile at any time. This applies for candidates who are rewriting their exam or have cancelled and rescheduled a previous exam.
    • Your rsexam.ca username is tied to the email address on file with STO. Please note that it is case sensitive.

  • New Account Activation
    • Upon receipt of the account activation email, log in using your assigned username and temporary password.
    • Once logged into the rsexam.ca system, set your credentials.
    • The temporary password expires within 72 hours from the date and time on the activation email.
    • If you miss the 72 hour window to activate your account, please contact STO, toll free via 1-855-299-0028, to advise that you require a credential reset for your online exam account.

  • Before Exam Day
    • Log into your rsexam.ca account and validate that your upcoming exam information is displaying the following information:
      • Trade
      • Exam Session
      • Exam Time
      • Exam Duration
      • Exam Session Status
    • If any of the above information is missing or reflects outdated information, please contact STO, toll free via 1-855-299-0028, as soon as possible.
    • It is recommended that exam candidates practise on the system to become familiar with user interface and functions of rsexam.ca.

  • On Exam Day
    • The STO exam invigilator will provide all necessary information and instructions to write your exam.
    • Your personal password is not required on the day of your exam. If you are locked out or did not activate your account, the STO exam invigilator will be able to help you log in and launch your exam.

Need Help?

If you have questions about booking or rescheduling, contact the Skilled Trades Ontario Client Services Centre.