FACT vs CPS: Which Canadian Firefighter Aptitude Test Should You Prepare For?
If you're applying to fire departments in Ontario, you'll almost certainly sit either the FACT or the CPS as part of the recruitment process. Both tests have been around for years, both screen for similar underlying skills, and both will determine whether your application advances past the first cut. They are not the same test, though, and preparing for the wrong one wastes time you don't have.
This guide is the comparison most candidates wish they'd had earlier — the differences between the two tests, which Canadian departments use which, and how to figure out which one is on your test day before you start studying.
What the FACT tests
The FACT — Firefighter Aptitude and Character Test — is administered by the Ontario Fire Administration Inc. (OFAI) at the FESTI testing centre in Mississauga. The test was developed by FPSI (Fire & Police Selection, Inc.) and has been used by participating OFAI member services across Ontario for over a decade.
The FACT contains five sections: Reading Ability (15 questions), Mathematical Reasoning (15 questions), Map Reading (10 questions), Writing Ability (10 questions), and Personal Characteristics (60 questions). Total: 110 multiple-choice questions, with a 3-hour maximum time limit.
The FACT is scored pass/fail — candidates do not receive a numerical mark, and individual departments do not see anything beyond pass or fail. Personal Characteristics carries 55% of the overall weight, despite being only one of five sections. This is the single most important fact about the FACT, and the section most candidates underprepare for. Because the FACT result is binary and the certificate is portable across every participating OFAI service, a strong Personal Characteristics performance pays off across every Ontario application a candidate submits in the next two years rather than just the one in front of them.
Calculators, cell phones, and smart watches are prohibited. Scrap paper is provided for math. The test fee is $75 plus HST, paid through the OFAI candidate portal at registration. A passing certificate is valid for 24 months and may be reused for any participating department within that window.
What the CPS tests
The CPS — originally developed by Cooperative Personnel Services and now administered in Ontario by Firefighter Services of Ontario — is the test most non-OFAI Ontario departments use as their initial aptitude screening. It's multiple choice, and Firefighter Services of Ontario doesn't publish its question count or time limit. FSO lists four content areas:
- Understanding Oral Information (listening)
- Reading Comprehension
- Mathematical Ability (no calculators)
- Mechanical Aptitude
Some departments' versions also include maps, diagrams and mechanical drawings.
The CPS produces a numerical percentage score. The conventional pass mark is 70%, set by Firefighter Services of Ontario. Many departments require candidates to score well above this threshold to advance, since they invite candidates to subsequent stages in score order from a large pool. The CPS tests listening and mechanical aptitude, which the FACT doesn't, and it has no personality section like the FACT's long Personal Characteristics block.
Registration is through the Firefighter Services of Ontario portal. CPS results are valid for 1 year — confirm the current window with Firefighter Services of Ontario before counting on a recent score for a new application.
Side-by-side comparison
| Attribute | FACT | CPS |
|---|---|---|
| Time limit | 3 hours | Not published by FSO |
| Question count | 110 | Not published by FSO |
| Sections | 5 (Reading, Math, Map Reading, Writing, Personal Characteristics) | 4 (Oral information, Reading, Math, Mechanical) |
| Mechanical Reasoning? | No standalone section | Yes |
| Personal Characteristics? | Yes, ~55% of score | No personality section |
| Map Reading? | Yes, dedicated section | Not in FSO's list (Hamilton's version includes maps and diagrams) |
| Scoring | Pass / fail only | Numerical percentage (70% pass mark) |
| Difficulty profile | Spread across cognitive + behavioural | Concentrated in cognitive + mechanical |
| Where it's used | OFAI member services across Ontario | Many non-OFAI Ontario departments |
| Cost to take | $75 + HST | $90 (FSO) |
| Certificate validity | 24 months | 1 year (FSO) |
Which Canadian departments use which
The single most useful thing a candidate can know before starting prep is which test their target department uses. There is no central list — departments switch between providers over time, and the public-facing recruitment pages don't always state the test name. The FireStart department directory at /departments lists the aptitude test for each indexed Canadian fire service where the department publishes it.
As a general pattern: most participating OFAI member services use the FACT. This includes a large share of mid-size and small Ontario municipal services, particularly those that recruit through the OFAI shared candidate pool. Many non-OFAI Ontario departments — particularly those running their own recruitment cycles independently — use the CPS through Firefighter Services of Ontario. The largest Ontario services have varying recruitment processes. Toronto asks for OFAI certificates, including the Stage One FACT, and Ottawa accepts the FACT or its own aptitude test. Hamilton and Windsor test through Firefighter Services of Ontario, and Hamilton names the CPS exam; older prep material that links them to the Gledhill-Shaw OS is out of date. Always confirm the specific test through the department's active recruitment page or the FireStart department directory at /departments.
Volunteer and small rural services sometimes use simplified or department-administered aptitude assessments rather than either FACT or CPS. If your target is a volunteer service, contact their recruitment office directly; the test may not be a named third-party product at all.
How to know which test to prepare for
Three reliable ways, in order of best to most error-prone:
- The department's page on FireStart. We list the aptitude test for each indexed department where the department publishes it. Browse the directory at /departments or the province pages.
- The department's active recruitment posting. When a department opens hiring, the official posting usually names the aptitude test or links to the registration provider (OFAI for FACT, Firefighter Services of Ontario for CPS).
- Direct contact with the department's recruitment office. If neither of the above is conclusive, email or phone the department's HR contact listed on their recruitment page. Don't guess — the tests are different enough that preparing for the wrong one is essentially preparing for nothing.
Can I prepare for both at once?
Yes, and many candidates should. The two tests share the underlying skills they assess — reading speed and comprehension, basic mathematical reasoning, written communication, and judgment in workplace scenarios. A candidate who builds those skills well will perform on either test.
The differences are in section weighting and a handful of section types: the FACT's 60-question Personal Characteristics block has no equivalent on the CPS, and the CPS's heavy Mechanical Reasoning section is much lighter on the FACT. If you're applying to departments using both tests, prepare the shared core thoroughly and add focused work on each test's distinctive section in the final two weeks before whichever exam comes first.
FireStart's practice covers both tests in one subscription. Use the category filters to drill the sections specific to your upcoming exam, then re-run the broader practice mix to keep the shared cognitive skills sharp. Practising for both simultaneously can also reduce test-day anxiety — by the time you sit down for the actual exam, the format and pacing of either test feels familiar rather than novel.
Common candidate mistakes when choosing prep
Three patterns we see repeatedly that hurt candidates more than the difficulty of either test:
Preparing without confirming the test. The most common waste-of-time mistake. A candidate spends three months drilling FACT-format questions then walks into a CPS test or vice versa. The cognitive overlap is real but partial — section weighting, scoring style, and a third of the question types differ. Confirm the test before booking your first study session.
Treating the FACT's Personal Characteristics section as unpreparable. It is 60 of the FACT's 110 questions and 55% of the weighting, so it deserves real preparation time. FireStart's free Personal Characteristics guide covers what's known about the section and how to prepare honestly. The CPS has no equivalent section.
Underestimating Mechanical Reasoning on the CPS. Candidates without a trades background often find this the most demanding CPS section. The fundamentals (pulleys, gears, levers, hose configurations, valves, basic pump diagrams) are all learnable in weeks, but only if a candidate budgets the time. The FACT's lighter mechanical content masks this gap if a candidate prepared only for the FACT and then has to switch to the CPS for a different department.
Practising for the test you're actually sitting
FireStart covers both the FACT and the CPS in detail. Practice questions for each are written to match the format, difficulty, and section weighting of the actual exams as administered by Canadian departments. Lessons walk through the underlying concepts before you grind questions, and progress tracking shows you where you're weak so you spend the remaining time productively.
Start with our exam-specific guides: FACT exam prep or CPS exam prep. Or browse the department directory to confirm which test your target department uses before deciding where to focus.
This guide is based on what we've observed across years of preparing candidates for both tests. The practice questions on FireStart for both FACT and CPS are written to match the format, difficulty, and section weighting of the actual exams as administered by Canadian departments.