Which Firefighter Aptitude Test Does Your City Use? A 2026 City-by-City Guide

Short answer: There is no single national firefighter exam. In Ontario, Toronto, Markham and many other OFAI-participating services use OFAI's Stage One FACT, and Ottawa accepts the FACT or its own aptitude test. Hamilton and Windsor test through Firefighter Services of Ontario (FSO), and Mississauga does not accept OFAI certificates. Elsewhere, Halifax uses the FPSI Online Firefighter Test, Vancouver uses FPSI's NFST-CFT, Calgary uses the National Testing Network (NTN), Edmonton runs a virtual aptitude test and points candidates to CPS HR study materials, and Winnipeg uses a fire general-knowledge exam. Always check the current posting, because tests change between recruitment cycles.

Preparing for the wrong test is one of the costliest mistakes a candidate can make. We checked the recruitment pages of 13 major Canadian fire departments in October 2026. Here's what each one says it uses.

City-by-city at a glance

City	Written test named by the department	Key detail
Toronto	OFAI Stage One FACT	Expired FACT certificates accepted; Stage Two and FPAT certificates must be current at closing
Ottawa	OFAI Stage One FACT or Ottawa's own aptitude test	You can apply without a Stage One certificate if you say so on the application
Markham	OFAI Stage One FACT	October 2026 posting requires OFAI Stages 1, 2 and 3 to be current at application
Brampton	Not named; no OFAI Stage One listed (October 2026 posting)	Requires OFAI Stage 2 or York University fitness testing, plus a swim credential
Mississauga	Own assessments (internal and external); OFAI not accepted	Includes "cognitive assessments"; test name not published
Hamilton	FSO video-based entry test + CPS written exam	70% or higher needed in the entry test's Human Relations section
Windsor	FSO Aptitude Examination (within FSO Screening)	FSO's pass mark is 70%; shortlisted candidates take a later ability assessment
London	"Pre-qualifying written exam"	OFAI testing listed for physical testing; written test not named
Halifax	FPSI Online Firefighter Test	Taken online with remote proctoring; 100 items in the 2025 guide
Vancouver	FPSI NFST (Vancouver version)	Adds IFSTA Essentials of Fire Fighting questions (7th ed. per the City's guide)
Calgary	NTN two-part online exam	US$55 fee
Edmonton	Virtual aptitude test	40% of overall score; $65; no rewrites
Winnipeg	Fire General Knowledge Written Assessment	Two hours; based on a firefighting textbook

Ontario departments

Toronto Fire Services: OFAI FACT

Toronto's Operations Firefighter requirements call for OFAI Candidate Testing Services certificates. Your Stage One FACT certificate does not need to be current, and Toronto accepts expired ones. Your Stage Two Hearing, Vision and Encapsulated Treadmill Test certificates and your Stage Three FPAT certificate do have to be current on the posting's closing date. Toronto also requires NFPA 1001 Levels I and II from an accredited institution and a valid Emergency Medical Responder (EMR) certification, with AEMCA also accepted. The OFAI Swim Test is listed as an asset, not a requirement.

Ottawa Fire Services: FACT or Ottawa's own test

Ottawa accepts a current OFAI Stage One certificate or an aptitude test as required by Ottawa Fire Services. You don't need either before applying, but you must indicate on the application that you don't hold Stage One. That's how Ottawa's most recent career firefighter posting (Requisition 23539, posted September 23, 2026, closed October 4) worded it.

Markham and other OFAI services

Markham's Probationary Firefighter posting closes November 1, 2026. It requires OFAI Stages 1, 2 and 3 to be current when you apply, and candidates who advance must keep them valid up to and including March 22, 2027. For other OFAI services, check the current recruitments list on ofai.ca.

Brampton and Mississauga: don't assume the FACT

Two large GTA services show why you shouldn't assume. Brampton's current posting runs October 6 to 26, 2026. It asks for OFAI Stage 2 or York University Firefighter Fitness Testing, plus either an OFAI Swim Test certificate or NFPA 1006 surface water rescue certification. It does not list OFAI Stage One. (Brampton's general FAQ page still mentions Stage 1, so follow the posting.)

Mississauga's 2026 recruitment FAQ is blunt: the City "does not require and will not be accepting OFAI certification." Its process includes cognitive, behavioural, practical and swimming assessments, plus York University fitness testing. Mississauga doesn't name its cognitive assessments, so prepare broadly for reading, math and reasoning.

Hamilton and Windsor: Firefighter Services of Ontario

Hamilton describes two FSO assessments. The first is a video-based, multiple-choice Firefighter Entry Level Test, and you need 70% or higher in its Human Relations section. The second is a written aptitude exam: the Cooperative Personnel Services (CPS) Firefighter Entry-Level exam, administered by FSO. It covers understanding oral information, reading comprehension, arithmetic reasoning, and maps, diagrams and mechanical drawings. Hamilton's full-time recruitment was closed when we checked.

Windsor's 2026/2027 recruitment used FSO Screening, which bundles a medical exam, clinical assessment, CPAT, the FSO Aptitude Examination, a tread-water test, an acrophobia test and an Emotional Stability and Resiliency assessment. On its own site, FSO sets a 70% pass mark for its aptitude exam and doesn't allow calculators, phones or smart watches. Shortlisted candidates may also complete an Occupational Personality Questionnaire and a General Mental Ability Assessment later in the process.

You'll often see Hamilton and Windsor linked to the Gledhill-Shaw OS test in older prep material. Their current official pages name FSO testing, so follow the posting.

London

London's careers page lists "OFAI Candidate Testing Services" for physical testing and a "pre-qualifying written exam" in the application process, but it doesn't name the written test. When London next recruits, check the posting for the test name.

Outside Ontario

Halifax: FPSI Online Firefighter Test

Halifax Regional Fire & Emergency invites eligible applicants to write the FPSI Online Firefighter Test on a personal computer with remote proctoring. The 2025 orientation guide lists 100 items: Reading Ability (10), Mathematical Reasoning (20), Map Reading (15), Writing Ability (5), Human Relations (22) and Reasoning Skills (28, including mechanical aptitude and spatial rotation). Calculators aren't allowed. Those are the same six areas FPSI lists for its National Fire Select Test (NFST), which is why FireStart groups Halifax with NFST prep. The 2026 test dates were February 4 and 7.

Vancouver: NFST-CFT

Vancouver's applicant guide says the written test can cover math, mechanical reasoning, reading comprehension, spatial analysis, following directions and general aptitude, plus questions derived from IFSTA's Essentials of Fire Fighting, 7th Edition. FPSI sells the matching Vancouver orientation guide (its product page still says 6th Edition, so check which edition your invitation names). The City of Vancouver says the written exam contains NFPA 1001 Level I and II content, and it encourages applicants without NFPA training to study that material on their own.

Calgary: National Testing Network

Calgary Fire Department names NTN as its aptitude test vendor. The test is a two-part exam taken online, and the fee is US$55. NTN's best-known firefighter exam is the FireTEAM: video-based Human Relations, Mechanical and Math sections, plus a fill-in-the-blank Reading test. All math is done in your head, with no written calculations. NTN offers other firefighter exams too, so check your invitation for the exact exam name.

Edmonton

Edmonton Fire Rescue Services holds a virtual aptitude test by invitation, typically in March or April. The test counts for 40% of your overall score, costs a non-refundable $65 and can't be rewritten. It covers oral information, written comprehension, numerical skills, maps, diagrams and mechanical reasoning, and teamwork and public speaking. The City points candidates to CPS HR study materials. Later in the process, a Threshold Knowledge Test checks your NFPA 1001 Level 1 knowledge. The City says it's updating the process for the 2027 intake.

Winnipeg

Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service's application manual (January 2025 version) describes a two-hour Fire General Knowledge Written Assessment based on Fundamentals of Fire Fighter Skills, not a general aptitude test. Check for a newer manual before you start studying.

How to confirm your department's test in 3 steps

Read the current posting, not last year's. Toronto, Markham and Brampton each ask for a different set of OFAI stages.
Look for the provider's name: OFAI, FSO, FPSI, NTN or CPS HR. It tells you which test you'll write.
Still unclear? Email the recruitment contact on the posting.

Applying to several cities? Build the shared skills first

Almost every test above checks reading and math, and several (FSO's exam, Halifax's FPSI test and NTN's FireTEAM) ban calculators, so practise math without one. Most add map reading, mechanical reasoning or human-relations judgment. Get those solid first, then add the test-specific pieces: the FACT's Personal Characteristics section (60 of its 110 questions), CPS oral information and mechanical drawings, and the FireTEAM's video format and mental math.

Ready to prepare for the test your city actually uses? One FireStart membership ($67 CAD for 12 months, no auto-renewal) covers the FACT, CPS, NFST, NTN FireTEAM and OS, with 1,300+ practice questions and guided lessons. Choose your target department in the FireStart directory, then start practising for its test.

FAQ

Is there one firefighter aptitude test for all of Canada?

No. Each department picks its own test. In Ontario, the FACT (through OFAI) and FSO's testing are the most common. Elsewhere, departments use FPSI, NTN, CPS HR materials or their own exams.

Can I use my OFAI FACT certificate outside Ontario?

None of the out-of-province departments in this guide (Halifax, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg) list OFAI certificates as a requirement. Each runs its own written test. Even inside Ontario, Mississauga says it won't accept OFAI certification.

Does Toronto accept an expired FACT certificate?

Yes. Toronto's current requirements say the Stage One certificate doesn't need to be current. Stage Two (hearing, vision and treadmill) and Stage Three FPAT certificates must be current at the posting's closing date.

Which test does Hamilton use?

Hamilton's official page describes an FSO video-based Firefighter Entry Level Test (70% or more in Human Relations) and an FSO-administered CPS written aptitude exam. Check the test names on your own invitation.