The OFAI Candidate Testing Process, Stage by Stage (2026 Guide)

Short answer: Ontario Fire Administration Inc. (OFAI) tests firefighter candidates in stages. Stage One is the FACT written test. Stage Two is a hearing assessment, a vision assessment and the Encapsulated Treadmill Test (ETT). Stage Three is the Firefighter Physical Aptitude Job-Related Tests (FPAT) and a Firefighter Technical Skills Assessment. A swim test is offered as an add-on when a municipality needs one. Everyone starts with the FACT, and you must pass the FACT and the hearing test before the treadmill or Stage Three. Each pass earns its own certificate with its own expiry date. The five assessments held at the test centre cost $717 before HST ($810.21 with 13% HST), and the vision exam is extra.

OFAI doesn't hire firefighters. It runs standardized testing at the GTAA Fire and Emergency Services Training Institute (FESTI), 2025 Courtneypark Drive East, Mississauga. Participating municipalities then ask for OFAI certificates in their own job postings. Knowing how the stages fit together saves money and expired certificates.

The OFAI pathway in six steps

Learn: review the firefighter role and entry requirements.
Self-select: complete OFAI's Candidate Self-Assessment. It's for your own reference and isn't submitted.
Register: create an online account and read the Registration Policy.
Test: complete your booked stages in the required order.
Certificates: each pass is uploaded to your OFAI account as its own certificate.
Apply: apply to participating municipalities with valid certificates, through each one's own hiring process.

Stage One: the Firefighter Aptitude and Character Test (FACT)

The FACT has 110 multiple-choice items and a time limit of up to three hours. You write it on a computer in a proctored lab. It has two parts: a general aptitude test covering Reading Ability (15 items), Mathematical Reasoning (15), Map Reading (10) and Writing Ability (10), and a Personal Characteristics section (60 items). The weighting is 45% aptitude and 55% character.

Results are pass or fail only. You don't get a mark, and municipalities aren't given results.
If you pass, your certificate is uploaded within three business days and is valid for 24 months.
The fee is $75.00 plus HST.
If you fail, you can retest after 15 days the first time and after 30 days for later attempts.
After two or more failed attempts, you can ask OFAI for general feedback. Responses average 7 to 10 business days.
For extra practice, OFAI only refers candidates to FPSI's FACT Candidate Orientation Guide, a 40-question practice test you order from FPSI.

Stage Two: hearing, vision and the treadmill

Hearing Assessment ($50 plus HST)

The hearing test happens in a soundproof booth with no hearing aids allowed. Hearing loss can't be greater than 40 decibels unaided in either ear at 500, 1,000, 2,000 and 3,000 Hz. If your result is inconclusive, you request a referral form through Support, and the completed form is due within 15 business days.

Vision Assessment (optometrist's fee)

OFAI doesn't test vision on site. You download OFAI's form, take it to an eye care professional and upload it as one PDF, stamped by the optometrist or with a paid receipt attached. Processing takes at least three business days. OFAI bases the standard on Chapter Six of NFPA 1582. Its vision page lists visual acuity of 20/30 corrected or 20/40 uncorrected (both eyes tested together) and at least 110 degrees of peripheral vision along the horizontal meridian in the better eye.

Encapsulated Treadmill Test, or ETT ($110 plus HST)

The ETT is an aerobic fitness evaluation done in OFAI-supplied PPE (you may wear your own gloves if they meet OFAI's criteria). It starts with pre-appraisal screening: a medical questionnaire plus up to six blood pressure and heart rate readings. If screening stops you, it isn't counted as a fail. Avoid caffeine, energy drinks and alcohol for 12 hours beforehand, all exercise for 4 hours and intense exercise for 24 hours. Be clean-shaven where the mask seals.

Stage Three: physical aptitude and technical skills

FPAT ($212 plus HST)

The FPAT is six timed tests done in sequence, in about 23 kg (51 lb) of PPE including an SCBA that you carry but don't breathe from. A mandatory familiarization walk-through comes first, and you get exactly three minutes of rest between tests. You have to pass all six. If you fail one, the assessment ends.

Test	Time standard
1. Equipment carry / vehicle extrication	3 min 45 s or less
2. Charged hose advance (30 m, no running)	27 s or less
3. Weighted sled pull	1 min 50 s or less
4. Forcible entry simulation	19 s or less
5. Victim rescue (about 83 kg mannequin)	57 s or less
6. Ladder climb (10 rungs, five times)	1 min 37 s or less

Added up, the six time limits come to 8 minutes 55 seconds of maximum work time.

Firefighter Technical Skills Assessment ($270 plus HST)

This assessment has two sections of three skills each, and each skill has a 10-minute limit. Section One covers a claustrophobia maze on air with a blacked-out mask, ropes and knots, and ladder component identification with a 10 m ladder climb. Section Two covers roof operations (an inspection hole), hose connections and advancing a hoseline, and a one-firefighter 7 m ladder raise with roof ladder deployment. You must pass all six skills, and both sections within six months. OFAI strongly advises formal firefighter training first, because the skills draw on NFPA 1001 and IFSTA Essentials.

Stage Four: the swim test

The swim test is an add-on that OFAI runs only when a municipal partner needs one. When that happens, OFAI offers at least one session during the application period. The test takes place at the Etobicoke Olympium, and the certificate is valid for one year. Only OFAI can run it. Toronto lists the OFAI Swim Test as an asset, and Brampton's October 2026 posting (closing October 26, 2026) accepts it as one way to meet its swim requirement.

Certificate validity and fees at a glance

Assessment	Fee (plus HST)	Certificate valid for
Stage One: FACT	$75	2 years
Stage Two: Hearing	$50	2 years
Stage Two: Vision	Set by your optometrist	2 years
Stage Two: ETT	$110	6 months
Stage Three: FPAT	$212	1 year
Stage Three: Technical Skills	$270	1 year (both sections passed)
Swim Test	$40 (OFAI testing calendar)	1 year

The five assessments held at FESTI total $75 + $50 + $110 + $212 + $270 = $717. With 13% HST, that's $810.21. If a posting needs the swim test, OFAI's testing calendar lists it at $40. Retests cost extra.

Booking rules that trip people up

Order: you must pass Stage One and the Stage Two Hearing test before anything else. After that, you can do the ETT and Stage Three in any order.
First-time bundles: you can book the FACT on its own. Hearing and the ETT are booked together on the same date, and vision is handled separately. Technical Skills Sections 1 and 2 are booked on the same date.
OFAI's pages don't agree on whether a first FACT can share a date with Hearing and the ETT. The FACT page and Stage One guide say Hearing and the ETT may follow the FACT later the same day if your account shows that booking. How To Register and the FAQ say the FACT can be booked on its own. Check what your account offers before you book.
Stage Three gap: OFAI's FAQ also says to leave two or more business days after your FACT, Hearing and ETT results are processed before Stage Three. That doesn't fit with doing Stage Three before the ETT, so if you plan that order, confirm it with OFAI Support first.
If you fail Stage One, any ETT or Stage Three bookings are cancelled and refunded in full.
Fees and deadlines: rescheduling costs $25 per change. OFAI's pages give two different deadlines: at least five business days (FAQ) and at least three regular days (Registration Policy summary), so plan on five business days to be safe. Cancelling at least five business days ahead gets a refund minus a $50 plus HST fee. Registration closes five business days before each test date.
Accommodations: submit a request through Support at least 6 to 8 weeks before your test date.
Time on site: plan for at least four hours for Stages One and Two, at least three for the treadmill and up to five for Stage Three.

Not every posting wants every stage

Toronto accepts an expired FACT certificate but needs current Stage Two and FPAT certificates. Markham wants Stages 1, 2 and 3 current when you apply, and you must keep them valid through March 22, 2027 if you move forward. Brampton's October 2026 posting asks for Stage 2 or York University fitness testing and doesn't list Stage One. Because the ETT is valid for only six months, check each posting's wording: Toronto wants it current on the closing date, while Markham wants it current when you apply and kept valid through March 2027.

The FACT is the gate to everything else, so start there. FireStart's FACT prep covers the four aptitude sections with lessons, timed drills and a timed practice exam. For Personal Characteristics there's a free guide, and members also get a practice trainer. It's CA$67 for 12 months, and it never auto-renews.

FAQ

Do I have to complete the OFAI stages in order?

Partly. Everyone starts with Stage One. You must pass the FACT and the Hearing Assessment before the ETT or Stage Three, and after that the ETT and Stage Three can be done in any order.

How long are OFAI certificates valid?

FACT, Hearing and Vision certificates are valid for two years, the ETT for six months, and the FPAT, Technical Skills and Swim certificates for one year. Each period starts on the date you passed.

Do I need firefighter training before Stage Three?

OFAI doesn't ask for proof of training. It does say it doesn't recommend Stage Three without formal firefighter training, because your chances of success drop sharply without it.

How do I find out why I failed?

For on-site assessments, your only chance at feedback is a talk with a team lead on the day. For the FACT, you can request general feedback by email after two or more failed attempts. Disputes must be filed within 14 days.