Canadian Licence Exam Practice Tests

Canada Licence Prep is a practice site for the licence exams Canadians take to own firearms, work in security, hunt and drive a boat. If you have a PAL course coming up, a security guard test to book, a hunter education exam to pass or a Pleasure Craft Operator Card to get, you can practise here in the same format as the real test, for free, and learn why each answer is right.

We are an independent study aid. We are not the RCMP, a provincial ministry, Transport Canada or a training school, and we do not issue licences. What we do is help you prepare: realistic mock exams, question banks built from the official curricula and laws, and plain-English study notes with sources and check dates.

The nine Canadian licence exams we cover

Each test has its own practice route with a mock in that exam's format. The table shows the format our mocks use and the size of each question bank.

Licence exam	Who it is for	Our mock format	Question bank	Start here
CFSC (PAL)	Non-restricted firearms licence	50 questions, 60 minutes, 80%	1,478	PAL practice test
CRFSC (RPAL)	Restricted firearms privileges	50 questions, 60 minutes, 80%	1,863	RPAL practice test
Ontario security guard test	Security guards in Ontario	60 questions, 75 minutes, 62%	1,933	Ontario practice test
BC Basic Security Training (BST)	Security workers in BC	75 questions, 90 minutes, 70%	1,293	BC practice test
Alberta ABST	Security workers in Alberta	60 questions, 60 minutes, 80%	1,354	Alberta practice test
Ontario Hunter Education	First-time hunters in Ontario	50 questions, 60 minutes, 80%	817	Ontario hunter practice exam
Alberta Hunter Education	First-time hunters in Alberta	100 questions, 90 minutes, 80%	811	Alberta hunter practice test
BC CORE	Hunters in British Columbia	90 questions, 120 minutes, 68 to pass	813	BC CORE practice test
PCOC	Anyone driving a motorized boat	50 questions, 75 minutes, 75%	801	Boating licence practice test

Where an exam's format is published officially, our mocks match it. Where it is not, such as the CFSC question count or the Alberta security exam length, we use the format most commonly reported by course providers and say so on the test's page. That is over 11,000 original questions in total.

Firearms: PAL and RPAL

The PAL (Possession and Acquisition Licence) requires passing the Canadian Firearms Safety Course (CFSC). The RPAL adds restricted privileges and requires the Canadian Restricted Firearms Safety Course (CRFSC) as well. Each course ends with a written and a practical test, and instructors require 80% on each. Our firearms hub explains the whole path. The most-read guides are:

• How many questions are on the PAL test?, covering format, pass mark and timing
• Is the PAL test hard?, with common mistakes and a seven-day plan
• PAL test questions and answers, grouped by topic
• ACTS and PROVE explained, the safety rules behind the practical
• PAL vs RPAL, for deciding which licence you need
• How to get a PAL, from course to card
• Firearm storage rules in Canada and transporting firearms, the sections that cost the most marks

Security guard: Ontario, BC and Alberta

Security licences are provincial. Ontario's ministry test has 60 questions and a 62% pass mark. BC's BST assessment has 75 questions at 70%, with only two attempts. Alberta's ABST exam needs 80%. Our security guard hub compares all three. For Ontario, see the Ontario security guard test format and booking guide, Ontario test questions and answers, and how to get a security guard licence in Ontario.

Hunter education: Ontario, Alberta and BC

First-time hunters must pass their province's hunter education exam. Ontario runs the Ontario Hunter Education Program, Alberta uses the AHEIA course with a 100-question final, and BC uses CORE, with a written and a practical exam. To hunt with a gun you also need a PAL. See the hunter education hub.

Boating: the PCOC

The Pleasure Craft Operator Card is proof of competency for anyone operating a motorized recreational boat, and it is valid for life. The test has 50 questions and a 75% pass mark. Our PCOC practice is entirely free. See the boating hub and PCOC test questions and answers.

How the practice works

Every test on the site follows the same pattern, so once you know one, you know them all.

1. A free diagnostic

A short timed test of 20 questions (15 for PCOC) drawn from every topic. Your result shows your score by topic, so you know where to spend your study time before you open a single manual. Try the PAL diagnostic or the Ontario security guard diagnostic.

2. Quick practice

Twenty-five mixed questions from across the syllabus, each with its answer and explanation. This is the easiest way to fit study into a lunch break.

3. Full mock exams

Mock exams match the real test's length, timer and pass mark, with questions weighted by topic the way the official course weights them. Mock 1 is free for every test. Sitting at least one full mock under time pressure is the best predictor we know of how test day will go.

4. Practice by topic

Drill one section until you get it right every time, for example storage and transport for the PAL or legal authorities for security. Topic practice is part of Pro, except for PCOC, where it is free.

5. Study notes

Plain-English notes for every topic, each with its sources and the date we last checked them. The exam guides are free, such as the CFSC exam guide and the Ontario security guard guide.

Key fact: Every question in our bank was written for this site. We do not copy questions from official handbooks or other practice sites. That means the practice tests understanding, which is what the real exam rewards when it words things differently.

Why explanations and citations matter

Most free practice sites give you a question, four options and a green or red mark. That tells you whether you were right, but not why. On a licence exam, that is not enough.

The real test words things differently

No practice site has the real exam questions. The official tests are written by the RCMP, provincial ministries and accredited providers, and they change. If you memorize that answer "C" goes with a particular question, a reworded version on test day will catch you. If you understand the rule, you will recognize it however it is phrased.

Every option is explained

Our explanations cover why the right answer is right and why each wrong option is wrong. The wrong options are usually the common misunderstandings, such as thinking a closed container counts as a locked one, or that a security guard has police powers of arrest. Seeing why they are wrong is how you stop making the same mistake.

Every answer has a source

Each explanation cites the law, regulation or manual section it comes from: the Firearms Act or the storage regulations for the PAL, the PSISA or the Criminal Code for Ontario security, the Small Vessel Regulations for the PCOC. That matters for three reasons. You can check anything you doubt. You learn where the rules live, which helps after the exam too. And when the law changes, as firearms law has often done since 2020, we can see exactly which questions need updating.

Exam tip: When you get a question wrong, read the explanation before moving on, then find one more question on the same rule. Two in a row right means you have learned it.

Who Canada Licence Prep is for

• First-time firearms owners preparing for the CFSC or CRFSC, often hunters or sport shooters who want to arrive at the course already confident.
• People starting a security career, including newcomers to Canada, students and career-changers, who need to pass a provincial test on the first try because retests cost money and time.
• New hunters taking hunter education, often alongside the PAL.
• Boaters and cottage owners who need a PCOC for themselves or their teenagers.
• Anyone nervous about tests. If written exams make you anxious, practising in the real format removes most of the surprise.

The site is in English, and the mobile app adds audio and French explanations for those who study better by listening or in French.

How to choose the right licence test

If you are not sure which test you need, start from what you want to do.

You want to...	You need	Start with
Own or borrow a rifle or shotgun	PAL (CFSC)	PAL practice test
Shoot restricted firearms at a club	RPAL (CFSC and CRFSC)	RPAL practice test
Work as a security guard in Ontario	Ontario training and ministry test	Ontario security guard practice test
Work in security in BC	BST and BST assessment	BC security guard practice test
Work in security in Alberta	ABST and provincial exam	Alberta security guard practice test
Hunt in Ontario	Hunter education, plus a PAL to hunt with a gun	Ontario hunter education practice exam
Hunt in Alberta	Hunter education and a WiN, plus a PAL for firearms	Alberta hunter education practice test
Hunt in BC	CORE, plus a PAL for firearms	BC CORE practice test
Drive a motorized boat	PCOC	Boating licence practice test

Two common combinations: hunters usually need hunter education and a PAL, so studying both together saves time because the firearm safety content overlaps. Security candidates moving provinces should check whether their new province accepts their existing licence; BC, for example, accepts licences from Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario as equivalent to BST.

For the official requirements, the best sources are the RCMP's firearms safety courses page, Ontario's security guard testing page and Transport Canada's PCOC page. We link the official source on every guide.

Free practice and Pro

Everything you need to find out whether you are ready is free: the diagnostic, a full mock and quick practice for all nine tests, the exam guides and printable free questions. PCOC is entirely free.

If you want more full papers, Pro adds mocks 2 to 10, practice by topic and every study note for all nine tests. Plans are CA$7.99 per week, CA$12.99 per month or CA$24.99 for three months, paid securely through Stripe, and you can cancel anytime. There is no pass guarantee; we would rather tell you honestly that practice helps you prepare and the result is yours.

A study plan that works for any licence exam

The details differ by test, but the method is the same.

1. Take the diagnostic first. It takes 15 to 20 minutes and shows your weakest topics.
2. Read the exam guide for your test. Know the format, pass mark and rules before you study content.
3. Study your weakest topics first. Use your course manual and our notes, then practise each topic.
4. Do a little every day. Twenty questions a day for two weeks beats one long cram session.
5. Sit a full mock under the timer. Do it in one go, without notes, as close to real conditions as you can.
6. Review every wrong answer. Read the explanation and the source.
7. Book when you score 90%. A margin above the pass mark covers nerves and unfamiliar wording.

Your next step

Pick your test and take the free diagnostic now:

• Firearms: PAL diagnostic or RPAL diagnostic
• Security: Ontario, BC or Alberta
• Hunting: Ontario, Alberta or BC CORE
• Boating: PCOC diagnostic

Then, when you are ready, sit the free full mock: PAL mock 1, Ontario security guard mock 1 or the mock for your test from its practice page.