Provisional Certificate of Qualification

What will I receive?

1. Within 30 days of completing your apprenticeship program, you will receive a package by mail that includes:
• A Certificate of Apprenticeship Issuance Notification letter
• Your official Certificate of Apprenticeship, and
• A Provisional Certificate of Qualification Issuance Notification letter.
2. You will also receive an Authorization to Test Letter by email (or by mail if you don’t have email access), which you will need to schedule your exam. This letter is essential:
• It includes your Exam 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 Exam Eligibility Number is unique to each exam attempt

What to know before scheduling your exam

You don’t have to pay for your first exam attempt

As a completed Ontario apprentice, you are eligible for a fee waiver for your first attempt at the written exam. The waiver will be automatically applied to your account – no need to contact Skilled Trades Ontario to pay for your first exam.

About the fee waiver:

• The waiver applies only to your first written certifying exam attempt.
• It does not cover practical exams or costs like study materials or prep courses.
• If you don’t pass on the first attempt, you will need to pay the standard fee of $150 + HST for each additional try.
• Apprentices in multiple trades may qualify for a fee waiver in each trade, if apprenticeship completion happens on or after January 1, 2025.
• The waiver is non-transferable between trades or individuals.
• Apprentices who completed their program before January 1, 2025 are not eligible, even if they take the exam after that date.

There’s no official deadline to use the waiver, but you’re encouraged to take your exam as soon as possible after completing your program to boost your success rate.

Schedule your exam

Use our new online booking system to schedule your exam at your convenience. Follow the instructions from your Authorization to Test Letter.

• Request exam accommodations, if needed

  To ensure compliance with Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) and maintain exam integrity, all accommodation requests require formal supporting documentation including a recent, signed assessment or letter from a qualified health professional detailing the nature of the disability and recommended accommodations.

  Requests received without the required documentation cannot be approved.

  Note:

  • All exam candidates must write the exam in English or French.
  • Candidates are not permitted to use/bring secondary-language dictionaries.
  • Translators, interpreters and readers are only provided by Prometric Canada approved vendors.

  Need assistance? If you have an urgent medically advised accommodation need, 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.

• Required extra steps for Red Seal exams

  If you are a Red Seal exam candidate, you MUST follow a few extra steps to get ready for your online exam at rsexam.ca. If these steps are not done, you can’t write your exam, and you may lose the fee.

  What to do:

  1. Check your email
     • 14 days before your scheduled exam, an email will come from ccda.alerts@gmail.ca.
     • Look in your junk or spam folder too.
  2. Reset your password
     • You must reset your password within 72 hours.
     • Passwords are case sensitive (uppercase and lowercase letters matter).
     • If the 72 hours pass, call Skilled Trades Ontario right away.
  3. Log off before exam day
     • You can only access your exam from one device. If you’re still logged in on a personal device, the exam won’t launch at the test centre.
     • Log off the Red Seal site on your home device before you go to your exam – closing the web browser is not enough.
  4. Bring these to your exam:
     • Your Authorization to Test Letter
     • Your Red Seal password
     • Your photo ID

  For full details, read the Red Seal Exam Tip Sheet.

• Reschedule/cancel/no show policy
  If you cancel or reschedule:

  • 1 or more days before your appointment – No charge, and you can continue to use your existing Authorization to Test letter and Eligibility Number.
  • On the day of your appointment – You may forfeit your exam fee. You must contact STO to receive a new Authorization to Test letter and Exam Eligibility Number so you can reschedule.

Receive your exam results

Skilled Trades Ontario will provide your results and outline your next steps once your exam is completed.

Please note: There is a 30-day mandatory waiting period between exam attempts. If you need to attempt the exam again, please visit the exam scheduling page.

Eligibility for a 6-month certificate extension

If extenuating circumstances beyond your control prevent you from scheduling or writing the certifying exam, you may apply for a 6-month extension of your Provisional Certificate of Qualification.

Extenuating circumstances may include:

• Barriers under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 or
• Situations where certifying exams cannot be administered for technical or operational reasons.

Key items to note:

• Applications must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. EST on the expiry date of your Provisional Certificate of Qualification. Late applications will not be considered.
• Extensions may be denied if you do not write your certifying exam prior to the expiry date of your Provisional Certificate of Qualification. Schedule your certifying exam.
• Applications will not be accepted if submitted more than 2 months before the expiry date of your Provisional Certificate of Qualification.

Even if your Provisional Certificate of Qualification expires, you are still eligible to write the certifying exam.

How to apply for an extension

To apply for a 6-month extension, you can:

• Complete the online form, or
• Mail a completed copy of the PDF form to:
  Skilled Trades Ontario
  PO Box 2354 RPO SQ1 Shoppers
  Mississauga, ON L5B 3C8

Contact Us

Phone: 647-847-3000
Toll-Free (Ontario only): 1-855-299-0028
Hours of Operation: Monday to Friday, 7:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. EST