What Is on the Red Seal Steamfitter Exam? A Complete Breakdown

If you are getting ready to write the Red Seal Steamfitter / Pipefitter exam, the first thing you need to know is what is actually on it. Not a vague overview. Not a list of topics someone copied from a textbook. The actual structure, the actual question counts, and the actual weighting that determines how your score is calculated.

This article breaks it all down using the official Red Seal Occupational Standard (RSOS) for the Steamfitter / Pipefitter trade, published by the Canadian Council of Directors of Apprenticeship through the Red Seal Program.

The Exam Format

The Red Seal Steamfitter / Pipefitter exam is a written, multiple-choice test with 130 questions. You have 4 hours to complete it. You need to score at least 70% to pass. Every question has four answer options (A, B, C, D) and only one correct answer. There is no penalty for guessing, so you should answer every question even if you are not sure.

The exam is administered by your provincial or territorial apprenticeship authority. In British Columbia, that is SkilledTradesBC. In Alberta, it is Alberta Apprenticeship and Industry Training. In Ontario, it is Skilled Trades Ontario. The exam content is the same across all provinces because it is set at the interprovincial (IP) level by the Red Seal Program. For a full province-by-province booking guide, see our article on how to book your Red Seal exam in every province.

How the Questions Are Weighted

The 130 questions are split across seven Major Work Activities (MWAs) from the RSOS. Each MWA is weighted differently based on how much of the trade it represents. The table below shows the breakdown.

MWA A — Performs common occupational skills: 16 questions (13%)

MWA B — Performs layout, fabrication and piping installation: 29 questions (22%)

MWA C — Performs rigging, hoisting, lifting and positioning: 15 questions (12%)

MWA D — Installs, tests, maintains, troubleshoots and repairs low and high pressure steam and condensate systems: 24 questions (18%)

MWA E — Installs, tests, maintains, troubleshoots and repairs hydronic heating systems: 27 questions (21%)

MWA F — Installs, tests, maintains, troubleshoots and repairs process piping, refrigeration, fire protection and fuel systems: 8 questions (6%)

MWA G — Performs commissioning, start-up and turnover: 11 questions (8%)

Total: 130 questions

This weighting tells you where to focus your study time. Layout, fabrication and piping installation (MWA B) and hydronic heating systems (MWA E) together make up 43% of the exam. If you are weak in either of those areas, that is where your preparation should start.

What Each Section Actually Tests

Common Occupational Skills (MWA A) covers safety, trade math (including offset calculations, pipe lengths, and fitting take-offs), blueprint reading, and tool selection. These are the fundamentals that apply across every steamfitter job site. The math questions in this section are where many candidates lose marks — particularly on offset travel calculations using the 1.414 constant for 45-degree offsets and the 1.732 constant for 60-degree offsets. If you are also considering the Boilermaker ticket, many of these fundamentals overlap — see our article on the Red Seal Boilermaker exam for a comparison.

Layout, Fabrication and Piping Installation (MWA B) is the largest single section and covers the full range of joining methods (welding, brazing, soldering, threading, grooving, flanging), pipe materials (carbon steel, stainless, copper, cast iron, PVC, HDPE), hangers and supports, valves and specialties, and system testing. You need to know the differences between pipe schedules, the torque sequences for flanged connections, and the correct procedures for hydrostatic and pneumatic testing.

Rigging, Hoisting, Lifting and Positioning (MWA C) covers load calculations, sling angles, hitch configurations, crane signals, and safe rigging practices. Sling angle calculations appear on virtually every steamfitter exam. You need to know how the angle affects the load on each leg and how to select the correct hardware.

Low and High Pressure Steam and Condensate Systems (MWA D) covers boiler connections, steam distribution, condensate return, steam traps, pressure reducing valves, expansion loops, and controls. Expect questions on the differences between low-pressure and high-pressure steam systems, trap types and their applications, and the correct procedures for system startup and shutdown.

Hydronic Heating Systems (MWA E) is the second-largest section. Covers hot water heating, radiant floor systems, heat exchangers, circulators, expansion tanks, air elimination, and system balancing. This section is where candidates with primarily industrial or process piping experience tend to be weakest. If your field work has been in refineries or power plants rather than buildings, budget extra study time here.

Process Piping, Refrigeration, Fire Protection and Fuel Systems (MWA F) covers a broad range of specialty systems. Despite being only 6% of the exam, the questions are highly specific. You need to know the basics of refrigerant piping, fire sprinkler system types (wet, dry, pre-action, deluge), and fuel gas piping requirements.

Commissioning, Start-up and Turnover (MWA G) covers the procedures for testing, flushing, balancing, and handing over completed piping systems. This includes pressure testing procedures, documentation requirements, and the steps for system commissioning.

How to Study for This Exam

The Red Seal Program publishes a free Exam Preparation Guide and a Self-Assessment Tool on red-seal.ca. Start there. The self-assessment walks you through every task and sub-task in the RSOS and asks you to rate your own confidence. It then generates a report showing which areas to focus on. This is the best starting point because it is based on the actual exam blueprint.

If you are an experienced tradesperson who did not go through a formal apprenticeship, you may be eligible to challenge the exam as a trade qualifier. The process and requirements are different — see our article on trade qualifier vs apprentice pathways for details.

After the self-assessment, you need practice questions that are written to the same level and style as the real exam, organized by MWA, with detailed explanations that tell you why each answer is correct and why the other options are wrong.

The Steamfitter / Pipefitter Red Seal Exam Prep Vol 1 from Red Seal Training Academy gives you 1,000 practice questions across 8 full-length tests, all matched to the RSOS structure above. Tests 1 through 4 are the Learning Pack — every question has a full written explanation so you build understanding, not just memorization. Tests 5 through 8 are the Exam Format — answer keys only, timed, simulating real exam conditions. The book was written by a Red Seal Steamfitter with over 35 years in the trade. If you are looking for additional exam simulation beyond Vol 1, see our article on why the Steamfitter series comes in two volumes and how to use them together.

If you are a US-based pipefitter preparing for the UA Journeyman exam rather than the Canadian Red Seal, see our article on the UA Steamfitter Journeyman exam for details on how the US exam differs.

[Get the Steamfitter / Pipefitter Exam Prep Vol 1 on Amazon →]

[See the full Steamfitter / Pipefitter trade page → /steamfitter-pipefitter/]

Frequently Asked Questions

How many questions are on the Red Seal Steamfitter exam?

The Red Seal Steamfitter / Pipefitter exam has 130 multiple-choice questions. You have 4 hours to complete it. The pass mark is 70%.

What is the pass mark for the Red Seal Steamfitter exam?

You need to score 70% or higher to pass. With 130 questions, that means you need at least 91 correct answers.

How long is the Red Seal Steamfitter exam?

You have a maximum of 4 hours to complete the exam. That gives you approximately 1 minute and 51 seconds per question.

Can you use a calculator on the Red Seal exam?

No. Calculators are not permitted. All calculations must be done by hand on the scratch paper provided. However, formula sheets may be provided depending on the trade and province — check with your provincial apprenticeship authority.

What happens if you fail the Red Seal Steamfitter exam?

If you do not pass, you can retake the exam. Most provinces require a waiting period of 15 to 90 days between attempts. Your results will include a breakdown by MWA showing which sections you were weakest in, so you can focus your study for the retake. After two or three failed attempts, some provinces require you to complete upgrading training before you can write again.