Red Seal Cook Interprovincial Exam
The Red Seal Cook exam is the interprovincial certification exam for cooks. It has 150 multiple-choice questions across 13 major work activities, with meats and poultry, and fish and seafood, carrying the most questions, and the Red Seal pass mark is 70%. In Ontario the trade is Cook (415A), a voluntary Red Seal trade certified by Skilled Trades Ontario.
- 150 questions
- 70% to pass
- 4 hours
Last checked against Red Seal Program (with provincial and territorial apprenticeship authorities) on .
Red Seal Cook (415A) at a glance
- Number of questions
- 150 multiple-choice questions source ↗
- Pass mark
- 70% source ↗
- Maximum time allowed
- 4 hours source ↗
- Question format
- Multiple choice, four options (A, B, C, D) with one correct answer source ↗
- Largest exam areas
- Meats, game, poultry, game birds and variety meats (16 questions) and fish and seafood (15 questions) source ↗
- Question types
- 55-65% procedural and application, 30-40% knowledge and recall, under 10% critical thinking source ↗
- National Occupational Classification
- NOC 63200 source ↗
- Ontario 415A apprenticeship hours
- About 6,000 hours (5,280 on the job and 720 in school) source ↗
- Ontario status
- Voluntary (non-compulsory) Red Seal trade with a certifying exam; the Certificate of Qualification does not need to be renewed source ↗
Ready for the real Red Seal Cook exam?
- ✓ 600 Red Seal Cook practice questions, every answer explained and cited
- ✓ Full-length timed mock exams: 150 questions, 4 hours, scored against 70%
- ✓ Practise by topic and review every question you missed
- ✓ Every other Canadian exam on VoltExam included
What the Red Seal Cook (415A) covers
| Area | Weight | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| A – Hygiene, sanitation and safety | 13 questions | Performing safety and hygiene-related functions (5) and practising food safety procedures (8). About 9% of the exam. |
| B – Common occupational skills | 11 questions | Tools and equipment (2), organizing work (1), managing information (1), managing products (2), trade activities (2), adapting cooking to dietary requirements (2), and communication and mentoring (1). About 7% of the exam. |
| C – Produce | 12 questions | Preparing herbs and spices (3), vegetables (5) and fruit (4). About 8% of the exam. |
| D – Stocks, broths and soups | 12 questions | Preparing stocks and broths (6) and soups (6). About 8% of the exam. |
| E – Sauces | 13 questions | Preparing thickening and binding agents (4) and sauces (9). About 9% of the exam. |
| F – Cheese, dairy, plant-based dairy alternatives, eggs and egg products | 10 questions | Using cheese, dairy and plant-based dairy alternatives (5) and preparing eggs and egg-based dishes (5). About 7% of the exam. |
| G – Pastas, noodles, stuffed pastas and dumplings | 10 questions | Preparing pastas and noodles (6) and stuffed pastas and dumplings (4). About 7% of the exam. |
| H – Grains, pulses, seeds, nuts and alternative proteins | 11 questions | Preparing grains and pulses (4), seeds and nuts (3), and alternative proteins (4). About 7% of the exam. |
| I – Meats, game, poultry, game birds and variety meats | 16 questions | Preparing meats and game meats (8), poultry and game birds (6), and variety meats (2). About 11% of the exam, the largest single area. |
| J – Fish and seafood | 15 questions | Preparing fin fish (7) and seafood (8). About 10% of the exam. |
| K – Salads and sandwiches | 9 questions | Preparing sandwiches (3), salads (3), and condiments, preserves and dressings (3). About 6% of the exam. |
| L – Specialty preparation | 8 questions | Hors d'oeuvres and finger foods (3), charcuterie and cured products (2), gels and glazes (1), and marinades, rubs and brines (2). About 5% of the exam. |
| M – Sweet and savoury baked goods and desserts | 10 questions | Dough-based (2) and batter-based products (2), creams, mousses, frozen desserts, fillings, icings and sugar work (2), cake assembly (1), pastries and pies (2), and chocolate (1). About 7% of the exam. |
How to get certified
- 1
Register as an apprentice with your provincial or territorial authority
Apprenticeship is run by each province and territory, so hours, in-school levels and fees differ. In Ontario, Cook (415A) is a voluntary trade: you can work as a cook without a certificate, but registering as an apprentice is the usual route to certification with Skilled Trades Ontario.
- 2
Complete your on-the-job hours and in-school training
Log your work-based hours and complete each level of in-school training. Skilled Trades Ontario lists about 6,000 hours for 415A, roughly three years: 5,280 hours on the job and 720 hours in school.
- 3
Or apply as a trade qualifier / challenger
Experienced cooks who never registered as apprentices can usually apply to write the exam by documenting their experience. In Ontario this is done through a Trade Equivalency Assessment. Each authority sets its own evidence rules.
- 4
Get approved and book the certifying exam
Once your authority confirms you are eligible, it tells you which exam you will write and how to book it. Red Seal is rolling out new Cook exams based on the revised occupational standard, so confirm with your authority which version applies to you.
- 5
Write the exam
The Red Seal Cook exam has 150 multiple-choice questions, a maximum of 4 hours, and a 70% pass mark. More than half of the questions ask you to apply procedures rather than recall facts.
- 6
Receive your certificate
Passing leads to a Certificate of Qualification. Cook is designated as a Red Seal trade in Ontario and the other participating provinces and territories, and Skilled Trades Ontario states that the Cook certificate does not have to be renewed.
How to study
- Study by the official breakdown: meats and poultry (16 questions) and fish and seafood (15) together make up 31 of the 150 questions.
- Know your food safety numbers cold: the 4-60 °C danger zone, safe internal cooking temperatures, cooling targets and receiving temperatures.
- Practise kitchen maths with a calculator: recipe conversion factors, yield percentages, as-purchased versus edible-portion cost, and food cost percentages.
- Learn the five mother sauces with their liquids and thickeners, then map the classic small sauces to each one.
- Track Health Canada's priority food allergens through every recipe, including hidden sources such as tahini, pesto, soy sauce and dried fruit.
- Take timed practice sets: 150 questions in 4 hours is about 1.6 minutes per question, so mark long calculations and come back to them.
Frequently asked questions
How many questions are on the Red Seal Cook exam?
The Red Seal Program lists 150 multiple-choice questions for Cook across 13 major work activities. Meats, game, poultry, game birds and variety meats has the most (16), followed by fish and seafood (15).
How many correct answers do I need to pass?
The Red Seal pass mark is 70%. On a 150-question exam, that means at least 105 correct answers. Red Seal states a maximum of 4 hours for its exams. Ask your apprenticeship authority about accommodations, because those are arranged locally.
Is cook a compulsory trade in Ontario?
No. Skilled Trades Ontario lists Cook as a non-compulsory (voluntary) trade, so you do not need a certificate to work as a cook. The trade has a certifying exam, and the Certificate of Qualification does not have to be renewed.
Can I get a Red Seal endorsement as a cook in Ontario?
Cook is designated as a Red Seal trade in Ontario, and Skilled Trades Ontario lists it as part of the Interprovincial Red Seal Program. Check with Skilled Trades Ontario for which exam you will write and how your certificate is issued.
What kind of questions are on the exam?
Red Seal says 55-65% of Cook questions are procedural and application questions, 30-40% test knowledge and recall, and under 10% test critical thinking. Each question has four options, and Red Seal states they are not trick questions, although the wrong options are not always obvious.
Which topics carry the most marks?
Meats and poultry (16 questions) and fish and seafood (15) are the largest areas. Hygiene, sanitation and safety and sauces have 13 each, and produce and stocks and soups have 12 each. Specialty preparation is the smallest area at 8 questions.
How long is the cook apprenticeship in Ontario?
Skilled Trades Ontario lists about 6,000 hours, roughly three years, made up of 5,280 hours of on-the-job experience and 720 hours of in-school training. Other provinces and territories set their own hours.
Are these practice questions from the real exam?
No. VoltExam's questions are original items written to practise the topics in the official exam breakdown. They are not official Red Seal questions, and doing well on them does not guarantee a pass. Red Seal also publishes its own sample questions for the Cook trade.
Start practising for the Red Seal Cook (415A) today
- ✓ 600 Red Seal Cook practice questions, every answer explained and cited
- ✓ Full-length timed mock exams: 150 questions, 4 hours, scored against 70%
- ✓ Practise by topic and review every question you missed
- ✓ Every other Canadian exam on VoltExam included
Official sources
- Red Seal – Cook trade page ↗
- Red Seal – Cook exam information (breakdown) ↗
- Red Seal – Cook examination weightings ↗
- Red Seal – Red Seal Occupational Standard: Cook ↗
- Red Seal – Overview of the Red Seal Examination ↗
- Skilled Trades Ontario – Cook ↗
- Skilled Trades Ontario – Cook (415A) trade report ↗
- Health Canada – Safe internal cooking temperatures ↗
- Health Canada – Priority food allergens (sesame) ↗
Sources checked November 3, 2026. VoltExam is independent and not affiliated with Red Seal Program (with provincial and territorial apprenticeship authorities). Rules change: confirm details with the official source before your exam.