309A / Red Seal Construction Electrician exam guide
In Ontario the 309A Certificate of Qualification is the Construction Electrician credential. The interprovincial paper for that trade is the Red Seal exam. This page collects what those two offices publish about the sitting. It is not an official notice.
Sparky Prep is independent study material. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Red Seal Program, Skilled Trades Ontario, or CSA Group. Nothing here guarantees a pass.
How many questions, how long, and what mark
The Red Seal exam information page for Construction Electrician says this trade's exam has 100 multiple-choice questions. Each question has four options and one correct answer.
The Red Seal Exam Preparation Guide says the writing time is four hours and the pass mark is 70 percent. Skilled Trades Ontario's June 2026 exam guide states the same time limit and the same pass mark for Ontario certificate exams.
That Ontario guide also says papers range from about 90 to 150 questions, depending on the trade. It does not print a separate 309A count. Use 100 for the Red Seal Construction Electrician breakdown, and read the count on your own exam notice before you book.
How the 100 questions are split
The same Red Seal exam breakdown assigns the 100 questions like this:
- A. Performs common occupational skills: 11
- B. Installs, services and maintains generating, distribution and service systems: 28
- C. Installs, services and maintains wiring systems: 30
- D. Installs, services and maintains motors and control systems: 21
- E. Installs, services and maintains signalling and communication systems: 10
Red Seal also publishes an examination weightings chart for this trade. That chart rounds the blocks to 12, 26, 34, 18 and 10 percent, and it lists task A-6 at 0 percent. Those are not the same figures as the exam breakdown. Sparky Prep's timed mock follows the exam breakdown counts, not the rounded chart.
Which code book
Red Seal's exam pages do not name a code edition. Skilled Trades Ontario's exam guide does not name one either. Sparky Prep's questions are written to the Canadian Electrical Code, Part I, 2024 (CSA C22.1:24, 26th edition). In Ontario, installations follow the Ontario Electrical Safety Code, which is the national code plus provincial amendments. Confirm what your exam supplies, and keep your own legal copy for study. This site does not reproduce code text.
Questions people ask
How many questions are on the Construction Electrician Red Seal exam? The exam breakdown says 100. Confirm the count on your Ontario exam notice, because the provincial guide allows a range by trade.
How long is it, and what is the pass mark? Four hours, and 70 percent, in both the Red Seal preparation guide and the Skilled Trades Ontario guide.
Is Sparky Prep part of Red Seal, Skilled Trades Ontario, or CSA? No.
Sources
- Red Seal exam breakdown, Construction Electrician
- Red Seal Exam Preparation Guide
- Red Seal examination weightings chart
- Skilled Trades Ontario exam preparation guide, June 2026