The FireTEAM Test in Canada: Sections, Format, and Complete Study Guide

Short answer: FireTEAM is a video-based firefighter selection test built by Ergometrics and commonly delivered in Canada through the National Testing Network (NTN). It runs roughly two to two and a half hours and has four sections: Human Relations, Mechanical Reasoning, Math, and Reading. Most of it is presented on video at a set pace, the math must be done in your head, and some departments give Human Relations substantial weight. Prepare for those conditions as well as the content, and confirm the specifics with the department you are applying to, because test choice and weighting vary.

This guide covers what FireTEAM measures, how each section works, the format details to prepare for, and a study plan built around the test conditions.

What the FireTEAM test is (and who uses it in Canada)

FireTEAM is an aptitude assessment designed for firefighter hiring. Instead of a paper booklet, most of it is presented on video: you watch scenarios and prompts and respond to timed questions. The full sitting typically takes about two to two and a half hours.

Delivered through the National Testing Network

In Canada, FireTEAM is most often taken through the National Testing Network (NTN). You register with NTN, sit the test, and your results can be sent to participating departments that accept NTN scores. NTN charges a fee to write the test. That fee changes over time, so check NTN directly for the current amount rather than relying on a figure from another source.

National guidance vs. what your department decides

The structure of FireTEAM (four sections, video format, mental math) is the same everywhere. How a department uses it is decided locally. Some Canadian municipal services use NTN/FireTEAM. Others use a CPS-based aptitude test or run their own selection process. Among departments that do use FireTEAM, each sets its own passing threshold and the weight given to each section; there is no universal standard.

The test structure described in this guide applies wherever you sit FireTEAM. Confirm anything about the score you need or how much Human Relations counts on the specific posting or with NTN. To see which services in your area use which test, our breakdown of departments and their requirements by city is a place to start before you register.

The four sections at a glance

Section	What it measures	Format detail
Human Relations	Judgment in workplace situations	Watch video scenarios, choose the best response; can carry substantial weight
Mechanical Reasoning	Everyday mechanical understanding	Opens with an animated brick factory, then valves, gears, pulleys, levers, water pressure
Math	Practical problem-solving	Presented on video, mental math only, no calculator or scratch paper
Reading	Verbal reasoning and comprehension	Fill-in-the-blank from technical text

Section 1: Human Relations

You watch short video scenarios of workplace interactions and choose the best response. This section measures judgment: how you handle conflict, teamwork, supervision and the public. Often one answer is clearly poor and another clearly strong, and the difference lies in tone and professionalism rather than a single correct fact.

Common mistakes: treating the section as unimportant, or choosing the response you might give in the heat of the moment. At some departments this section carries substantial weight in the composite score, so a low Human Relations score can pull down an otherwise strong result. The exact weighting is not universal, so confirm it, and do not assume this section is minor.

How to prepare: base your choices on de-escalation, respect, accountability, and putting the team and the public first. For each scenario, decide what the situation requires rather than what you would want to say.

Section 2: Mechanical Reasoning

This section opens with an animated brick-making factory that teaches you a small mechanical system, then asks questions about it. After that it moves into everyday mechanical-reasoning problems: valves, gears, pulleys, levers, and water pressure.

What to expect: you do not need an engineering background. The concepts are practical and physical, and over-thinking a question can lead you away from a simple answer. Experience with tools, plumbing or machinery helps, and candidates without it can learn the concepts with practice.

How to prepare: learn the basic mechanical relationships: how gear ratios change speed and force, how pulleys trade effort for distance, how water pressure behaves in a system. Practise reasoning through a diagram quickly rather than memorising formulas.

Section 3: Math (mental math, no calculator)

The math is presented on video, and the format matters most in this section: it is mental math only. No calculator. No scratch paper. You work the problem in your head and answer within the time given.

Common difficulty: the arithmetic is not advanced; the conditions make it harder. If you are used to solving problems on paper, working without writing anything down takes practice, and the video pacing means you cannot spend extra time on one question.

How to prepare: practise arithmetic in your head: percentages, fractions, ratios, rates, and multi-step word problems, all without a pen. Get in the habit of estimating to check an answer quickly. Practice on paper or with a calculator does not prepare you for these conditions.

Section 4: Reading

The reading section uses a fill-in-the-blank format drawn from technical text. It measures comprehension and verbal reasoning: whether you can follow written material of the kind firefighters work with and select the word that makes the passage correct and coherent.

How to prepare: read technical material closely. Practise choosing the option that fits the meaning of the whole passage, not only the sentence it sits in.

Three format facts to prepare for

Three format facts apply to the whole test:

• It is on video and it is paced. You cannot move back and forth freely as you would in a paper booklet. You respond as the prompts come.
• No calculator, no scratch paper on the math. Practise that way from the start.
• Human Relations is not a minor section. At some departments it weighs heavily. Prepare for it as seriously as the technical sections.

If you practise only with untimed paper questions and a calculator, the test conditions will be new to you on test day. Practise under the same conditions as the test: timed, with mental math only. Our FireTEAM section practice times each section, so you can practise working at a set pace.

A four-week FireTEAM study plan

Here is a four-week plan. Adjust the length to your timeline, but keep the order.

• Week 1: Diagnose. Do a light run through all four sections and note the section where you score lowest.
• Week 2: Format practice. Practise math in your head, with no calculator and no paper. Do timed reading. Work mechanical problems quickly.
• Week 3: Human Relations and mechanical depth. Work through scenarios using the principles above, and review the mechanical concepts you got wrong.
• Week 4: Full-length practice. Sit a complete run under test timing so that a two-plus-hour sitting and the steady video pace are familiar on test day.

The order matters: find your weak sections, practise under the test conditions, then do full-length runs.

Common misconceptions

• "It's just a written test." It is video-based and paced. Practise at a set pace.
• "Human Relations barely counts." At some departments it carries substantial weight. Confirm the weighting with your department.
• "I'll do the math on paper." You cannot. Practise mentally from the start.
• "One test result works everywhere." Departments differ in what they use and how they weigh it. Confirm the posting.

How FireTEAM fits the wider hiring process

The written test is one stage of hiring. A typical firefighter hiring process also includes a physical assessment and one or more interviews, plus department-specific steps. FireTEAM measures aptitude; it does not replace the fitness standard or the interview. To plan for the whole process, our step-by-step firefighter hiring roadmap shows the order of the stages and what each one involves.

What varies by department (and how to confirm)

What is the same everywhere, and what each department decides:

• National (consistent): four sections, video format, mental-math rule, roughly two to two and a half hours, delivered through NTN.
• Local (must confirm): whether the department uses FireTEAM at all, the passing threshold, the weighting of each section, the NTN fee, and whether scores are automatically shared with the department.

Never assume a specific named department uses a specific test. Check the current posting or ask NTN directly.

Verification and next steps

Verified July 2026; department test choice and weighting can change, so confirm on the posting.

Next steps: confirm which test your target department currently uses, register with NTN if it is FireTEAM, and start practising under test conditions: mental math only, at a set pace, and with as much attention on Human Relations as on the technical sections.

Sources

The structural facts in this guide come from the testing providers themselves. Fees, cut scores, and section weighting are set locally and change, so confirm the current details with the provider and your target department before you rely on them.

• National Testing Network (NTN), registration, the firefighter testing system, and current fees
• Ergometrics, the publisher of FireTEAM
• Your target department's current job posting, the only authority on which test it uses and how it is weighted