Which firefighter test does my department use?

It depends on the department. Many Canadian departments use the NTN FireTEAM battery, Ontario departments commonly use the OFAI FACT, and some use a CPS-style written exam. Always confirm the exact test on your target department's current job posting before you prepare.

Is FireTEAM the same as the OFAI FACT?

No. They are different tests from different providers, with different sections and scoring. FireTEAM is an NTN battery that includes a video-based human relations component, while the OFAI FACT is Ontario's aptitude battery. Preparing for one does not fully prepare you for the other.

Can I prepare for more than one firefighter test at once?

Yes. The underlying skills overlap heavily: mechanical reasoning, math, reading, and judgment. If you are applying across regions, practise the shared skills and then drill the specific format each department uses.

How do I find out which test a department uses?

Start with the department's own hiring page and current job posting, which usually name the test and the provider. If it is not stated, check whether the department registers candidates through NTN or OFAI, and contact the recruiting office to confirm before you pay for anything.

Does the OFAI FACT include a physical test?

The aptitude stage and the physical evaluation are separate parts of Ontario's process. The FACT measures cognitive aptitude, while the physical fitness component is assessed on its own. Confirm the current stages and sequence with OFAI or the department, since requirements can change between hiring cycles.

What is the video-based section on FireTEAM?

FireTEAM's human relations section presents short video scenarios and asks you to choose the best response. It measures judgment and interpersonal reasoning rather than recall, so many candidates find it unfamiliar. Rehearsing the format ahead of time helps you stay calm and answer consistently.

FireTEAM vs OFAI FACT vs CPS: Which Firefighter Test Do You Need?

Canada does not have one national firefighter test. Different departments use different written exams, and preparing for the wrong one is one of the most common and costly mistakes applicants make. This guide walks through how the three tests you will meet most often compare, how to find out which one your target department actually uses, and how to prepare once you know your target.

What is the difference between FireTEAM, the OFAI FACT, and CPS?

In short: they are three separate written tests from three different providers. FireTEAM (from the National Testing Network) is used widely across Canada and includes a video-based human relations section. The OFAI FACT is Ontario's aptitude battery. CPS-style exams are written entry-level tests used by some departments. They overlap in the skills they measure, but they differ in format, sequencing, and scoring, so the practical question is never which test is hardest. It is which one your department requires, because that is the only one your score has to satisfy.

The reason applicants get this wrong is understandable. All three sound similar from a distance, and study material online rarely says which test it is built for. Someone can spend weeks drilling one battery and then discover at registration that their department scores an entirely different one. The fix is simple but easy to skip: identify the test first, then prepare, not the other way around.

How do I find out which test my department uses?

Start with the department's own hiring page and its current or most recent job posting, which usually name the test and the provider directly. If the posting does not say, look at how the department asks candidates to register: departments that route applicants through the National Testing Network are pointing you at FireTEAM, and Ontario departments that reference OFAI are pointing you at the FACT.

When it is still unclear, contact the recruiting office and ask two plain questions: what written test do you use, and who administers it. Do this before you buy anything, because the requirement is set by each department and can change between hiring cycles. If you are early in your search and comparing several municipalities, our department-by-department guides are a useful starting point, but always reconcile them against the live posting, since a hiring cycle can shift the process without much notice.

What does the FireTEAM test measure?

FireTEAM is a battery of four areas: human relations (often presented as video scenarios where you choose the best response), mechanical aptitude, mathematics, and reading ability. It is designed to gauge whether you can reason through the everyday cognitive and interpersonal demands of the job, not whether you already know firefighting content.

The human relations section catches many candidates off guard because it is judgment-based and video-driven rather than a traditional written question. You watch a short scene, then choose the response that best fits how a professional should act, and there is often more than one defensible option. The mechanical, math, and reading sections are closer to what people expect from a written aptitude test, but pacing still trips people up under time pressure. Getting used to the video format and the overall rhythm ahead of time matters, which is what a full-length FireTEAM-style mock is for. Treat any specific section counts, timing, or scoring you read online as subject to change, and confirm the current structure with NTN or your department before test day.

What does the OFAI FACT measure?

The OFAI FACT is the aptitude stage many Ontario departments rely on, and it leans more heavily on personal and behavioural characteristics than a pure cognitive battery does. Alongside reasoning, math, reading, and problem solving, it devotes significant attention to how you describe your own conduct, motivation, and interpersonal style, which is a real difference from the other two tests.

Because of that emphasis, preparing for the FACT is not only about sharpening calculation and comprehension. It is also about understanding the format of the personal-characteristics portion and answering it consistently and honestly. Ontario's process also includes a separate physical evaluation assessed on its own, so the FACT is one piece of a larger testing pathway rather than the whole thing. You can rehearse the aptitude stage with an OFAI FACT-style mock, and you should verify the current areas, stage order, and any changes directly with OFAI, since the pathway can be revised between cycles.

What about CPS exams?

Some departments use a CPS-style written entry-level firefighter exam. Like the others, it measures the reading, math, and reasoning skills the job demands, and it is generally a more conventional cognitive and mechanical battery without FireTEAM's video component or the FACT's large personal-characteristics section. Its structure is still its own, so if your department uses it, practise in that format and confirm the current details from the department's posting rather than assuming it matches another test you have seen.

The single most important step is not picking a study guide. It is confirming which test your specific department uses, because the requirement is set by each department and can change between hiring cycles.

How do the tests overlap, and which skills transfer?

Underneath the different formats, the three tests draw on a common core: reading comprehension, applied math, mechanical reasoning, and sound judgment under time pressure. Strength in those fundamentals travels with you no matter which test you sit, which is why it is realistic to prepare for more than one at a time if you are applying across regions.

What does not transfer as cleanly is format familiarity. FireTEAM's video-based human relations questions, the FACT's personal-characteristics emphasis, and a CPS-style exam's own sequencing each reward candidates who have rehearsed that specific style. So the shared skills carry across, but the last stretch of preparation, learning to read the question types and manage the clock in the exact test you will face, does not. Plan for both layers.

How do you prepare for the right one?

Two things matter: the shared skills and the specific format.

Build the shared skills first. Mechanical reasoning, math, reading, and situational judgment appear in all three. Strengthening them helps no matter where you apply, and it is the most efficient use of your early study time.
Then drill the exact format your department uses, under real time pressure, because pacing and question style differ between tests. Practise full-length so that the timing, not just the content, becomes familiar.
Re-confirm the format close to test day. Providers and departments update their processes, so a quick check of the current posting or the provider's information protects you from preparing for an outdated structure.

The bottom line

FireTEAM, the OFAI FACT, and CPS test overlapping skills in different formats, and they are not interchangeable. Confirm which one your target department requires, build the shared fundamentals, then practise in that test's real format under time pressure. If you are applying to several departments across regions, prepare for the shared skills once and adapt to each format as you go, and verify the current details for each test before you sit it rather than trusting anything, including this page, as fixed.