The CPS firefighter test, and how the FSO stream works
Ontario has two testing streams, and which one you sit depends entirely on the department. Most run through OFAI. A smaller group runs through Firefighter Services of Ontario, whose written exam is the CPS test.
6 departments in our records test through CPS or FSO, against 12 through OFAI.
What the CPS test is
CPS stands for Cooperative Personnel Services. Its Firefighter Entry-Level examination is a multiple-choice aptitude test, and metric versions exist for Canadian fire services. In Ontario it is administered by Firefighter Services of Ontario, and candidates pay the fee themselves.
Hamilton publishes a threshold worth knowing: a passing score of 70 percent or higher in the Human Relations section. Other departments may score it differently, so read the posting you are applying to.
The four question types
Hamilton lists what the written examination covers, and each one maps onto a bank you can drill.
- Understanding oral information
- Reading comprehension
- Arithmetic reasoning
- Maps, diagrams and mechanical drawings
Practise these under time rather than untimed. The pressure is the part people are unprepared for, not the content.
The FSO testing day
This is the real difference between the two streams. FSO commonly bundles everything into one registration, and in some departments one day.
A written aptitude examination, the Candidate Physical Ability Test, a fifteen minute tread water test, an acrophobia assessment at height, a clinical assessment, and an emotional stability and resiliency assessment.
That is a long day of very different demands, and the swim and the CPAT are the two nobody can cram. Train those months ahead. Fees are the candidate’s responsibility, so confirm the current amounts with FSO.
CPS and FSO, or OFAI?
OFAI is the larger stream: you complete its stages on your own schedule, before any posting opens, and the certificates are portable between participating municipalities. The FSO route is different. You typically register with FSO for a specific recruitment and complete the assessments they schedule, so the timing is driven by the department rather than by you.
How OFAI testing worksWhich departments use it
Departments in our records that test through CPS or Firefighter Services of Ontario. Each guide shows that department’s full process and current intake status.
See every city guidePractise the question types
The four CPS question types map onto four of our banks. Start free.
Practice questions