A worker fastening metal coping along a flat roof's edge is on fall arrest, tied to a roof anchor rated for loading in any direction but set well off to one side of the work. What added hazard does the anchor's position create?

A pendulum swing into the wall or an obstruction.

Arrest forces higher than the energy absorber can limit.

A sideways pull that the anchor is not rated to hold.

Less clearance needed below, since the line runs at an angle.

A straight-line pattern for a rectangular duct fitting is marked with braking lines and a braking diagram before it goes to forming. What does the braking diagram give the brake operator?

The sequence in which the bends are made.

The sequence in which the cuts are made.

The lock type for each edge of the blank.

The bend allowance taken out at each bend.

A line laser will be used to lay out hanger positions for a long duct main in a brightly lit warehouse. Why is a green-beam laser often chosen over a red one for this work?

The eye sees a green beam as brighter.

A green beam is more accurate at range.

A green beam is safer to look into.

A green beam runs longer on its batteries.

A long rectangular supply main is being hung from an air handler outlet toward a fan coil unit already set at the far end. How is the last section, between the run and the fan coil, sized?

Field-measure the gap once both ends are in, then make it.

Fabricate it to the drawing length with the rest of the run.

Make it from flexible duct to take up any difference.

Order it long, and trim it on the ground before the run is hung.

Openings for small round vent pipes are being marked on a new standing seam metal roof before the vents are brought through. Where is each opening placed?

In the flat of a pan, with room for the flashing between seams.

Centred on a seam, where the panel is stiffest to carry it.

Wherever the vent falls, since a flashing boot seals over any seam.

Over a panel clip, so the clip supports the cut edge of the opening.

Exposed-fastener steel roof panels with lapped side seams will run up a gable roof whose eave runs east to west. The prevailing wind blows from the west. Where does the crew start the first panel?

At the east end, laying toward the west.

At the west end, laying toward the east.

At the middle of the eave, laying toward both ends.

At whichever end is nearest the hoisting point.

On a quarterly inspection, the gauge across an air handler's filter bank reads 0.10 in. w.g. The checklist shows 0.25 in. w.g. when these filters were new and 0.35 in. w.g. last visit; fan speed and dampers are unchanged, and the gauge zeroes correctly. What should be done?

Look for torn, collapsed or missing filters letting air bypass.

Extend the change interval, since the filters are loading slowly.

Change the filters now, since a low drop shows the media is blinding.

Raise the fan speed until the drop is back to its last reading.

10 Free Sheet Metal Red Seal Questions (308A) + PDF

Ten 308A Sheet Metal Worker questions in the format of the Red Seal exam: four options, one correct answer, no trick questions. They are free to use, print and share. There is nothing to sign up for on this page.

01How to use these

The questions come from the TicketPrep 308A bank and are spread across the exam's work activities in the order and roughly the proportion the Red Seal Program publishes for this trade: A (performs common occupational skills), B (performs fabrication), C (installs air and material handling systems), D (installs roofing and specialty products), E (performs maintenance and repair). Answer each one before opening the explanation. Every explanation covers all four options, because, in the Red Seal Program's words, the incorrect options on the exam are not always obvious, and knowing why they are wrong is most of the skill.

Pace. The Red Seal Exam Preparation Guide gives four hours of writing time; for the 120 questions on this exam that is about 2 minutes per question. Try these at that pace.
Print. The printed version shows the questions and the answer key without the explanations, so it works as a handout. The explanations are on the web page. Download PDF
Mark. The Red Seal Exam Preparation Guide gives the pass mark as 70 percent; seven of ten here is the same bar.

02The questions

Recall · Performs common occupational skills

A worker fastening metal coping along a flat roof's edge is on fall arrest, tied to a roof anchor rated for loading in any direction but set well off to one side of the work. What added hazard does the anchor's position create?
1. A pendulum swing into the wall or an obstruction.
2. Arrest forces higher than the energy absorber can limit.
3. A sideways pull that the anchor is not rated to hold.
4. Less clearance needed below, since the line runs at an angle.
Show the answer

A. Correct. With the anchor off to one side, a worker who falls swings like a pendulum along the edge once the lanyard comes tight and can strike the wall, a parapet or rooftop equipment. The anchor is kept as nearly as possible in line with the work and moved as the work moves along the edge, or a horizontal lifeline is used.

Why not the others

B. The energy absorber limits the arrest force by deploying, wherever the anchor sits; an offset anchor does not defeat it. The hazard the offset adds is the swing that follows, which can carry the worker into the wall or equipment.

C. The stem says the anchor is rated for loading in any direction, so a sideways pull is within its rating. The position matters because of where the worker goes after the fall begins: a pendulum swing along the edge.

D. An angled line does not reduce the clearance needed. The swing adds to the distance the worker drops and to what can be struck on the way, so an offset anchor calls for more care, not less. The added hazard is the pendulum swing.

Source: Red Seal Occupational Standard, sub-task A-1.01; CCOHS
Procedural · Performs common occupational skills

A sheet metal worker will spend the week hanging rectangular duct in a crowded ceiling space, working between threaded hanger rods, strut and the corners of duct already hung. The hazard assessment lists blows to the sides and back of the head, and live lighting circuits overhead. Which hard hat is worn?
1. A Type 1, Class E hard hat.
2. A Type 2, Class E hard hat.
3. A Type 1, Class G hard hat.
4. A Type 2, Class C hard hat.
Show the answer

B. Correct. A Type 2 hat protects against impact and penetration at the crown and at the sides and back, the blows a worker takes moving among hanger rods, strut and hung duct. Class E (20 000 V rating) protects the head against high-voltage conductors, so it also covers the live lighting circuits overhead.

Why not the others

A. Class E carries the high-voltage (20 000 V) rating, which covers the live lighting circuits, but a Type 1 hat protects against impact and penetration at the crown (top) only. Blows to the sides and back of the head from rods, strut and duct corners call for a Type 2 hat.

C. Class G (2200 V rating) protects against low-voltage conductors such as lighting circuits, but a Type 1 hat protects the crown only. It does nothing for the blows to the sides and back that the hazard assessment lists; that takes a Type 2 hat.

D. Type 2 gives the side and back protection this ceiling work needs, but Class C has no electrical rating, so the hat gives no protection against the live lighting circuits overhead. A hat with an electrical class (G or E) is needed as well.

Source: Red Seal Occupational Standard, sub-task A-1.01; CSA Z94.1; CCOHS
Procedural · Performs fabrication

A one-piece wrap for a 9 in. × 5 in. rectangular duct section closes with a single Pittsburgh lock at one corner. The shop adds 7/8 in. for the pocket edge and 1/4 in. for the flange edge. What is the gross stretch-out of the blank?
1. 15 1/8 in.
2. 28 in.
3. 29 1/8 in.
4. 30 1/4 in.
Show the answer

C. Correct. Gross stretch-out includes the locks: perimeter 2 × (9 + 5) = 28 in., plus 7/8 in. for the pocket edge and 1/4 in. for the flange edge, = 29 1/8 in. The 28 in. between the lock allowances is the net stretch-out, on which the braking lines are laid out.

Why not the others

A. This is 9 + 5 + 1 1/8, half the perimeter plus the lock allowances. A one-piece wrap goes around all four sides: 2 × (9 + 5) = 28 in. before the allowances are added, so the gross is 29 1/8 in.

B. 28 in. is 2 × (9 + 5), the net stretch-out. Net leaves out locks and seams; gross includes them, so the 7/8 in. pocket edge and the 1/4 in. flange edge are added: 29 1/8 in.

D. This adds the 1 1/8 in. of lock allowance twice (28 + 2 × 1 1/8), as if the wrap closed with two seams. A one-piece wrap has one Pittsburgh lock, so one pocket edge and one flange edge: 29 1/8 in.

Source: Red Seal Occupational Standard, sub-task B-5.01
Recall · Performs fabrication

A straight-line pattern for a rectangular duct fitting is marked with braking lines and a braking diagram before it goes to forming. What does the braking diagram give the brake operator?
1. The sequence in which the bends are made.
2. The sequence in which the cuts are made.
3. The lock type for each edge of the blank.
4. The bend allowance taken out at each bend.
Show the answer

A. Correct. Braking lines show where each bend goes; the braking diagram sets the order of operation, because a bend made too early can stop the brake from reaching a later one. Followed in order, every bend can be made and the fitting closes as drawn.

Why not the others

B. Shearing and notching come before forming and follow the cut lines and notch marks on the blank. The braking diagram is for the brake: it gives the order in which the bends are made.

C. Seam and lock information is marked on the pattern too, but it belongs to the edges and the seaming machines. The braking diagram sets out the bends and the order to make them.

D. Bend allowances are worked into the layout before the blank is cut, so the braking lines already sit where the allowances put them. The braking diagram gives the operator the order in which the bends are made.

Source: Red Seal Occupational Standard, sub-task B-5.01
Recall · Installs air and material handling systems

A line laser will be used to lay out hanger positions for a long duct main in a brightly lit warehouse. Why is a green-beam laser often chosen over a red one for this work?
1. The eye sees a green beam as brighter.
2. A green beam is more accurate at range.
3. A green beam is safer to look into.
4. A green beam runs longer on its batteries.
Show the answer

A. Correct. The human eye is most sensitive to green light, so a green line looks several times brighter than a red one of similar power and stays visible farther in a bright room. Outdoors, or past the visible range, either colour is read with a detector.

Why not the others

B. Accuracy comes from the laser's self-levelling mechanism and its calibration, not from the beam colour; red and green versions of the same tool read the same. Green is chosen because it is easier to see.

C. Eye safety is set by the laser's class and output power, not by its colour, and a construction laser beam is never stared into. Green is chosen for visibility.

D. Green laser modules draw more current, so a green tool usually runs a shorter time on a charge than a red one, not longer. That trade-off is accepted for the brighter line.

Source: Red Seal Occupational Standard, sub-task C-9.01
Procedural · Installs air and material handling systems

A long rectangular supply main is being hung from an air handler outlet toward a fan coil unit already set at the far end. How is the last section, between the run and the fan coil, sized?
1. Fabricate it to the drawing length with the rest of the run.
2. Field-measure the gap once both ends are in, then make it.
3. Make it from flexible duct to take up any difference.
4. Order it long, and trim it on the ground before the run is hung.
Show the answer

B. Correct. Hanging tolerances, fitting lengths and the equipment's actual position all add up along a run, so the closing (make-up) piece is measured on site after both ends are fixed and then fabricated to that measurement.

Why not the others

A. Shop drawings place the equipment by design, not as set. Small differences along the run and in the fan coil's final position mean a piece built to the drawing length rarely fits; that is why the closing piece is left to field measurement.

C. Flexible duct is a short final connection to terminals where the specification allows it, not a filler in a rectangular main. Bent or compressed, it adds resistance; the closing piece is measured and fabricated in sheet metal.

D. Trimming before the run is hung still works from a guess. The true gap is known only once the run and the fan coil are both in place; measure it then and fabricate the piece to suit.

Source: Red Seal Occupational Standard, sub-task C-9.01
Procedural · Installs roofing and specialty products

Openings for small round vent pipes are being marked on a new standing seam metal roof before the vents are brought through. Where is each opening placed?
1. In the flat of a pan, with room for the flashing between seams.
2. Centred on a seam, where the panel is stiffest to carry it.
3. Wherever the vent falls, since a flashing boot seals over any seam.
4. Over a panel clip, so the clip supports the cut edge of the opening.
Show the answer

A. Correct. A standing seam is the panel's weather joint and is left unbroken, so a round penetration is laid out in the flat of a pan, far enough from the seams on both sides for the flashing base to lie flat and be sealed. Where a vent cannot avoid a seam, it gets a curb or a diverter detail instead of a simple flashing.

Why not the others

B. Cutting through a seam opens the panel's weather joint and leaves no flat surface for the flashing to seal against. The opening goes in the flat of a pan, clear of the seams.

C. A boot's base needs a flat surface to seal to; draped over a raised seam it leaves gaps that leak. Openings are laid out in the flat of a pan, and a vent that must hit a seam gets a curb or diverter.

D. Clips sit under the seams and are what let the panels move; an opening placed over one interferes with the seam and the clip. The opening goes in the flat of a pan, clear of the seams and clips.

Source: Red Seal Occupational Standard, sub-task D-15.01
Procedural · Installs roofing and specialty products

Exposed-fastener steel roof panels with lapped side seams will run up a gable roof whose eave runs east to west. The prevailing wind blows from the west. Where does the crew start the first panel?
1. At the west end, laying toward the east.
2. At the east end, laying toward the west.
3. At the middle of the eave, laying toward both ends.
4. At whichever end is nearest the hoisting point.
Show the answer

B. Correct. Each new panel laps over the one laid before it, so the exposed edge of every side lap faces back toward the starting end. Starting at the downwind (east) end and working into the wind leaves those edges facing east, away from the west wind, so wind-driven rain is pushed over the laps instead of under them.

Why not the others

A. Working with the wind leaves every lap's exposed edge facing west, straight into the prevailing wind, which drives rain under the laps. Start at the downwind end so the exposed edges face away from the weather.

C. Laying both ways from the middle turns the laps on one half of the roof into the west wind, and that half takes wind-driven rain under its laps. Start at the downwind end so every lap faces away from the weather.

D. Handling convenience does not decide where the run starts; the lap direction does. Start at the downwind (east) end and work toward the wind so every exposed lap edge faces away from it.

Source: Red Seal Occupational Standard, sub-task D-15.01
Recall · Performs maintenance and repair

During a scheduled inspection of a running belt-drive roof exhaust fan, a rough growl comes from the drive, and a thermal imaging device shows the two fan-shaft bearings and the two motor bearings at the same temperature. Which instrument is used next to find the faulty bearing?
1. A stethoscope.
2. A tachometer.
3. A manometer.
4. A clamp-on ammeter.
Show the answer

A. Correct. A stethoscope's probe held on each bearing housing in turn carries that bearing's sound on its own, so the rough one stands out from the other three; the thermal image has already shown that none is running hot yet. The finding goes on the inspection checklist for repair.

Why not the others

B. A tachometer reads shaft speed. A rough bearing seldom changes the fan's rpm, and a speed reading cannot say which of four bearings is growling; listening at each housing with a stethoscope can.

C. A manometer reads air pressure, such as the drop across the filters or the fan's static pressure. It says nothing about which bearing is noisy; a stethoscope on each housing does.

D. A clamp-on ammeter shows the motor's current draw, which a rough bearing may barely change, and it cannot tell a fan bearing from a motor bearing. A stethoscope on each housing locates the noise.

Source: Red Seal Occupational Standard, sub-task E-18.01
Procedural · Performs maintenance and repair

On a quarterly inspection, the gauge across an air handler's filter bank reads 0.10 in. w.g. The checklist shows 0.25 in. w.g. when these filters were new and 0.35 in. w.g. last visit; fan speed and dampers are unchanged, and the gauge zeroes correctly. What should be done?
1. Extend the change interval, since the filters are loading slowly.
2. Look for torn, collapsed or missing filters letting air bypass.
3. Change the filters now, since a low drop shows the media is blinding.
4. Raise the fan speed until the drop is back to its last reading.
Show the answer

B. Correct. A loading filter's resistance only climbs, so a drop well below even the clean-filter reading means air is getting around or through the media: a torn or blown-out filter, a missing one or a gap at the frame. Unfiltered air then fouls the coil and fan, so the bypass is found, fixed and recorded.

Why not the others

A. Filters do not get cleaner in service; their pressure drop rises as dust loads them. A reading below the new-filter value is a sign of bypass, not slow loading, so lengthening the interval would leave the bank open.

C. Blinding (media plugged with fine dust) raises the pressure drop, the opposite of this reading. A drop below the clean value points to air bypassing torn, collapsed or missing filters.

D. Speeding the fan to restore a number treats the gauge, not the fault: the low drop comes from air getting past damaged or missing filters, and more speed only pushes more unfiltered air through the gap.

Source: Red Seal Occupational Standard, sub-task E-18.01

03Answer key

Question	Answer	Work activity
Q1	A	Performs common occupational skills
Q2	B	Performs common occupational skills
Q3	C	Performs fabrication
Q4	A	Performs fabrication
Q5	A	Installs air and material handling systems
Q6	B	Installs air and material handling systems
Q7	A	Installs roofing and specialty products
Q8	B	Installs roofing and specialty products
Q9	A	Performs maintenance and repair
Q10	B	Performs maintenance and repair

04More free questions

For the 308A exam itself, the 308A exam guide covers the work activities, their weights and how the exam is scored, and the 308A Sheet Metal Worker practice exam page describes the full TicketPrep 308A question bank. The same free format is available for the other 17 trades, plus the free guides on the pass mark, question counts, exam day and how to study.

How these questions are written and checked: how our questions are made. Found a mistake? Tell us and we will fix it.

05Questions by exam block

Working on one part of the 308A exam? Each block has its own page with five more free questions, the tasks the block covers and their weights.