The Red Seal Painter and Decorator exam (404C in Ontario) has 130 multiple-choice questions. The Red Seal Exam Preparation Guide gives the pass mark as 70 per cent, which means 91 correct answers, and the writing time as four hours. The questions come from six blocks, which the occupational standard calls major work activities. Applying residential, institutional and commercial paints, coatings and finishes is the largest at 31 questions, then surface preparation with 30, industrial paints and coatings with 29, common occupational skills with 20, wood finishes with 11 and wall coverings with 9. The Red Seal Program puts the mix at 40 to 50 per cent knowledge and recall, 45 to 55 per cent procedural and application and under 10 per cent critical thinking. An acronym list is provided at the sitting; there is no formula sheet and no code book. The exam is built on the 2022 Red Seal Occupational Standard, the only standard for the trade.
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01What is the Red Seal Painter and Decorator exam?
It is the national certification exam for the trade the Red Seal Program calls Painter and Decorator. That is the trade title in most provinces and territories. Ontario certifies it as Painter and Decorator – Commercial and Residential, with the trade code 404C, Quebec calls it Painter and Nunavut Painter Decorator. You will also see the exam called the interprovincial (IP) exam or, in Ontario, the certifying or C of Q exam. These all name the same sitting: one interprovincial Red Seal exam.
Ontario also has a separate trade, Painter and Decorator – Industrial (404D), with its own provincial exam. It is not a Red Seal exam, and this guide and our practice tests do not cover it.
The content is set nationally. According to the Red Seal Exam Preparation Guide, tradespeople from across Canada decide what goes into the trade's Red Seal Occupational Standard, write and review the exam questions, and decide how many questions each section gets. The exam is then administered by the provincial and territorial apprenticeship and certification authorities; in Ontario that is Skilled Trades Ontario.
The format is the same as every Red Seal exam: multiple choice, four options (A to D), one correct answer and one mark per question. The Painter and Decorator exam has 130 questions. The Red Seal Exam Preparation Guide gives the writing time as four hours, about 1 minute 51 seconds per question, and the pass mark as 70 per cent, so you need 91 correct answers and can miss 39.
The Program's description of the trade says painters and decorators apply decorative and protective finishes in residential, commercial, institutional and industrial settings, and prepare surfaces from wood, masonry and drywall to plaster, concrete, stucco and metal. The preparation guide stresses that the exam covers the trade as it is practised across Canada, not only the work you do, so a residential repaint specialist still meets industrial coatings and wall coverings, and an industrial applicator still meets wallpaper layout and wood finishing.
02Which standard is the exam based on?
The Red Seal trade page for Painter and Decorator lists one standard: the Red Seal Occupational Standard published in 2022 (catalogue number Em15-3/34-2022E-PDF), developed with New Brunswick as the host jurisdiction. It has 6 major work activities, 19 tasks and 61 sub-tasks, and the 130-question breakdown on the exam information page follows it. There is no older standard listed beside it and no note that a new exam is under development.
SkilledTradesBC's page for the trade says the interprovincial exams were aligned to the new standard in September 2024; it calls it the 2021 standard, and its own program profile says it is based on the 2022 standard, which is the same document. The standard it replaced was the 2011 National Occupational Analysis. If you studied from older material, check it against the six blocks below.
03What is on the Painter and Decorator exam?
The Red Seal Program publishes how many questions come from each major work activity. For Painter and Decorator the 130 questions break down like this.
| Block | Major work activity | Questions | Share of exam |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | Performs common occupational skills | 20 | 15.4% |
| B | Prepares surfaces | 30 | 23.1% |
| C | Prepares and applies residential, institutional and commercial paints, coatings and finishes | 31 | 23.8% |
| D | Prepares and applies wall coverings | 9 | 6.9% |
| E | Prepares and applies wood finishes | 11 | 8.5% |
| F | Prepares and applies industrial paints and coatings | 29 | 22.3% |
| Total | 130 | 100% | |
Three blocks carry most of the paper: C, applying architectural coatings, at 31 questions, B, surface preparation, at 30, and F, industrial coatings, at 29. Together they are 90 of the 130 questions, about seven in every ten. Block A, common occupational skills, adds 20. The lightest are Block E, wood finishes, at 11 and Block D, wall coverings, at 9: 20 questions between them.
The standard's own block shares are 16, 23, 24, 7, 8 and 22 per cent, which give the counts above on 130 questions.
04What does each block cover?
The task names below are the ones the 2022 standard lists under each major work activity, with the number of questions the Red Seal Program assigns to each. The standard has 19 tasks and 61 sub-tasks, and questions are written to the sub-tasks. Every task carries questions, from 1 to 15. The largest single tasks are applying residential, institutional and commercial paints and coatings (C-12) and preparing industrial paints and coatings (F-18), with 15 questions each, then applying industrial paints and coatings (F-19) with 14 and preparing residential, institutional and commercial coatings (C-11) with 12.
Block A: Common occupational skills (20 questions)
Five tasks. Performs safety-related functions (4 questions) covers PPE and safety equipment and maintaining a safe work environment. Uses and maintains tools and equipment (6) covers maintaining tools and equipment, rigging, hoisting and lifting equipment, and access equipment. Performs routine trade practices (6) covers using documentation, determining project requirements, planning the job, protecting surroundings and handling materials. Performs quality control assessments (3) covers assessing substrate conditions, product conditions and the quality of finished coatings and wall coverings. Uses communication and mentoring techniques (1) covers communicating at work and mentoring apprentices.
Free block A practice questions: Safety, Tools & Access →
Block B: Surface preparation (30 questions)
Five tasks. Performs general surface preparation (9 questions) covers removing existing coatings and wall coverings, cleaning, priming, sanding and caulking. Prepares wood surfaces (5) covers treating wood and repairing minor imperfections. Prepares concrete and masonry surfaces (5) covers mechanical and chemical treatment and repairs. Prepares metal surfaces (6) covers treating metal, from abrasive blasting to power and hand tool cleaning, and repairing it. Prepares plaster surfaces and drywall (5) covers repairing existing plaster and drywall and finishing new drywall; the standard notes that painters finish new drywall only in some jurisdictions.
Free block B practice questions: Surface Preparation →
Block C: Residential, institutional and commercial paints, coatings and finishes (31 questions)
Three tasks. Prepares for application of residential, institutional and commercial paints and coatings (12 questions) covers preparing the coatings and installing reinforcing mesh. Applies residential, institutional and commercial paints and coatings (15) covers application with brushes, rollers, applicators and spray equipment. Applies decorative and specialty finishes (4) covers decorative techniques, faux finishes, gilding, stencils and graphics, textured finishes and multi-spec coatings.
Free block C practice questions: Paints & Coatings →
Block D: Wall coverings (9 questions)
Two tasks. Prepares for application of wall coverings (4 questions) covers treating the surface, laying it out and preparing the wall coverings. Applies wall coverings (5) covers applying adhesives, installing vinyl, fabric and natural material, and rigid wall coverings, and repairing existing wall coverings.
Free block D practice questions: Wall Coverings →
Block E: Wood finishes (11 questions)
Two tasks. Prepares for wood finishing applications (5 questions) covers conditioning wood, applying fillers, sealing and preparing wood finishing products. Finishes wood surfaces (6) covers brushing, wiping and spraying wood finishes.
Free block E practice questions: Wood Finishing →
Block F: Industrial paints and coatings (29 questions)
Two tasks and four sub-tasks, so this block goes deep. Prepares for application of industrial paints and coatings (15 questions) covers preparing industrial coatings, which the standard describes as mixing, thinning, heating and agitating, and installing fibre-reinforced plastics (FRP). Applies industrial paints and coatings (14) covers application with hand tools and with spray equipment. Expect two-component systems, pot life and recoat times, wet and dry film thickness, and spray equipment safety.
Free block F practice questions: Industrial Coatings →
05What kind of questions are they?
The Red Seal Program describes the Painter and Decorator question mix as knowledge and recall 40 to 50 per cent, procedural and application 45 to 55 per cent and critical thinking under 10 per cent. On 130 questions that is roughly 52 to 65 recall questions, 58 to 72 procedural and fewer than 13 critical thinking. It is one of the most recall-heavy Red Seal exams we cover, so product knowledge, terms and the 18 acronyms count for a lot.
The exam information page gives one example of each type. The recall example is about the water used on the wick of a sling psychrometer, the procedural example is about preparing a new roller sleeve before an oil-based coating, and the critical thinking example is about what too much pressure on a wallpaper-perforating tool does to drywall.
The exam information page says procedural and application questions test your ability to apply your knowledge of procedures to a situation, and critical thinking questions your ability to interpret data, solve problems and reach valid conclusions. The preparation guide adds that procedural questions might include calculations. For this trade, that means coverage and quantities, mix and thinning ratios, and wet-to-dry film thickness, all worked without a formula sheet. The exam information page says there are no trick questions, but the incorrect options are not always obvious.
06What do you get in the exam room?
The Red Seal Exam Preparation Guide lists what you are provided with: an exam booklet, a diagram booklet if one is required, a pencil and eraser, a calculator if needed, and a bubble sheet to record your answers. It also lists other reference material "if required": an acronym list, math formulas and code book information.
For Painter and Decorator the exam information page publishes an acronym list and says it will be provided with the exam sitting. It has 18 terms: DFT, FRP, HVLP, ISO, JSA, MEK, NACE, OHS, pH, PPE, SDS, SSPC, TDS, TSP, UV, VOC, WHMIS and WLL. You get the meaning of each acronym; you still need to know how each one applies on the job. The exam information page lists no formula sheet and no code book.
The guide's rules say no materials, bags, phones, watches or personal calculators in the room (a calculator is provided if you need one), and your province or territory may have rules of its own. More on the day itself is in what to expect on exam day.
07Is there a formula sheet?
No. Unlike several trades, the Painter and Decorator exam information page lists only the acronym list. So the arithmetic the trade uses is yours to bring: area and coverage in square metres per litre or square feet per US gallon, mix ratios by volume or weight, thinning as a percentage of the paint, labour hours from production rates, and dry film thickness from wet film thickness and volume solids.
Practise the ones that trip people: which way the wet-to-dry calculation goes, how thinning changes the wet film needed for the same dry film, converting mils to micrometres, and rounding up to whole cans or kits. Our free Red Seal Painter practice questions include worked examples.
08Is Painter and Decorator a Red Seal trade in every province?
Yes. The Red Seal Program lists Painter and Decorator as a designated Red Seal trade in all thirteen provinces and territories: Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, the Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, Saskatchewan and Yukon. The trade title is Painter and Decorator in most of them; Ontario uses Painter and Decorator – Commercial and Residential, Quebec Painter and Nunavut Painter Decorator. The Program designated the trade in 1964, and its NOC code is 73112.
Each province and territory administers the exam and sets eligibility, fees and rewrite rules. In British Columbia, SkilledTradesBC describes 4,860 hours of work-based training and 18 weeks of technical training over three years, with a challenge pathway for experienced workers. Alberta's tradesecrets page lists certification as optional. Manitoba's trade profile says a trade qualifier needs 8,100 hours. See the Ontario Red Seal exam guide, British Columbia, Alberta, Quebec or the guides by province, compare Red Seal exam fees by province, and read what happens if you fail the Red Seal exam before you book.
09Can you challenge the Red Seal painter exam?
Yes, in every province, though the rules differ. Many people who write this exam are experienced painters challenging it rather than finishing an apprenticeship. The Red Seal Program's preparation guide says the apprenticeship and certification authority in each province or territory decides who can write the exam, and you apply to that authority, not to the Red Seal Program. Once approved, you write the same exam an apprentice writes, marked to the same 70 per cent. In Ontario the route is Skilled Trades Ontario's Trade Equivalency Assessment; British Columbia calls you a trade qualifier. Our guide on how to challenge the Red Seal exam covers the route province by province.
The exam covers the whole standard, so years of experience in one corner of the trade can leave gaps elsewhere: a commercial repaint crew may rarely hang wall coverings or finish wood, and an industrial applicator may rarely do decorative finishes. A timed practice test weighted to the six blocks is a quick way to see which work activities need study before you book.
10How do you become a Red Seal painter and decorator in Ontario?
In Ontario the Red Seal trade is Painter and Decorator – Commercial and Residential (404C). Skilled Trades Ontario lists it as a non-compulsory trade, so certification is voluntary. Its trade page sets the apprenticeship at 6,000 hours, approximately three years: 5,280 hours of on-the-job work experience and 720 hours of in-school training, across three levels, and its trade report gives Grade 10 as the academic entry level. Passing the certifying exam earns the Certificate of Qualification, and the trade page lists it as a Red Seal trade. If you have the experience but did not apprentice in Ontario, Skilled Trades Ontario's Trade Equivalency Assessment is the route to the exam.
Painter and Decorator – Industrial (404D) is a separate Ontario trade with its own provincial Certificate of Qualification exam. It is not a Red Seal trade, and it is not the exam this guide covers.
11How hard is the Red Seal painter exam?
It is demanding in three ways. First, the recall: up to half the questions test knowledge directly, about products, preparation grades, defects, equipment and safety, so the terms have to be solid. Second, the scope: the standard covers residential, commercial and institutional painting, decorative finishes, wall coverings, wood finishing and industrial coatings, at the level of a journeyperson anywhere in Canada, and industrial coatings alone are 29 questions. Third, the arithmetic: there is no formula sheet, so coverage, ratios and film thickness have to come from memory and practice.
We found no pass rate published by the Red Seal Program, for this trade or any other, and no ranking of the trades by difficulty. The provincial figures we found, each counted a different way, are set out in how hard is the Red Seal exam. What the published breakdown does tell you is where the weight sits: blocks C, B and F are 90 of the 130 questions.
12How much does a Red Seal painter make?
For Ontario, Skilled Trades Ontario's 2025 trade report for Painter and Decorator – Commercial and Residential (404C) gives an annual range of $49,000 to $71,000 and an hourly range of $25 to $36. Like its other trade reports, its pay figures describe the occupation in Ontario under its National Occupational Classification code, not Red Seal holders alone. Pay elsewhere in Canada is not covered by that report.
13How should you prepare?
Follow the weights. In order: C (31), B (30), F (29), A (20), E (11) and D (9). Blocks C, B and F together are 90 of 130 questions. The two largest tasks, applying architectural coatings (C-12) and preparing industrial coatings (F-18), hold 30 questions between them, and applying industrial coatings (F-19) adds 14.
You need 91 correct answers. If you answered three in four of the 90 questions in C, B and F correctly, about 68, you would still need 23 of the other 40, so block A and the two small blocks matter: wall coverings and wood finishes are 20 questions, about half of the 39 you can miss. If you rarely do industrial work, give block F extra time; its 29 questions sit on just four sub-tasks.
Rate yourself on each of the 19 tasks with the three levels in the Red Seal Self-Assessment Guide for Painter and Decorator and write down how many questions you expect to get right; a low rating on a large task is your first priority. Learn the 18 acronyms on the exam list, and practise coverage and film-thickness arithmetic without a formula sheet. The preparation guide tells you to answer every question, even if you have to guess. Timed practice tests help too, so your practice score shows which areas still need work before exam day. For a full method, see how to study for the Red Seal exam.
Official links: the Painter and Decorator trade page, the 2022 standard (PDF), the exam information page (the breakdown, the question mix with three examples and the acronym list) and the Self-Assessment Guide.
14Questions people ask
- How many questions are on the Red Seal painter exam?
- The Red Seal Painter and Decorator exam (404C in Ontario) has 130 multiple-choice questions. Each has four options and one correct answer. The Red Seal Exam Preparation Guide gives the pass mark as 70 per cent, which means 91 correct answers, and a four-hour writing time, about 1 minute 51 seconds per question. The questions come from six blocks: architectural paints and coatings 31, surface preparation 30, industrial paints and coatings 29, common occupational skills 20, wood finishes 11 and wall coverings 9.
- Is there a formula sheet on the Red Seal painter exam?
- No. The Red Seal Program's exam information page for Painter and Decorator lists only an acronym list of 18 terms, from DFT to WLL, provided with the exam sitting. No formula sheet and no code book are listed. The Red Seal Exam Preparation Guide says a calculator is provided if you need one, so practise coverage, mix ratios and film-thickness arithmetic without a sheet.
- Can an experienced painter challenge the Red Seal exam?
- Yes. Every province and territory has a route for experienced workers, called a trade qualifier or challenger route in most places and a Trade Equivalency Assessment in Ontario. The provincial apprenticeship authority decides whether your work experience qualifies. Once approved you write the same 130-question Red Seal exam as an apprentice, marked to the same 70 per cent, so a practice test weighted to the six blocks is a way to see which areas need work before you book.
- Does this cover Ontario's 404D Industrial exam?
- No. Ontario's Painter and Decorator – Industrial (404D) is a separate provincial exam, not a Red Seal exam, and TicketPrep does not cover it. This guide and our practice tests cover the Red Seal Painter and Decorator exam, which Ontario certifies as Painter and Decorator – Commercial and Residential (404C).
- Is Painter and Decorator a Red Seal trade in every province?
- Yes. The Red Seal Program lists Painter and Decorator as a designated Red Seal trade in all thirteen provinces and territories. Ontario calls it Painter and Decorator – Commercial and Residential (404C), Quebec Painter and Nunavut Painter Decorator. Each province or territory administers the exam and sets its own eligibility, fees and rewrite rules.
- How long is the Painter and Decorator apprenticeship in Ontario?
- Skilled Trades Ontario gives the Painter and Decorator – Commercial and Residential (404C) apprenticeship as 6,000 hours, approximately three years: 5,280 hours on the job and 720 hours of in-school training over three levels. The trade is non-compulsory in Ontario, and passing the certifying exam earns a Certificate of Qualification.
15Sources
- Red Seal Program: Painter and Decorator exam information: 130 questions, the question count for each major work activity and task, the question mix with one example of each question type, and the acronym list provided with the exam.
- Red Seal Program: Painter and Decorator trade page: the provinces and territories where the trade is designated Red Seal, the trade titles they use, the designation year, the NOC code and the 2022 standard.
- Red Seal Program: Painter and Decorator Red Seal Occupational Standard (2022): the 2022 standard and its host jurisdiction.
- Red Seal Occupational Standard: Painter and Decorator (2022, PDF): the 6 major work activities, 19 tasks and 61 sub-tasks, the block shares and the task descriptions.
- Red Seal Program: description of the Painter and Decorator trade: what painters and decorators do and the settings they work in.
- Red Seal Program: Painter and Decorator acronyms (PDF): the 18-term acronym list provided with the exam.
- Red Seal Exam Self-Assessment Guide: Painter and Decorator (PDF): the question count per major work activity and task, and the three-level self-rating used in the preparation section.
- Red Seal Exam Preparation Guide: exam format, pass mark, writing time, question types, exam supplies, exam room rules and who decides eligibility.
- Skilled Trades Ontario: Painter and Decorator – Commercial and Residential: the trade's non-compulsory status, the apprenticeship hours and levels, and its Red Seal status.
- Skilled Trades Ontario: Painter and Decorator – Commercial and Residential (404C) 2025 trade report: the entry level and the pay ranges.
- Skilled Trades Ontario: Painter and Decorator – Industrial: the separate 404D trade and its provincial exam.
- SkilledTradesBC: Painter and Decorator: the September 2024 alignment of the interprovincial exams to the new standard, the training hours and the challenge pathway.
- Alberta tradesecrets: Painter and Decorator: optional certification in Alberta.
- Apprenticeship Manitoba: Painter and Decorator: the hours required of a trade qualifier.
- Skilled Trades Ontario: Trade Equivalency Assessment: the Ontario route for experienced workers who did not complete an Ontario apprenticeship.
The question counts were checked against the Red Seal Program's exam information page for Painter and Decorator, and the task and sub-task lists come from the 2022 Red Seal Occupational Standard; the acronym list is the one linked from the exam information page. The provinces and territories where the trade is designated, the provincial titles, the designation year and the single standard come from the Program's trade page and standard overview, read on October 24, 2026 and re-checked October 27, 2026. The Ontario status and hours come from Skilled Trades Ontario's trade page, and the entry level and pay ranges from its 2025 trade report; the 404D note from its 404D trade page. The September 2024 alignment, the British Columbia hours and the challenge pathway come from SkilledTradesBC; the Alberta and Manitoba notes from their trade pages. The four-hour writing time and the 70 per cent pass mark are the Red Seal Exam Preparation Guide's. If the Red Seal Program changes the breakdown, its page is the final word. If you find one of ours out of date, tell us.
Related: Red Seal Painter practice exam · Free Red Seal Painter practice questions · How to challenge the Red Seal exam · How many questions are on the Red Seal exam · Red Seal exam pass mark · Red Seal exam fees by province · All guides
16Practice for this exam
TicketPrep Painter and Decorator practice tests are weighted to the breakdown above, block by block, and every answer is explained, all four options. You can try five sample questions with no account.
Ten free questions per trade, no account: free practice questions. How our questions are written and checked: how our questions are made.