In Prince Edward Island the Red Seal exam is handled by the Apprenticeship Section of Education and Lifelong Learning in Charlottetown. The General Regulations give two routes: registered apprentices who have completed their apprenticeship plan, and trades persons who have worked in the trade for at least 1.5 times the apprenticeship term within the last 10 years. Trades persons apply on a trade-specific PDF form that states the hours for that trade and asks for signed employer declarations. The form gives the examination cost as $50; the regulation fee schedule lists $25 for an apprentice's first attempt and $50 for a trades person's. If you do not pass, there is a 30-day wait before a second attempt, and any later attempt needs additional training approved by the Manager. Nothing in the documents we could read covers scheduling, exam day or results, and the province's own web pages were behind a bot check on the check date, so expect to ask the office.
| Who runs it | The Apprenticeship Section of Education and Lifelong Learning, in Charlottetown. Its forms are headed Apprenticeship and Training Section. |
|---|---|
| Exam fee | $50 on the challenge form. The regulation fee schedule lists $25 for an apprentice's first attempt, $50 for a trades person's first attempt and $50 for later attempts. |
| Challenge route | Work in the trade for at least 1.5 times the apprenticeship term, within the last 10 years. Each trade's form states the hours, for example 6,000 for Construction Craft Worker and 9,200 for Industrial Mechanic (Millwright). |
| How you apply | Trade qualifiers complete a trade-specific PDF form with employer declarations and forward it to the Examination and Development Officer in Charlottetown. |
| Pass mark | The regulations say only the grade required by the apprenticeship plan for the trade. The Red Seal Program states a pass mark of 70%. |
| If you fail | 30-day wait before a second attempt. A third or later attempt needs additional training approved by the Manager, and the Manager's permission. |
| Results | Not stated in the regulations or forms we could read. |
| Exam locations and booking | Not stated in the regulations or forms we could read. |
01Who can write the Red Seal exam in Prince Edward Island?
The rules sit in section 6 of the province's Apprenticeship and Trades Qualification Act General Regulations (office consolidation current to January 1, 2023). There are two routes. The first is for an applicant "who is a registered apprentice, has successfully completed the requirements of the apprenticeship plan for the designated trade". The second is for a trades person, PEI's term for a trade qualifier or challenger. A trades person must have, "since reaching the age of 16 years" and "within 10 years immediately preceding the date of the application", "worked in the designated trade for a period that is not less than 1.5 times the term of apprenticeship". In both cases it is the Manager who permits the applicant to write.
In practice the hours are set out trade by trade. PEI's challenge applications are trade-specific PDF forms, and each one states its own requirement. The Construction Craft Worker form asks for "a minimum of 6,000 hours within the last 10 years". The Industrial Mechanic (Millwright) form says: "you must provide proof of having worked a minimum of 9,200 hours within the last 10 years performing the tasks of the trade." Those are the two forms we read. For any other trade, get the form for that trade from the apprenticeship office and read the figure on it.
Hours worked outside the 10-year window may still be accepted if they are "sufficiently relevant and current". And you cannot count the same time twice. The wording in PEI's application paperwork is: "Time used for certification on this application for a particular trade or occupation will not be eligible for consideration towards certification in another trade or occupation."
In a compulsory certified trade the applicant must also hold a permit. Schedule A of the regulations lists four compulsory certified trades: Automotive Service Technician, Construction Electrician, Plumber and Steamfitter/Pipefitter. For how the challenge route works across Canada, see our guide on challenging the Red Seal exam without an apprenticeship.
02How to apply and book the exam
A note on our sources first. On September 17, 2026 the province's web pages sat behind an automated bot check and could not be read, so everything here comes from the regulations and the PDF application forms. Those documents cover the application well and the scheduling not at all.
Trades persons (challengers). You complete the form for your trade, titled Examination Request, Certificate of Qualification: Application To Challenge Interprovincial Examination. Its Documentation Check List asks for:
- The completed application and proof of the required hours for your trade.
- A "Record of Work Experience and Competencies Achieved Form" signed by you and by "a certified journeyperson".
- An "Employer Declaration Form" completed by each employer.
- A "Statutory Declaration Form", sworn before a commissioner of oaths, a notary or a lawyer, for any employer that cannot be reached, is closed, is deceased or refuses to sign, and for any self-employment.
The form is blunt about gaps: "Incomplete applications will not be processed." You forward the package to the Examination & Development Officer at the address in section 09.
Apprentices. The Apprenticeship Application and Agreement says a certificate is issued to those who "achieve a pass mark in the Certificate of Qualification examination administered by Apprenticeship Section, Province of Prince Edward Island". We found no document describing a separate exam application for apprentices.
Booking. How and when an exam date is set after you are approved, whether the exam is written online or on paper, and where it is written are not stated in any document we could read. The Red Seal Program's instruction is general: "Complete and submit the appropriate Red Seal Examination application form or contact your provincial or territorial apprenticeship office for more information." Ask the office about scheduling when you submit your application.
03What the exam costs
PEI's fees appear in two places. The challenge form states: "The cost of the examination is $50. Additional fees may apply for trades requiring practical examinations." Schedule B of the General Regulations sets a lower first-attempt fee for apprentices: "The fee for examining a candidate for a certificate of qualification: (a) apprentice, first attempt $25 (b) apprentice, subsequent attempt 50 (c) trades person, first attempt 50". The form's $50 is consistent with the schedule's trades person rate; the $25 rate is for an apprentice's first attempt and appears only in the schedule. The schedule is an office consolidation current to January 1, 2023, and we could not confirm whether any fee has changed since, so confirm the amount with the office before you pay. All amounts are in Canadian dollars.
| Item | Fee | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Examination, as stated on the challenge form | $50 | Challenge form |
| Certificate of qualification exam, apprentice, first attempt | $25 | Regulations, Schedule B |
| Certificate of qualification exam, apprentice, subsequent attempt | $50 | Regulations, Schedule B |
| Certificate of qualification exam, trades person, first attempt | $50 | Regulations, Schedule B |
| Certificate of qualification exam, trades person, subsequent attempt | $50 | Regulations, Schedule B |
| Red Seal endorsement exam, for holders of a certificate of qualification | $50 | Regulations, Schedule B |
| Oral examination, first or subsequent attempt | $75 | Regulations, Schedule B |
| Any other examination | $10 | Regulations, Schedule B |
| Replacement certificate | $20 | Regulations, Schedule B |
| Transfer certificate of qualification | $20 | Regulations, Schedule B |
| Practical examination, trades that require one | Additional fees may apply; no amount stated | Challenge form |
We found no separate application fee for the challenge route. The $50 examination fee is the only charge the challenge form states.
04Exam day: format, language, what to bring
The documents we could read say almost nothing about the exam sitting itself: no time limit, no question count, no list of what to bring and no list of prohibited items. What follows is what the province's regulations say, then what the Red Seal Program says nationally. Confirm the details with the apprenticeship office when your exam is scheduled.
What PEI states. The regulations describe the pass mark only as "the grade required by the apprenticeship plan for the designated trade"; no percentage appears on an accessible PEI document. They also allow an oral examination in place of a written one where "the Manager is satisfied that administering an oral examination is appropriate". The oral examination carries the higher $75 fee.
What the Red Seal Program states. Its exam preparation guide says: "The Red Seal Exam has a pass mark of 70%. The writing time is four hours." On the questions: "The format of the questions is multiple-choice. Each question is worth one mark. There are no trick questions. Of the four choices provided, there is only one correct answer." The number of questions varies by trade. Our guides cover the question count for each trade and what 70% means in marks.
What to bring, and what not to. The Red Seal Program's guide tells candidates to find out from their office what they need to bring, and gives government issued photo ID and proof of apprenticeship as examples. It says the exam centre provides the exam booklet, any reference material the exam requires, pencil and eraser, and a calculator if one is needed. Its instruction to candidates is to "Not bring any electronic devices into the exam room. These include but are not limited to: picture, video, voice recording and transmitting devices, calculators". Our exam day guide goes through the national rules in full.
Language. PEI's documents do not address exam language. The Red Seal Program's registration page says: "Confirm with your provincial or territorial office that your exam will be in the official language (English or French) of your choice."
05How you get your results
Nothing we could read states how results are released or how long marking takes. The regulations say only that a certificate goes to a person who attains the required grade. The Red Seal Program's pages we read do not cover results either. Ask the Examination & Development Officer, when you write, how and when you will hear, and whether you will be given a section-by-section breakdown of your mark.
06If you do not pass
The rewrite rules are in section 9 of the General Regulations. After a first failure: "the Manager may permit the applicant to write the examination a second time after a waiting period of 30 days."
After failing the second attempt, or any later one, you must first complete "additional training approved by the Manager" before you can be permitted to write again. No maximum number of attempts is stated, but third and later attempts are at the Manager's discretion, so talk to the office about what training it will accept before you enrol in anything.
Schedule B lists $50 for a subsequent attempt, for apprentices and trades persons alike, and $75 for a subsequent oral examination.
Use the 30 days on your weakest sections. Our guide on how to study for the Red Seal exam builds a plan from the trade's exam breakdown.
07Accommodations
We found one sentence on accommodations in PEI's documents, in the Apprenticeship Application and Agreement: "If you have documentation that supports any exam accommodations, you must submit this information before attending training." That is addressed to apprentices. No accommodations page could be retrieved, and nothing we read explains the process for a trades person challenging the exam.
The one related option in the regulations is the oral examination, which the Manager may permit where satisfied that it is appropriate, at a fee of $75.
The Red Seal Program's advice applies here: "ask about accommodations you may be entitled to when writing the exam. Keep in mind that the request for accommodation has to be made well in advance." Raise it with the office when you apply, not when the exam is scheduled.
08Certificate and Red Seal endorsement
There is no separate endorsement step for someone who passes the exam in a Red Seal trade. Under section 7 of the regulations the Minister issues a certificate of qualification and a pocket card to a person who attains the required grade, and where the trade is a Red Seal trade, "the Minister shall affix an interprovincial standards (Red Seal) endorsement on the certificate of qualification and certificate of qualification pocket card". The Red Seal Program describes the same thing nationally: "Tradespersons who have successfully passed the Red Seal examination receive a Red Seal endorsement on their provincial/territorial trade certificate."
If you already hold a certificate of qualification in a Red Seal trade, or an equivalent certificate from outside the province, section 12 says you "may make a request in writing to the Manager to write the examination" for the endorsement. The Schedule B fee for that exam is $50.
We found no renewal or expiry rule for PEI certificates. A replacement certificate is $20, and a transfer certificate of qualification is $20.
09Contact and exam locations
The two sources give different details for the same office, so we list both. Both place it in Suite 212 of the Atlantic Technology Centre in Charlottetown, with the same post office box and postal code.
Red Seal Program directory. The directory of provincial and territorial authorities lists: Apprenticeship Section, Education and Lifelong Learning, Atlantic Technology Centre, Suite 212, 176 Great George Street, P.O. Box 2000, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island C1A 7N8. Telephone 902-368-4460, fax 902-368-6144.
Challenge form. Applications go to the Examination & Development Officer, Atlantic Technology Centre, Suite 212, 90 University Avenue, P.O. Box 2000, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island C1A 7N8, telephone (902) 368-4461.
The street addresses and phone numbers differ between the two. Phone to confirm the street address before delivering anything in person. No email address appears on any document we could read.
Exam locations. No list of exam locations appears in the documents we could read. The province's own Trade Certification and Red Seal Certification pages sat behind an automated bot check on September 17, 2026 and could not be read, so nothing here is drawn from them. Check them yourself for anything newer than the documents cited here.
10What Prince Edward Island does not publish
We looked for each of these in Prince Edward Island's regulations and application forms and on the Red Seal Program's pages on September 17, 2026 and could not find them stated. The province's own web pages sat behind an automated bot check that day and could not be read, so some of these may be answered there. Rather than guess, we list them, so you know what to ask the office directly.
- How and when the exam is scheduled once your application is approved.
- Whether the exam is written online or on paper.
- Where the exam is written. No list of exam locations was found.
- What to bring, such as identification, a calculator or a code book, and what is prohibited in the exam room. The Red Seal Program's national rules are the only ones we can cite.
- How results are released and how long marking takes.
- The pass mark as a percentage. The regulations refer only to the grade required by the apprenticeship plan for the trade; the Red Seal Program states 70%.
- The accommodations process, beyond the single sentence in the apprenticeship application about submitting documentation before attending training.
- An email address for the apprenticeship office.
- Whether any fee has changed since the January 1, 2023 consolidation of the regulations.
- The amount of any additional fee for trades that require a practical examination.
- A maximum number of attempts. None is stated; third and later attempts depend on approved training and the Manager's discretion.
- Any renewal or expiry rule for the certificate of qualification.
- The content of the province's Trade Certification, Red Seal Certification, Apprenticeship Program and Designated Trades web pages. They sat behind an automated bot check on September 17, 2026, so what they say is unverified here.
11Sources
- Prince Edward Island: Apprenticeship and Trades Qualification Act General Regulations (office consolidation current to January 1, 2023, PDF) — the two eligibility routes, 1.5 times the apprenticeship term within 10 years, the exception for older hours, compulsory certified trades, the 30-day wait and training before later attempts, the oral examination, the Red Seal endorsement, the Schedule B fees.
- Prince Edward Island: Application To Challenge Interprovincial Examination, Construction Craft Worker (PDF) — the $50 examination cost, 6,000 hours within the last 10 years, the documentation check list, the address and phone number for applications.
- Prince Edward Island: Application To Challenge Interprovincial Examination, Industrial Mechanic (Millwright) (PDF) — 9,200 hours within the last 10 years.
- Prince Edward Island: Apprenticeship Application and Agreement 2023 (PDF) — the Certificate of Qualification examination administered by the Apprenticeship Section; accommodation documentation submitted before attending training.
- Red Seal Program: Provincial and Territorial Authorities — Prince Edward Island's listing: office name, address, telephone and fax.
- Red Seal Program: Exam Overview and Preparation — the national 70% pass mark and four-hour writing time, the multiple-choice format, what the exam centre provides.
- Red Seal Program: Exam Preparation Guide (PDF) — knowing what to bring, and the ban on electronic devices in the exam room.
- Red Seal Program: Register for your Red Seal Examination — applying through the provincial office, choosing English or French, asking about accommodations well in advance.
- Red Seal Program: About the program — the endorsement placed on the provincial certificate after passing.
Every figure above was read on an official page on September 17, 2026. Fees and rules change; the office's own pages are the final word, and if you find one of ours out of date, tell us.
12Other provinces and territories
Eligibility, fees and rewrite rules are set by each province and territory, not by the Red Seal Program. The same guide for the others:
Related: all guides · challenging the exam without an apprenticeship · exam day: what to expect · the 70% pass mark · if you fail: rewrite rules compared
13Practice for this exam
The exam you write in Prince Edward Island is the same Red Seal exam written everywhere else in Canada, built from the trade's published breakdown and marked to the same 70%. TicketPrep practice tests are weighted to that breakdown for each trade, every answer is explained, and the first test is free.
Ten free questions per trade, no account: free practice questions. How our questions are written and checked: how our questions are made.