If you score under 70% on the Red Seal exam, you do not get the endorsement, and you can write the exam again. Everything else depends on where you wrote, because each province and territory administers the exam and sets its own rewrite rules. As checked on official pages on September 17, 2026: Ontario, British Columbia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador make you wait at least 30 days, Saskatchewan's rule is three months after a failed first attempt, Nunavut's is three months, and Quebec sets none. Most places charge for each rewrite, from $50 in Prince Edward Island to $330 in Quebec, while Newfoundland and Labrador charges nothing. Several cap your attempts or require training first: Saskatchewan allows four written attempts, British Columbia limits Trade Qualifiers to four writes, and Quebec, Newfoundland and Labrador and Prince Edward Island require approved training or proof of upgrading before a third. The tables below give every jurisdiction.
01Can you rewrite the Red Seal exam if you fail?
Yes. Every province and territory that publishes a rule provides for at least one more attempt, though in a few it is the office's decision: Prince Edward Island's regulations say the Manager "may permit" a second writing, and in the Northwest Territories the Director chooses between a supplemental exam, training and more work experience. There is no national waiting period, because the Red Seal Program does not run the sittings. Its own pages say that provinces and territories are responsible for "the administration of the Red Seal Program" in their jurisdictions, and that the authority in each one "determines who can write the Red Seal Exam."
So three questions decide what happens next, and all three have a different answer depending on where you wrote: how long you must wait, what the rewrite costs, and whether there is a limit on attempts or a training requirement before a later one. The pass mark does not change. It is 70% on every attempt, in every province. Our guide to the 70% pass mark covers how that works.
The rules below apply to the office that administered your exam. Each name in the tables links to the full guide for that province or territory, with the official wording quoted and sourced.
02How long do you have to wait to rewrite?
| Province or territory | Wait before a rewrite |
|---|---|
| British Columbia | 30 days before every rewrite. |
| Alberta | No fixed wait is stated. A self-booked exam can be no earlier than 14 days after approval. |
| Saskatchewan | Three months after a failed first attempt, in a rule worded for tradespersons. You can apply right away and pick a date at least three months out. |
| Manitoba | None stated. A trade qualifier can re-schedule a second attempt within one year of the previous attempt without reapplying. |
| Ontario | Mandatory 30 days. You can write on the 31st day or later if a seat is available. |
| Quebec | None. The official page says you do not have to wait, but sessions are scheduled by the Ministère. |
| New Brunswick | Not published. |
| Nova Scotia | None stated. A new application is due about one month before the sitting you want. |
| Prince Edward Island | 30 days before a second attempt, which the Manager may permit. |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | At least 30 calendar days, and the rewrite should be within 90 days. Book at least 3 weeks ahead. |
| Yukon | At least 1 month. The date can be booked right away. |
| Northwest Territories | None stated. The Director decides what happens next. |
| Nunavut | Three months before a supplemental exam. |
Where a cell says none is stated or not published, that is not a promise of a quick rewrite. It means no official page sets a rule. Exam sittings are scheduled, seats fill, and in several provinces the office books you rather than the other way round. Ask before you plan around a date.
Two jurisdictions let you line up the next date immediately even though you cannot write yet. Saskatchewan's page says a tradesperson "can apply right away" and must choose a date at least three months after the last attempt. Yukon's says you can book the future date right away and must wait at least 1 month to write. If you know you will write again, booking early protects your place.
03Do you pay again for a rewrite?
In most places, yes. A rewrite is a new sitting, and most authorities charge for it. Newfoundland and Labrador charges nothing, and Yukon and Nunavut publish no rewrite fee at all.
| Province or territory | Cost of a rewrite |
|---|---|
| British Columbia | Second attempt: no fee on either pathway. Third and later attempts: $100 each. Only apprentices reach a fifth. |
| Alberta | Certified journeypersons reapply and pay the $150 Red Seal application again. Trades Qualifiers pay a rewrite fee; the one published amount is $50, on the Recognized Credential program page. |
| Saskatchewan | $175.00 written exam fee for each attempt. |
| Manitoba | Trade qualifiers: $100 re-exam fee. Apprentices: no exam fee. |
| Ontario | $150 plus HST for each attempt. |
| Quebec | $330.00 to enrol to repeat a qualification exam. The fee sheet does not say whether a candidate certified by the CCQ pays that or $352.00. |
| New Brunswick | $120 certificate of qualification re-examination fee. The fees page does not say whether that line covers the Red Seal exam. |
| Nova Scotia | Trade qualifiers: the program guidelines list $148.18 for the one re-write, a 2022 figure. Apprentices pay an exam fee for each re-write; the amount is not published. |
| Prince Edward Island | $50 for a subsequent attempt. |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | $0. Rewrite fees were eliminated effective April 1, 2025. |
| Yukon | No rewrite fee is published. |
| Northwest Territories | $50 for a supplemental qualification exam, non-refundable. |
| Nunavut | No rewrite fee is published. |
Apprentices and challengers are often charged differently. Manitoba charges apprentices no exam fee but charges trade qualifiers $100 for a re-exam, and British Columbia charges nobody for a second attempt. What the first attempt costs, and whether tax applies, is on our page comparing Red Seal exam fees by province.
04Is there a limit on attempts?
Sometimes, and it often depends on your route. People who challenge the exam on work experience (called trade qualifiers, Trades Qualifiers or Trade Qualifiers, depending on the province) tend to face tighter limits than apprentices.
| Province or territory | Attempt limits and training rules |
|---|---|
| British Columbia | Trade Qualifiers: four writes in total. Apprentices: no attempt limit. The rewrite table's apprenticeship rows require Apprenticeship Advisor approval before a third attempt and proof of upgrading before a fourth. |
| Alberta | Trades Qualifiers: up to three attempts on one application, and the third only with a mark of 60% to 69% and an approved Training Plan showing at least 40 hours of study. Certified journeypersons: each fail cancels the application, and after two or more attempts 40 hours of additional study or upgrading is required. |
| Saskatchewan | Four attempts at a written exam, two for Temporary Foreign Workers. Upgrading is required after a failed second or later attempt. |
| Manitoba | No maximum is stated. For a third attempt, the FAQs require additional approved training, while the certification exams page says upgrading is decided case by case. |
| Ontario | No maximum and no training rule is published. |
| Quebec | No maximum is stated. After two failures you must provide proof that you upgraded your skills. |
| New Brunswick | Not published. |
| Nova Scotia | Trade qualifiers: one re-write, then a recommendation to training or an apprenticeship. Apprentices: no maximum is stated. After two failures you must make a study plan with your Industry Training Consultant. |
| Prince Edward Island | No maximum is stated. A third or later attempt needs additional training approved by the Manager, and the Manager's permission. |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | No maximum is stated. A third or later attempt needs a course of study approved by the ATCD. |
| Yukon | A third attempt needs the approval of the Director of Apprenticeship, and more training is required if you do not pass on the third try. |
| Northwest Territories | No maximum is stated. The Director may allow a supplemental exam, or direct technical training or more work experience. |
| Nunavut | Two attempts, then technical training required by the Supervisor must be completed and passed before another. |
The common pattern is that a second attempt is routine and a third is not. In Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Quebec, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador, Yukon and Nunavut, for apprentices in British Columbia, and for trade qualifiers in Alberta and Nova Scotia, something changes after a second fail: an approval, an upgrading requirement, a training plan or a course. Treat the second attempt as the one that counts.
Where no maximum is stated, that is not the same as unlimited attempts. It means no official page sets a number, and the office decides. If you are on a third or later attempt anywhere, talk to the office before you pay for anything.
Running out of attempts does not always end the road. After four failed writes, British Columbia says a Trade Qualifier in a compulsory trade "must register as an apprentice" and one in any other trade "may register as an apprentice". Manitoba offers trade qualifiers an alternative in its own words: "you may decide to challenge a level test and enter the apprenticeship program as your pathway to certification."
05What does your results letter tell you?
More than the overall mark. Ontario, British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador all say their results show how you did section by section, against the blocks of your trade's exam breakdown. That breakdown is the most useful thing you have for a rewrite, because it shows where the missing marks were.
How fast it arrives varies. Yukon marks exams in 4 to 6 business days, Newfoundland and Labrador usually sends grades 10 business days after the exam, Nova Scotia mails results within 10 working days, the Northwest Territories posts them within 10 to 15 business days, and British Columbia says within 30 business days. Ontario, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Nunavut publish no turnaround time for written exams.
If you think the result is wrong, three authorities publish a route. British Columbia asks you to contact Customer Service or an Apprenticeship Advisor within 30 days of receiving your results, and warns that you cannot reschedule the disputed exam until the review is finished, which "could take up to 120 days." Saskatchewan's fee schedule lists an Examination Results Review at $175.00 and gives no other detail. Quebec allows an application for administrative reconsideration of a failed qualifying exam. A review can delay a rewrite, so weigh it against simply writing again.
06What should you do before the next attempt?
- Read the section marks first. Rank the blocks by how many marks you lost, not by how hard they felt. A weak mark in a block with 30 questions costs more than a weak mark in a block with 8.
- Check the rule that applies to your route. Apprentice and challenger rules differ in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Nova Scotia. Find yours on your province's guide.
- Book as early as the rules allow. In Ontario that is 30 days after your last exam date; in Saskatchewan and Yukon you can choose the date straight away.
- Use the wait on the blocks that cost you marks. Rereading what you already know feels productive and moves the mark least.
- Ask about accommodations again. Manitoba states that an accommodation must be requested again for a rewrite. Elsewhere, confirm it carries over.
Our guide on how to study for the Red Seal exam builds a plan from the exam breakdown, and how many questions are on the Red Seal exam gives the question count for every block in seven trades, so you can weigh your section marks properly.
07Sources
- Red Seal Program: About the program: provinces and territories administer the program in their jurisdictions.
- Red Seal Program: Exam Preparation Guide: the 70% pass mark, and the authority in each province and territory determines who can write.
- Skilled Trades Ontario: Exam scheduling: the 30-day wait and the fee for each attempt.
- SkilledTradesBC: Exam Rewrites: the rewrite table: waits, fees and conditions by attempt.
- Tradesecrets Alberta: Trades Qualifier Exams: attempts, the 60% to 69% rule and application cancellation.
- Tradesecrets Alberta: AIT Training Plan: the 40-hour plan.
- SATCC: Second or Subsequent Examination Attempts: the three-month wait, upgrading and the four-attempt maximum.
- Apprenticeship Manitoba: Experienced Tradespersons FAQs: second attempts within one year and training before a third.
- Gouvernement du Québec: the Red Seal Program: no waiting period, and proof of upgrading after two failures.
- Skilled Trades NB: Fees and forms: the re-examination fee.
- Nova Scotia Apprenticeship Agency: Training and Exams: re-writes, study plans and results.
- Prince Edward Island: Apprenticeship and Trades Qualification Act General Regulations (PDF): section 9 and the fee schedule.
- ATCD Newfoundland and Labrador: Grade Release and Rewrites: the 30 to 90 day window and the third-attempt rule.
- Yukon: Apply to certify as a journeyperson: the one-month wait and the third attempt.
- NWT: Apprenticeship and Trade Regulations (PDF): the Director's options after a failed exam.
- Nunavut: Apprenticeship, Trade and Occupations Certification Regulations (PDF): the three-month wait and the supplemental exam.
Every figure on this page is taken from the matching province guide, and each guide links the official page and quotes the wording it relied on. The guides were checked against the authorities' own pages on September 17, 2026. Fees and rules change, and the office's own page is the final word. If you find one of ours out of date, tell us.
Related: all guides · exam fees by province · the 70% pass mark · how to study · challenging the exam
08Practice for this exam
A rewrite costs more than the fee: it costs the wait. TicketPrep practice tests are weighted to the Red Seal Program's published breakdown for each trade and score you by block, so you can see whether the sections that cost you marks have moved before you book. Every answer is explained.
Ten free questions per trade, no account: free practice questions. How our questions are written and checked: how our questions are made.