Based on the Red Seal Bricklayer exam blueprint: masonry walls, mortar, natural stone, chimneys and fireplaces, refractories, restoration and arches
Practice on the go and jump straight back to where you left off.
About the certification
In Ontario, Brick and Stone Mason is trade code 401A, a non-compulsory trade administered by Skilled Trades Ontario. The apprenticeship is 5,600 hours: 4,880 on the job and 720 in school. Across Canada it is the Red Seal trade Bricklayer, so passing the Certificate of Qualification exam also earns the interprovincial Red Seal endorsement.
The Red Seal exam has 125 multiple-choice questions in 8 blocks: common occupational skills (14 questions), general masonry practices (24), masonry systems (27), natural stone (13), chimneys and fireplaces (13), refractories and corrosion resistant materials (10), restoration (14) and additional masonry (10). Between 30 and 40% of the questions test knowledge and recall, 50 to 60% procedural and application, and under 10% critical thinking. The pass mark for the interprovincial exam is 70%.
ExamHub's free 401A practice quiz has 196 original questions weighted to the real exam blocks and tasks, with an explanation and a source for every answer. Safety questions use Ontario's Construction Projects regulation (O. Reg. 213/91) and Ontario's silica guideline. Masonry figures such as tie spacing, flashing, weeps and mortar come from free Brick Industry Association technical notes and are labelled as that guidance, not as Ontario Building Code requirements.
What's covered
Categories follow the 8 Red Seal exam blocks, weighted like the real exam.
Try a few
Five sample questions from the question bank, with the answer and explanation.
Why: Section 130(1) requires an engineer-designed scaffold, erected to the design, once it exceeds 15 metres above its base support, or 10 metres if it is built with a tube and clamp system. A 12 metre tube and clamp scaffold is over the lower limit. The inspector's written statement and drawings must stay at the project.
Why: Technical Note 7 says plain flexible flashing sections should be lapped at least 6 inches and the laps adhered and edges sealed with a sealant or adhesive compatible with the flashing. Self-adhesive flashing laps are typically shorter and follow the manufacturer.
Why: BIA Technical Note 7 recommends open head joint weeps at no more than 24 inches on centre. Most building codes allow spacing up to 33 inches, and the 16 inch figure is the recommended maximum for wick or tube weeps.
Why: The Red Seal standard says the damper is leveled and sealed but not bonded to the firebox, with non-combustible material positioned to allow expansion and contraction. BIA Technical Note 19A says it is seated on a thin bed of the same mortar, not embedded, and wrapped with compressible non-combustible material. A lintel above the damper keeps the masonry from bearing on the hot metal.
Why: The National Park Service says old mortar should be removed to a minimum depth of 2 to 2 1/2 times the width of the joint to ensure an adequate bond and prevent mortar popouts. For most brick joints this is about 1/2 to 1 inch.
FAQ
The Red Seal Bricklayer exam has 125 multiple-choice questions. ExamHub's bank has 196 questions, and Test Mode draws a 125-question timed simulation.
The pass mark for the interprovincial Bricklayer exam is 70%, according to Saskatchewan Apprenticeship's examination information. The Red Seal exam page does not state a time limit, and ExamHub's Test Mode allows up to 4 hours.
8 blocks: common occupational skills (14 questions), general masonry practices (24), masonry systems (27), natural stone (13), chimneys and fireplaces (13), refractories and corrosion resistant materials (10), restoration (14) and additional masonry such as glass block, ornamental masonry and arches (10).
No. Brick and Stone Mason (401A) is a non-compulsory trade in Ontario. Skilled Trades Ontario issues the Certificate of Qualification when the exam is passed, and the trade is part of the Red Seal program as Bricklayer.
No. These are original practice questions written from the Red Seal standard and free public sources. They are not copies of exam questions.