Based on the Red Seal Drywall Finisher and Plasterer standard: safety, taping, finishing, texturing, repairs and restoration
Practice on the go and jump straight back to where you left off.
About the certification
In Ontario, Drywall Finisher and Plasterer is trade code 453A, administered by Skilled Trades Ontario. The apprenticeship is 5,400 hours (about three years): 4,920 on the job and 480 in school. Across Canada it is the Red Seal trade Drywall Finisher and Plasterer, so passing the certifying exam also earns the interprovincial Red Seal endorsement.
The Red Seal exam page lists 100 questions, with taping (45 questions) and repairs and restoration (19) carrying most of the weight. The newer Red Seal standard, whose exams are still in development, groups the trade into common occupational skills (25%), prepares, tapes and finishes drywall (55%) and repairs and restorations (20%). The Red Seal pages do not publish a pass mark or time limit; ExamHub's practice test uses 70% and up to 3 hours.
ExamHub's free 453A practice quiz has 150 original questions weighted to the new three-block standard, with an explanation and a source for every answer. Safety questions use Ontario's Construction Projects regulation (O. Reg. 213/91); technique questions draw on the Red Seal standard and free public finishing guides. Drywall finishing is not covered by one single free code, so some technique questions cite a manufacturer's manual and say so.
What's covered
Categories follow the 3 blocks of the Red Seal standard.
Try a few
Five sample questions from the question bank, with the answer and explanation.
Why: Section 116(3) permits stilts in residential units and residential common areas for drywall finishing, insulation and vapour barrier work. Section 116(4) bans stilts on a scaffold or on stairs, and a commercial warehouse is not a residential unit or common area.
Why: The RSOS performance criteria for handling materials start with verifying that delivered products match the purchase order and are delivered on schedule according to worksite conditions. Opening bags or stacking to maximize height does not confirm the order and may damage the product.
Why: The listed wet-taping procedures include pulling wet tape, overlapping, placing tape by hand, running fingers down the tape and using a flusher for angles, then wiping edges and joints with a taping knife. The other tools are not named for setting tape in an angle.
Why: Level 5 is required where gloss, semi-gloss or enamel is specified, for flat joints over an untextured surface, or under critical lighting. Level 3 is meant for heavy texture and commercial-grade wallcoverings, not smooth painted surfaces.
Why: The RSOS includes advising the supervisor of the root cause of the problem and the drywall repairs required. Skipping the report or deferring it until after finishing leaves the supervisor unaware of an unfixed cause.
FAQ
The Red Seal Drywall Finisher and Plasterer exam has 100 questions. ExamHub's bank has 150 questions, and Test Mode draws a 100-question timed simulation.
The Red Seal pages do not publish a pass mark or a time limit. ExamHub's Test Mode uses a 70% pass mark and allows up to 3 hours.
The current Red Seal exam page lists six blocks: common occupational skills (15 questions), taping (45), texturing (7), plastering, special coatings and systems (9), moulding (5), and repairs and restoration (19). The newer Red Seal standard groups the trade into three blocks: common occupational skills, prepares, tapes and finishes drywall, and repairs and restorations. ExamHub's categories follow those three blocks.
Skilled Trades Ontario sets the hours at 5,400, about three years: 4,920 hours on the job and 480 hours of in-school training. The trade has a certifying exam, and passing it earns the Certificate of Qualification with the Red Seal.
No. These are original practice questions written from the Red Seal standard and free public sources. They are not copies of exam questions.