Ontario Certificate of Qualification — based on the official Red Seal Occupational Standard for Cook
About the certification
Cook is a Red Seal trade regulated in Ontario by Skilled Trades Ontario under the Building Opportunities in the Skilled Trades Act, 2021. Apprentices typically complete about 6,000 hours of training — roughly 5,280 hours on the job and 720 hours in school — before writing the certifying exam.
Because Cook is part of the Interprovincial Red Seal Program, Ontario's certifying exam is the same standardized Red Seal exam used across participating provinces and territories. Passing it earns both a provincial Certificate of Qualification (C of Q) and the Red Seal endorsement, which is recognized by employers nationwide.
The exam has 150 multiple-choice questions across 13 major work activities — from hygiene, sanitation, and safety through produce, stocks, sauces, proteins, and baked goods — with a 70% pass mark and up to 4 hours to complete it. ExamHub's free practice quiz has 166 original questions covering the same ground, written from the official Red Seal Occupational Standard and Health Canada's food safety guidance.
What's covered
Try a few
Five questions pulled from the full bank, with the answer shown — use the quiz above for the real timed experience.
Why: The temperature danger zone is 4°C to 60°C (40°F to 140°F). Potentially hazardous food should spend as little time as possible in this range.
Why: The five mother sauces are béchamel, velouté, espagnole, tomato, and hollandaise. Chimichurri is an Argentine herb sauce, not one of the classical mother sauces.
Why: A whole bird must reach a minimum internal temperature of 82°C (180°F), higher than poultry pieces, due to its size and the risk of uneven heat penetration near the bone.
Why: Shellfish and crustaceans (shrimp, crab, lobster, clams, mussels, oysters, scallops) must reach a minimum internal temperature of 74°C (165°F).
Why: Food cost percentage equals the cost of the ingredients divided by the menu selling price. To hit a target food cost percentage, price = cost ÷ target percentage.
FAQ
The Interprovincial Red Seal exam for Cook has 150 multiple-choice questions, drawn from 13 major work activities defined in the Red Seal Occupational Standard. You have up to 4 hours to complete it.
The Red Seal Cook exam requires 70% to pass.
Yes. Cook is an Interprovincial Red Seal trade, and Skilled Trades Ontario uses the same standardized Red Seal exam as the trade's certifying exam — passing it earns both your Ontario Certificate of Qualification and the Red Seal endorsement, recognized across Canada.
A Cook apprenticeship typically runs about 6,000 hours (roughly three years), combining 5,280 hours of on-the-job training with 720 hours of in-school instruction, according to Skilled Trades Ontario.
No. These are original questions written by ExamHub from the official Red Seal Occupational Standard for Cook and Health Canada's food safety guidance. They cover the same topics but aren't copies of any provider's exam.