What is the exam format, pass mark and time limit?
- 125 multiple-choice questions for 313A, on paper or on screen as your confirmation email says.
- Pass mark: 70%. If every question counts the same, that is 88 of 125 correct.
- Time limit: four hours. That averages 1 min 55 s per question. Our timed practice sets use a tighter 72 seconds, so you finish with time to go back over flagged questions.
- Fee: $150 + HST, paid in the Skilled Trades Ontario Portal. After payment you get an Authorization to Test letter and book a date, time and exam centre.
- Online delivery: where your centre runs the exam on screen, it uses the rsexam.ca system. The activation email arrives 7 to 14 days before the exam, and the same account lets you practise with the system beforehand.
- Results arrive in your portal within 15 business days. If you don't pass, there is a mandatory 30-day wait and the fee is paid again.
Sources: Skilled Trades Ontario Exam Preparation Guide (June 2026) and exam scheduling page, checked 2026-09-24. Your own authorization letter and confirmation email take precedence.
Plan backwards from those four hours: the free 313A study planner turns your exam date into a week-by-week plan and an exam-day pacing card.
What does Red Seal list for current exams?
As checked on 2026-09-24, Red Seal's trade page says its previous occupational standard remains the basis for current exams. The linked self-assessment guide assigns the 125 questions as follows:
| Area | Major Work Activity | Current questions | Current share |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | Performs common occupational skills | 13 | 10% |
| B | Performs routine trade activities | 19 | 15% |
| C | Plans installation | 18 | 14% |
| D | Performs installation | 26 | 21% |
| E | Performs commissioning | 21 | 17% |
| F | Performs maintenance and service | 28 | 23% |
Source: Red Seal current-exam self-assessment guide, checked 2026-09-24. Confirm your sitting with Skilled Trades Ontario if your authorization or course materials conflict.
What does the newer standard show?
The table below is the newer Red Seal Occupational Standard used to organize Examen Studio's draft preview bank. Red Seal says exams based on this standard are still under development. The percentages are the proposed share of questions in each Major Work Activity; the task percentages show how each area's questions are divided.
| Code | Major Work Activity | Weight | Tasks (share of the area) |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | Performs common occupational skills Safety and trade practice | 8% | A-1 Maintains safe and healthy workplace (81%) A-2 Maintains continuous learning (13%) A-3 Uses communication and mentoring techniques (6%) |
| B | Performs routine trade activities Tools, piping and refrigerant handling | 16% | B-4 Uses tools and equipment (24%) B-5 Organizes work (21%) B-6 Performs work site preparation (19%) B-7 Performs trade-specific activities (36%) |
| C | Plans installation Planning installs and retrofits | 13% | C-8 Plans installation of standard and high efficiency HVAC/R systems (34%) C-9 Plans installation of control systems (28%) C-10 Plans retrofits (38%) |
| D | Performs installation Installing systems and controls | 21% | D-11 Installs HVAC/R systems (63%) D-12 Installs control systems (37%) |
| E | Performs commissioning Commissioning and start-up | 17% | E-13 Commissions new and retrofitted HVAC/R and control system components (54%) E-14 Verifies system performance (46%) |
| F | Performs maintenance and service Maintenance, service and troubleshooting | 25% | F-15 Maintains HVAC/R systems (30%) F-16 Services HVAC/R systems (43%) F-17 Maintains and services control systems (27%) |
Codes, titles and percentages: Red Seal newer-standard examination weightings and task matrix, checked 2026-09-24. Status: Red Seal trade page.
What does that mean for study time?
For a booked exam, plan from the current-exam counts above: maintenance and service (F), installation (D) and commissioning (E) carry 75 of 125 questions. Then shift time toward areas where your own practice shows a gap. The 90-day study plan walks through that process.
What else should a 313A candidate know about the trade?
- Skilled Trades Ontario sets the apprenticeship at 9,000 hours: 8,280 on the job and 720 in school.
- 313A is a compulsory trade with a certifying exam. Passing it leads to a Certificate of Qualification, which must be renewed to stay valid.
- The trade is part of the Red Seal program under the title Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Mechanic.
Source: Skilled Trades Ontario trade information, read 2026-09-21.
What does nobody outside the exam body know?
The actual questions. Anyone selling "real" or "recalled" 313A exam questions is either wrong or selling something they should not have. Examen Studio's questions are original, written against the public task list, and labelled with their review status.