Exam & certification information
About the Machinist Red Seal exam.
The published examination has 135 four-option multiple-choice questions, a four-hour writing time and a 70% passing mark. Our two full forms match that length, time and published task distribution. The questions are independently developed.
Prepare across conventional and CNC operations. Familiarity with one machine or control is only part of the national trade scope.
Your provincial or territorial authority determines eligibility, fees, booking and permitted references. This study package does not register you for the official exam or confer certification.
References checked 16 October 2026: official trade exam information ↗ and official preparation guide ↗.
The work, skills and trade scope
Produce and repair precision parts using machine tools and measurement equipment. Machinists plan operations, select tools and control dimensions, geometry and surface finish.
Machine shops, manufacturing, repair facilities and tool-room environments.
Mathematics, tolerances, workholding, cutting-tool selection, CNC interpretation and measurement discipline.
- Drawings, tolerances and metrology
- Turning, milling and drilling
- Workholding and cutting tools
- Grinding and finishing
- CNC programming and process planning