Red Seal Mechanic Exams 2026: Automotive, Heavy Duty, Truck

Which Red Seal mechanic trade fits your work?

Each trade's question count, with its three biggest areas:

Red Seal trade	Questions	Biggest areas	Other titles
Automotive Service Technician	125	Electrical and comfort control systems (23); steering, suspension, brakes, tires and wheels (23); engines (22)	No other titles listed
Heavy Duty Equipment Technician	135	Electrical and electronic systems (25); hydraulic, hydrostatic and pneumatic systems (25); engines (20)	Alberta: Heavy Equipment Technician - Heavy Duty Equipment Mechanic (Off Road); Quebec: Heavy Equipment Mechanic
Truck and Transport Mechanic	135	Electrical and electronic systems (22); engines (21); steering, chassis, suspensions, tires and wheels (18)	Ontario: Truck and Coach Technician; Alberta and Nunavut: Heavy Equipment Technician - Truck and Transport Mechanic

What the automotive Red Seal exam looks like

Automotive Service Technician questions lean on diagnosis: 40 to 50% are critical thinking and another 40 to 50% procedural and application. Nine questions are on hybrid and electric vehicle systems and 12 on vehicle module communications. There's no formula sheet, only an acronym list.

Heavy duty and truck exams

Both have 135 questions and a large critical thinking share, 35 to 45%. Heavy Duty Equipment Technician gives 25 questions each to electrical and electronic systems and to hydraulic systems, and four to hybrid and all-electric equipment. Truck and Transport Mechanic adds smaller sections on cabs, trailers and climate control, and comes with a short formula sheet.

Other trades called mechanic

Industrial Mechanic (Millwright) and Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Mechanic are Red Seal trades too, but they're separate exams. Transport Trailer Technician and Motorcycle Technician are also their own trades.

Millwright Red Seal exam →HVAC Red Seal exam →All 54 Red Seal trades →Red Seal practice exam →

Sources: Red Seal and 6 more. Checked October 2026.