How Does the Ontario Security Guard Test Work?
The Ontario security guard test is set by the ministry and has 60 multiple-choice questions to be answered in 75 minutes. You take it after completing at least 40 hours of basic training, and you must pass it before you apply for the licence, which costs CAD 80. This page covers the format, not the question content.
What is the test?
Ontario requires applicants for a security guard licence to pass a ministry test. The Ontario Government describes it as 60 multiple-choice questions to be completed in 75 minutes. The regulator is the Private Security and Investigative Services Branch of the Ministry of the Solicitor General.
This answer describes how the process works. It does not list questions or answers, and nothing here should be read as a guide to what the questions will say.
What must you do before the test?
Complete basic training first. Basic training is at least 40 hours and includes emergency first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation. After you pass the test, you apply for the licence.
The order is therefore training, then the ministry test, then the licence application. Training providers set their own prices, so the cost varies.
What happens after you pass?
You apply for the licence. To be eligible you must be 18 or over, legally entitled to work in Canada, and have a clean criminal record, supported by a Criminal Record and Judicial Matters Check issued within six months of applying.
The licence fee is CAD 80, in Canadian dollars, and the licence expires two birthdays after issue.
What do the sources not tell you?
The sources used for this page do not state the pass mark, the retake rules or how to book a sitting. Check the Ontario Government testing page for the current rules before you plan your time.
Be wary of anyone who sells a promise of the exact questions. The official guidance describes the format, and your preparation should rest on your training.
How should you prepare?
Prepare through your approved basic training. The test follows the training, so the training provider is the main source of what you need to know. Attend all of the 40 hours, including the emergency first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation parts.
Practise working at a steady pace. With 60 questions in 75 minutes, you have a little over a minute for each question. That is an arithmetic observation and not a guide to difficulty.
Read the Ontario Government testing page before your sitting so that you know the current rules. The details can change, and the official page is the one to follow.
Look after the practical side as well. Know where and when you are sitting, bring what the official page tells you to bring, and arrive early. Because the sources used here do not cover the retake rules, find them before test day so that a poor result does not leave you guessing. After you pass, remember that the application still needs your record check, issued within six months, and the CAD 80 fee, so do not let the check expire while you wait for results.
Remember also that the test is only one step of three. Training comes first and the licence application follows, so treat the whole sequence as a plan with dates rather than a single event.
How does XGuard fit in?
XGuard is a marketplace, not a security company. It does not promise work or availability. Before a professional can list, XGuard checks the licence against the provincial register.
Passing the test and gaining the licence is the entry step to listing, not a guarantee of bookings.
Related questions
How many questions are on the Ontario security guard test?
60 multiple-choice questions.
How long do you have for the test?
75 minutes.
Do I take the test before or after training?
After. You complete at least 40 hours of basic training first.
What is the pass mark?
It is not covered in the sources used for this page, so check the Ontario Government testing page.
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