OFAI FACT
The Firefighter Aptitude and Character Test is the Stage One written exam used by Ontario fire services that hire through OFAI. The details below come from our department database rather than from generic test-prep copy.
Prep priority
Personal Characteristics is 60 of 110 questions and 55% of the result — do not neglect it for the math sections
Source: Toronto and Ottawa officially require OFAI Stage One certificates. Verified against publicly published information as of July 2026 — always confirm against the current job posting before booking.
This list reflects what we verified from published information in July 2026 and is not a complete list of every service that uses this exam. Confirm against the department's current job posting.
28 of our 241 questions tagged for the OFAI FACT are free to practise. These are our own practice questions written to the published format — they are not real exam items.
Sample 1
On a station floor plan, the apparatus bay is directly south of the watch room, and the gear room is directly east of the apparatus bay. Starting in the watch room, which direction do you travel to reach the gear room by the most direct diagonal path?
South then east combines to a southeast direction, so travelling diagonally southeast is the most direct path from the watch room to the gear room.
Sample 2
A pumper's tank holds 1000 gallons. It discharges water at 250 gallons per minute during initial attack. How many minutes until the tank runs dry if no supply line is connected?
1000 ÷ 250 = 4 minutes. This is the kind of tank-duration calculation used in numerical batteries and matters operationally for knowing when a supply line must be established.
Sample 3
Excerpt from a standard operating guideline: "Upon arrival at a reported structure fire, the first-arriving officer shall complete a 360-degree size-up where conditions safely permit, and shall transmit an initial radio report including building type, visible conditions and the chosen strategic mode before committing crews to interior operations." Based on this excerpt, when should the initial radio report be transmitted?
The excerpt states the report must be transmitted "before committing crews to interior operations," making the sequence explicit.
Our department records list five sections: Reading Ability (15 questions), Mathematical Reasoning (15), Map Reading (10), Writing Ability (10) and Personal Characteristics (60) — 110 multiple-choice questions in a single sitting of up to three hours.
Our records describe a weighted result of 45% aptitude and 55% character, reported as pass/fail. OFAI releases no numeric score and publishes no cutoff.
Our records list 24 months validity, with a 15-day wait after a first fail and 30 days on later attempts. Confirm both against the current posting before booking.
In our database, Toronto Fire Services, Ottawa Fire Services and Brampton Fire and Emergency Services are recorded as using OFAI Stage One. Always confirm against the department's live job posting.
Firefighter Ready Canada is an independent preparation platform. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by or licensed by OFAI, FPSI, ErgoMetrics, the National Testing Network, CPS HR Consulting, Firefighter Services of Ontario, BL Associates or any fire department. Exam names are used only to describe what we help you prepare for. Always confirm requirements against the department's current job posting.