THE COURSE AND TESTS

The CFSC test: 50 questions, 80% to pass - what to expect

Last reviewed July 15, 2026

The CFSC test comes in two parts, taken at the end of the course day: a written exam of 50 multiple-choice questions and a practical handling test. The pass mark for each is 80% - miss 11 written questions and you rewrite; commit serious handling faults and you redo the practical. Both cover only what the instructor taught hours earlier.

Knowing the format ahead of time removes most of the anxiety, so here’s exactly what each part looks like.

The written test: 50 questions, multiple choice

You can get 10 wrong and still pass. The questions are drawn from the RCMP student handbook and cluster around predictable themes:

• The safety procedures - the Vital Four ACTS and PROVE, in order and by letter. If a question mentions handling a firearm, the safe answer is almost always the correct one. Master these first: ACTS and PROVE explained.
• Ammunition - matching a cartridge to the firearm’s data stamp, cartridge components, why the wrong ammunition is dangerous, how to identify a misfire or hangfire.
• Action types - recognizing bolt, lever, pump, semi-automatic, break/hinge, and muzzleloading actions, and how to open and PROVE each one safe.
• Storage, display, and transport law - the conditions for storing a non-restricted firearm (unloaded + locked/inoperable/locked container, ammunition not readily accessible), vehicle rules, and the penalties. Our storage guide and transport guide cover the same material.
• Responsibilities - reporting lost or stolen firearms to police and the CFP, the 30-day address rule, the Criminal Code offence of pointing a firearm.

The questions test recognition, not trick wording. Read each stem fully, eliminate the obviously unsafe options, and the remaining choice is usually it.

The practical test: show, don’t tell

The examiner hands you firearms - typically a mix of action types - and watches you handle them with dummy ammunition. You’ll be asked to:

• PROVE each firearm safe - point safe, remove ammunition, observe the chamber, verify the feeding path, examine the bore;
• load and unload with dummy cartridges;
• pass and accept a firearm safely (actions open, muzzle controlled);
• keep muzzle direction and trigger discipline the entire time, including while talking or thinking.

Marking is continuous: the examiner scores everything from the moment you touch the first firearm. The faults that sink candidates are muscle-memory ones - sweeping the muzzle past a person, finger drifting into the trigger guard, skipping the bore check. During class practice time, slow down and build the sequence deliberately; speed earns nothing on the test.

How to prepare (the honest version)

The single best preparation is paying attention in class - the course exists to teach the test, and instructors flag testable material heavily. Beyond that:

1. Read the ACTS and PROVE procedures before course day so class is your second exposure, not your first.
2. Skim the RCMP student handbook if your provider sends it ahead - especially the storage/transport module.
3. Online practice questions are fine as warm-up, but treat them as prep only; there’s no online path to the certificate (details).
4. Sleep. It’s an 8-hour day ending in two exams, and most wrong answers are fatigue mistakes.

If the day still goes sideways, one failed part doesn’t erase the other - how retests work is covered in What happens if you fail the CFSC? And once you pass, the course report is yours permanently: it never expires.

Class size matters more for the practical than anything else - more handling reps before the test. Compare course providers near you and ask how much hands-on time their format includes.