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Red Seal Pass › Hairstylist (332A) › British Columbia (BC)

Hairstylist (332A) Red Seal Exam in British Columbia (BC)

Certifying authority: SkilledTradesBC (formerly ITA BC). Last checked 2026-09-14.

Certification is voluntary in British Columbia (BC)

This trade is not on British Columbia (BC)’s compulsory list, so you may work in it without a certificate. The Red Seal still travels across Canada as a recognised credential, and employers frequently ask for it — but in British Columbia (BC) it is a qualification, not a licence.

Source: SkilledTradesBC — Skilled Trades Certification (compulsory trades)

Preparing for the Hairstylist (332A) exam in British Columbia (BC)?

Start with 10 free interactive Hairstylist (332A) questions with worked explanations, or take a full 120-question timed mock exam weighted to the official RSOS breakdown.

Try the 10-Question Interactive Hairstylist (332A) Quiz & Free PDF → Take Full 120-Question Timed Mock Exam ($14.99 CAD) →

Or unlock all Hairstylist (332A) questions with the 7-Day Pass ($9.99) or 3-Month Pass ($69.99, Free-Until-You-Pass Guarantee).

Whether it is required or not, the exam itself is the same paper everywhere in Canada. What your province decides is whether you must hold the certificate, how you apply, and where you sit it.

The exam: 120 questions, 8 Major Work Activities

The Red Seal Occupational Standard sets the split below. It does not change by province.

Major Work ActivityWeightingQuestions
MWA A: Performs common occupational skills 12% 14 Qs
MWA B: Performs hair and scalp care 9% 11 Qs
MWA C: Cuts hair 20% 24 Qs
MWA D: Styles hair 13% 16 Qs
MWA E: Performs chemical texture services on hair 14% 17 Qs
MWA F: Alters hair colour 21% 25 Qs
MWA G: Performs specialized services 5% 6 Qs
MWA H: Performs salon operations 6% 7 Qs

Source: Red Seal Exam Breakdown — Hairstylist (332A), red-seal.ca

Time allowed and pass mark

4 hours, and a 70% pass mark (84/120). These are set provincially rather than by the Red Seal standard, and the four hours is the same whether your paper is 100 or 150 questions.

Confirmed against Skilled Trades Ontario’s Exam Preparation Guide and SkilledTradesBC. Check your own authority before exam day.

Quick 3-Question Hairstylist (332A) Readiness Check

Click any option (A–D) below to grade yourself immediately and view the worked explanation:

Sample Question 1 of 3
At a salon in Kamloops, the wet disinfection jar at a busy station has turned cloudy by mid-afternoon, and there are hairs floating at the bottom. The label says to make up a fresh solution daily or sooner if it is visibly contaminated. The stylist has a gap between clients to replace it. In what order is the jar refreshed?
A) Immerse clean tools fully in the liquid; empty the jar and wash it with detergent; rinse the jar and dry it; then mix fresh solution at the label dilution
B) Mix fresh solution at the label dilution; empty the jar and wash it with detergent; rinse the jar and dry it; then immerse clean tools fully in the liquid
C) Empty the jar and wash it with detergent; mix fresh solution at the label dilution; rinse the jar and dry it; then immerse clean tools fully in the liquid
D) Empty the jar and wash it with detergent; rinse the jar and dry it; mix fresh solution at the label dilution; then immerse clean tools fully in the liquid
Correct answer: D

The old solution is discarded and the jar is washed, rinsed and dried, so fresh disinfectant is not weakened by residue or water. The new solution is mixed at the label dilution, and only cleaned tools go in, fully covered. The other options use the same steps in the wrong order: A does 'immerse clean tools fully in the liquid' before 'empty the jar and wash it with detergent', B does 'mix fresh solution at the label dilution' before 'empty the jar and wash it with detergent', and C does 'mix fresh solution at the label dilution' before 'rinse the jar and dry it'.

Sample Question 2 of 3
A client at a salon in Kelowna has very thick, coarse hair and wants a choppy, piece-y, slightly disconnected finish with a lot of bulk taken out. The stylist plans to cut deep, V-shaped notches into the ends with the shears held at a steep angle. Which technique is this?
A) Slithering
B) Light point cutting
C) Deep notching
D) Razor feathering
Correct answer: C

Deep notching, or chunking, cuts large V-shapes into the ends to remove bulk and create strong, separated texture. Light point cutting only softens the line, slithering thins along the shaft without making separated pieces, and razor feathering tapers the ends softly rather than chunking them.

Sample Question 3 of 3
At a salon in Brandon, you have neutralized and rinsed a sodium hydroxide relaxer on a client with medium-textured hair past their shoulders. They want a roller set under the hood dryer, and the kit's leave-in conditioner is the finishing agent, to be applied to towel-blotted hair. Their hair is sopping wet in the bowl, and your apprentice plans to blow-dry it almost dry before setting the rollers. How should the hair be prepared?
A) Blot the hair gently in a towel until it is damp but not dripping, apply the leave-in, then set the rollers while the hair is still evenly damp
B) Blot the hair, let it air-dry at the station for 20 minutes until the ends are dry, then apply the leave-in and set the rollers on the damp roots
C) Blow-dry the hair until it is almost dry, apply the leave-in, then set the rollers, so the hair spends less time under the hood dryer
D) Leave the hair sopping wet, apply the leave-in at the bowl, then set the rollers, as the extra water helps the hair wrap smoothly around them
Correct answer: A

A roller set takes its shape as damp hair dries on the rollers, so the relaxed hair is blotted gently until damp, not dripping, the leave-in goes on the blotted hair as the kit directs, and the rollers go in while the hair is evenly damp. Hair blow-dried or left to dry before setting does not take the set evenly, and blow-drying adds heat to fragile hair; dripping hair dilutes the leave-in and runs down their neck.

Where you write it in British Columbia (BC)

Booking is handled by SkilledTradesBC (formerly ITA BC); confirm current locations and dates with them.

Preparing for the Hairstylist (332A) exam

Our Hairstylist (332A) question bank is built to the official RSOS weighting above, with a worked explanation and code citation on every question.

Continue to Full 10-Question Interactive Hairstylist (332A) Quiz → Take the full 120-question timed mock exam →

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