Red Seal Parts Technician (246A) Practice Test — 10 Free Questions
Red Seal Pass is an independent Canadian practice site for the Parts Technician (246A) exam: 1,200 practice questions weighted to the official blueprint, with every answer explained. The 10-question quiz on this page is free, with no sign-up. A full 120-question, 4-hour timed mock exam is $14.99 CAD, and study passes start at $9.99 CAD. The real exam has 120 questions and a 70% pass mark.
Preparing for the Red Seal Parts Technician (246A) exam
The Red Seal (Interprovincial) Parts Technician (246A) exam tests everything a working partsperson needs: inventory and warehousing, cataloguing and part identification, purchasing and receiving, WHMIS and safety, customer service, and shipping. Trying to memorize a thousand questions the night before rarely sticks. Research on the Ebbinghaus forgetting curve shows that spaced review holds knowledge better than cramming.
Red Seal Pass gives you a smarter path: a focused set of new questions each day, automatic review of the ones you miss, and clear explanations so you learn why, not just what.
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📥 Free Printable 30-Question Parts Technician (246A) Mock Exam PDF
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Study Guide Built on the Official Red Seal Exam Blueprint
Red Seal Parts Technician (246A) Exam Study Guide 2026
Prefer studying with a physical paperback? Includes the complete exam blueprint breakdown, task-by-task study notes, quizzes, and a full 120-question practice mock exam with detailed answer rationales.
Published by red-seal.ca for the 120-question Interprovincial exam. These weightings decide how many questions you face in each area, so they decide where your study time belongs.
10-Question Parts Technician (246A) Quick Readiness Quiz — with Full Worked Answers
No sign-up and no email required. Take this 5-minute diagnostic quiz to test your current exam readiness. Every answer below includes complete code citations and worked steps — the same standard as the other 1190 questions in the full bank.
⚡ Interactive Readiness Quiz
Click any option (A–D) below to test yourself & reveal the worked explanation.
Question 1 of 10
While unloading a mixed pallet, you notice that a 20 L pail of alkaline radiator flush concentrate has split at the seam and is seeping across the dock floor toward a floor drain. Two co-workers are walking through the area with pallet jacks, and the spill kit and the SDS binder are at the far end of the dock. In what order should you deal with this?
A) Check the SDS for the hazards and PPE; stop traffic and keep people back; put on the PPE and contain the spill with the kit, starting at the drain; then report it
B) Stop traffic and keep people back; check the SDS for the hazards and PPE; report it; then put on the PPE and contain the spill with the kit, starting at the drain
C) Stop traffic and keep people back; check the SDS for the hazards and PPE; put on the PPE and contain the spill with the kit, starting at the drain; then report it
D) Check the SDS for the hazards and PPE; put on the PPE and contain the spill with the kit, starting at the drain; report it; then stop traffic and keep people back
Correct answer: C
People are protected first by isolating the area. The SDS then tells you the hazards and the PPE needed before anyone touches the product; containment and reporting follow. The other options use the same steps in the wrong order: A does 'check the SDS for the hazards and PPE' before 'stop traffic and keep people back', B does 'report it' before 'put on the PPE and contain the spill with the kit, starting at the drain', and D does 'check the SDS for the hazards and PPE' before 'stop traffic and keep people back'.
Question 2 of 10
It is 3:50 p.m. and you hand the counter over to the evening parts person at 4:00. You have four open items: a fleet starter promised for 5:00 p.m. pickup, a customer callback about a backorder date, a core credit waiting for approval, and a phone quote to finish. The evening person has not seen any of them. In what order should you hand them over?
A) Walk the evening person through each item; list the open items in the DMS notes; rank them by promised time; then confirm they can finish each one
B) List the open items in the DMS notes; rank them by promised time; walk the evening person through each item; then confirm they can finish each one
C) List the open items in the DMS notes; walk the evening person through each item; confirm they can finish each one; then rank them by promised time
D) Rank them by promised time; confirm they can finish each one; list the open items in the DMS notes; then walk the evening person through each item
Correct answer: B
Writing the open items down first means nothing is lost at the change of shift, and ranking them by promised time puts the 5:00 p.m. starter first. Walking through each item and confirming the evening person can finish it hands over the work, not just a list. The other options use the same steps in the wrong order: A does 'walk the evening person through each item' before 'list the open items in the DMS notes', C does 'confirm they can finish each one' before 'rank them by promised time', and D does 'confirm they can finish each one' before 'list the open items in the DMS notes'.
Question 3 of 10
A customer buying two new tires wants to be sure they are not old stock. The shop has two tires of the right size in the rack: one shows DOT followed by a code ending in 3824, and the other shows a code ending in 1222. The customer asks which tire is newer and when it was made before deciding which one to buy. What should you tell them?
A) The 3824 tire is newer, as it was made in week 38 of 2024
B) The 1222 tire is newer, as it was made in December of 2022
C) The 3824 tire is newer, as it was made on day 38 of 2024
D) The two are the same age, as the digits show the tire size, not the date
Correct answer: A
The last four digits of the DOT code give the week and year of manufacture, so 3824 is week 38 of 2024 and 1222 is week 12 of 2022. C reads the first two digits as a day, B reads 12 as the month, and D reads the code as a size.
Question 4 of 10
A retail customer phones to ask what it will cost to buy a remanufactured alternator for their diesel pickup. The alternator carries an $85.00 refundable core charge, and there is a provincial environmental fee on it as well. The customer wants to know how much to bring to the counter. What is the professional way to quote the price?
A) Give only the part price and leave the core charge and the tax until the customer pays for it
B) Give a rough base price over the phone and work out the rest when they arrive at the counter
C) Refuse to quote any prices by phone and ask the customer to come in to the store in person
D) Give the part price, the $85.00 refundable core charge, the fee and the tax, so they know the total
Correct answer: D
A clear phone quote states the part price, the refundable core charge, any environmental fees and the taxes, so the customer knows the full amount and how much comes back when the core is returned. Leaving charges out leads to disputes at the counter.
Question 5 of 10
An engine rebuilder needs a replacement cylinder head for an older V8 and asks you to make sure the head matches the original. The original head has a casting number on the top, between the valve covers' bolt bosses, and the rebuilder says two heads that look alike for that engine have different combustion chamber sizes. How should you identify the right head?
A) Order the head that is in stock, and have the machine shop change the chamber size to match the original
B) Look up the casting number from the original head, and order the head with the matching chamber size
C) Look up the engine size and year, and order the head listed first, as it is the most common one
D) Look up photos of both heads online, and order the one that looks most like the original from outside
Correct answer: B
The casting number identifies the exact head and its combustion chamber size, which decides compression. C and D also look something up, but engine size and photos cannot tell two look-alike heads apart, and A leaves the shop to alter a head that may not match.
Question 6 of 10
Your system shows a fuel filter has been superseded three times: 1001 to 1002, 1002 to 1003, and 1003 to 1004, all two-way. The warehouse is out of 1004, but your bin holds two of 1002 and one of 1003. A customer needs one filter. What should you do?
A) Supply a 1002 or 1003 from stock, since the chain is two-way throughout
B) Substitute a filter from another brand, since the factory chain is out of stock
C) Order 1001 from the warehouse, since the original number is the safest match
D) Backorder 1004, since the customer should get the latest design of the filter
Correct answer: A
Two-way supersessions mean every number in the chain interchanges, so in-stock 1002 or 1003 filters can be supplied while 1004 is out.
Question 7 of 10
A backordered cylinder head's portal shows 'Supplier release date: November 10' and 'Carrier transit time: 4 business days'. November 10 is a Monday. The customer's engine is apart in a shop bay, and the shop needs to plan its schedule. The customer asks for a realistic arrival date. What should you tell them?
A) Thursday, November 13, counting the release day as the first transit day
B) Thursday, November 6, by counting the transit days back from release
C) About Friday, November 14, after release and four business days of transit
D) Monday, November 10, since the release date is the arrival date
Correct answer: C
Released Monday, November 10, plus four business days of transit (Tuesday to Friday) gives an ETA of about Friday, November 14.
Question 8 of 10
During busy periods at your warehouse, parts are sometimes put away in the wrong bins or under the wrong labels when put-away is rushed at the end of a shift. A co-worker says these are just efficiency problems, not real losses, because the parts are still somewhere in the building. The year-end report shows a large shrinkage write-off. How do these errors actually add to inventory shrinkage?
A) Misplaced parts are sold at a lower price, since their labels are wrong
B) Misplaced parts are counted twice, which raises the inventory value
C) Misplaced parts do not affect shrinkage, since they are still in stock
D) Misplaced parts are not found, get reordered, and are later written off
Correct answer: D
A part in the wrong bin is effectively lost: it is reordered when it cannot be found, and the original often ends up written off as shrinkage or obsolete.
Question 9 of 10
A commercial customer says they did not receive an urgent pallet of hydraulic cylinders, but the carrier's tracking shows it was delivered yesterday afternoon. The customer has two buildings at the same address. Their machine is waiting, and they want a replacement shipped today. In what order should you proceed?
A) Arrange a replacement if it is not found; get the carrier's proof of delivery; check the signature and drop spot with them; then open a trace with the carrier
B) Get the carrier's proof of delivery; check the signature and drop spot with them; open a trace with the carrier; then arrange a replacement if it is not found
C) Get the carrier's proof of delivery; arrange a replacement if it is not found; check the signature and drop spot with them; then open a trace with the carrier
D) Open a trace with the carrier; get the carrier's proof of delivery; arrange a replacement if it is not found; then check the signature and drop spot with them
Correct answer: B
The proof of delivery shows who signed and where it was left, which often finds the pallet, for example at the other building. If it still cannot be found, a trace is opened and a replacement arranged, without shipping a duplicate on the first call. The other options use the same steps in the wrong order: A does 'arrange a replacement if it is not found' before 'get the carrier's proof of delivery', C does 'arrange a replacement if it is not found' before 'check the signature and drop spot with them', and D does 'open a trace with the carrier' before 'get the carrier's proof of delivery'.
Question 10 of 10
You are ringing up a heavy-duty lead-acid battery at the retail counter, and the point-of-sale system adds a provincial environmental handling fee to the invoice. The customer did not see the fee on the shelf price and asks you to take it off the bill, since they are already paying for the battery. What should you tell the customer?
A) The fee stays, as it is a provincial charge that funds battery recycling
B) Take the fee off the bill, and add the same amount to the battery price instead
C) Take the fee off this once, as a goodwill gesture for the customer
D) Take the fee off if the customer brings the old battery back today
Correct answer: A
Environmental handling fees on batteries are set under provincial programs to fund the collection, transport and recycling of used batteries, so they are a required charge shown on the invoice. B hides it in the price, C waives a charge that is not the store's to waive, and D treats it as a core deposit.
In rising-price periods, FIFO gives higher ending inventory value
Worked examples: the maths behind Parts Technician exam questions
The official Red Seal standard lists Performs inventory control (inside Performs warehousing and inventory (30 of 120 questions)) and Implements pricing formula (inside Applies business practices (16 of 120 questions)) as tasks. These four calculations are worth practising on paper before you read the steps.
Worked example 1
A part costs you $48.00 and sells for $72.00. What are the markup and the gross margin?
Answer: $100.00 for a 40% margin, $84.00 for a 40% markup. A 40% margin needs a much higher price than a 40% markup.
Worked example 3
A part sells 15 units a day, the supplier lead time is 6 days, and you hold 30 units of safety stock. What is the reorder point?
Reorder point = daily usage × lead time + safety stock = 15 × 6 + 30 = 120 units.
Answer: 120 units. Order when stock falls to this level so it does not run out while the order is in transit.
Worked example 4
List price is $250.00 with a 35% trade discount, and the invoice terms are 2/10 net 30. What do you pay if you settle within 10 days?
After the trade discount: 250 × (1 − 0.35) = $162.50. Then the 2% cash discount: 162.50 × 0.98 = $159.25. Apply the discounts in this order — the cash discount applies to the discounted price.
Answer: $159.25.
Formulas follow common industry practice; your employer’s pricing matrix and the exam’s wording decide which base applies. In Ontario, Skilled Trades Ontario lists this trade as Parts Technician (240P); other jurisdictions may use different trade codes.
A 4-week study plan for the Parts Technician (246A) exam
18 new questions a day is the pace the platform sets, because spacing beats cramming. Over four weeks that is about 504 questions, and the order below follows the official weightings above.
Week 1 — the heaviest area. MWA D: Performs warehousing and inventory, which alone is 25.0% of the exam.
Week 2 — the next two. MWA C: Performs parts acquisition (24.2%) and MWA B: Performs customer service (21.7%).
Week 3 — the remaining activities, plus every question you got wrong. Wrong answers return automatically on day 1, 3 and 7.
Week 4 — full-length timed runs. 120 questions in 4 hours, then review every mistake by Major Work Activity.
Booking the Parts Technician (246A) exam where you live
Eligibility and booking are handled by your province, not by the Red Seal program itself. Start here:
1200 Parts Technician (246A) questions, every one explained
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How many questions are on the Red Seal Parts Technician (246A) exam?
The Interprovincial Red Seal Parts Technician (246A) exam has 120 multiple-choice questions, a 4-hour limit and a 70% pass mark, per the official exam breakdown on red-seal.ca.
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Yes. You can download a free 30-question sample mock exam PDF with full step-by-step answer explanations. A subscription unlocks all 1200 questions, spaced-repetition review, and AI tutoring.
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The 3-Month Pass adds two study tools for Parts Technician (246A). Practice by Block lets you pick any Major Work Activity on the official blueprint and drill it 18 questions at a time. Exhibit Booklet Practice gives you 12 questions that make you read tables, catalogs, test records and a light truck chassis layout with an exploded clutch detail, with a worked explanation for every answer.
In-Depth Parts Technician (246A) Study Articles & Concept Guides
Deep dives into specific code requirements, safety rules and exam strategy, written from the official blueprint and Canadian code references:
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