CPS Test
What's Actually on the Firefighter CPS Test? (With Sample Questions)
CPS covers six sections, including mechanical aptitude and memory that FACT never tests. Here's the breakdown, plus four sample questions with full explanations.
If FACT is administered by OFAI, CPS is the other major entry-level test Ontario firefighter candidates run into. CPS stands for the Cooperative Personnel Services exam, and it's administered by Firefighter Services of Ontario (FSO), used by departments including Burlington, St. Cathrines, Niagara Falls, Thorold, Hamilton, among others across the province. A few larger municipalities, like Richmond Hill and Mississauga, have in some years run their own independent testing instead of going through FSO, so it's always worth confirming with the specific department you're applying to which test you'll actually be sitting. If you're also prepping for FACT, see our full breakdown of what's on the FACT test.
What Is the CPS Test?
CPS covers a lot of the same ground as FACT, but leans noticeably more technical in two areas: math and mechanical aptitude. The full test covers:
- **Reading Comprehension**
- **Math**
- **Writing (Grammar & Vocabulary)**
- **Human Relations (Judgment/Scenario)**
- **Mechanical Aptitude**
- **Memory** (a dispatch-style scenario you review, then answer recall questions about later)
Mechanical and Memory are the two sections that don't show up on FACT at all, and they're often what catches candidates off guard if they've only prepped with FACT-style material.
For this post, we picked four questions that show where CPS tends to get genuinely hard: two math questions, a reading comprehension question, and a mechanical aptitude question. Memory works differently from every other section (you're tested on a scenario, not a passage), so we're covering that one separately.
Try each question yourself before you reveal the answer.
1. Math
CPS math questions are built the same way FACT's are: practical, multi-step, no calculator. But CPS tends to stack more steps into a single question, and it's more willing to work in decimals instead of clean round numbers.
- A110.96 metres
- B111.56 metres
- C111.86 metres
- D112.36 metres
2. Math
- A14 minutes
- B16 minutes
- C20 minutes
- D18 minutes
3. Reading Comprehension
CPS reading passages tend to run a bit longer and more technical than FACT's, and the questions often ask you to apply the passage to a brand-new scenario rather than just locate a fact.
A Mayday is a radio distress call transmitted by a firefighter who is lost, trapped, injured, or running low on air inside a structure. It is universally recognized as the highest priority communication on the fireground and requires all other radio traffic to cease immediately. When a firefighter transmits a Mayday, they should use the LUNAR acronym to convey critical information: Location, Unit identification, Name, Assignment (what they were doing), and Resources needed. Providing this information quickly and clearly allows the Rapid Intervention Team (RIT) to locate and extract the downed firefighter as efficiently as possible.
The decision to declare a Mayday should never be delayed out of hesitation or pride. Research into firefighter fatalities has consistently shown that a significant number of line-of-duty deaths could have been prevented if the distressed firefighter had declared a Mayday earlier. Conditions inside a burning structure can deteriorate within seconds. A firefighter who waits until they are completely out of options may have forfeited the time needed for a successful rescue.
Upon hearing a Mayday, the Incident Commander must immediately activate the RIT, designate a separate radio channel for Mayday operations to avoid congesting the main tactical channel, and assign a Mayday officer to manage the rescue operation independently. All other crews should continue their assigned tasks unless redirected, because abandoning suppression efforts can cause fire conditions to worsen and endanger the rescue team itself. Personal Alert Safety System (PASS) devices, which emit a loud audible alarm when a firefighter becomes motionless, are a critical tool for locating a downed firefighter in low-visibility conditions. Firefighters must ensure their PASS device is activated before entering any structure.
- AContact their crew partner first before transmitting a Mayday
- BAttempt to reach the entry point before calling for help
- CActivate the PASS device and wait silently to conserve air
- DDeclare a Mayday immediately without waiting for conditions to deteriorate further
4. Mechanical Aptitude
This is the section that doesn't exist on FACT at all, and it's where a lot of otherwise well-prepared candidates lose points. CPS mechanical questions cover gears, pulleys, levers, hydraulics, and basic physics as they apply to fire equipment.
- A2,700 rpm
- B2,000 rpm
- C2,400 rpm
- D1,200 rpm
How CPS Compares to FACT
If you're prepping for both, the honest answer is that CPS math and mechanical sections ask for more from you than FACT's do; more steps, more decimals, and an entire section (mechanical) that FACT doesn't test at all. Reading and human relations are closer in difficulty between the two tests. Memory is unique to CPS and worth prepping for specifically, since nothing about it resembles the rest of the test. For a section-by-section look at the other exam, read what's actually on the FACT test.
That's exactly what Firefighter Academy's CPS prep is built around: full practice sets by section, including mechanical and memory, with explanations written like the ones above.
Try a free CPS practice test
See where you stand on CPS math, reading, and mechanical before test day.
Next up: How the CPS Memory Section Actually Works, and why it catches so many candidates off guard.