Canadian Firearms Licence (PAL/RPAL) Prep

Getting a firearms licence in Canada is a federal process with provincial delivery. The RCMP's Canadian Firearms Program sets the course content and issues the licence, while each province's Chief Firearms Officer (CFO) designates the instructors who teach the courses and run the tests. If you want a PAL (Possession and Acquisition Licence) for rifles and shotguns, you pass the CFSC. If you want an RPAL (a PAL with restricted privileges), you pass the CFSC and the CRFSC.

This hub explains the whole path in plain language: which licence you need, what each test looks like, what it costs, how long it takes, and how to study so that test day feels routine. Canada Licence Prep is an independent study aid. We are not the RCMP or a CFO, and nothing here replaces your course or your instructor. What we offer is practice: a free PAL practice test, a free RPAL practice test, and explanations that tell you why each answer is right.

PAL vs RPAL: which Canadian firearms licence do you need?

Canada sorts firearms into three legal classes: non-restricted, restricted and prohibited. The class decides which licence you need and which storage and transport rules apply. Our guide to firearm classes in Canada goes through the definitions with examples.

	PAL (non-restricted)	RPAL (restricted privileges)
Typical firearms	Most hunting rifles and shotguns	Restricted firearms, including handguns already owned
Course and tests	CFSC only	CFSC and CRFSC
Minimum age for the tests	12 (minors' licences for ages 12 to 17)	18 for the CRFSC
RCMP application fee (until 30 March 2027)	$70.38	$93.84
Upgrade an existing PAL	Not applicable	$46.92
Storage	Unloaded plus one locking option	Unloaded, locking device and locked container, or a purpose-built vault or room
Transport	Unloaded, locked trunk rules in unattended vehicles	Locked opaque container plus an Authorization to Transport (ATT)

Fees are from the RCMP's service fee changes page, as of October 2026. They are indexed every 31 March; from 31 March 2027 the amounts rise to $72.35 and $96.47.

If you only plan to hunt with a rifle or shotgun, a PAL is enough for most people. If you shoot at a club with restricted firearms, or you think you might later, many students take both courses together because the combined fee is lower than booking them separately. Our full comparison, including the 2022 handgun freeze, is on PAL vs RPAL.

Key fact: Since 21 October 2022 individuals generally cannot acquire handguns by transfer in Canada. The CRFSC is still required for other restricted firearms and to keep handguns you already own lawfully.

How to get a PAL: the five steps

The full walkthrough, with forms and timelines, is on how to get a PAL. Here is the short version.

1. Book a course. Find a CFO-designated instructor through the RCMP Find an instructor page or your provincial delivery agent. Our PAL course guide covers prices, course length and how to choose.
2. Pass the written and practical tests. Both come at the end of the course. Instructors require 80% on each.
3. Keep your course report. Your instructor gives you a signed report form. This is your proof of passing, and you attach it to your application.
4. Apply to the RCMP. First-time adult applicants use form RCMP 5592 with a photo, a guarantor and references. Current and recent former partners are notified if they do not sign the form.
5. Wait for processing. First-time applicants wait at least 28 days before a licence can be issued, and many applications take longer. The licence is valid for five years.

Ages 12 to 17 apply for a minor's licence instead. You may apply for the adult PAL up to six months before your 18th birthday.

Province-specific notes

The national steps are the same everywhere, but who delivers the course, typical prices and how the PAL ties into hunting differ by province:

• Ontario: courses are delivered through FSESO-affiliated instructors. See how to get a PAL in Ontario.
• British Columbia: many courses combine a classroom day with a practical session, and the CFSC report can exempt you from the BC CORE practical. See how to get a PAL in BC.
• Alberta: CFSC delivery moved from AHEIA to the Sherwood Park Fish & Game Association on 1 September 2026, according to our verified notes. See how to get a PAL in Alberta.

Once you hold a licence, renewal is a separate process. Our PAL renewal guide explains when to start so that it does not lapse.

The CFSC test: what the PAL exam looks like

The CFSC is the exam most people mean when they say "the PAL test". It has two parts, and you need to pass both.

The written test

The RCMP does not publish a national question count or time limit. Many instructors use about 50 multiple-choice and true-or-false questions, and CFO delivery agents require 80%. Our mock exams use 50 questions with a 60-minute timer and the same 80% pass mark (40 of 50), so you get used to the pressure of a small margin for error. For the details people search for most, such as how many questions, how long and what happens if you fail, read the PAL test format guide.

The written test draws on the official course topics. In our question bank, we weight them roughly the way the course does:

Topic	Why it matters on the test
Evolution of firearms, parts and classes	Definitions and class rules come up often
Basic firearm safety (ACTS and PROVE)	The foundation for both the written and practical tests
Ammunition	Calibre, gauge, matching ammunition to the firearm, misfires and hangfires
Operating actions	Bolt, lever, pump, break and semi-automatic
Safe handling and carry	Carries, fences, vehicles, boats and hunting groups
Firing techniques and care	Positions, sighting, cleaning and inspection
Social and legal responsibilities	Licences, transfers, lending and Criminal Code offences
Storage, display and transport	Usually the highest-scoring and most-missed section

The practical test

The practical is a hands-on handling test with no live fire. You use training firearms and dummy ammunition. Expect to identify action types and safeties, load and unload several common actions, PROVE each firearm, pass a firearm safely (open and unloaded), show safe carries and apply a secure locking device. The rule the examiner watches most closely is muzzle direction. One careless sweep can fail you.

Our PAL practical test guide gives a step-by-step checklist, and ACTS and PROVE explained breaks down the two safety sequences you repeat every time you pick up a firearm. The free study note on ACTS and PROVE is a good one to reread the night before.

Exam tip: Practise saying ACTS and PROVE out loud while you work an action. Examiners want to see the habit, and narrating it keeps you from skipping a step when you are nervous.

Is the PAL test hard?

Most people who study pass. The written test is not tricky, but the 80% mark means you can afford to miss only about one question in five. Storage and transport questions often hinge on one word, such as "locked", "opaque" or "attended". The practical trips people up through nerves, not knowledge. Our page on whether the PAL test is hard lists the common mistakes and gives a seven-day plan.

The CRFSC test: the RPAL exam

The CRFSC follows the same model as the CFSC: classroom instruction, then a written test and a practical test, with 80% required on each. The question count and time are not published nationally. Our RPAL mocks use 50 questions in 60 minutes at 80%, and the RPAL practice test page explains what is different.

The eight CRFSC topics repeat some CFSC material but focus on handguns and the restricted class:

1. Evolution of firearms, with handguns and the restricted and prohibited classes
2. Basic safety practices (ACTS and PROVE)
3. Ammunition, including handgun calibres and prohibited ammunition
4. Operating handgun actions: revolvers, semi-automatic pistols, triggers and safeties
5. Handgun firing techniques and range rules
6. Care of restricted firearms
7. Owner responsibilities: the RPAL, registration, transfers and the ATT
8. Storage, display, transport and handling of restricted firearms

On the practical, expect to find cylinder releases, slide stops and safeties, unload a pistol with the magazine out first, check every chamber of a revolver, and keep the muzzle safe even when setting the handgun down.

Course length is set provincially. In Ontario, FSESO lists at least six hours for the CRFSC, or four when taken back to back with the CFSC. The free CRFSC exam guide summarizes the rules.

Test formats at a glance

Here is how the two firearms tests compare, and how our practice mirrors them. Official figures are marked; where nothing is published nationally, we say so.

	CFSC (PAL)	CRFSC (RPAL)
Written questions	Not published by the RCMP; about 50 is common	Not published nationally
Pass mark	80% written and 80% practical (CFO delivery agents)	80% written and 80% practical
Time limit	Set by the instructor	Set by the instructor
Practical	Load, unload and PROVE long-gun actions with dummy rounds	Same for revolvers and semi-automatic pistols
Minimum age	12	18
Challenge test	Not available to new applicants	Not available to new applicants
Our mock format	50 questions, 60 minutes, 40 to pass	50 questions, 60 minutes, 40 to pass
Our question bank	1,478 questions	1,863 questions
Free on our site	20-question diagnostic, full mock 1, quick practice	20-question diagnostic, full mock 1, quick practice

The legal basis is the Firearms Act, which makes passing the CFSC tests a condition for a non-restricted licence (s.7(1)) and the CRFSC tests a condition for restricted privileges (s.7(2)). The RCMP's safety courses page lists the official topics.

What it costs to get a PAL or RPAL

Budget for three things: the course, the licence application and any retest.

Cost	Typical amount (as of October 2026)	Source
CFSC course	About $210 in Ontario (FSESO); other provinces vary	FSESO, instructors
CRFSC course	About $170 in Ontario	FSESO
CFSC and CRFSC together	About $380 in Ontario	FSESO
PAL application	$70.38	RCMP
PAL with restricted privileges	$93.84	RCMP
Upgrade a PAL to restricted	$46.92	RCMP
Retest	Set provincially; often one retest, then the course again	Instructors

Course prices usually exclude tax and sometimes the handbook. Ask what is included before you book: the handbook, both tests and the course report form. A failed retest often means paying for the whole course again, which is the strongest reason to arrive prepared.

Storage, transport and the law: the rules cluster

The legal sections cause more lost marks than anything else, and they matter long after the exam. The rules come from the Storage, Display, Transportation and Handling of Firearms by Individuals Regulations, SOR/98-209. We have four guides that turn them into plain English:

• Firearm storage rules in Canada: non-restricted, restricted and prohibited storage, with the exceptions for predator control and remote wilderness.
• Ammunition storage in Canada: when ammunition must be locked up and how it relates to the firearm.
• Transporting firearms in Canada: unattended vehicles, locked trunks, opaque containers and when you need an ATT.
• Firearm classes in Canada: what makes a firearm non-restricted, restricted or prohibited.

A quick summary of the storage rules, because they appear on almost every mock we write:

Class	Storage in short
Non-restricted	Unloaded, plus a secure locking device, or the bolt removed, or a locked container or room that cannot easily be broken into; ammunition not readily accessible unless locked up
Restricted	Unloaded, plus a locking device and a locked container or room, or a vault, safe or room built for the purpose
Prohibited	As restricted, with extra rules for automatics

Exam tip: When a storage question offers two answers that look almost the same, find the single word that differs. "Locked" versus "closed" and "opaque" versus "any" are where marks are won and lost.

How to study for the PAL and RPAL tests

The best preparation combines three things: the course handbook, honest self-testing and hands-on practice with an instructor. Our tools cover the self-testing part.

1. Find out where you stand

Start with the free 20-question PAL diagnostic. It takes about 15 minutes and shows your score by topic. RPAL candidates can also take the RPAL diagnostic. Do this before you read anything, so you know which topics to spend time on.

2. Learn the rules, not just the answers

Each question in our bank comes with an explanation of the right answer and of why the wrong ones are wrong, and it cites the law or manual section the rule comes from. That matters because the real test words questions differently from any practice site. If you know why a rule exists, a reworded question does not throw you. Read the free CFSC exam guide, then the notes for your weak topics. The storage, display and transport note is the one most people need.

3. Drill your weak topics

Practice by topic lets you repeat one section until you get it right every time. For example, storage and transport drills or legal responsibilities. Topic practice is part of Pro; the free 25-question quick practice mixes all topics.

4. Sit a full mock under time pressure

Take the free PAL mock exam 1 in one sitting with the timer on. If you are doing the RPAL too, take RPAL mock 1. Aim for 90% before your course, which gives you a buffer above the 80% pass mark for nerves and unfamiliar wording.

5. Practise handling with a real instructor

No website or app can teach your hands. The practical test checks physical habits: muzzle direction, opening the action, checking the chamber. Use the course time well and ask the instructor to watch you unload each action type.

For a large set of questions grouped by topic, see PAL test questions and answers. It includes a printable version of the free questions at /print/pal, which you can print or save as a PDF.

What Pro adds for firearms candidates

Everything above can be done for free: the diagnostic, mock 1, quick practice and the free study guides. If you want more, Pro adds mocks 2 to 10, practice by topic and every study note for all nine tests on the site, which is useful if you are also taking hunter education. Plans start at CA$7.99 per week and you can cancel anytime. There is no pass guarantee: the practice helps you prepare, and passing is up to you and your instructor.

Your study plan

If your course is a week or two away, this plan works for most people.

1. Today: take the free PAL diagnostic (and the RPAL diagnostic if you are doing both).
2. Days 1 to 3: read the ACTS and PROVE guide and the storage rules, then redo every question you missed.
3. Days 4 to 5: study transport and firearm classes; do topic drills on anything under 80%.
4. Day 6: sit the free PAL mock exam with the timer on.
5. Day 7: review every wrong answer, reread the PAL practical test checklist, and get a good night's sleep before the course.

After you pass, go straight to how to get a PAL for the application steps.