Every province in Canada requires first-time hunters to complete hunter education before they can buy a hunting licence. The idea is the same everywhere: learn the safety rules, ethics, wildlife identification and local law, pass an exam, and get your certificate on file. The details are provincial. This hub covers the three hunter education exams we help with: Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia (CORE).
For each one you will find who runs the course, what the exam looks like, what it costs, how the certificate turns into a licence, and how the firearms licence fits in. Canada Licence Prep is an independent study aid. We do not run hunter education courses or issue certificates; the provincial programs do. What we offer is exam practice in each province's format, with explanations for every answer.
Hunter education in Canada: how it works
The path from beginner to licensed hunter usually looks like this:
- Take your province's hunter education course, online or in person.
- Pass the hunter education exam. In BC this includes a practical firearms handling exam.
- Get your certificate on file with the provincial licensing system.
- Get a licensing identity: an Outdoors Card in Ontario, a WiN in Alberta, or a Fish and Wildlife ID in BC.
- Buy your licences and tags for the species and seasons you want to hunt.
- Get federal firearms licensing if you will hunt with a gun. Hunter education does not replace the PAL.
That last step catches many people. Hunter education is provincial and covers hunting. The PAL is federal and covers owning and using firearms. You usually need both to hunt with a rifle or shotgun. Our firearms hub and free PAL practice test cover the federal side, and many instructors offer the CFSC and hunter education as a combined course.
Key fact: In Ontario, hunter education alone lets you hunt with a bow. To hunt with a gun you also need the Canadian Firearms Safety Course and must carry a PAL, a minor's licence or a CFSC student report.
Compare the three hunter education exams
| Ontario | Alberta | British Columbia | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Program | Ontario Hunter Education Program (OHEP), with OFAH | Conservation and Hunter Education, run by AHEIA | CORE, run by the BC Wildlife Federation |
| Course options | In person with an instructor, or online through HUNTERcourse.com | Online, or classroom at AHEIA centres and with certified instructors | In-person course, self-study with the CORE Manual, or BCWF online course |
| Written exam | In person: count and pass mark not published. Online: 80% pass | 100 questions, 90 minutes, 80% (online final) | 90 multiple choice, at least 68 correct (about 75.6%) |
| Practical exam | None separate | None separate | Handle 2 of 5 actions, 23 of 30 to pass (CFSC report form exempts you) |
| Course or exam fees | Online $60 + tax; in-person set by instructors (about $100 to $195) | Online $70, or $99.95 with printed manual; rewrite $25 | $30 per written attempt, $30 per practical attempt, $30 graduation fee |
| Minimum age | No minimum for the course; accreditation needed to buy licences from 12 | 10 to hunt under a licence | Residents 10 and older |
| Our practice page | Ontario practice exam | Alberta practice test | BC CORE practice test |
All figures are from our verified study notes and the official program sites, as of October 2026. Course fees are set by providers and instructors and change, so check before you pay.
Ontario hunter education exam
The Ontario Hunter Education Program is run by the Ministry of Natural Resources and administered with the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters (OFAH). The ministry's hunter education page and ohep.net are the official sources.
Course and exam options
You can take the course in person with a certified instructor, often combined with the CFSC, or online through the delegated provider. The online course costs $60 plus tax and has 13 chapters with chapter quizzes and a final exam. You need 80% to pass, retakes are allowed, and you must finish within 90 days of paying.
The in-person exam is written at the end of the course. The ministry does not publish its question count or pass mark, so ask your instructor. Our Ontario mocks use 50 questions at 80% as a realistic standard, which matches the online course.
What the Ontario exam covers
The official course topics are wildlife management, hunter responsibilities, hunting laws and regulations, hunting safety and equipment, hunting techniques and wildlife identification. Ontario-specific rules come up often: hunter orange requirements during gun seasons for deer, elk and moose, legal hunting hours, loaded firearms in vehicles and party hunting. The free Ontario hunting regulations note covers these.
After you pass in Ontario
You receive a certificate of completion. Your hunter accreditation then has to be put on file with the Fish and Wildlife Licensing Service, for example by taking the printed certificate to a participating ServiceOntario location. Next you buy an Outdoors Card ($8.57, valid three calendar years) and your licences and tags. Residents 16 and older (15 with parental consent) can hold their own licences. The Hunter Apprenticeship Safety Program lets 12 to 14 year olds hunt with a mentor.
Full steps are on how to get a hunting licence in Ontario, and the free Ontario exam guide summarizes the course.
Alberta hunter education exam
Alberta's course is run by the Alberta Hunter Education Instructors' Association (AHEIA). It is required for first-time hunters who have never held a licence in Alberta or elsewhere.
Alberta exam format
The online course costs $70, or $99.95 with a printed manual. Its final exam has 100 questions drawn from all 12 modules, a 90-minute limit and an 80% pass mark. A rewrite costs $25 and must be approved by an AHEIA administrator. See AHEIA online training for current details. Classroom courses run at AHEIA centres in Calgary and Edmonton and with certified instructors.
The 12 modules are: role of the hunter, hunting ethics, wildlife management and conservation, wildlife identification, clothing and equipment, firearms, bow hunting, survival, field techniques, first aid, hypothermia and legal responsibilities.
Exam tip: 100 questions in 90 minutes is about 54 seconds per question. Answer quickly, flag anything you are unsure of, and come back to it. Our Alberta mocks use the same 100-question, 90-minute format so the pace feels normal by exam day.
After you pass in Alberta
You get a Wildlife Identification Number (WiN), which costs $10 plus GST once and never expires, from My Wild Alberta. You add your hunter education certificate number to your WiN profile, then buy a wildlife certificate and the licences and tags you need. To hunt with a firearm you also need federal firearms licensing. Note that CFSC delivery in Alberta moved from AHEIA to a new agent on 1 September 2026; the RCMP's instructor finder lists the current options.
Full steps are on how to get a hunting licence in Alberta.
BC CORE hunter education exam
BC's program is Conservation and Outdoor Recreation Education (CORE), operated by the BC Wildlife Federation for the province. The official page is bcwf.bc.ca/core.
BC CORE exam format
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Written exam | 90 multiple-choice questions; at least 68 correct to pass (about 75.6%) |
| Practical exam | Safely handle 2 of 5 firearm action types with dummy ammunition; 23 of 30 to pass |
| Practical exemption | Bring a completed CFSC report form (a PAL card is not accepted) |
| Fees | $30 per written attempt and $30 per practical attempt, paid to the examiner, plus a $30 BCWF graduation fee |
| Retakes | A failed exam must be retaken on a different day |
| Study time | About 21 hours of self-study and handling practice |
These figures come from our notes checked in September 2026. Some older third-party sources quote 75 questions with 56 to pass. The BCWF site blocked our automated recheck in October, so confirm the current format with your examiner.
The written exam covers eight subjects: conservation, ethics, law and regulations, first aid and survival, firearm safety, animal identification, bird identification, and Indigenous peoples and hunting in BC. Animal and bird identification are two whole subjects, so expect a lot of species questions.
After you pass BC CORE
Your examiner gives you a document of completion. You send it with the $30 fee to BCWF for your graduation certificate, then add the hunting credential to your free Fish and Wildlife ID (FWID). After that you can buy your hunting and species licences. BC-specific rules that come up on the exam include hunting hours (one hour before sunrise to one hour after sunset for game), the ban on loaded firearms in or on any vehicle, shotgun magazine plugs and the ban on full metal jacket bullets for hunting.
Full steps are on how to get a hunting licence in BC, and the free BC CORE exam guide has the details.
What every hunter education exam tests
Although each province has its own manual and law, the core subjects overlap. Our question banks share topics across the three provinces, with separate regulation questions for each.
| Topic | What to expect |
|---|---|
| Hunter responsibility and ethics | Fair chase, landowner relations, respect for wildlife and other people |
| Conservation and wildlife management | Carrying capacity, habitat, the hunter's role in funding conservation |
| Wildlife identification | Big game, game birds, waterfowl and furbearers; telling similar species apart |
| Firearms and hunting safety | ACTS and PROVE, zones of fire, carries, tree stands, shot placement |
| Survival and first aid | Hypothermia, getting lost, navigation, basic first aid |
| Regulations | Licences, tags, hunting hours, hunter orange, loaded firearms, distances from buildings and roads |
Wildlife identification
Identification questions are where many candidates lose marks. Typical examples are telling a mule deer from a white-tailed deer, a hen from a drake, or one grouse species from another. Learn the field marks: tail shape, antler pattern, ear size, plumage. The wildlife identification note groups species the way exam questions do.
Firearms safety
Every hunter education exam has a firearms section, and much of it overlaps with the CFSC. If you know ACTS and PROVE, safe carries and zones of fire, you are well prepared. The hunting firearms safety note covers bows and tree stands as well.
Key fact: In BC, a completed CFSC report form exempts you from the CORE practical. In every province, studying for the CFSC and hunter education at the same time saves effort because the safety content overlaps.
Practice test formats on Canada Licence Prep
| Practice | Mock format | Question bank | Free on our site |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ontario hunter education | 50 questions, 60 minutes, 40 to pass | 817 | Diagnostic, mock 1, quick practice |
| Alberta hunter education | 100 questions, 90 minutes, 80 to pass | 811 | Diagnostic, mock 1, quick practice |
| BC CORE | 90 questions, 120 minutes, 68 to pass | 813 | Diagnostic, mock 1, quick practice |
Each question explains why the right answer is right and why the others are wrong, with a reference to the manual or regulation. Regulations change every season, so check your province's current hunting regulations summary before you hunt. The exam tests the rules; the field tests whether you remember them.
How to study for hunter education
Start with a diagnostic
Take the free 20-question diagnostic for your province: Ontario, Alberta or BC CORE. It shows which topics you already know. Hunters with experience often score well on safety and poorly on regulations, while beginners tend to struggle most with identification.
Study by topic
Read your course manual chapter by chapter and test yourself after each one. Our free quick practice mixes all topics. Pro adds practice by topic, for example Ontario wildlife identification or BC regulations, plus all the study notes.
Sit a full mock
Take the free mock 1 for your province under timed conditions: Ontario, Alberta, BC CORE. Review every miss. When you score 90% or better, you are ready.
Heading out by boat to reach your hunting spot? You will also need a Pleasure Craft Operator Card for any motorized boat. Our boating hub explains it, and that practice is free.
Your study plan
- Today: take the free diagnostic for your province.
- Week 1: read your course manual and the free exam guide for your province (Ontario, Alberta, BC); focus on regulations and identification.
- Week 2: review firearms safety with ACTS and PROVE; if you are taking the CFSC too, start the PAL diagnostic.
- Before the exam: sit the free full mock 1 for your province with the timer on and review every wrong answer.
- After you pass: follow the licensing guide for your province: Ontario, Alberta or BC.
Frequently asked questions
+Do I need a PAL to get a hunting licence?
Hunter education and the PAL are separate. You can pass hunter education and hunt with a bow without a PAL in Ontario, but to hunt with a gun you also need federal firearms licensing, such as a PAL, a minor's licence or, in Ontario, a CFSC student report. Many people take the CFSC and hunter education together.
+Can I do hunter education online?
Ontario's course is available online through a delegated provider, and Alberta's AHEIA offers an online course with an online final exam. In BC you can study online through BCWF, but the CORE written and practical exams are still taken in person with a certified examiner.
+How many questions are on the BC CORE exam?
Our verified notes, checked in September 2026, show 90 multiple-choice questions with at least 68 correct needed to pass. Some older sources quote 75 questions, so confirm the current format with your CORE examiner. There is also a practical firearms handling exam unless you bring a CFSC report form.
+What is the pass mark for Alberta hunter education?
The AHEIA online final exam has 100 questions, a 90-minute limit and an 80% pass mark. That means you can miss no more than 20 questions. A rewrite costs $25 and is approved by an AHEIA administrator.
+Is the hunter education exam hard?
It is a broad exam rather than a difficult one. The questions most people miss are wildlife identification, provincial regulations such as hunting hours and loaded-firearm rules, and firearm safety scenarios. Steady study over one to three weeks is enough for most candidates.
+How old do you have to be to take hunter education?
Ontario sets no minimum age for the course, though licences need accreditation from age 12. Alberta allows hunting from age 10 under a licence, with parental permission under 16. BC CORE is for residents 10 and older.
+Is hunter education from one province valid in another?
Many provinces recognize hunter education from other jurisdictions, but rules vary. BC accepts other provinces' and countries' hunter safety certificates, and Ontario may exempt new residents and non-residents with recognized training. Always check the licensing office of the province where you will hunt.
+How long does hunter education take?
Online courses set minimum times per chapter or module and usually take a few evenings to a couple of weekends. BCWF estimates about 21 hours of self-study and handling practice for CORE. In-person courses are often one or two full days.
Study offline on your phone too
The Canada Licence Prep app has the same questions with audio, French explanations and an ACTS & PROVE coach.
Keep reading
- Ontario Hunter Education Practice ExamFree Ontario Hunter Education practice exam: wildlife ID, regulations, ethics, firearm safety and survival questions, with explanations and a timed mock.
- Alberta Hunter Education Practice TestFree Alberta hunter education practice test with answers explained: wildlife ID, ethics, regulations, survival and firearms. Timed 100-question mock.
- BC CORE Practice TestFree BC CORE practice test for the hunter education written exam: a 90-question mock at 68 to pass, plus BC regulations, wildlife and bird ID questions.
- How to Get a Hunting Licence in OntarioHow to get a hunting license in Ontario: hunter education course and exam, Outdoors Card, licences and tags, the PAL for gun hunting, ages and costs.
- Free PAL Practice Test (CFSC)Free 50-question CFSC mock exam for the PAL test: 80% pass mark, timed like the real thing, scored instantly with explanations. Start with a diagnostic.