Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Testing became a requirement in 2010. If your licence expired before 2010 and you have not yet written a security guard and/or private investigator test, then you will be required to write one before you renew your licence. Please see the ServiceOntario website for details on renewals.

Should you hold a licence from another province, please contact ServiceOntario.

Please contact ServiceOntario.

Please contact us with a description of your request, your full name, date of birth, and your training completion number.

Your Ontario training completion number is your ID code for your test and will be used by ServiceOntario and the Ministry of Solicitor General (SolGen). Your training completion number can be found on your appointment confirmation and reminder emails. If you are having trouble locating this number, please contact us with your full name and date of birth and a description of your issue.

Once you have completed your training, your training provider will upload your information to the private security and investigative services database. The system will generate a training completion number for you and send it to you in an email.

The training completion number does not expire and may be used to book a security guard and/or private investigator test at any time.

If you do not have a valid First Aid/Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) certificate, your training is deemed incomplete and you may not schedule a test. Only individuals who have completed the full training program and have a full Emergency First Aid/CPR certificate are eligible to schedule a test. Interim first aid certificates will not be accepted.

First aid training for all new applicants must be delivered and attended in-person for no less than 6.5 hours. This training must be provided by an instructor certified by St. John Ambulance, or a first aid trainer approved by the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB).

Test candidates are required to schedule and pay for their private security test in advance.

Your prepaid test fee shows your commitment to follow-through on your appointment, reserves your seat, and ensures that the test centre has enough invigilators available and ready to administer and mark your test according to ministry standards.

All materials required to take the test will be provided to you. No aids are permitted while taking the test. The guidelines for taking the test are fully explained in on the Test Day Instructions page.

Please select the Test Day Instructions and Candidate Protocol pages on our website for information regarding what to expect on the day of your test.

Yes. You must book another test appointment and then rewrite the whole test, not just the parts that you missed last time. There is no specific wait time requirement between test appointments but, bookings must be made by 3:00pm on the day before the test.

No. A separate licensing application fee must be paid to ServiceOntario.

The licensing tests for security guards and private investigators are different. Someone wishing to obtain a "dual" licence will be required to successfully complete both tests, during different test sessions. For licensing requirements, please review the list of services on ServiceOntario.

• Desktop or laptop computer with reliable high-speed internet connection.
• No tablets or cell phones for testing and/or video/microphone.
• Webcam compatible and ability to show entire room (built-in or external)
• Microphone and speakers (no headphones, no headsets, no earbuds, no cell phones)
• Online Testing requires you to download and install online exam browser prior to exam date.
  
  
  • For windows users: click here to download the online exam browser.
  • For macOS users: click here to download the online exam browser.
  • Note – The online exam browser requires you to have appropriate permissions to install software on your computer.
  
  
• Must be ready to provide approved ID at sign-in to exam.
• Willingness to see and be seen by invigilator and other candidates in exam.
• You affirm that you will undertake the exam in an honest fashion, will abide by requirements prohibiting unauthorized assistance, unpermitted aids or resources, and will not attempt to subvert or circumvent examination integrity security measures.
• You understand that there is no tolerance of dishonesty, and that cheating can and will lead to automatic ejection from the exam and consumption of your test fee.

No. During the check in process, a full 360-degree room check is required. Exams must be written in a quiet room with no other persons, visual aids or secondary audio devices nearby and must minimize distractions for fellow candidates. A public setting will not meet the requirements of the exam.

• You will be greeted by an Invigilator.
• The Invigilator will complete an ID verification. You must present valid government issued photo ID.
• The Invigilator will complete a full 360-degree room check. Any learning aids, second monitors, other persons will not be permitted in the room and may result in disqualification of your exam.

It is the responsibility of the candidate to ensure they meet all requirements of the online test prior to payment. On exam day, if the requirements are not met, no refund will be provided. We strongly encourage an in-person booking if a candidate does not have the equipment required for an online test.

Download the SGT Online Testing Browser troubleshooting FAQ (PDF) to address common issues users may encounter while using the SGT Online Testing Browser on Windows and Mac operating systems.

An email will be sent to you when your results are available. If you do not have either of these numbers, please contact us with your full name and date of birth, requesting this information.

You may have already viewed and then removed the test results from the website. If you suspect this is the case, please contact us with your full name and date of birth to request your result.

Alternatively, the training completion number (TCN) or appointment confirmation number you are entering may be incorrect. Try copying the number from the email and then pasting it into the field. Or, check that you are not confusing an alphabetical O with the numerical 0. If you are still having trouble, please contact us with a description of your issue, your full name, and date of birth.

No, unfortunately not. While we understand this would be a helpful study tool, to preserve the integrity and security of the test questions, we do not provide individualized feedback on marked tests. Private investigators and security guards are expected to possess a broad understanding of the curriculum and have the ability to apply such knowledge to real-life situations.

You must apply for or renew your licence through ServiceOntario. You can find more information on the licensing process and find the licence application documents on the ServiceOntario website.

No, not directly. We do not release test results to parents, employers, or prospective employers. Only the candidate can share (or give the consent to access) security guard or private investigator test results or the Ontario testing completion number that, along with the candidate's date of birth can be used to access results. Some candidates without computer access, for example, can ask their chosen ministry-identified training provider to assist with booking tests and downloading results.