Checked 25 October 2026. The legal sources behind Questions 1 and 2 were read on the Alberta King's Printer and Justice Laws websites on 25 October 2026, and the course sources behind Questions 3 and 4 in the ABST participant manual (third edition) published on open.alberta.ca. Laws are amended; check the current version of a section before you rely on it.
These are four practice questions for the Alberta Basic Security Training (ABST) provincial exam, one from each of four of the seven course modules. Each has four options and one correct answer, and the answer below it explains the reason from the law or the part of the course it comes from. They are not exam questions: Security Programs’ examination process (January 2015) requires proctors to sign a confidentiality agreement so that the content of the exams does not become public. These questions are ProSyllabus’s own, and they are the four questions of our practice test’s free sample.
ProSyllabus is an independent study site. It is not part of the Government of Alberta or Security Programs, and nothing here is the official exam. Every rule on this page is quoted or summarised from the official pages listed at the foot of the page.
Exam facts: Government of Alberta, Security service worker licence (read 25 Oct 2026) and the ABST participant manual, third edition.
FreeTests: Module 1: The security industry and licensing · Module 2: The legal system and your authority · Module 3: Basic security procedures · Module 5: Documentation and evidence
ABST Practice Test: free sample
Answer 4 questions against the clock, like the real exam. You then see the right answer, the reason and your time on each. About 5 minutes · free · no sign-in.
4 questions to answer
Start nowabout 5 minThis one is free · no sign-in needed
Your result shows how long each question took you.
How to use these questions
Choose an answer before you open "Show the answer". The point is to find out what you would have picked in the exam room, not to recognise the right answer once you have seen it. Then read the reason. Much of the course turns on what the law lets a security guard do, and what it does not, and the reason is what lets you answer a differently worded question on the same rule.
| Question | Module | What it tests | Source of the answer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Module One: Introduction to the Security Industry | Reporting a criminal charge to the Registrar | Security Services and Investigators Regulation |
| 2 | Module Two: The Canadian Legal System and Security Professionals | What to do after an arrest without warrant | Criminal Code, section 494(3) |
| 3 | Module Three: Basic Security Procedures | Checking a dark room on foot patrol | The ABST course, Module Three |
| 4 | Module Five: Documentation and Evidence | Correcting a mistake in your notebook | The ABST course, Module Five |
Question 1: the security industry and licensing
Question 1 · Module 1: The security industry and licensing
Under the Security Services and Investigators Regulation, how soon must an individual licensee report to the Registrar, in writing, that they have been charged with an offence under the Criminal Code?
- (A) At the next licence renewal
- (B) Within 30 days
- (C) Within 24 hours
- (D) Within 7 days
Show the answer
Answer: (C) Within 24 hours. Section 3(1) of the Security Services and Investigators Regulation says an individual licensee who is arrested or charged with an offence under the Criminal Code, the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act or any other enactment of Canada must, within 24 hours, report the arrest or charge to the Registrar in writing. The 30-day window in section 3(3) is for a change in the information described in section 18(a) or (b) of the Act, such as a change of address.
An original ProSyllabus question written from Alberta and Canadian law and the topics of the ABST course. Not a question from the provincial exam.
Why it matters: the Act and its Regulation do not only govern how you get a licence. They also set duties that continue while you hold it, such as reporting certain changes to the Registrar within a fixed time.
Question 2: the legal system and your authority
Question 2 · Module 2: The legal system and your authority
A loss prevention worker arrests a shoplifter without a warrant under section 494 of the Criminal Code. What must the worker then do with the person?
- (A) Deliver the person to a peace officer forthwith
- (B) Hold the person until the store manager decides
- (C) Photograph the person and release them with a ban notice
- (D) Release the person once the goods are handed back
Show the answer
Answer: (A) Deliver the person to a peace officer forthwith. Section 494(3) of the Criminal Code says any one other than a peace officer who arrests a person without warrant shall forthwith deliver the person to a peace officer. A loss prevention worker who is not a peace officer must therefore hand the arrested person to a peace officer forthwith, and the ABST course says any arrest under section 494 requires this.
An original ProSyllabus question written from Alberta and Canadian law and the topics of the ABST course. Not a question from the provincial exam.
Why it matters: an arrest without warrant is the start of a process, not the end of one. Section 494(3) of the Criminal Code makes delivery to a peace officer a required step for anyone other than a peace officer who makes the arrest, and the ABST course tells you to hand the person over to the police as soon as possible.
Question 3: basic security procedures
Question 3 · Module 3: Basic security procedures
On a night foot patrol you come to a dark storage room you need to check. What does the ABST course say to do before you step in?
- (A) Step in quickly so anyone inside is surprised
- (B) Call out your name and role loudly
- (C) Wait at the door until the day shift arrives
- (D) Shine your light into the room first
Show the answer
Answer: (D) Shine your light into the room first. The ABST course says that in poor lighting you should shine your light into the room or space before entering so that you can see what is there, because it is easy for somebody to hide in the dark and take you by surprise. It also says to walk quietly at night rather than announce your presence.
An original ProSyllabus question written from Alberta and Canadian law and the topics of the ABST course. Not a question from the provincial exam.
Why it matters: the patrol advice in the course is about not walking into a space you have not checked. The question rewards the habit the course teaches, not a guess about what feels brave.
Question 4: documentation and evidence
Question 4 · Module 5: Documentation and evidence
You make a mistake in an entry in your duty notebook. What is the correct way to fix it?
- (A) Cover it with correction fluid and write over it
- (B) Tear out the page and rewrite the whole entry
- (C) Black it out completely with your pen so the error can no longer be read by anyone
- (D) Draw one line through it, initial it, then write the correct details
Show the answer
Answer: (D) Draw one line through it, initial it, then write the correct details. The ABST course says that if you make an error in a notebook entry you should draw a single line through the incorrect information, initial the change, then record the correct details. Your notebook may be used in an investigation or in court, so your notes must stay accurate, complete and uncompromised.
An original ProSyllabus question written from Alberta and Canadian law and the topics of the ABST course. Not a question from the provincial exam.
Why it matters: the ABST course says the notes you write may eventually be used in court, and that they must be accurate, complete and uncompromised. A correction that leaves the original readable and initialled keeps every change visible.
FreeTests: Module 1: The security industry and licensing · Module 2: The legal system and your authority · Module 3: Basic security procedures · Module 5: Documentation and evidence
ABST Practice Test: free sample
Answer 4 questions against the clock, like the real exam. You then see the right answer, the reason and your time on each. About 5 minutes · free · no sign-in.
4 questions to answer
Start nowabout 5 minThis one is free · no sign-in needed
Your result shows how long each question took you.
The seven modules, and what our practice test covers
The ABST participant manual is organised in seven modules. The Government of Alberta pages read for this guide do not say how many exam questions come from each, so the counts below describe the ProSyllabus practice test, not the provincial exam.
ProSyllabus practice test: 154 questions in three mocks of 50 and this 4-question sample, weighted roughly by the length of each module in the course manual. Our counts, not the weighting of the provincial exam.
| Fact | Provincial exam (Alberta) | ProSyllabus mock |
|---|---|---|
| Questions | Not stated in the Alberta pages read | 50 per mock, three mocks |
| Time | Not stated in the Alberta pages read | 60 minutes, our own practice pace |
| Pass mark | 80% | Your score is shown out of 50; a practice score is not an exam result and does not guarantee a pass |
| The questions | Security Programs issues the exams and marking keys to proctors, who sign a confidentiality agreement (January 2015 process) | Written by ProSyllabus from Alberta and Canadian law and the course topics |
| Answers explained | Not stated in the Alberta pages read; grade reviews are not given as study feedback (January 2015 process) | Every answer, naming the section or module it comes from |
Want the full practice test?
Your approved course comes first. If you also want timed practice, the ProSyllabus ABST practice test has three mocks of 50 questions with a 60-minute clock, your score by module, your time per question and the reason behind every answer. These four questions are the free part; the mocks are paid. Our own questions, not the exam’s, and not made or endorsed by the Government of Alberta. For the pass mark, rewrites and licence steps, see the ABST exam and licence guide.
FreeTests: Module 1: The security industry and licensing · Module 2: The legal system and your authority · Module 3: Basic security procedures · Module 5: Documentation and evidence
ABST Practice Test: free sample
Answer 4 questions against the clock, like the real exam. You then see the right answer, the reason and your time on each. About 5 minutes · free · no sign-in.
4 questions to answer
Start nowabout 5 minThis one is free · no sign-in needed
Your result shows how long each question took you.
Frequently asked questions
Are these real ABST exam questions?
No. They are ProSyllabus’s own questions, written from Alberta and Canadian law and the topics of the ABST course. Nothing here comes from the provincial exam, whose proctors are required to sign a confidentiality agreement under Security Programs’ January 2015 examination process.
How many questions are on the ABST exam?
The Government of Alberta pages read do not state the number of questions or the time limit. Our mocks use 50 questions in 60 minutes as a practice pace.
What do I need to score to pass?
Alberta says 80% or higher on the provincial final exam.
Where can I read the official course material?
The Government of Alberta publishes the Alberta basic security training participant manual (third edition) on open.alberta.ca. Your approved training provider teaches the course.
Will passing the ProSyllabus mocks mean I pass the exam?
No. A practice score is not an exam result and does not guarantee a pass. The questions are ours, not the Government of Alberta’s.
More in this series
Sources
- official — Government of Alberta: Security service worker licence (licence classes, eligibility, training, final exam, baton training, training licences, how to apply, fees)
- official — Security Programs: Security Services and Investigators Act, provincial examination process (Schedule A, January 2015)
- official — Government of Alberta: Alberta basic security training, participant manual, third edition (Open Government Licence - Alberta)
- official — Security Services and Investigators Act (Alberta King's Printer)
- official — Security Services and Investigators Regulation, Alta Reg 52/2010 (Alberta King's Printer)
- official — Criminal Code, section 494, arrest without warrant by any person (Justice Laws)
official = a document published by the conducting body. reported = a news or coaching site we could not check against an original. Where sources disagree this page says so rather than picking one.
