To work as a security guard in Manitoba you must hold a valid licence under the Private Investigators and Security Guards Act. That requires completing a mandatory 40-hour training program and passing the provincial licensing exam with 75% or higher. This guide covers the licence requirements, the exam structure, and the 10 topics the training program puts on the table.
Who needs a Manitoba security guard licence?
Anyone employed as a security guard in Manitoba must be licensed. The Private Investigators and Security Guards Act makes licensing a legal requirement before you can start working in the security sector. There are no exemptions for part-time or temporary positions.
Before you can apply, you must complete the 40-hour Manitoba Security Guard Training Program (MSGTP) delivered by a provider approved by Manitoba Justice, then pass the provincial licensing exam.
What is the pass mark for the Manitoba security guard exam?
The pass mark is 75% or higher. This is fixed by the Private Investigators and Security Guards Regulation (Regulation 164/2010), which requires a grade of 75% or higher on the examination established by the Registrar.
The exam is taken online through E-proctor and is a multiple-choice format. Manitoba Justice and the Registrar do not publish an official question count or time limit for the exam, so the only confirmed targets are the 75% pass mark and the online delivery method.
How many times can I take the exam?
You have three attempts. If you do not pass within those three sittings, you must go back and complete the full 40-hour training course again before you are eligible to sit the exam once more. There is a zero-tolerance policy for any breach of the exam conditions.
The exam fee is $30, paid directly to E-proctor when you schedule your sitting.
What topics does the exam cover?
The exam is grounded in the MSGTP Participant’s Manual published by Manitoba Justice. The manual is structured around 10 modules, and the exam draws from all of them:
- General duties and responsibilities: protecting people, property, and information; post orders; standard procedures.
- Professionalism: appearance, conduct, communication, managing difficult situations, discrimination, crowds, and dealing with media.
- You and the law: legal powers and limits, powers of arrest, use of force, search and seizure, trespassing, and licensing rules.
- Patrolling: purpose and preparation, effective and safe patrol techniques, powers of observation.
- Writing notes and reports: note-taking methods, the 24-hour clock, the phonetic alphabet, report writing, evidence, and testifying.
- Bomb threats: handling a bomb-threat call, using the bomb threat checklist, coordinating evacuation and search.
- Access control and alarm systems: controlling access, ID and key control, types of alarm systems and how to respond to them.
- Traffic control: authority to direct traffic, hand signals, safe positioning, and high-visibility equipment.
- Fire: the fire triangle, classes of fire, extinguisher types, and the PASS method.
- Working safely: rights and duties under the Workplace Safety and Health Act, WHMIS symbols, and Working Alone Plans.
Each module carries equal weight in the practice mock (6 questions per module, 60 questions total), so no single area is safely skippable.
What is the official source for the training material?
All content in the training program comes from the Manitoba Security Guard Training Program Participant’s Manual, published by Manitoba Justice and available at no cost from the Manitoba Justice website under the OpenMB Information and Data Use Licence.
The practice app below is built directly from this manual: every question cites the specific unit and passage it came from so you can trace each answer back to the source.
How do I prepare for the exam?
Because Manitoba does not publish a question count or weighting breakdown, the safest approach is to work through all 10 modules rather than guessing which topics matter most. Areas that commonly trip up candidates include the legal powers section (what a security guard can and cannot do under statute), the specifics of WHMIS symbols, the fire extinguisher classes, and the bomb threat checklist procedure.
The practice app below covers all 10 modules with 600+ practice questions and 400+ flashcards, each grounded in the Participant’s Manual with explanations. A timed mock exam uses the official 75% pass mark so you can gauge your readiness before the real sitting.