CPR Level A, B or C: which one do you need?
People speak of three levels; the Red Cross publishes two. What A and C actually cover, what to know about “Level B”, and the renewal detail that changes the arithmetic.
You are in front of a registration form, and you have to tick a level. You have read somewhere that there are three. The body certifying most of the courses offered here publishes two. Here is what is actually on offer, and how to choose.
What the Red Cross offers: A and C
Level C is not a different course from Level A: it is Level A, with children and babies added.
| Level A | Level C |
|---|---|
| Responding to an emergency, check-call-care, recovery position, choking in adults, assisting with medication, angina and heart attack, stroke, CPR and AED for adults, severe bleeding | All of Level A, plus choking in children and babies, and CPR and AED for children and babies |
| 4 h in class, or 2 h in class and 3 h online | 5 h in class, or 3 h in class and 3 h online |
In both cases, passing means demonstrating mastery of the skills, scoring 75 % on the written assessment and attending the whole course. The certificate obtained is valid for three years.
What about Level B?
It still circulates widely — including, until recently, on this page. Yet it is not in the Canadian Red Cross’s current CPR/AED program, which publishes only Levels A and C.
Worse: the description you read most often, “adult and child”, does not match what the Red Cross said about it. Its Level B dealt mainly with childhood injuries and illnesses, with resuscitation techniques for children and babies. Repeating “B = adult and child” was therefore wrong twice over: about the level existing, and about what it covered.
Hence the only rule that holds: the letter is not the point, the coverage is. If a provider offers you a “Level B”, simply ask what the course covers — adults? children? babies? The answer tells you everything the letter does not.
Your situation, and the level that goes with it
| Your situation | The level to aim for |
|---|---|
| Adults only around you | Level A |
| An infant or young child at home | Level C |
| Parent, grandparent, babysitter | Level C |
| Designated first aider at work | Not a question of letters |
| Childcare staff | Not a question of letters |
| Healthcare professional | Not a question of letters |
The last three rows deserve an explanation. In a regulated setting it is not the letter that decides but that setting’s own requirement: intermediate-level training under the CSA Z1210 standard for a workplace first aider, a course adapted to early childhood with a severe allergy module for childcare staff, and an SIR or SVR card for health staff. A “Level C” card replaces none of the three.
The expensive detail: Level A has no renewal
This is the least known thing on this page, and it changes an arithmetic.
The Red Cross offers a renewal format for Level C — shorter than the initial course. For Level A, it simply states: not available. In other words, choosing Level A to save an hour today means retaking the full course in three years, while Level C renews in a shortened format.
Over a three-year cycle, Level A can therefore cost more than Level C. It is an argument rarely made by whoever sells either. How renewal works is explained separately.
The AED is included
No need to look for a separate AED course: CPR courses include the use of the automated external defibrillator. The device analyses the heart rhythm and guides the rescuer out loud, step by step. The difficulty is not technical — it is daring to use it, and that is exactly what practice in the room settles.
Before you tick
Three habits are enough. Check what the course covers rather than the letter it carries. If your setting is regulated, start from its requirement, not from the level. And if you are hesitating between A and C with no particular constraint, consider the full cycle rather than the day: renewal tips the balance.
The contents, durations and terms above are those published by the Canadian Red Cross, current as of September 2026. Other certifying bodies may structure their levels differently — one more reason to look at the coverage.
See CPR/AED courses for the general public or browse the full catalogue.
Source: Canadian Red Cross — CPR/AED course description (Level A and C content, durations, passing criteria, validity and renewal).
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