The oil sands industry is moving away from tumbler conditioning at 80degrees C to pipeline conditioning, often at significantly lower temperatures. This lower temperature conditioning can be less efficient, requiring longer conditioning times. Control of conditioning time in a pipeline is difficult and inadequate conditioning can result in either lower recoveries or higher from densities, depending upon the operating conditions. A bench scale test was developed at CANMET to simulate the nonchemical conditioning environment found in a stirred tank or in a pipeline. A small scale extraction test has been used at CANMET to investigate the relationship between the efficiency of oil sands conditioning and various process variables. A shift from relatively high temperature tumbler conditioning to pipeline or hydrotransport conditioning requires a slightly different approach to batch extraction testing. The CANMET test protocol has been compared to pipeline and stirred tank conditioning at a pilot scale and has been used to investigate the effect of several process variables in oil sands extraction. This technology brief discusses the preliminary findings and a potential link to operating experience.