In Nova Scotia my air brake endorsement test was about 40 minutes long, very straitforward and didn't include any practical, on the vehicle, work. I have heard that Ontario and some other places require you to do a manual slack adjustment. Since my rig had automatic adjusters I didn't feel not doing the physical test was a problem.
I didn't have a course, just downloaded the NS manual and studied it. Got the questions right, so I don't think you really need a course.