Parents and educators in Ontario would agree that EQAO play a huge role in the province's public education system, especially in terms of facilitating assessments across different grades and subjects to evaluate students' literacy and numeracy levels. 1
For students, excelling in your EQAO assessments is not an impossible task if you have the right study plan. You'll need to know which type of assessment you'll take and focus on the right practice questions and consistently review your progress before the actual digital test.
Identify the EQAO Assessment You Will Take
Before coming up with EQAO practice plan, students have to know what type of assessment you are taking depending on their grade, and each has its own purpose, subject focus, question types and timing.
Primary/Junior assessments for Grade 3 & Grade 6
- Focus:
Reading, writing, and mathematics - Format:
Grade-specific online tasks and question formats
Grade 9 Assessment
of Mathematics
- Focus:
Number, Algebra, Data, Geometry and Measurement, Financial Literacy - Format:
Online questions on calculation, reasoning, interpretation and problem solving
Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test
- Focus:
Reading and writing across subjects - Format:
Selected-response questions plus open-response writing tasks
Confirm Your Grade, Subject and Test Window
Consult with your educator and school about the essential information of the EQAO assessment that you are taking, especially in terms of the test period based on your school year. 2
| Assessment | What it measures | Published 2026–2027 window |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 3 EQAO | Reading, writing and mathematics | May 4–June 8, 2027 |
| Grade 6 EQAO | Reading, writing and mathematics | May 4–June 8, 2027 |
| Grade 9 EQAO | Mathematics | January 12–February 5, 2027 |
| OSSLT | Secondary-school reading and writing | November 3–30, 2026 |
Use the Format to Set Your Study Priorities
Once you have identified the assessment you are taking, be sure to confirm the exact exam format. This matters because every assessment is different. For example, the OSSLT is computer-based and has two sessions, while the Grade 9 math assessment covers five curriculum strands and provides a formula sheet.
Let's say you are preparing for your EQAO Grade 9 mathematics assessment. You can practice with questions that are aligned with the Knowledge and Understanding, Application, and Thinking categories on paper first before switching to digital answering and familiarise yourself with all the formulas that are listed in the formula sheet.
Build a Weekly Study Routine You Can Maintain
Every student would agree that creating a study routine is one thing, while learning to remain consistent with it is another.
Instead of being too ambitious and trying to cram everything in one whole week, it's best to break your study routine into smaller, weekly sessions about 20 to 40 minutes, three to five times per week with specific learning goals.
Week 1
Complete a short official sample or representative set of questions.
Goal: Identify the topics you understand and the ones you are weak at.
Week 2
Dedicate some time to work on your weaker topics.
Goal: Review your weaker topics through practice exercises.
Week 3
Combine a mixture of questions and start to build your momentum.
Goal: Build familiarity and confidence through consistent pacing.
Week 4
Start practicing under realistic conditions (timed test) with an actual sample test question module or maybe past year questions.
Goal: Prepare well for the final review before the actual test, instead of learning new topics.
Start With a Baseline Attempt
When you begin with the first practice questions in your first week, treat it as a baseline attempt to know which topics you are confident and competent in.
Choose a representative set of questions from the official EQAO materials.
Attempt them independently before consulting solutions or asking for help.
Record both the result and the reason behind each difficulty.
The results should not be a full judgment of your ability, but something that you review to improve in every topic that you're tested in.
Give Weak Skills the Largest Share of Time
It can be tempting to only practice with questions that you are familiar with and confident in. We highly recommend that you spend more of your revision time working on your weaker topics.
A useful starting allocation is to spend roughly 60% of your practice time on weak skills, 30% on mixed application and 10% on maintaining strengths.
Imagine that you have five 25-minute sessions in one week. You could use three sessions to strengthen difficult topics, one for mixed questions, and one to revisit familiar skills and check your progress (in terms of your skill and knowledge gaps).
How to Study for EQAO Grade 9 Math Perspective
Let's switch gears to the EQAO Grade 9 mathematics assessment. It is an online assessment that uses a multi-stage computer adaptive testing model, consisting of 50 operational questions and 4 field tests. 3
Here are the main skills tested and the practical ways to cultivate them.
| Skill type | What it looks like | Targeted practice habit |
|---|---|---|
| Number and operations | Fractions, integers, percentages, rates, exponents | Explain why an operation fits the situation before calculating |
| Algebra | Linear relations, equations, patterns, expressions | Practise translating words into equations and checking solutions in context |
| Data | Graphs, tables, measures of central tendency, conclusions | Describe what a graph shows, identify misleading interpretations, and justify a conclusion |
| Geometry and measurement | Perimeter, area, volume, surface area, Pythagorean relationship | Label diagrams, write units, and choose the correct formula from the sheet |
| Financial literacy | Budgets, income, taxes, interest, comparisons | Estimate first, then calculate; check whether the answer is reasonable in a real-life context |
Practise Choosing a Strategy Before Calculating
Sometimes, students often jump straight into the mechanics of calculation without really understanding the why behind the answers. Instead of blindly memorising a sequence of steps, students should aim to identify the operation, representation or relationship that's presented in the question.
Here's some way to start:
Step 1
Identify what the question asks you to find.
Step 2
Recognize the given information and the missing ones.
Step 3
Decide which representation is needed for the question, whether it's a table, equation, diagram, graph, or proportion.
Step 4
Decide which operation or relationship connects the known and unknown values.
Step 5
List the calculations to get to the final answer.
Write Enough Reasoning to Check Your Work
Don't be shy to include all your calculation workings from the very start until your final answer.
Each step of the working demonstrates your mathematical reasoning and helps you to double-check the following: where an error occurred and whether your method matches the problem.
For example, if a question asks for the area of a triangle with base 10 cm and height 6 cm, write out the full formula which shows the relationship of the features of the triangle:
This is faster to check than a mental calculation, and it makes it easier to spot whether you used the correct base, height, or units.
Rehearse the Digital Testing Experience Perspective
Since most of the EQAO require digital facilitation, students need to familiarise themselves with the online platform, especially for the navigation, tools, question formats, or how to return to a skipped item.
Practise Reading Slowly on Screen
While it's almost second nature to skim through the text on the screen, we highly encourage students to read the prompt carefully and slowly to understand the actual question requirement before jumping straight to calculations.
A shop sells notebooks for $3 each. A customer has $20 and wants to buy as many notebooks as possible. How much money will remain?
A student who reads only the numbers may calculate 20 ÷3 and give a decimal answer.
A careful reader recognises that the question asks for a whole number of notebooks and the remaining money.
Final answer: The customer can buy six notebooks (because 6x3 =18) and will have $2 left ($20-$18).
Learn When to Move On and Return
It's normal to encounter difficult questions during the assessment. The key is to skip the question temporarily and not be too fixated on one question and feeling like you have failed entirely.
You can always come back to the question with a new perspective without the pressure of having not enough time to complete the entire test.
Use the EQAO Formula Sheet With Purpose
The EQAO mathematics assessments provide a formula sheet in the Documents feature (built into the E-assessment system) for both Grade 6 mathematics and Grade 9 mathematics. 4
Having said that, access to formulas is not the same as knowing mathematics, because the real challenge is recognizing which relationship fits the problem.
Grade 6 geometric shape formulas
- Rectangle
- Parallelogram
- Triangle
- Trapezoid
- Rhombus
- Kite
Grade 9 geometric shape formulas
- Circle
- Parallelogram
- Rectangle
- Trapezoid
- Triangle, Right triangle
- Right triangle
- Cone, Cube, Cylinder
- Rectangle-based prism, Triangle-based prism
- Square-based pyramid
Link Each Formula to Its Meaning
It is important to make sense of each variable's meaning and units first in the question before you decide on the right formula, since blind substitution produces answers that look calculated but make no sense.
The key to using the right formula is to not just see a formula as letters, but understand what each symbol represents in the real problem.
For example:
= area, or the space inside the triangle
= base, a side length of the triangle
= height, the perpendicular distance from the base to the opposite vertex
So if a question describes “a triangular garden with a base of 8 m and a height of 5 m,”
you connect the symbols to the situation:
Garden shape → triangle → use
8 m →
5 m →
Answer → area in square metres
Rehearse Finding Formulas Quickly
Additionally, you should develop an effective routine for locating formulas under time pressure. Familiarise yourself with the formulas themselves and their positions on the formula sheet to navigate it smoothly while answering questions digitally.
Turn Every Mistake Into the Next Study
Before diving deeper into repeated practice exercises, it is better to identify recurring patterns in your mistakes so that you can develop effective strategies to address them and minimize similar errors in the future.
| Mistake pattern | Likely cause | Best corrective action |
|---|---|---|
| Misread the question | Rushing or missing qualifiers | Reread the final sentence; underline key words; practise restating the task |
| Chose the wrong operation | Did not identify the relationship | Practise sorting problems by strategy before solving them |
| Calculation error | Arithmetic or transcription slip | Redo the calculation in organised steps; estimate first |
| Used the wrong formula | Did not understand the measurement context | Match formulas to diagrams and units; practise identifying base, height, radius, etc. |
| Left an open-response answer too brief | Did not know what evidence to include | Practise writing a claim, reason, calculation or evidence, and conclusion |
| Ran out of time | Spent too long on early questions | Use timed mixed sets; practise the “move on and return” rule |
| Blank answer | Did not know how to start | Practise writing the first step only: draw a diagram, define a variable, or identify known values |
Separate Knowledge Gaps From Rushing Errors
Be honest about the type of mistakes you make and the reasons behind those errors. Here are some examples:
- If you chose the wrong formula for the surface area of a cylinder, that is a knowledge or recognition gap.
- If you knew the formula but added instead of subtracted, that is a carelessness or checking issue.
- If you understood the math but did not answer every part of a multi-part prompt, that is a question-reading issue.
It's only when you know what type of mistakes were made that you'll know what to do. For instance, you can save more time instead of relearning a new concept when what you actually need is to be more careful when you are reading a question.
Retest the Same Skill in a New Context
After identifying your most common mistakes, remember to test what you have relearned or corrected in a different set of questions to see if there's improvement.
Here's a useful guideline to track your progress:
Step 1
Review the correct solution and method to solve the question.
Step 2
Explain the mathematical reasoning behind it to ensure you fully understand the hows and whys.
Step 3
Wait for one day and try out a different question with similar requirements (like the same geometry shape formula).
Step 4
Move on if the answer is correct, but revise the concept and solution again if the answer is wrong.
Learn how to interpret the EQAO math results.
Use a Test-Day Routine That Protects Your Work
Becoming calm and confident for your EQAO assessments is not an impossible task when you have a clear pre-test and in-test reset routine.
📍Confirm the practical details (venue, test time and permitted materials).
📍Arrive early to avoid rushing. Take a few deep breaths and remind yourself that you have already done several practice rounds.
📍Read, understand and answer while you check whether your final answer addresses the question prompt
📍Pause briefly and reset after a difficult question while maintaining the right pacing to complete the entire test.
Read the Whole Question Before Answering
The rule of thumb is to always carefully read and interpret the question correctly before answering. Sometimes, students often lose marks because they solve a different problem from the one being asked.
During the assessment, be sure to identify the action words and the quantity requested and check each part separately if the question has multiple sections.
Review for Omissions, Not Second-Guessing
Last but not least, use your remaining time to complete your unanswered questions and incomplete responses (if any). At the same time, check if you've included the right units and signs throughout your workings and final answers. Avoid changing a sound answer merely because you feel nervous.
We hope you've enjoyed reading this article and learning how to study for the EQAO assessments. All the best for your preparation!
References
- “About EQAO.” EQAO, https://www.eqao.com/about-eqao/. Accessed 14 Oct. 2026.
- “Assessments.” EQAO, https://www.eqao.com/the-assessments/. Accessed 14 Oct. 2026.
- Leveraging Multi-Stage Computer Adaptive Testing for Large-Scale Assessments. https://www.eqao.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/msCAT-literature-review.pdf. Accessed 14 Oct. 2026.
- Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO). Behind the Scenes of an EQAO Assessment: Resources for All Students. Assessment support resources, 2025, https://www.eqao.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/resources-for-all-students.pdf. Accessed 15 Oct. 2026.
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