At the end of the Quebec school year, all Secondary IV students are required to write uniform examinations, one of which is the ministry mathematics exam. To do well, your child will need to be well prepared. Find out how you can help them get through exam season!
Your child will write the mathematics uniform examination that corresponds to the math option they took during that year:
- Cultural, Social, and Technical Option (CST)
- Technical and Scientific Option (TS)
- Science Option (SN)
The exam evaluates the competency Uses mathematical reasoning. It’s 3 hours long and consists of 16 questions:
- 6 multiple-choice questions
- 4 short-answer questions
- 6 situations involving application
The exam questions differ for each math option.
To help your child feel confident about the ministry math exam and study more effectively, remind them that they’ll be assessed on their ability do the following:
- Implement mathematical reasoning suited to the situation
- Use appropriate mathematical concepts and processes
- Organize the steps in an appropriate procedure
- Justify the steps in an appropriate procedure
- Formulate a conjecture suited to the situation
This year, the ministry exam is worth 50% of the evaluated competency.
During the compulsory mathematics examination, your child will be allowed to use the following materials:
- Memory aid (The memory aid must be handwritten on an 8½″ X 11″ sheet of paper (both sides permitted).)
- Calculator
- Ruler
- Set square
- Protractor
- Graph paper
The following items are not permitted during the examination:
- Computer
- Electronic tablet
- Electronic organizer
- Alphanumeric calculator
- Calculator with a memory or chip card
- Calculator with computer algebra software
Each concept sheet related to the chosen sequence provides a review of the following topics:
- Algebra
- Arithmetic
- Statistics
- Probability
- Geometry
- Etc.
For even more information about how you can help your child with exam preparation, visit our topic page on the matter.
By Secondary IV, your child will be somewhat used to writing math exams. Nonetheless, you may want to remind them of these crucial steps:
- Read each question at least twice
- Determine exactly what each question is asking
- Write out what you know
- Check your answers (go back over your calculations and reasoning)
- Etc.
You can also share these important tips:
- Show every step of your work
- Explain your reasoning
- Organize and apply mathematical concepts and processes
- Justify your answers using mathematical sentences
- Prove your hypotheses
- Etc.
Some kids experience memory blanks when they’re under stress. To help your child avoid freezing up at exam time, check out our article on overcoming test anxiety.
The uniform math exam is no exception to other exams: it requires effort and effective studying. To ensure your child is fully prepared and has a solid grasp of the concepts learned in class, you can encourage them to visit the following resources.
| Ressource | Description |
|---|---|
| Review Guides: SN, TS and CST | These review guides list all the content covered in the Secondary 4 math course. From this page, you can access a wide range of study guides to help your child review. |
| Crash Courses | Each interactive video is under 30 minutes and covers everything you need to know. You can review the basics, test your knowledge with quizzes, and tackle challenges to make sure you've mastered the essentials. |
For more information about the exam, please visit the government's website.
Rewriting: The Alloprof Parents’ team