The purpose of EQAO tests is to ensure that there is accountability between school boards and schools in the publicly funded system in Ontario. Educational accountability is important to three key stakeholders: taxpayers, elected officials, and teachers. By providing these yearly standardized tests, the Ministry of Education hopes to increase the quality of education in Ontario, while also using the tests to make plans for future improvement.

EQAO tests are intended to measure the students' ability to:
  • Make sense of what they read in different kinds of texts;
  • Express their thoughts in writing using appropriate grammar, spelling and punctuation and
  • Use appropriate math skills to solve problems
EQAO conducts province-wide tests annually. Students attending publicly funded elementary and secondary schools in Ontario are required to take the respective tests at their grade level:

  • Grade 3 (literacy and math tested at the end of the primary division);
  • Grade 6 (literacy and math tested at the end of the junior division);
  • Grade 9 (math tested in the first year of secondary school) and
  • Grade 10 (literacy tested as a graduation requirement, known as the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test).
For students with special education needs, some accommodations that are consistent with regular classroom assessment practices are permitted on the provincial tests. Special provisions may also be permitted for English language learners. In extenuating circumstances, the principal may exempt a student from writing the test if they are unable to complete part or all of the test, even with the appropriate accommodations.

The question on EQAO’s tests are developed by Ontario educators and linked directly to the learning expectations in The Ontario Curriculum.

Sample Math Questions
Sample Language Questions
Grade 3 - Mathematics