The CAEC Test Outcomes Explained: A Guide for Instructors
What each test measures, how much each domain weighs, and where to spend your class time
· 11 min read
If you teach CAEC preparation, one official document should be on your desk: the CAEC Test Outcomes and Evaluation Plan by Subject. It is the closest thing the CAEC has to a public test blueprint. For each of the five tests, it lists the numbered outcomes, groups them into domains, and gives a weight range for each domain. For most tests it also says how the questions split across three levels of thinking.
The document is short and dense. This guide walks through it test by test in plain language. For each test you will find the domains and their weights exactly as the document gives them, the complexity bands, what that means for your teaching time, and the free CAEC Ready lessons that match each domain.
The five tests at a glance
The first page of the document sets out the structure of each test:
| Test | Questions | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Reading | 50 questions | 75 minutes |
| Writing | 1 persuasive writing task | 75 minutes |
| Math Part I: No Calculator (25%) | 12 questions | 30 minutes |
| Math Part II: Calculator (75%) | 30 questions | 90 minutes |
| Science | 35 questions | 90 minutes |
| Social Studies | 40 questions | 90 minutes |
The document gives Math as 42 questions in 120 minutes overall. Our test format overview covers the rest of the logistics.
How to read the weights and the complexity bands
Domain weights are ranges. A domain marked 30% - 40% will make up somewhere in that range of the test. The document does not say how many questions come from each domain on a given form, so treat the ranges as a guide to emphasis, not a question count.
Cognitive complexity describes the kind of thinking a question asks for. The document uses three bands:
- Low complexity (recall and reproduction): recognizing something already learned, such as a fact, definition, term, concept or principle, or carrying out a simple procedure.
- Moderate complexity (skills and concepts): applying one or more concepts and deciding how to approach a problem, how ideas relate, or what tools to use.
- High complexity (strategic thinking): interpretation, analysis, generalization, abstract reasoning, judgement, or connecting information and evidence in context.
On every test that has bands, moderate complexity is the largest. That is the single most useful fact in the document for planning: learners need far more practice applying skills to unfamiliar questions than memorizing facts.
Reading
| Domain | Weight |
|---|---|
| Content and context | 50% - 55% |
| Structure, elements, techniques | 25% - 30% |
| Grammar, syntax, and language conventions | 20% - 25% |
Reading is the only test that also sets a mix of text types:
| Text type | Weight |
|---|---|
| Literary text (excerpts from novels, poems, essays, dramas, short stories) | 20% - 40% |
| Informational text (news articles, editorials, maps, tables, infographics, emails, websites, workplace documents and more) | 60% - 80% |
| Cognitive complexity | Share of items |
|---|---|
| Low (recall and reproduction) | 20% - 30% |
| Moderate (skills and concepts) | 40% - 50% |
| High (strategic thinking) | 20% - 30% |
What it means for teaching
- Content and context is the largest domain. Its outcomes run from finding stated information (1.1) to synthesizing ideas from texts to draw conclusions (1.4). Build from the first to the last.
- Informational text has the larger range. If your reading materials are mostly short stories, add workplace documents, editorials, charts and websites.
- Reading's high-complexity band (20% - 30%) is the largest in the document. Make room for inference, author's purpose and evaluating arguments, not only literal recall.
- Grammar is tested here as well as in Writing. Outcome 3.1 asks learners to apply and analyze the usage and correctness of grammar and punctuation.
Free lessons by domain
Content and context: Locating Explicit Information, Vocabulary in Context, Main Idea and Supporting Details, Inference and Drawing Conclusions, Evaluating Arguments and Evidence
Structure, elements, techniques: Text Structure and Organization, Text Features in Informational and Visual Texts, Literary Devices: Purpose and Effect, Author's Purpose and Tone
Grammar, syntax, and language conventions: Grammar and Punctuation in Context, Syntax: Effect of Sentence Structures
More on the test itself: our CAEC Reading page and Reading test guide.
Writing
| Domain | Weight |
|---|---|
| Position and support | 33.3% |
| Voice and presentation | 33.3% |
| Conventions, mechanics and syntax | 33.3% |
The document does not give cognitive-complexity bands for Writing. The test is a single persuasive task, so the three domains describe what the response is judged on.
What it means for teaching
- The three domains carry equal weight. Grammar drills alone cover only one of them. A learner with clean sentences and no clear position is leaving the rest on the table.
- Position and support asks for a stance on the issue, persuasive arguments and evidence (outcomes 1.1 to 1.3). Practise taking a side quickly and backing it up.
- Voice and presentation covers audience, tone, diction and organizing the piece for persuasion (2.1 to 2.3). Short exercises that rewrite the same paragraph for different readers work well here.
- Conventions covers word choice, mechanics and control of sentence structure and flow (3.1 to 3.3).
Free lessons by domain
Position and support: Taking a Clear Position and Writing a Thesis, Building Persuasive Arguments, Supporting Arguments with Evidence
Voice and presentation: Audience Awareness and Appropriate Tone, Diction and Voice, Organizing the Persuasive Piece
Conventions, mechanics and syntax: Word Choice and Task-Appropriate Expressions, Grammar, Usage, and Subject-Verb Agreement, Spelling and Punctuation, Sentence Structure, Variety, and Flow
Skills across domains: Understanding the Writing Task, Summarizing and Paraphrasing the Source, Planning and Outlining Under Time, Revising and Editing Your Own Writing
More: our CAEC Writing page and Writing test tips.
Mathematics
Part I: No Calculator (25%)
Part I has no domain breakdown. The document describes it as computational fluency using strategies such as mental math and algorithms without a calculator, and lists four outcomes:
- 1.1 Operations with fractions and mixed numbers
- 1.2 Operations with decimals, percentages and integers
- 1.3 Linear equations of the form x + a + b = c, where a, b and c are decimals or integers
- 1.4 Order of operations with whole numbers, integers, decimals, fractions and powers
Part II: Calculator (75%)
| Domain | Weight |
|---|---|
| Number sense | 25% - 30% |
| Patterns and relations | 10% - 20% |
| Geometry and measurement | 25% - 35% |
| Data management and probability | 20% - 30% |
| Cognitive complexity | Share of items |
|---|---|
| Low (recall and reproduction) | 15% - 25% |
| Moderate (skills and concepts) | 70% - 80% |
| High (strategic thinking) | 5% - 15% |
The document gives one set of bands for Mathematics.
What it means for teaching
- Moderate complexity makes up 70% - 80% of Math. Most questions ask learners to pick a method and apply it, often in a real-world context. Word problems deserve more class time than bare computation.
- Geometry and measurement has the highest ceiling of the Part II domains (35%). It includes unit conversions, where SI conversions come with no conversion rate provided (3.1). Learners need the metric prefixes memorized.
- Number sense in Part II is about money and rates: tips, discounts, commission, taxes, interest, salary, speed and scale (1.1, 1.2).
- Do not skip Part I. Learners who lean on a calculator need regular by-hand practice with fractions, decimals and order of operations.
Free lessons by domain
Part I: No Calculator: Fractions and Mixed Numbers, Decimals, Percentages, Integers, Long Division, Solving Simple Linear Equations, Order of Operations
Number sense: Percent Problems in Financial Contexts, Ratios, Rates, and Proportions
Patterns and relations: Interpreting and Extending Patterns, Linear Equations from Word Problems, Applying and Rearranging Formulas, Numerical and Logical Reasoning
Geometry and measurement: Unit Conversions, Scale Factor and Similar Shapes, Pythagorean Theorem, Perimeter and Area of 2D Shapes, Surface Area and Volume of 3D Shapes
Data management and probability: Interpreting Tables, Spreadsheets, and Graphs, Mean, Median, Mode, and Range, Probability of Independent and Mutually Exclusive Events
More: our CAEC Math page, plus guides to Part I and Part II.
Science
| Domain | Weight |
|---|---|
| Nature of science | 10% - 25% |
| Scientific inquiry skills | 60% - 85% |
| Science, technology, society and environment | 5% - 15% |
| Cognitive complexity | Share of items |
|---|---|
| Low (recall and reproduction) | 15% - 25% |
| Moderate (skills and concepts) | 50% - 80% |
| High (strategic thinking) | 5% - 15% |
What it means for teaching
- This is the most lopsided blueprint in the document. Scientific inquiry skills is weighted 60% - 85%, with 13 outcomes. Science here is mainly about how investigations work, not a survey of biology, chemistry and physics facts.
- Spend most of your science time on experimental design: testable questions, hypotheses, independent, dependent and controlled variables, control groups, sources of error, and reading data from tables and graphs.
- Inquiry includes a few specific items worth a dedicated lesson each: WHMIS 2015 and consumer product symbols (2.5), choosing tools such as a ruler, protractor, thermometer or graduated cylinder (2.6), and SI conversions (2.7).
- Nature of science covers observation versus inference, testable versus non-testable questions, and how bias and peer review affect credibility. It is a smaller domain, but its ceiling is 25%.
- Learners with weak graph-reading skills will struggle here. Pair this with the Math data lessons.
Free lessons by domain
Nature of science: How Scientific Knowledge Develops, Observations vs. Inferences, Testable vs. Non-Testable Questions, Reliability, Validity, and Credibility, Identifying Bias in Research
Scientific inquiry skills: Formulating Testable Questions, Hypotheses and Predictions, Variables and Experimental Design, Controlling Conditions and Limiting Bias, Lab Safety: WHMIS 2015, Choosing and Using Scientific Tools, Units and SI Conversions, Representing Data, Analyzing Patterns and Trends, Estimating from Data, Identifying Sources of Error, Evaluating Investigations, Drawing and Applying Conclusions
Science, technology, society and environment: Consequences of Science and Technology, Weighing Risks and Benefits, Factors Influencing Scientific Research
More: our CAEC Science page and Science test guide.
Social Studies
| Domain | Weight |
|---|---|
| Citizenship and government | 30% - 40% |
| Economics and economic systems | 15% - 25% |
| Historical and contemporary Canada | 15% - 25% |
| Geography and the environment | 15% - 25% |
| Cognitive complexity | Share of items |
|---|---|
| Low (recall and reproduction) | 5% - 15% |
| Moderate (skills and concepts) | 50% - 70% |
| High (strategic thinking) | 10% - 25% |
What it means for teaching
- Citizenship and government is the largest domain, with a range of 30% - 40% and eight outcomes. It covers the branches and levels of government, democratic, electoral and justice systems, individual and collective rights, First Nations, Métis and Inuit governance, and civic participation. If you only have a few weeks, start here.
- The other three domains each sit at 15% - 25%. Give them roughly even attention after citizenship.
- Social Studies has the smallest low-complexity band in the document (5% - 15%). Memorizing dates and names will not carry a learner far. Most questions ask them to apply ideas or interpret a source.
- Outcome 3.1 lists the source types learners must interpret: photographs, cartoons, maps, graphs, tables, infographics, timelines, and excerpts from speeches, newspaper articles and government documents. Build source work into every unit, not only the history unit.
- The content is Canadian throughout, including First Nations, Métis and Inuit perspectives (1.2, 3.3) and Francophone perspectives (3.4). Newcomers may need extra background here. See our guide to preparing newcomers and EAL learners.
Free lessons by domain
Citizenship and government: Branches of Canadian Government, Levels of Government, Democratic, Electoral, and Justice Systems, Individual and Collective Rights in Canada, Indigenous Political Systems and Governance, Citizenship, Activism, and Civic Participation
Economics and economic systems: Needs, Wants, Scarcity, and Resources, Supply, Demand, and Price, Economic Systems Compared, Economic Conditions and Indicators, Economic Disparity and Quality of Life
Historical and contemporary Canada: Interpreting Primary and Secondary Sources, Diverse Communities and Immigration, First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Histories and Worldviews, Francophone Histories and Contributions, Analyzing Cause and Consequence, Significant Events and Developments, Canada's Role in Conflict and Cooperation, Remembrance, Redress, and Reconciliation
Geography and the environment: Reading Maps and Geographic Features, Physical and Human Geography of Canada, People, Land, and Environment Connections, Migration and Demographics, Environmental Stewardship and Sustainability
Skills across domains: Interpreting Charts, Graphs, and Tables
More: our CAEC Social Studies page and Social Studies test guide.
Using the weights to plan a course
The evaluation plan will not write your schedule, but it tells you where the marks are. A few ways to use it:
- Allocate time by the top of each range. The largest domains are Content and context in Reading, Scientific inquiry skills in Science, and Citizenship and government in Social Studies. Give each of these more weeks than its neighbours. In Math Part II, Geometry and measurement has the highest ceiling (35%), with Number sense and Data management and probability next at 30%.
- Do not drop the small domains. Science, technology, society and environment is only 5% - 15% of Science, but a learner who has never seen a risk-benefit question still loses those marks. A short focused lesson is usually enough.
- Teach at the moderate band. Since moderate complexity is the largest band everywhere it appears, most practice should be unfamiliar questions that make learners choose an approach. Recall drills are a warm-up, not the lesson.
- Use the outcome numbers as a checklist. Print the PDF, and tick off each numbered outcome as you cover it. Ask learners to self-rate on each one before and after a unit so you can see gaps.
- Look for skills that cross tests. Reading graphs and tables appears in Math (4.1), Science (2.8 to 2.10) and Social Studies (3.1). Evaluating information appears in Reading (1.4) and Science (1.4, 2.12). Teaching these once, well, pays off on several tests.
- Match the mix of texts. In Reading, informational text is 60% - 80%. Many of the texts learners read in Science and Social Studies practice count as useful reading practice too.
For a ready-made sequence, our study plan built on the free lessons follows the same domains.
Free resources for your classroom
Every lesson linked above is free and organized by test and domain on our lessons page. If you want full-length timed practice, the Practice Tests pack has full practice tests for each subject with answer keys that explain every answer. Our educator page brings the classroom tools together.
Sources
Every domain, weight, outcome number and complexity band in this guide comes from the official document, checked in October 2026. The document is published in English and French.
Disclaimer
CAEC Ready is an independent study resource and is not affiliated with or endorsed by any government, ministry of education, or official CAEC testing provider. Test outcomes and weights can change. Check the current official document before relying on any detail in this guide.