1.1 Ontario MPT Format, Scoring & Certification Requirements

1.1 Ontario MPT Format, Scoring & Certification Requirements

Quick Summary: The Ontario Mathematics Proficiency Test (MPT) is a 75-question, multiple-choice, computer-based test developed and administered by the Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO). Of those 75 questions, 71 count toward the score — 50 mathematics content questions (70% of the test) and 21 pedagogy questions (30%) — plus four unscored field-test questions. Applicants must score 70% or higher on each component in the same attempt. Sessions are booked for 180 minutes, though EQAO estimates the test takes about 120 minutes. Writing the MPT is free, with no limit on attempts.

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Administration & Regulatory Mandate

The MPT exists because of amendments to the Ontario College of Teachers Act (OCTA), 1996, enacted as part of the Safe and Supportive Classrooms Act, 2019, and implemented through O. Reg. 271/19: Proficiency in Mathematics. Those provisions require Ontario and internationally educated teacher applicants to demonstrate mathematics proficiency before qualification. Ontario mandated EQAO to develop, administer, and report on the test.

The requirement was reinstated effective February 1, 2025. EQAO transmits successful results directly to the Ontario College of Teachers (OCT); the report sent to the College does not include the number of attempts or the scores achieved.

Who Must Write the MPT

• All Ontario applicants (enrolled in or graduated from an Ontario program of professional education) and all internationally educated teacher applicants seeking a general Certificate of Qualification and Registration (CQR).
• The requirement applies regardless of division — Primary/Junior, Junior/Intermediate, or Intermediate/Senior — and regardless of teachable subject. A candidate qualifying to teach visual arts or history writes the same test as a candidate qualifying to teach mathematics.

Exemptions: Anyone who already held a general CQR on February 1, 2025 is not required to complete the MPT. The College also exempts applicants who completed an initial teacher education program designed specifically to prepare teachers to teach an Indigenous language (Anishinaabek, Mushkegowuk, Onkwehonwe, Lenape). Additional teacher-applicant exemptions are set out in O. Reg. 271/19.

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Exam Architecture: 75 Questions in Three Sections

Every question on the MPT is multiple choice and machine scored. Test forms are generated in real time using the testlet-based linear-on-the-fly test (tLOFT) method, so two applicants sitting side by side receive different — but statistically equivalent — forms.

The four field-test questions are being trialled for future forms. Applicants cannot tell which questions are field-test questions, so every question must be answered as though it counts.

The Three-Section Order (and Why It Matters)

graph LR
    S1["SECTION 1<br/>Pedagogy<br/>21 operational questions"] --> S2["SECTION 2<br/>Mathematics — NO calculator<br/>5 operational questions"]
    S2 --> S3["SECTION 3<br/>Mathematics — calculator<br/>45 operational questions"]
    S3 --> S4["SECTION 4<br/>Voluntary questionnaire<br/>(not scored)"]

• Pedagogy comes first, not last. Candidates who plan to "warm up on the math" are planning for the wrong test.
• Sections must be completed in order, and once a section is submitted it cannot be reopened. Review and answer changes are possible within a section only.
• The five no-calculator questions are drawn from Knowledge and Understanding of Number Sense — basic computation. The remaining 45 mathematics questions allow the onscreen calculator provided in the platform.
• Section 4 is a shortened version of the Mathematics Attitude and Perceptions Survey (MAPS), developed at the University of British Columbia. It is voluntary and not scored, and may be accompanied by optional identity-based questions.

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The Dual 70% Scoring Rule

The defining feature of MPT scoring is that the two components are judged independently. There is no composite score and no compensation between components.

$\text{Successful} = \left( \text{Mathematics} \ge 70\% \right) \;\textbf{AND}\; \left( \text{Pedagogy} \ge 70\% \right) \quad \text{in the SAME attempt}$

Consequences of the Dual Threshold

• No banking of components. An applicant who is "Not Yet Successful" must rewrite the entire test — both components — regardless of how they performed on either component previously.
• No compensatory scoring. A perfect mathematics score cannot rescue a pedagogy score of 14/21.
• The pedagogy margin is thin. Because 70% of 21 questions rounds up to 15 correct, an applicant may miss only six pedagogy questions. Treating the 30% component as an afterthought is the most common way to fail an otherwise strong attempt.

Scenario Analysis

Worked Example: Evaluating an Attempt

Problem. A candidate finishes the pedagogy section in 32 minutes and the two mathematics sections in 91 minutes. Scoring shows 34 of the 50 operational mathematics questions correct and 16 of the 21 operational pedagogy questions correct. Evaluate the attempt.

Step-by-step analysis.

1. Mathematics component: $\frac{34}{50} \times 100\% = 68.0\%$ Threshold check: $68.0% < 70.0%$; the minimum is 35 correct. Mathematics: not met — short by a single question.
2. Pedagogy component: $\frac{16}{21} \times 100\% \approx 76.2\%$ Threshold check: $76.2% \ge 70.0%$ and $16 \ge 15$. Pedagogy: met.
3. Time check: $32 + 91 = 123 \text{ minutes} \quad (\le 180 \text{ minutes})$ Pacing was comfortable — 57 minutes of the session were unused.
4. Outcome: The overall result is Not Yet Successful. The 76.2% pedagogy score is not banked; on the next attempt the candidate rewrites all 71 operational questions. Note how little separated success from failure: one additional correct mathematics question would have produced 35/50 = 70.0% and a successful result.

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Delivery, Tools & Test-Day Mechanics

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Results, Reporting & Retakes

• Machine scored. Results are available on the MPT platform within 10 days of completing the test.
• The report states "Successful" or "Not Yet Successful", gives the percentage on each of the two components, and shows a per-dimension breakdown coloured Green (at or above the 70% threshold) or Amber (below it). That breakdown is the most useful study tool an unsuccessful candidate receives — it identifies which content or pedagogy dimensions to target.
• Successful results are transmitted to the Ontario College of Teachers automatically.
• Cost: There is no fee to write the MPT, including repeat attempts.
• Retakes: There is no limit on the number of attempts. Rewriting depends on test-session and test-window availability, not on a fixed waiting period, so candidates are encouraged to register early to avoid delays in their certification application.