Common mistakes on the Ontario MPT — and how to avoid them

Mistakes that are entirely avoidable

Failing the Ontario Math Proficiency Test (MPT) is rarely about a lack of intelligence. More often, it comes down to preparation gaps, misunderstandings about the test structure, or small errors in judgment on the day. These are avoidable — but only if you know to watch for them.

Here are the most common mistakes candidates make, and what to do instead.

Mistake 1: Treating the pedagogy section as an afterthought

The Mathematics Curriculum section covers at least 70% of the test. That statistic leads many candidates to spend 100% of their preparation time on maths content and almost nothing on pedagogy. It’s understandable — and it’s how people end up passing maths comfortably and falling short on pedagogy.

Remember: you need 70% on each section in the same sitting. A pass on maths and a fail on pedagogy means the whole attempt is unsuccessful. There are no partial credits to carry forward.

Fix: Allocate dedicated preparation time to the Pedagogy section. EQAO’s resource page at mathproficiencytest.ca covers what the pedagogy items assess — use it early, not as a last-minute review.

Mistake 2: Confusing the two “70%” figures

The MPT has two separate 70% figures, and mixing them up creates real confusion:

• Composition: The Mathematics Curriculum section makes up at least 70% of the test (by number of items). This is about how the test is structured.
• Pass standard: You need to score 70% or higher on each section to pass. This is what you need to achieve.

They’re measuring different things. Knowing one doesn’t tell you anything about the other.

Fix: Memorise the pass standard simply: 70% on Mathematics Curriculum and 70% on Pedagogy, both in the same sitting. That’s the line.

Mistake 3: Skipping the official practice tests

EQAO publishes official practice tests at mathproficiencytest.ca. These are the closest possible preparation to the real exam — same format, same style, direct from the test administrator. And yet a surprising number of candidates either don’t know they exist or don’t use them until the week before sitting.

Third-party guides and general maths revision can be helpful, but they’re not a substitute for EQAO’s own materials. The style, language, and framing of questions matters, and the only way to calibrate to the real test is to practise with real test materials.

Fix: Start with EQAO’s official practice tests. Do them early, review every wrong answer carefully, and return to them again closer to your test date.

Mistake 4: Underestimating no-calculator items

The MPT includes both calculator and no-calculator items. Candidates who’ve been calculator-dependent for years often find the no-calculator items surprisingly uncomfortable — and underperform on them as a result.

No-calculator questions test number sense, estimation, and mental arithmetic. These are real skills that need deliberate maintenance. If you haven’t practised without a calculator recently, they will feel harder than they should.

Fix: Include no-calculator practice in your preparation from the start. Deliberately work through problems without picking up your calculator, even when it’s tempting. The fluency will return faster than you expect.

Mistake 5: Deferring the booking

The MPT runs in set windows — approximately three to four per year. The gap between windows can be two to three months. Candidates who defer booking their test date often find themselves waiting much longer than they expected for their next opportunity, and that delay flows through to their OCT certification timeline.

For internationally educated teachers (IETs) especially, this is high-stakes: you must pass the MPT within two years of your initial certification. Time deferral can become a real problem if you’re not tracking the deadline carefully.

Fix: Book your test date before you start studying. A real date on the calendar focuses preparation in a way that open-ended “I’ll book when I’m ready” never does.

Mistake 6: Reviewing only what you already know

A natural but inefficient tendency: spending revision time on the maths topics that feel comfortable, because working in your strength areas feels productive. Meanwhile, the grade bands or strands where you’re genuinely weak don’t get enough attention before test day.

Effective preparation is gap-first, not comfort-first. The topics you avoid are exactly the ones most likely to cost you points.

Fix: Start with a diagnostic so you know your weak areas before you begin studying. Then build your plan around your gaps, not your strengths.

Mistake 7: Misreading multiple-choice options

The MPT is all multiple-choice. Under time pressure, it’s easy to read quickly and select a plausible-looking answer without fully parsing what the question is actually asking. This is especially true for pedagogy questions, where all options may sound reasonable at first glance.

Fix: Slow down on questions where more than one option seems plausible. Re-read the question stem carefully — often there’s a qualifier (e.g., “most appropriate,” “primarily assesses,” “best supports”) that makes the distinction between options clear.

Start with a diagnostic, not a guess

Most of these mistakes are predictable — which means they’re preventable. The first step is knowing exactly where you stand before you start studying. The SN Academy free diagnostic for Ontario teachers identifies your specific gaps across both MPT sections, so your preparation goes to the right places from day one.

Take the free Ontario MPT diagnostic →

— The people of SN Academy