How long is the OSSLT? Sessions, questions and timing

How long is the OSSLT?

The OSSLT has two sessions, called Session A and Session B. EQAO designs Session A to be completed in about 65 minutes and Session B in about 75 minutes, so the whole test is roughly two hours and twenty minutes of work. A short voluntary questionnaire about reading and writing habits comes at the end and is not scored.

Your school decides how the two sessions are scheduled. They can run back to back with a break between them, or on two different days. What does not change is that each session is written in one continuous, supervised sitting during the regular school day.

The times are the lengths EQAO designed each session to take. Ask your teacher how your school runs the sitting, and plan to use the full time rather than racing to finish.

How many questions are on the OSSLT?

There are 37 scored questions: 35 selected-response questions and two open-response questions where you write.

• Reading has four selections: a real-life narrative, an information paragraph, a news report and a dialogue. They come with 23 selected-response questions and one open-response question where you write a short answer about what you read.

• Writing has 12 selected-response questions about organizing ideas and using language conventions, and one opinion essay written as a series of paragraphs.

The selected-response questions are not all plain multiple choice. You will see single selection, multiple selection, drag and drop, drop-down menus and checklists. OSSLT reading questions walks through every type with examples.

What is in each session?

Both sessions mix reading selections with selected-response and open-response questions. EQAO's free practice test has two sessions that it describes as equivalent to the real ones, so the surest way to see the shape of each session is to take it on EQAO's platform before test day. It also includes an introductory session for learning the tools.

Can you take a break?

Within a session, supervised breaks for water, a stretch or the washroom are allowed, as long as the session is still finished in one continuous sitting. Between the two sessions there is a break if your school runs them back to back. Go to the washroom before each session starts so you do not lose minutes in the middle of a reading selection.

What you can have with you

A pencil, an eraser and paper for rough work are allowed, and the rough paper is collected after each session. The platform itself has a text-to-speech reader, a zoom tool, a line reader, a high-contrast view, a highlighter and a space for rough notes.

Dictionaries, thesauruses and translators of any kind are not permitted, including electronic ones. Supervisors cannot define, translate or explain words or questions, and cannot read passages aloud. Only the built-in text-to-speech tool can do that.

A pacing plan

EQAO does not publish a time per question, so this is Litguide's suggestion, built around the two parts that take the longest.

• Selected-response reading questions: read the question first, go back to the text to find the answer, and move on. A skipped question scores zero, so answer every one, even if you have to choose your best guess.

• The written answer about a reading selection: about ten minutes. Answer the question directly in the first sentence, then support it with two specific details from the text.

• The opinion essay: about 30 minutes if you can. Five minutes to pick a side and plan three reasons, twenty to write an introduction, a paragraph per reason with a specific example, and a conclusion, and five minutes at the end to fix spelling, punctuation and sentences that run on.

• The 12 writing questions: read the whole sentence or paragraph before choosing. These are about organization and conventions, so the answer depends on context.

How to write the OSSLT opinion essay has a paragraph plan and an annotated sample, and the free essay grader will mark a timed practice essay against both rubrics in seconds.

Practise with the clock

Take EQAO's practice test once to learn the platform and once more under test conditions, with the same breaks your school will give you. Then do the free Litguide practice test, which explains why each answer is right. If you have an Individual Education Plan with assistive technology, try it with the practice test well before test day so any technical problem is sorted out early.