CAEC Science Preparation: Lessons 2026

Lesson 1: The Science test and the nature of science

The Canadian Adult Education Credential (CAEC) is a high school equivalency for adults. It replaced the GED® in 2024. There are five tests: Reading, Writing, Mathematics, Science and Social Studies. You need 55% to pass each one.

How the Science test is set up

The Science test has 35 questions and you have 90 minutes. That is about 2.5 minutes per question, so you have time to read each scenario, table or graph carefully. You write it in person at a testing centre, usually on computer (a paper option exists), in English or French.

Most questions are about thinking like a scientist, not memorizing facts. Many describe an experiment and ask you to find the variables, read a table or choose the best conclusion. Calculators are allowed only on Part II of the Mathematics test, so practise simple science arithmetic by hand.

Observations and inferences

An observation is what you notice with your senses or a tool: "The leaves are yellow." An inference is an explanation of what you observed: "The plant probably needs more nitrogen." Inferences can be wrong, so scientists test them.

Testable questions

Science answers questions that can be tested with evidence, such as "Does a tire lose air faster in the cold?" It cannot settle questions about morals or ethics (what is right or wrong, what people should do), beauty (which song is best) or the supernatural (magic or luck). Science can give facts that help with these decisions, but values decide them.

Science changes with new evidence

Scientific ideas develop through ongoing inquiry. When new evidence appears, ideas are kept, changed or replaced. For example, doctors once thought stress and lifestyle were the main causes of stomach ulcers; later research found that a bacterium was often the cause. Changing an idea is a strength of science, not a weakness.

How scientists keep results trustworthy

• Placebo: a fake treatment (such as a sugar pill) that looks real. It shows how much people improve just from being treated.
• Double-blind study: neither the people in the study nor the researchers working with them know who gets the real treatment.
• Large, random sample: many people chosen by chance, so results are not due to luck or one unusual group.
• Peer review: independent experts check a study before it is published.
• Replication: other teams repeat the study and get similar results.

Sources of bias

Bias is anything that pushes results one way unfairly. Watch for:

• Researcher preconceptions: a scientist who expects a result may see it. Blind measuring helps.
• Interest-group funding: a company paying for research on its own product.
• Selective reporting: sharing only the results that support a claim and hiding the rest.

Themenquiz 1: The Science test and the nature of science

Lesson 2: Questions, hypotheses and variables

Every investigation starts with a testable question. A good one names something you can change and something you can measure: "Does the height a ball is dropped from change how high it bounces?"

Hypotheses and predictions

A hypothesis is a possible answer you can test. A common form is "If… then… because…": "If bread is kept in the fridge, then it will grow mould more slowly, because cold slows mould growth." A prediction uses a pattern you have seen to say what will happen in a new case. If puddles dry faster in the sun, you might predict that wet clothes will too.

Variables

In a fair test, you change only one variable at a time. Then any difference in results can only come from that change. If Tariq compares paper towel brands but uses a full sheet of one and half a sheet of the other, he cannot tell whether the brand or the size made the difference.

Control groups

A control group gets everything the other groups get except the treatment. It gives you something to compare with. If you test plant food, the plants with no plant food are the control. In the salt test, the cup with 0 g of salt is the control.

Good procedures

• Random assignment: put subjects into groups by chance, so you do not pick the best ones for one group, even by accident.
• Repeated trials: do each test several times. Consistent results are more reliable, and an average reduces one-off errors.
• Representative sample: the people or things you test should be like the whole group you want to learn about.
• Avoid hidden effects: if people do the same task twice, they may improve from practice. Use an equal but different task, or change the order.

Themenquiz 2: Inquiry: questions, hypotheses and variables

Lesson 3: Safety, tools and SI units

WHMIS in the workplace

WHMIS (Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System) is Canada's national hazard communication standard. Supplier labels show pictograms: a symbol inside a red square set on one of its points, like a diamond. Labels also show a signal word: "Danger" for more severe hazards and "Warning" for less severe ones.

Symbols on household products

Consumer chemicals use a different system. The picture shows the type of danger: explosive (the container can explode if heated or punctured), corrosive (burns skin or eyes), flammable (catches fire easily) or poison. The frame shows what is dangerous: a triangle means the container is dangerous; an octagon (stop-sign shape) means the contents are dangerous. Signal words go from CAUTION to DANGER to EXTREME DANGER (highest risk).

• Keep products tightly closed in their original containers with their labels.
• Store them out of sight and reach of children and pets.
• Where possible, store fuels, paints and solvents outside the home, such as in a shed.
• Check containers for leaks or damage.

Measuring tools

To read a graduated cylinder, put it on a flat surface and look at eye level. Water curves down in the middle; read the bottom of the curve (the meniscus). Put the bulb of a thermometer fully in the liquid, and set a scale to zero before weighing.

SI units and prefixes

Science uses the SI (metric) system. Base units include the metre (length), kilogram (mass), second (time) and kelvin (temperature), though everyday science uses degrees Celsius. Prefixes show multiples:

Themenquiz 3: Inquiry: safety, tools and SI units

Lesson 4: Tables, graphs and trends

Many CAEC Science questions give you data. You need to read it, see the pattern and use it.

Choosing a graph

Put the independent variable on the horizontal (x) axis and the dependent variable on the vertical (y) axis. Give each axis a label with units and use even steps on the scale.

Trends and relationships

• Direct (positive): as one variable goes up, the other goes up.
• Inverse (negative): as one goes up, the other goes down, such as ramp height and roll time.
• Levelling off: a variable rises and then stops changing. Plant food may help growth only up to a point.
• No relationship: no clear pattern.

Estimating from data

Interpolating means estimating between measured points. If water is 32 °C at 2 minutes and 38 °C at 3 minutes, a good estimate at 2.5 minutes is halfway: 35 °C. Extrapolating means extending a trend beyond your data. It is useful for predictions, but riskier, because the trend may change.

Quick calculations

• Difference: subtract. 94 mm − 25 mm = 69 mm.
• Mean (average): add the values and divide by how many there are. (14 + 16 + 15 + 15) ÷ 4 = 15.
• Rate: divide the change by the time. A cart that goes 72 m in 6 s moves at 72 ÷ 6 = 12 m/s.
• Steady change: subtract one row from the next. If each step is the same, the change is steady.

Themenquiz 4: Inquiry: tables, graphs and trends

Lesson 5: Error, reliability and conclusions

Sources of error

• Random error changes from trial to trial, such as starting a stopwatch a little early or late. Reduce it by repeating trials and averaging.
• Systematic error pushes every result the same way, such as a scale that reads 2 g too high. Fix it by checking and zeroing tools.
• Uncontrolled variables, such as stirring some cups but not others, make results hard to explain.
• Outliers are results far from the others. Check them and repeat the trial if you can.

Three key words

A large random sample, a control group, repeated trials and peer review all make a study stronger. A small group of volunteers, one personal story (an anecdote) or an ad from a seller are weak evidence.

Drawing conclusions

A conclusion should say only what the data shows. If a wool sock kept water warmest in this test, say that. Do not claim it is best for every use. Watch for:

• Overgeneralizing: a result in 10 mice does not prove something works in all people.
• Correlation is not causation: two things can rise together because of a third factor. Ice cream sales and drownings both rise in hot weather.

Using results

Good science leads to action and new questions. If a material keeps water warm, use it to keep soup hot. If seeds sprouted fastest at the highest temperature tested, the next investigation should test higher temperatures, changing one variable at a time.

Themenquiz 5: Inquiry: error, reliability and conclusions

Lesson 6: Science, technology, society and environment

STSE stands for science, technology, society and environment. These questions ask how scientific solutions affect people and nature.

Intended and unintended consequences

Every technology has a purpose (the intended consequence). Many also have side effects nobody planned (unintended consequences).

Risks and benefits

To evaluate a technology, list its benefits and risks, then decide which matter most. A hydroelectric dam makes electricity without burning fuel, but it floods land. An X-ray gives a small dose of radiation, but finding a broken bone is worth it. Useful criteria include cost (to buy and to run), safety, environmental impact and how long it lasts.

Science gives evidence about risks and benefits. But decisions such as what a town should do also depend on values, cost and public opinion.

What influences research

• Funding: governments, companies and charities pay for research on topics they care about.
• Society's needs: problems people face, such as diseases or failing ice roads, push research forward.
• Ethics: research on people needs informed consent; people must understand the risks and agree.
• Available technology: some questions can be studied only once the right tools exist.

Themenquiz 6: Science, technology, society and environment