Quebec Secondaire

Overview

Quebec runs a secondary-to-university pipeline that is different from every other Canadian province. Secondary school spans five years, Secondary I through Secondary V (roughly ages 12 to 17), split into two cycles: Cycle One (Secondary I-II) continues the common program students follow in elementary school, and Cycle Two (Secondary III-V) adds elective subjects as students build toward a chosen pathway. A student who meets the province's unit and course requirements by the end of Secondary V receives the Diplôme d'études secondaires (DES, Secondary School Diploma) from Quebec's Ministère de l'Éducation (Ministry of Education).

Unlike a high school diploma in most provinces, the DES does not lead straight to university. It gives access to CEGEP (Collège d'enseignement général et professionnel), a public college level unique to Quebec that sits between secondary school and university. A student takes either a two-year pre-university CEGEP program before applying to a Quebec university, or a three-year technical CEGEP program that leads directly into a career. Because CEGEP covers ground that other provinces cover in Grade 12 and first-year university, Quebec university bachelor's programs are typically three years rather than four.

As part of earning the DES, students in Secondary IV and V write ministerial examinations in a defined set of core courses: standardized exams set and marked to standards fixed by the Ministère de l'Éducation, blended with the student's school-awarded mark to produce their final mark in that course.

Who can apply

The DES is earned mainly by students finishing Secondary V, generally around ages 16 to 17, at a school following Quebec's youth general-education program. There is no separate application to the Ministry: a student's own school tracks their accumulated units and submits results to the Ministère de l'Éducation, which issues the diploma once every requirement is met. Adults who did not complete the DES as teenagers can also work toward it later through the adult general education sector (formation générale des adultes) run by school service centres, under the same unit-based requirements described below.

Graduation requirements

Quebec's régime pédagogique (the basic school regulation for preschool, elementary and secondary education) sets the unit rules behind the DES. A unit represents 25 hours of instruction. To be awarded the DES, a student must accumulate at least 54 units earned in Secondary IV and/or Secondary V, including at least 20 units earned in Secondary V. Within that 54-unit total, specific units are mandatory:

• 6 units of the language of instruction (French, or English in an English-sector school), from Secondary V

• 4 units of second language, from Secondary V

• 2 units of Ethics and Religious Culture, or Physical Education and Health, from Secondary V

• 4 units of Mathematics, from Secondary IV

• 4 units of Science and Technology, or 6 units of Applied Science and Technology, from Secondary IV

• 4 units of History of Québec and Canada, from Secondary IV

• 2 units of Arts Education, from Secondary IV

The remaining units toward the 54-unit total come from other Secondary IV and V courses that the student and school choose, including electives.

Exam pattern

At Secondary IV and V, a defined set of mandatory courses carry a ministerial examination: a standardized exam set by the Ministère de l'Éducation that every student taking that course writes on the same province-wide schedule, in addition to the regular school-based assessment for the course.

For the 2025-2026 school year, the ministerial exam counts for 50% of a student's final mark in each of these courses, with the remaining 50% coming from the student's moderated school mark built up over the year. Other mandatory DES subjects, such as Ethics and Religious Culture, Physical Education and Health, and Arts Education, are marked entirely by the school and do not carry a ministerial exam.

The Secondary V language-of-instruction exam includes a written-production component. The Secondary V second-language exam has separate base and enriched versions, each with its own mix of written and oral components. The Secondary IV mathematics and science exams are written in a single sitting combining several question types, while the Secondary IV history exam is written separately.

Marking and results

Each ministerial exam subject requires a pass mark of 60%, except the Secondary V language-of-instruction exam, where a minimum of 50% is required on each competency assessed rather than on the exam as a whole. A student's final result in a ministerial-exam course blends their school mark and their ministerial exam mark, each weighted according to the percentage set for that school year (50/50 for 2025-2026), into one final percentage for the course.

After each exam session, the Ministère de l'Éducation sends every student an official achievement record (relevé des apprentissages) with their results, and results are also available through the student's online academic record. This achievement record, together with the final secondary transcript, is what a student later requests from the Ministère when confirming their DES or applying to CEGEP.

Important dates

The Ministère de l'Éducation holds three ministerial exam sessions each school year: a winter session in January, used mainly by students retaking an exam or following an adjusted calendar; a main session in May-June, when most Secondary IV and V students write their exams; and a summer session in August, mainly for retakes and students finishing summer courses. For the 2025-2026 school year, the Secondary V French language-of-instruction written-production exam was scheduled for May 7, and the Secondary V English second-language exams ran between mid-May and mid-June depending on the program (base or enriched). The Ministère publishes the full exam timetable ahead of each school year, and specific dates can shift from one year to the next.

After the exam

A DES holder applies to CEGEP rather than directly to university. Many Quebec CEGEPs process applications through a regional admission service, such as the Service régional d'admission du Montréal métropolitain (SRAM) for colleges in and around Montreal, while other CEGEPs take direct applications. A program with more applicants than seats commonly ranks applicants using their Secondary IV and V marks, including the ministerial-exam courses. A student who completes a two-year pre-university CEGEP program and earns a Diplôme d'études collégiales (DEC) can then apply to a Quebec university; a student who completes a three-year technical CEGEP program earns a DEC that qualifies them to enter the workforce directly, though some technical-DEC holders also continue on to university. A student who falls short of the 54-unit requirement, or of a mandatory ministerial-exam course, can retake the exam at a later session or repeat the course without restarting their whole secondary program.

Preparation tips

• Track your running unit count against the 54-unit DES requirement with your school every year rather than only in Secondary V, since several mandatory units come from Secondary IV courses.

• Since ministerial exams at Secondary IV and V carry 50% of your final course mark, give them the same ongoing attention as your term-long school assessment rather than treating them as an afterthought near the end of the year.

• Know which of your Secondary IV and V courses carry a ministerial exam and which are marked entirely by your school, so you plan your study time accordingly.

• If you already have a CEGEP program in mind after Secondary V, check that program's own prerequisites and application timeline well before your Secondary V exams, since competitive programs rank applicants by secondary school marks.

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