Final year, month by month.

September

Final year begins

Senior year starts. Most schools reorganise into intense review classes; textbook material is largely complete, and the year is spent revisiting and drilling.

October

First month of full papers

Weekly full-subject papers become the rhythm. Diagnostic mocks help set target universities.

December

Mock 1

The first major mock exam of the final year, usually school-wide or district-wide. Results calibrate expectations.

January

Winter break, shortened

The end-of-year break is reduced for final-year students. Many attend intensive review classes or study independently.

March

Mock 2

The second major mock, often more representative of the final exam's difficulty. Application strategy starts to take shape.

April

Mock 3 and course scouting

The last major mock. Students begin exploring university and course choices, historical cutoffs, and the previous year's admission plans.

Early May

Wind-down

New material stops. Focus shifts to consolidating the error log, reviewing weak topics, and building endurance for the two-day sitting.

Late May

Taper

Sleep goes up. Full papers become rare and only under exact exam conditions. Physical routines regularise.

Day before the exam

Pack, sleep, don't cram

Walk to the exam centre once. Pack the bag: admission ticket, ID, 2B pencils, black-ink pens, ruler, compasses, eraser, water bottle. Light dinner, no coffee after 6 p.m., in bed by 10:30.

Day 1

English (morning), Mathematics (afternoon)

English 09:00–11:30. Mathematics 15:00–17:00. Between sessions: no discussing the paper, no scrolling, a real meal and a short rest.

Day 2

Electives (morning), French (afternoon)

Chosen electives 09:00–11:30. French 15:00–17:00. Some regions add a further half-day for additional electives.

Mid-June

Recovery week

Sleep, see friends, don't check your work against posted answer keys — they can be wrong and the emotional cost is high.

Late June

Results released

Provincial score release, typically 3–4 weeks after the exam. Batch cutoffs are announced simultaneously.

Late June / Early July

Application window

The (usually few-day) window to submit your ranked list of universities and courses. This decision matters more than the exam did.

July–August

Admission letters

Universities send admission notices in the order of their admission batch. First-tier universities generally notify in mid-July.

September, one year later

You start university

You arrive with a suitcase, an anxiety hangover, and the beginning of a very different three or four years.