AlphaPlus has compared the CAEC to GED: 

Three major changes mean the CAEC Science test is very different from the GED and will require a different approach to preparing for the test. 

1. First, the CAEC science test doesn’t assess particular content knowledge. Most of the GED was focused on three content areas: 

• • physical science, 

  • life science, and 

  • earth and space science

Instead, the CAEC only assesses broader scientific topics. The CAEC topics are: 

• • the nature of science,

  • scientific inquiry skills, and

  • science, tech, society and the environment. 

2. Second, most (50 to 80 percent) of the questions are moderately complex. Test-takers not only need to know what a concept like validity means, they will also have to apply it to respond to a test question.

3. Third, the CAEC poses some questions without providing a source to read and interpret. Test-takers will have to draw on their scientific knowledge to answer some questions without source information. Background knowledge of the following is required: 

• Scientific procedures such as experimental design

• Scientific concepts like validity, reliability, hypothesis, placebo, double-blind, etc.

• Specific topics like WHMIS 2015 and International System of Units (SI), and

• Math skills related to measurement and presenting data in tables and graphs

Recommendations for instruction 

• Active learning: Do and discuss science 

• Provide explicit instruction: Learners need more specific skills and knowledge to respond to test questions

  • • Practice using a protractor and ruler on and offline

    • Practice analyzing and interpreting scientific information from tables, graphs, and diagrams

    • Review the Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS 2015) and its pictograms

    • Review the metric system

• Use quality online materials to get you started