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Montreal, Quebec secondary curriculum

Secondary School Tutor in Montreal, and every course in corrected exercises

SN, TS and CST math from Secondary 3 to Secondary 5, Secondary 5 physics and chemistry: every course has its page, with its chapters, a corrected exercise set and a revision sheet for each, free and open. They are written in French, the language of your child's exam paper. Pick the year, then the course. And for one-on-one help, I tutor secondary students in Montreal, in English or in French, in person and online.

Secondary 5 ↓Secondary 4 ↓Secondary 3 ↓SN, TS or CST? ↓Private tutoring ↓ ★ 5.0 · 11 Google reviews
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Secondary 5

The math course of your sequence, then physics and chemistry, the two science options that lead to Sciences de la nature at CEGEP. Every course has a mock year-end exam.

Math: pick your sequence

Math SN5

Sciences naturelles

Exponentials and logarithms, absolute value, rational functions, trigonometry, vectors, conics. The prerequisite for Sciences de la nature.

39 corrected exercise sets • 35 revision sheets, in French

All chapters → Mock year-end exam Private tutoring

Math TS5

Technico-sciences

Functions, trigonometry, conics, vectors, and three chapters only TS studies: metric relations in the circle, geometric transformations, matrices.

29 corrected exercise sets • 27 revision sheets, in French

All chapters → Mock year-end exam

Math CST5

Culture, société et technique

Linear programming, financial math, graph theory, probability and expected value, voting procedures, law of cosines.

9 corrected exercise sets • 7 revision sheets, in French

All chapters → Mock year-end exam Private tutoring

Science: the Secondary 5 options

Physics 5

Science option

Waves, reflection and refraction, lenses, kinematics and projectiles, Newton's laws, energy.

15 corrected exercise sets • 12 revision sheets, in French

All chapters → Mock year-end exam Private tutoring

Chemistry 5

Science option

The mole, gases, stoichiometry, thermochemistry, reaction rates, chemical equilibrium, titration, Ksp.

14 corrected exercise sets • 11 revision sheets, in French

All chapters → Mock year-end exam Private tutoring

Secondary 4

The year of the Ministry's math exam, every June, in all three sequences: it counts for half the final grade.

Math SN4

Sciences naturelles

Factoring and rational expressions, equations and systems, quadratic functions, metric relations, solving triangles, analytic geometry.

15 corrected exercise sets • 13 revision sheets, in French

All chapters → Mock Ministry exam Private tutoring

Math TS4

Technico-sciences

Exponents and logarithms, factoring, quadratic, square root, exponential and logarithmic functions, geometry, probability, statistics.

19 corrected exercise sets • 19 revision sheets, in French

All chapters →

Math CST4

Culture, société et technique

Systems, quadratic, exponential and periodic functions, triangles, analytic geometry, correlation, dispersion and percentile rank.

14 corrected exercise sets • 13 revision sheets, in French

All chapters → Mock Ministry exam Private tutoring

Secondary 3

The last year every student takes in common: its results decide the Secondary 4 sequence, and it is where most of the gaps carried later are born.

Secondary 3 math

All students

Exponents and scientific notation, algebraic expressions, equations, linear functions, Pythagoras, similar solids, probability, statistics.

14 corrected exercise sets • 13 revision sheets, in French

All chapters → Mock end-of-year test

If you speak English and your child studies in French

This is a common situation in Montreal, and it creates a specific problem: you want to help with the math homework, but the vocabulary on the page is not the vocabulary you learned. A fonction en escalier is a step function, a droite des moindres carres is a least squares line, and a preuve in a Quebec exam has a required written form with no real equivalent in the English system.

I work in both languages during the session. The explanation happens in whichever language the student thinks fastest in, but every technical term stays in French, because that is the term printed on the exam paper. You get the progress report in English, with the French terms named, so you can read the report card and speak to the school without translating twice.

SN, TS or CST: which sequence?

From Secondary 4 onward, every Quebec student follows a math sequence, printed in the course title on the timetable and the report card. That single choice decides which CEGEP and university programs stay open. I cover all three.

Sciences naturelles (SN)

The most demanding sequence. It is required for the Sciences de la nature and Sciences informatiques et mathématiques programs at CEGEP, and therefore for most university programs in science, engineering, medicine and architecture. It covers polynomial, quadratic, exponential, logarithmic and sinusoidal functions, and analytic geometry (conics, lines, circles).

Math SN4 →Math SN5 →

Technico-sciences (TS)

The middle sequence, oriented toward technical applications. It leads to the technical programs at CEGEP without closing the door to science. It goes further than SN on functions as early as Secondary 4, and it alone studies metric relations in the circle, geometric transformations and matrices.

Math TS4 →Math TS5 →

Culture, société et technique (CST)

The sequence for students who are not heading into the science stream at CEGEP. Statistics, financial math, graphs and probability in everyday contexts. It gives access to the pre-university programs in social science, arts and letters.

Math CST4 →Math CST5 →

If your child is hesitating between sequences at the end of Secondary 3, I can help you weigh their strengths against the CEGEP programs they are aiming for. It is worth doing carefully: moving from CST back into SN later means catching up a full year of algebra.

The Ministry exam: what parents need to know

The epreuve unique in mathematics, set by Quebec's Ministere de l'Education, is written every June in Secondary 4, by every student in the province, in all three sequences. It is a standardised exam, identical across Quebec, and it counts for half the final grade. In Secondary 5, mathematics is assessed by the school; the only Ministry exams at that level are in French and English.

What makes it distinctive is the contextualised problem: the student is handed a real world situation and has to model it from the information given. It is not a formula drill. They have to choose the approach, justify it, and present a complete written solution. That skill is trained differently from ordinary homework questions, and it is the single biggest reason strong students underperform on this exam.

The grade matters beyond the report card. It weighs on CEGEP admission to programs with limited places, Sciences de la nature above all. A weak result closes doors that are hard to reopen. I work specifically on the question types used in the Ministry exam, using the papers from previous years.

Effective preparation starts 6 to 8 weeks before the exam. We audit the shaky topics, work through complete past papers under exam conditions, and train time management and the written presentation of solutions, which is marked and is where many students quietly lose points.

Preparing the jump from secondary to CEGEP

The move from secondary school to CEGEP is hard in mathematics. The pace is far faster, the material more abstract, and the expected level of independence much higher. Plenty of students who did well in secondary find themselves struggling within the first weeks of Calculus I (201-SN2-RE, formerly NYA).

The main reason is a set of topics barely covered in Quebec secondary school but assumed known on arrival at CEGEP. Limits, trigonometric functions in radians, the properties of logarithms, certain algebraic identities: these are the exact points where students stall in the opening weeks of 201-SN2-RE.

I offer a transition track for Secondary 5 students who want to arrive at CEGEP ready. We consolidate the secondary foundations while introducing the bridging topics that make the first calculus course readable instead of alarming.

Differential calculus 201-SN2-RE, chapter by chapter → Every CEGEP course →

Private tutoring at the secondary level

Math, physics and chemistry tutor for Quebec secondary school students in Montreal, with more than 10 years of experience, I work with students from Secondary 1 to Secondary 5, in all three sequences, in English or in French, in person and online. Here is how the sessions work.

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Regular homework support

For students who want steady follow-up, we work directly on the homework and the exercises from class. I do not do the homework for them: I work alongside them so they understand it and can reproduce it alone on the exam, which is the only place it counts.

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Targeted catch-up on gaps

When a student has accumulated gaps, we start by finding out what is genuinely understood and what only looks understood. Then we rebuild from the foundations that actually matter, without spending sessions on what is already solid. Many of those gaps form in Secondary 1 and 2: catching them early is far cheaper than catching them late.

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Intensive exam preparation

In the weeks before a major exam, sessions focus on the most frequent question types, time management and the common mistakes that cost marks. For the Ministry exam, we work on real past papers under real conditions.

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Support between sessions, included

Students can message me between sessions with any question: a problem they are stuck on the night before a test, a concept to check, an answer to confirm. This is included in the rate, at no extra charge.

Frequently asked questions

How do I know whether my child is in SN, TS or CST?

The sequence is printed on the timetable and on the report card, in the title of the math course: Sciences naturelles (SN), Technico-sciences (TS) or Culture, société et technique (CST). It is chosen at the end of Secondary 3 and holds for Secondary 4 and 5. Secondary 5 physics and chemistry are separate optional courses, taken on top of math.

What secondary school levels do you tutor in Montreal?

Secondary 1 through Secondary 5, in mathematics, physics and chemistry, across the SN, TS and CST sequences. Sessions can be regular homework support or focused preparation for the Ministry exam, depending on what the student needs.

What is the difference between the SN, TS and CST sequences?

SN is required for Sciences de la nature at CEGEP and for most university programs in science, engineering and health. CST is for students not heading into those fields, and covers statistics, finance and applied geometry. TS sits in between and leads to technical CEGEP programs. If your child is undecided, I can help weigh the options against their goals.

When is the Ministry math exam written?

In Secondary 4, not Secondary 5 as many families assume. It is written every June of Secondary 4, in all three sequences, and counts for half the final grade. In Secondary 5, mathematics is assessed by the school, usually with a common year-end exam. The only Secondary 5 Ministry exams are in French and English. I prepare students for both.

Do you tutor in English for students who study in French?

Yes, and it is a common arrangement in Montreal. I explain in whichever language the student thinks fastest in, while keeping every technical term in French so it matches the textbook and the exam paper. Parents get their updates in English.

Do you also cover physics and chemistry?

Yes. Science et technologie in Secondary 3 and 4 (or Applications technologiques et scientifiques in Secondary 4, with the STE or SE option), then the optional physics and chemistry courses of Secondary 5. Forces, motion, light, chemical reactions and aqueous solutions, all within the Quebec science curriculum. Having one tutor for mathematics and the sciences keeps the schedule simple in exam season.

See also

CEGEP tutoringMathematicsPhysicsChemistryMinistry examsFrench program (AEFE)About the tutorFAQ

Looking for a secondary school tutor in Montreal?

Get in touch for a first session. I adapt to the level, the sequence and the goals of the student, and I report back to you in English.

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