OSSLT Retake: When It's Offered, Who Still Needs It, and What Happens If You Haven't Passed by June
By Muntasir Minhaz • Published Aug 19, 2026 • Canadian Universities & Colleges
The OSSLT runs twice a year, a fall sitting and a spring sitting. Fail it twice and you switch to the OSSLC course instead of testing again.
📝 Pass mark is 300 out of 400 on the EQAO reading and writing test.
🗓️ Two sittings a year, one in the fall term and one in the spring term.
🔁 Retake in later years with no cap on attempts before you switch to OSSLC.
📩 Still open in your final year? Tell your school and your university's admissions office in writing right away.
Who still needs to write it
You still need the OSSLT if you have not passed it and have not completed the OSSLC alternative. Ontario secondary students normally write it for the first time in Grade 10. If you passed then, the requirement is closed and does not come up again. If you did not pass, or you were absent and never wrote it, you stay on the list until you clear it one of the two ways below.
When the test runs
EQAO schedules the OSSLT twice in most school years, a fall administration and a spring administration. For the 2026-27 school year, the fall sitting runs November 3 to 30, 2026, with results back by the end of January 2027, and the spring sitting runs March 30 to April 19, 2027, with results back by the end of May 2027. Your school confirms your exact test date each cycle, since boards stagger sittings within the ministry window. Check with your guidance office for the current year's dates rather than assuming last year's schedule repeats exactly.
The pass mark and what a fail means
The OSSLT is scored from 200 to 400. You need 300 to pass. A fail does not touch your course grades or your credit count. It only means the literacy requirement stays open, and you get another attempt at the next sitting your school offers.
Format and accommodations
The test covers reading and writing skills built into the curriculum through the end of Grade 9. It combines multiple-choice questions with short and long written responses. If you have an Individual Education Plan (IEP), your school applies the accommodations already listed in that plan, such as extra time or a scribe, without a separate application. If illness or another valid reason keeps you from writing on your scheduled date, ask your school about a deferral to the next sitting instead of treating the missed date as a fail.
Why the test exists
The OSSLT checks that graduating students meet a minimum reading and writing standard tied to the curriculum, separate from any single course grade. The Ministry of Education runs it as a province-wide check, not a school-by-school one, so the standard stays identical no matter which board you attend.
How results reach you
EQAO reports results back to your school rather than directly to students online. Your school then shares your result with you and updates your record. Results typically arrive about two months after the test window closes, so plan around that gap instead of expecting an immediate score.
Switching schools or boards
Your OSSLT record follows you if you change schools or boards within Ontario. Bring your most recent report card and ask your new school's guidance office to confirm your literacy status early, since records sometimes take time to transfer between boards.
After two unsuccessful attempts: the OSSLC course
Once you write the OSSLT twice without passing, you become eligible for the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Course (OSSLC), a full credit course that satisfies the literacy requirement in place of another test sitting. Principals sometimes grant earlier entry into the course, before a second attempt, when that route suits the student better. Talk to your guidance counsellor about whether the course or another test sitting fits your timeline better, since the course runs a semester like any other credit.
Practicing before your next sitting
EQAO publishes released test questions and answer keys on its site, drawn from real past administrations. Working through a released set under timed conditions before your next sitting gives you a more accurate read on your readiness than general literacy practice alone.
Still open going into your final year
If you reach your last year of high school without a pass and without completing the OSSLC, tell your guidance counsellor immediately. Ontario universities issue conditional offers to Grade 12 applicants based on projected or final grades, and the OSSD itself, including the literacy requirement, is a separate condition your school confirms later. An open OSSLT does not cancel an offer on its own, but it does mean your school withholds your diploma until you clear it, which affects when you confirm enrollment. Book your remaining sitting or your OSSLC seat as early in the year as your school allows, and flag the situation to the university's admissions office in writing so the file shows your plan.
Steps to take now
Ask your guidance office which OSSLT attempts are on your record.
Confirm your school's next sitting date directly, not from a general ministry calendar.
If you are past two attempts, ask about enrolling in OSSLC for the next available semester.
If you are in your graduating year and still open, email the admissions office of any university that made you an offer to explain your plan and timeline.