Exams at the Canadian Championships
International Academic Competitions organizes Canadian Championship Exams across numerous academic disciplines. The exams will be offered on various fields of history and geography as explained below.
Each exam will consist of multiple choice questions with each correct answer worth 2 points, an incorrect response worth -1 point, and an answer left blank worth 0 points. The time limit will be 25 minutes for each exam. Ties will be broken through tiebreaker questions with numerical answers. Students will be ranked against other students in their age division, and the top three students in each division will earn medals. No prior qualification is needed to take any of the exams. Registration for Canadian Championship Exams will open in January 2026.
Ancient History Exam
This exam will focus on European history up until the year 500 CE. It will also cover the history of the Americas through the year 1550, the history of Asia through the year 1200, the history of Africa until 1400, and the history of Oceania until 1500. Approximately 20% of this exam will focus on the history of the ancient Middle East (including Iran) and North Africa, 30% will focus on the history of Ancient Greece and Rome, 5% on the history of the Americas, 5% on Sub-Saharan Africa, 5% on Oceania and Southeast Asia, 15% will focus on Ancient East Asia, and 10% will focus on the history of South and Central Asia, with the remaining 10% distributed across multiple regions on the same question, or from any region.
Biology Exam
This exam will cover all aspects of a standard high school biology curriculum with particular emphasis placed on topics such as molecular and cellular biology, ecology, anatomy, taxonomy, evolution, genetics, and more.
Historical Geography Exam
This exam will cover the impact of geography on historical events, and examine questions of population movements, shifts in national and imperial borders, the spread of languages and religions, exploration and trade patterns, military campaigns, and more.
Map and Flag Exam
This visually-based exam will ask students to identify maps and flags of different countries, states, cities, and other geographical entities. For the map section, students will also be asked to interpret maps and use spatial reasoning skills to answer questions that do not require prior knowledge of geographic locations, but do require a student to use maps in the way that a professional geographer would do.
Military History Exam
This exam will cover all facets of military history from ancient civilizations to the present-day. In addition to battles and wars, questions will also cover military technology, strategy and tactics, and how military outcomes shaped the contours of history.