This study was conducted in Quebec with 608 students (aged 16-19) in four "second chance" schools of the greater Montreal area. The objectives were twofold: (a) to identify the strategies of these students in the context of five learning activities; and (b) to compare the strategies of students who had withdrawn from school after their mandatory attendance period (age 16-17) with those of students exceeding the age limit for high school (age 18-19). Results from a self-reported questionnaire in French show that the students lack many learning strategies, particularly for two of the five activities. The differences between the two groups always favor the older students and pertain to a specific aspect of the activity. These results argue for differentiation in research and classroom practices according to the activities presented to the students and according to the two age groups.