WACE

WACE Exam Timetable 2026 (SCSA)

The 2026 WACE ATAR course written exams run from Wednesday 28 October to Wednesday 18 November. Psychology and Aviation are first, at 9:20 am on 28 October, followed by Chemistry on 29 October and English on 30 October. Morning exams start at 9:20 am and afternoon exams at 2:00 pm. Most papers are 3 hours of working time plus 10 minutes of reading time.

This page lists SCSA's 2026 Year 12 ATAR course written examinations timetable, which SCSA says is final. For past exams in each course, start from WACE past exams (SCSA).

When are the WACE exams in 2026?

  • Practical exams, 26 September to 25 October: performance and oral exams for Dance, Drama, Music, Aviation and the languages.
  • Written exams, 28 October to 18 November: every ATAR course with a written paper.
  • Week 1, 28 to 30 October: includes Psychology, Chemistry, Ancient History and English.
  • Weeks 2 and 3, 2 to 13 November: includes the three maths courses, Physics, Human Biology, Biology, Economics, Geography and Modern History.
  • Week 4, 16 to 18 November: Health Studies, Design, Music and the last language papers.

In a course with a written exam only, the exam is half your combined mark. How it feeds your ATAR is covered in how to prepare for WACE exams.

WACE exam timetable 2026 by day

Type your course to filter the table.

Start timeSubjectWorking + reading time
Thursday 15 October
11:00 amInterstate languages: Auslan, Bengali, Bosnian, Croatian, Dutch, Filipino, Hebrew, Hungarian, Karen, Khmer, Macedonian, Persian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Sinhala, Swedish, Turkish2 hrs + 10 mins
11:00 amJapanese: Background Language2½ hrs + 10 mins
11:00 amChinese: Background Language2½ hrs + 10 mins
Wednesday 28 October
9:20 amAviation2½ hrs + 10 mins
9:20 amPsychology3 hrs + 10 mins
2:00 pmEngineering Studies3 hrs + 10 mins
2:00 pmIndonesian: Second Language2½ hrs + 10 mins
2:00 pmKorean: Second Language2½ hrs + 10 mins
Thursday 29 October
9:20 amAgribusiness3 hrs + 10 mins
9:20 amChemistry3 hrs + 10 mins
2:00 pmComputer Science3 hrs + 10 mins
2:00 pmGerman: Background Language2½ hrs + 10 mins
2:00 pmAncient History3 hrs + 10 mins
Friday 30 October
9:20 amEnglish3 hrs + 10 mins
2:00 pmEnglish as an Additional Language or Dialect3 hrs + 10 mins
Monday 2 November
9:20 amAgricultural Science and Technology3 hrs + 10 mins
9:20 amMathematics MethodsTwo sections: 50 mins + 5 mins, then 100 mins + 10 mins
2:00 pmApplied Information Technology3 hrs + 10 mins
2:00 pmChinese: Second Language2½ hrs + 10 mins
Tuesday 3 November
9:20 amLiterature3 hrs + 10 mins
11:00 amInterstate languages: Modern Greek, Spanish2 hrs + 10 mins
2:00 pmDance2½ hrs + 10 mins
2:00 pmGerman: Second Language2½ hrs + 10 mins
2:00 pmMedia Production and Analysis2½ hrs + 10 mins
Wednesday 4 November
8:45 amInterstate language: Vietnamese2 hrs + 15 mins
9:20 amPhysics3 hrs + 10 mins
2:00 pmChinese: First Language3 hrs + 10 mins
2:00 pmIndonesian: Background Language2½ hrs + 10 mins
2:00 pmPolitics and Law3 hrs + 10 mins
Thursday 5 November
9:20 amHuman Biology3 hrs + 10 mins
2:00 pmDrama2½ hrs + 10 mins
2:00 pmOutdoor Education3 hrs + 10 mins
Friday 6 November
9:20 amMathematics ApplicationsTwo sections: 50 mins + 5 mins, then 100 mins + 10 mins
12:00 pmInterstate language: Arabic2 hrs + 15 mins
2:00 pmJapanese: Second Language2½ hrs + 10 mins
2:00 pmMaterials Design and Technology2½ hrs + 10 mins
Monday 9 November
9:20 amFood Science and Technology3 hrs + 10 mins
9:20 amMathematics SpecialistTwo sections: 50 mins + 5 mins, then 100 mins + 10 mins
2:00 pmBiology3 hrs + 10 mins
2:00 pmFrench: Background Language2½ hrs + 10 mins
2:00 pmKorean: Background Language2½ hrs + 10 mins
Tuesday 10 November
9:20 amEconomics3 hrs + 10 mins
2:00 pmMarine and Maritime Studies3 hrs + 10 mins
2:00 pmPunjabi: Background Language2½ hrs + 10 mins
2:00 pmVisual Arts2½ hrs + 10 mins
Wednesday 11 November
9:20 amBusiness Management and Enterprise3 hrs + 10 mins
2:00 pmGeography3 hrs + 10 mins
2:00 pmTamil: Background Language2½ hrs + 10 mins
Thursday 12 November
9:20 amModern History3 hrs + 10 mins
2:00 pmItalian: Background Language2½ hrs + 10 mins
2:00 pmPhysical Education Studies2½ hrs + 10 mins
Friday 13 November
9:20 amAccounting and Finance3 hrs + 10 mins
9:20 amEarth and Environmental Science3 hrs + 10 mins
2:00 pmPhilosophy and Ethics3 hrs + 10 mins
2:00 pmReligion and Life3 hrs + 10 mins
Monday 16 November
9:20 amHealth Studies3 hrs + 10 mins
2:00 pmFrench: Second Language2½ hrs + 10 mins
2:00 pmHindi: Background Language2½ hrs + 10 mins
Tuesday 17 November
9:20 amDesign2½ hrs + 10 mins
2:00 pmMusic2½ hrs + 10 mins
Wednesday 18 November
9:20 amItalian: Second Language2½ hrs + 10 mins

Source: 2026 Year 12 ATAR course written examinations timetable. Subjects in blue link to our past papers for that subject.

Start times and reading time

  • Morning exams start at 9:20 am and afternoon exams at 2:00 pm. Arrive at least 30 minutes before: by 8:50 am or 1:30 pm.
  • Most papers are 3 hours of working time plus 10 minutes of reading time. The courses shown with 2½ hours in the table, such as Physical Education Studies, Dance, Drama and most languages, have 2½ hours of working time.
  • The three maths courses are one sitting in two sections. Section one (calculator-free) is 5 minutes of reading and 50 minutes of working time. Section two (calculator-assumed) is 10 minutes of reading and 100 minutes of working time.
CourseDate and start
Mathematics MethodsMon 2 Nov, 9:20 am
Mathematics ApplicationsFri 6 Nov, 9:20 am
Mathematics SpecialistMon 9 Nov, 9:20 am

Practical exams

Practical (performance and oral) exams ran before the written period: Dance from 26 September, Drama from 28 September, Music from 29 September, Aviation on 1 and 2 October, and the language orals from 10 to 25 October. Your personalised practical timetable gives your own time and venue.

Your personalised timetable

SCSA's student portal has had your personalised written exam timetable since 8 September 2026. It shows the date, time and venue of each exam you are enrolled in. Sign a printed copy and bring it with photo ID to every exam. A photo of it on your phone is not accepted. If you register a mobile number in the portal, SCSA can text you about any timetable or venue change during the exams.

Exam day rules

From SCSA's Year 12 Information Handbook 2026, Part II:

  • Arrive 30 minutes early. Supervisors start letting candidates in about 20 minutes before the start, to explain instructions.
  • Late entry has a limit. You won't be admitted after the first half hour of working time.
  • Misreading the timetable is not an excuse. SCSA makes no allowance for a missed exam caused by it.
  • No phones. A mobile phone may not be taken into a written exam.

If you're sick or something goes wrong close to or during an exam, ask your school about a Sickness/Misadventure Application. It needs evidence from a doctor you saw on the day of the exam or the day before, and the application for the written exams must reach SCSA by close of business on Tuesday 24 November 2026. If it is approved, SCSA estimates an exam mark from your school mark and you receive the higher of the two.

Getting ready for your first exam

To plan the weeks before your first paper, see how to prepare for WACE exams. Each course in blue in the timetable links to its SCSA past exams, marked by AusGrader.

Frequently asked questions

When do the WACE exams finish in 2026?

The last ATAR course written exam is Italian: Second Language on the morning of Wednesday 18 November 2026. The final week is short: Health Studies, French: Second Language and Hindi: Background Language on 16 November, Design and Music on 17 November, then Italian on 18 November.

What time do WACE exams start?

Morning exams start at 9:20 am and afternoon exams at 2:00 pm. SCSA asks you to arrive at least 30 minutes before, so by 8:50 am or 1:30 pm. A few interstate language exams start at other times, shown in the timetable.

Where do I get my personalised WACE exam timetable?

Download it from the SCSA student portal, where it has been available since 8 September 2026. It shows the date, time and venue of each of your exams. Sign it and bring a printed copy with photo ID to every exam: a photo of it on your phone is not accepted.

What happens if I misread the WACE timetable and miss an exam?

SCSA makes no allowance for a missed exam caused by misreading the timetable, and it is not grounds for a Sickness/Misadventure Application. You also can't enter an exam after the first half hour of working time, so check every date and session against your personalised timetable.

Sources

Syllabus and assessment material referenced in this guide is used under licence, © School Curriculum and Standards Authority. See our SCSA licensing notice. The School Curriculum and Standards Authority does not endorse this publication or product.