HSC Exam Timetable 2026: Full Day-by-Day Dates
The 2026 HSC written exams run Tuesday 13 October to Thursday 5 November. See every exam day and session, plus the 16 December results date.
the 2026 HSC written exam period is under way (ends 5 November 2026)
The 2026 HSC timetable is confirmed. Written exams run from Tuesday 13 October to Thursday 5 November 2026, 18 exam days that open with English Paper 1 and close with Physics. Results follow on Wednesday 16 December.
When the 2026 HSC starts and finishes
English Paper 1 opens the written exams on the morning of Tuesday 13 October 2026. Physics closes them on the morning of Thursday 5 November, with no afternoon session that day. If your subjects clash, follow the adjustments in your personalised timetable on NESA Students Online.
NESA publishes a public timetable of courses and sessions as well as a personalised timetable in Students Online. Use your own timetable for the exams and arrangements that apply to you.
Languages orals start in August and performance exams run through Term 3, both well ahead of the written block. Plenty of Year 12 students will have sat an HSC exam before English Paper 1 comes around. The October and November window covers the written papers only.
2026 HSC key dates
| Milestone | 2026 date |
|---|---|
| Personalised timetables released | Friday 1 May |
| Written exams start (English Paper 1) | Tuesday 13 October |
| Written exams finish (Physics) | Thursday 5 November |
| Results released | Wednesday 16 December |
These are NESA's published dates for the 2026 cohort. The earlier orals and performance exams aren't in the list because NESA schedules them student by student rather than on one statewide day.
Every written exam day, subject by subject
Below is all 18 written exam days and the courses in each session. Start and finish times vary by subject, so check your personalised timetable on NESA Students Online for the times that apply to you.
| Date | Session | Courses |
|---|---|---|
| Tue 13 Oct (Day 1) | AM & PM | AM: English Advanced Paper 1, English Standard Paper 1, English Studies, English EAL/D Paper 1. PM: Classical Greek Extension, Classical Hebrew Extension, German Continuers, Indonesian Extension, Japanese Beginners, Japanese Continuers. |
| Wed 14 Oct (Day 2) | AM & PM | AM: English Advanced Paper 2, English Standard Paper 2, English EAL/D Paper 2, English EAL/D Listening Paper. PM: Music 1 (Aural Skills), Music 2 (Musicology and Aural Skills). |
| Thu 15 Oct (Day 3) | AM & PM | AM: Indonesian Beginners, Classical Hebrew Continuers, Earth and Environmental Science, Tourism, Travel and Events (VET), Indonesian Continuers. PM: Agriculture, Arabic Continuers, Chinese in Context, Japanese in Context, Korean in Context, Modern Hebrew Continuers, Spanish Beginners, Spanish Continuers, Vietnamese Continuers, plus 17 CCAFL community-language courses (Armenian, Croatian, Dutch, Filipino, Hindi, Hungarian, Khmer, Macedonian, Persian, Polish, Portuguese, Punjabi, Russian, Serbian, Swedish, Tamil and Turkish Continuers). |
| Fri 16 Oct (Day 4) | AM & PM | AM: Modern History, Japanese Extension. PM: Classical Greek Continuers, Hospitality (VET) – Kitchen Operations and Cookery / Food and Beverage, German Extension. |
| Mon 19 Oct (Day 5) | AM & PM | AM: Mathematics Advanced, Mathematics Standard 1, Mathematics Standard 2. PM: Mathematics Extension 2. |
| Tue 20 Oct (Day 6) | AM & PM | AM: German Beginners, Engineering Studies, Latin Continuers, Primary Industries (VET), Textiles and Design, Spanish Extension. PM: Automotive (VET), Society and Culture, Arabic Extension, Chinese Continuers. |
| Wed 21 Oct (Day 7) | AM & PM | AM: Biology. PM: History Extension, Business Services (VET), Chinese and Literature. |
| Thu 22 Oct (Day 8) | AM & PM | AM: Latin Extension, Studies of Religion I, Studies of Religion II. PM: Drama, Chinese Beginners, Chinese Extension. |
| Fri 23 Oct (Day 9) | AM & PM | AM: Ancient History, Electrotechnology (VET). PM: Mathematics Extension 1. |
| Mon 26 Oct (Day 10) | AM & PM | AM: Business Studies. PM: Science Extension, Construction (VET). |
| Tue 27 Oct (Day 11) | AM & PM | AM: Modern Greek Beginners, Human Services (VET), Italian Continuers, Korean Continuers, Modern Greek Extension, Software Engineering. PM: Economics, Entertainment Industry (VET). |
| Wed 28 Oct (Day 12) | AM & PM | AM: Health and Movement Science. PM: English Extension 1, Information and Digital Technology (VET), Retail Services (VET), Korean and Literature. |
| Thu 29 Oct (Day 13) | AM & PM | AM: Italian Beginners, Korean Beginners, Dance (Core Appreciation and Major Study Appreciation), Italian Extension, Modern Greek Continuers, Enterprise Computing. PM: Design and Technology, French Beginners, French Extension. |
| Fri 30 Oct (Day 14) | AM & PM | AM: Aboriginal Studies, Chemistry, Financial Services (VET). PM: Visual Arts (Art Criticism and Art History). |
| Mon 2 Nov (Day 15) | AM & PM | AM: Legal Studies. PM: Geography. |
| Tue 3 Nov (Day 16) | AM & PM | AM: Community and Family Studies. PM: Investigating Science, French Continuers. |
| Wed 4 Nov (Day 17) | AM & PM | AM: Food Technology. PM: Industrial Technology (Automotive, Electronics, Graphics, Metal and Engineering, Multimedia, and Timber and Furniture Technologies streams). |
| Thu 5 Nov (Day 18) | AM | Physics. No afternoon session, so this is the last written exam day. |
Source: NESA's 2026 HSC written exam timetable. Use it to plan around the exam period, not as a substitute for the personalised schedule in Students Online.
Where the exams sit in NSW Term 4
NSW Term 4 2026 runs from Tuesday 13 October to Thursday 17 December, the same dates in the Eastern and Western divisions. English Paper 1 falls on the first day of term, so the HSC opens the moment Term 4 does.
The written block finishes on 5 November, six weeks before the term ends. Year 12 are through their timetabled exams while the rest of the school still has half a term to run. See NSW school term dates for the full year, and the 2026 school holidays guide for how the surrounding breaks line up at home.
How to plan around the exam period
- Open your personalised timetable in NESA Students Online and note your own subjects, sessions and rooms.
- Block out 13 October to 5 November before booking travel or family events. These dates are confirmed, not indicative.
- Count the days to any single exam with the Date Calculator, or read the live count at the top of this page.
- Mark Wednesday 16 December for results, then check the NSW calendar for what else lands that week.
Frequently asked questions
When does the HSC start and finish in 2026?
Tuesday 13 October to Thursday 5 November 2026. English Paper 1 is the first written exam and Physics the last, across 18 exam days in NSW Term 4.
When is the 2026 HSC written exam timetable released?
NESA released the public written exam timetable and personalised schedules on Friday 1 May 2026. The public timetable lists all courses; Students Online shows your own exams and any clash adjustments.
How many days are there until the HSC in 2026?
Read the live count at the top of this page. It recalculates against the NSW date every time the page loads, so it never goes stale. The Date Calculator gives the same figure for any other date you pick.
How does the HSC exam period sit within the NSW school terms?
It opens Term 4 and ends long before the term does. NSW Term 4 2026 runs 13 October to 17 December, and the written exams take up its first four weeks.
When are 2026 HSC results released?
Wednesday 16 December 2026, about six weeks after the last written exam. NESA delivers them through the Students Online portal.
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