QCAA External Exam Timetable 2026: Every Subject Date

Queensland's 2026 external assessments run from Monday 26 October to Tuesday 17 November. That is 17 exam days, opening with Economics and closing with Agricultural Science. The ATAR follows on Friday 18 December.

Every 2026 external assessment date

The QCAA sets a morning and an afternoon session on each exam day. Your school runs the sessions and tells you what time to arrive, because the published timetable fixes the day and the session, not a statewide start time.

Dates come from the QCAA external assessment timetable. Print that PDF as well: it carries each paper's length and any amendment made after publication.

Mathematics and Science subjects sit two papers; most other General subjects sit one. Chemistry, Biology, Physics, Mathematical Methods, Marine Science and Agricultural Science take both papers on a single day.

Four subjects split theirs instead, sitting Paper 1 in an afternoon and Paper 2 the next morning: General Mathematics and Specialist Mathematics on 5 and 6 November, Psychology on 10 and 11 November, and Earth and Environmental Science on 11 and 12 November.

Where the exam block sits in Queensland's Term 4

Queensland's Term 4 runs Tuesday 6 October to Friday 11 December 2026. Exams start three weeks into the term and finish more than three weeks before it ends, so Year 12 students are done well ahead of the younger years.

Queensland does set a statewide Year 12 finishing day, and in 2026 it is Friday 20 November, three days after the last exam. A student has to attend up to and including that day to receive a Senior Education Profile in December, per QCAA's finishing dates.

What varies is the lead-up. Each school sets its own attendance and revision arrangements before 26 October, so ask yours about study leave rather than working from a general date. The QLD term dates page has the full term structure.

The exams that sit outside the Year 12 block

The Senior External Examination is a separate program for adult learners and some eligible Year 12 students. Its subjects are assessed entirely by external exam, unlike General subjects.

QCAA gives the SEE period as Monday 12 October to Wednesday 18 November 2026, but the last SEE written paper on the timetable is Modern Greek on Tuesday 10 November. Language oral components start earlier still, from Tuesday 6 October. If you are a mainstream Year 12 student, the table above is your timetable.

Results, the ATAR and what each one covers

External assessment counts for 25% of your final result in most General subjects, and 50% in mathematics and science subjects. It is added to your three internal assessment results rather than used to scale them.

The QCAA publishes final subject results and your Senior Education Profile in the Student Portal in mid-December. It has not named an exact date for 2026, so treat any specific day you see quoted elsewhere as unconfirmed.

QTAC releases the ATAR separately, at 9:00am on Friday 18 December 2026. You need a QTAC ATAR account to see it, which is a different login from your QCAA learning account.

How to plan around the exam period

1. Check your own subjects against the QCAA timetable, then confirm session times with your school.
2. Count the days to any date with the Date Calculator, or read the live count at the top of this page.
3. Print the QLD 2026 calendar and mark your exam days against the rest of Term 4.
4. Set up your QTAC ATAR account before 18 December so results day is not spent on registration.

Frequently asked questions

When do QCAA external exams start in 2026?

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Monday 26 October 2026, with Economics in the morning session. The exam period runs until Tuesday 17 November across 17 exam days.

How many exams will I sit in a day?

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The QCAA designs the timetable so most students sit no more than two external assessments on the same day. Where two of your subjects fall in the same session, you are moved to the other session on that day.

When do QCE results and the ATAR come out in 2026?

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QTAC releases the ATAR at 9:00am on Friday 18 December 2026. QCAA subject results appear in the Student Portal in mid-December, but no exact date has been published for 2026.

Where can I download the official QCAA timetable?

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From qcaa.qld.edu.au, under senior assessment. Your personalised timetable appears in the QCAA Student Portal, which is the one to follow if your subjects clash.

Is the Senior External Examination the same as my Year 12 exams?

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No. The SEE is a separate program for adult learners and some eligible Year 12 students, and its written papers run from 12 October to 10 November 2026. General subject students sit the exams in the table above.