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HSC exams 2026

HSC 2026 written exams: dates, the four exam weeks, and your last fortnight

The 2026 HSC written exams started with English Paper 1 on Tuesday 13 October and finish on the morning of Thursday 5 November with Physics, according to NESA.

By StudyDesign AI editorial team. Dates checked against the official page linked below on 12 October 2026; the authority can change them, so confirm on the official page and on your own personal timetable. No teacher review is claimed.

The four exam weeks

NESA's HSC written exam timetable splits the exams over four weeks:

  • Week 1: Tuesday 13 October to Friday 16 October
  • Week 2: Monday 19 October to Friday 23 October
  • Week 3: Monday 26 October to Friday 30 October
  • Week 4: Monday 2 November to Thursday 5 November

NESA's release on the 2026 timetables describes an 18-day exam window, with English Paper 1 first and Physics last. The subject-by-subject table is on NESA's page, and your own dates are in Students Online.

Two rules NESA states plainly

  • The start time is when reading time begins. NESA: "The exam start time shown on your exam timetable is when reading time begins." Plan to be there well before it.
  • Misreading your timetable costs you. NESA: "No extra time will be given if you miss an exam because you misread your timetable." If anything on yours is missing or wrong, contact your school immediately.

Languages oral exams, performance exams and submitted works are on your personalised timetable rather than the written one. NESA also says a VET exam that is not on your timetable means you are not entered.

Using the days between your papers

  • Build a one-page calendar from Students Online. Mark each paper and the gap before it. The HSC spreads papers over four weeks, so most students have uneven gaps.
  • Work backward from the next paper only. Spend the day after an exam on the next one, not on a post-mortem of the last.
  • Mine your trial papers. Your trial mark does not count toward the HSC, but the lost marks show your pattern. See how to use your HSC trial exams.
  • Practise command words against past HSC papers. Many lost marks are answering a different task than the one asked.

Rehearse the exam, not just the content

Generate a practice paper in your state's format and get each written answer marked against the official criteria, with the phrase that lost the mark underlined. 3-day free trial, card required.

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