WACE Exam Timetable 2026 – Year 12 ATAR Written Exams (Western Australia)
Quick answer: The 2026 WACE (Year 12 ATAR course) written exams run from Wednesday 28 October to Wednesday 18 November 2026 (SCSA’s official window ends Thursday 19 November). English and EALD are on Friday 30 October. Papers start at 9:20 am or 2:00 pm Perth time, with 10 minutes’ reading and 3 hours’ working time. ATAR practical exams ran from 26 September to 25 October 2026.
Which timetable is this?
This is the final 2026 Year 12 ATAR course written examination timetable published by the School Curriculum and Standards Authority (SCSA) of Western Australia. SCSA says the timetable is final and will not change. Students who sit these exams receive results that count towards the Western Australian Certificate of Education (WACE) and the ATAR.
The table shows the date of each exam. Whether a paper is in the morning (9:20 am) or afternoon (2:00 pm) session is shown on the official PDF and on your personalised timetable, which students have been able to download from the SCSA student portal since 8 September 2026.
WACE ATAR written exam timetable 2026 (28 Oct – 18 Nov)
| Date | Week | ATAR courses examined |
|---|---|---|
| Wed 28 Oct 2026 | Week 1 | Aviation; Psychology; Engineering Studies; Indonesian: Second Language; Korean: Second Language |
| Thu 29 Oct 2026 | Week 1 | Agribusiness; Chemistry; Computer Science; German: Background Language; Ancient History |
| Fri 30 Oct 2026 | Week 1 | English; English as an Additional Language or Dialect (EALD) |
| Mon 2 Nov 2026 | Week 2 | Agricultural Science and Technology; Mathematics Methods*; Applied Information Technology; Chinese: Second Language |
| Tue 3 Nov 2026 | Week 2 | Literature; Dance; German: Second Language; Media Production and Analysis |
| Wed 4 Nov 2026 | Week 2 | Physics; Chinese: First Language; Indonesian: Background Language; Politics and Law |
| Thu 5 Nov 2026 | Week 2 | Human Biology; Drama; Outdoor Education |
| Fri 6 Nov 2026 | Week 2 | Mathematics Applications*; Japanese: Second Language; Materials Design and Technology |
| Mon 9 Nov 2026 | Week 3 | Food Science and Technology; Mathematics Specialist*; Biology; French: Background Language; Korean: Background Language |
| Tue 10 Nov 2026 | Week 3 | Economics; Marine and Maritime Studies; Punjabi: Background Language; Visual Arts |
| Wed 11 Nov 2026 | Week 3 | Business Management and Enterprise; Geography; Tamil: Background Language |
| Thu 12 Nov 2026 | Week 3 | Modern History; Italian: Background Language; Physical Education Studies |
| Fri 13 Nov 2026 | Week 3 | Accounting and Finance; Earth and Environmental Science; Philosophy and Ethics; Religion and Life |
| Mon 16 Nov 2026 | Week 4 | Health Studies; French: Second Language; Hindi: Background Language |
| Tue 17 Nov 2026 | Week 4 | Design; Music |
| Wed 18 Nov 2026 | Week 4 | Italian: Second Language |
* Mathematics papers have two sections: calculator-free (5 min reading, 50 min working) and calculator-assumed (10 min reading, 100 min working). All other exams: 10 min reading and 3 hours working unless the official timetable states otherwise. Times are Western Australian time (AWST).
Interstate language written exams 2026
Some languages are examined on a national (interstate) timetable at set times.
| Date | Start (WA time) | Exam and duration |
|---|---|---|
| Thu 15 Oct 2026 | 11:00 am | Interstate languages (Auslan, Bengali, Bosnian, Croatian, Dutch, Filipino, Hebrew, Hungarian, Karen, Khmer, Macedonian, Persian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Sinhala, Swedish, Turkish) – 10 min reading + 2 hours |
| Thu 15 Oct 2026 | 11:00 am | Japanese: Background Language; Chinese: Background Language – 10 min reading + 2 h 30 min |
| Tue 3 Nov 2026 | 11:00 am | Modern Greek; Spanish – 10 min reading + 2 hours |
| Wed 4 Nov 2026 | 8:45 am | Vietnamese – 15 min reading + 2 hours |
| Fri 6 Nov 2026 | 12:00 pm | Arabic – 15 min reading + 2 hours |
ATAR practical exams 2026
Practical (performance, oral and production) exams for ATAR courses ran from Saturday 26 September to Sunday 25 October 2026. See SCSA’s 2026 ATAR course practical examinations timetable for course-by-course dates.
Exam-day tips
- Arrive at your exam centre 30 minutes before the start time.
- Missing an exam because you misread the timetable does not qualify for any special allowance – check your personalised timetable.
- Read the SCSA Year 12 Information Handbook 2026 for exam rules and permitted equipment.
Frequently asked questions
When do WACE exams start in 2026?
The 2026 Year 12 ATAR course written examinations start on Wednesday 28 October 2026 with Aviation, Psychology, Engineering Studies and two second-language papers. Some interstate language exams were held earlier, on Thursday 15 October.
When is the WACE English exam 2026?
English and English as an Additional Language or Dialect (EALD) are on Friday 30 October 2026.
When do WACE exams finish in 2026?
SCSA’s official window runs to Thursday 19 November 2026. The last paper listed on the official timetable is Italian: Second Language on Wednesday 18 November 2026.
When are the WACE maths exams in 2026?
Mathematics Methods is on Monday 2 November, Mathematics Applications on Friday 6 November and Mathematics Specialist on Monday 9 November 2026. Each has a calculator-free and a calculator-assumed section.
How long is a WACE ATAR exam?
Unless the timetable says otherwise, each ATAR written exam has 10 minutes of reading time and 3 hours of working time. Maths papers are split into a calculator-free section (5 min reading, 50 min working) and a calculator-assumed section (10 min reading, 100 min working).
What time do WACE exams start?
Papers on the official timetable start at either 9:20 am or 2:00 pm (Perth time). Your personalised timetable on the SCSA student portal shows your exact session and exam centre. Arrive 30 minutes before the start.
When were the 2026 ATAR practical exams?
ATAR practical examinations ran from Saturday 26 September to Sunday 25 October 2026.
Also searched as: wace exam timetable 2026 · wace exam timetable 2026 pdf · wace exam timetable 2026 release date · wace exam timetable 2026 nigeria · wace exam timetable 2026 pdf download nigeria
Download the official 2026 ATAR written exam timetable (SCSA PDF)