When do the 2026 matric exams begin? FULL timetable
· The South African
The 2026 National Senior Certificate (NSC) final examinations are fast approaching, with matric learners across South Africa set to begin their final exams in October.
According to the official timetable released by the Department of Basic Education (DBE), the 2026 NSC exams will start on Tuesday, 13 October and run until Thursday, 26 November.
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The timetable applies to public schools writing the NSC examinations.
Some matric exams start earlier
While the main examination period begins in October, some subjects have assessment dates earlier in the year.
Learners taking Life Orientation, Performing Arts or Visual Arts and Design should pay particular attention to the earlier dates.
The Life Orientation Common Assessment Task (CAT) is scheduled for Tuesday, 1 September.
Learners should check the official timetable carefully to ensure they know when their individual assessments and examinations take place.
What time do matric exams start?
The DBE timetable has two standard examination sessions.
Morning papers begin at 09:00, while afternoon papers start at 14:00.
Matric learners are advised to arrive at their examination venues well before the scheduled starting time.
Being late can add unnecessary stress to an already demanding examination period, so learners should plan their travel and arrival times in advance.
With the final examinations approaching, learners are encouraged to use the remaining time to revise, prepare their examination materials and familiarise themselves with the official timetable.
Week 1: 13 to 17 October
The first week opens with CAT and IT practicals, followed by language papers. English Paper 3 – the writing and composition paper – falls on Thursday 15 October, which is earlier than many students expect.
DateTimeSubjectTuesday, 13 October09:00Computer Applications Technology P1 Practical (3 hrs)Tuesday 13 October14:00Hindi / Gujarati / Tamil / Telugu / Urdu HL P1 (2 hrs), FAL P1 (2 hrs), SAL P1 (2 hrs); Hebrew SAL P1 (2 hrs); German HL / FAL / SAL P1 (2 hrs)Wednesday 14 October09:00Information Technology P1 Practical (3 hrs)Wednesday 14 October14:00Arabic / French / Italian / Mandarin / Modern Greek / Serbian / Spanish SAL P1 (2 hrs); Latin SAL P1 (3 hrs); Portuguese HL / FAL / SAL P1 (2 hrs)Thursday 15 October09:00English HL P3 (3 hrs); English FAL P3 (2½ hrs); English SAL P3 (2½ hrs)Thursday 15 October14:00Hindi / Gujarati / Tamil / Telugu / Urdu HL P2 (2½ hrs), FAL P2 (2 hrs), SAL P2 (2 hrs); Hebrew SAL P2 (2 hrs); German HL P2 (2½ hrs), FAL P2 (2 hrs), SAL P2 (2 hrs)Friday 16 October09:00Economics P1 (2 hrs); Mechanical Technology (3 hrs)Friday 16 October14:00Design P1 (3 hrs)Week 2: 19 to 23 October
Week two carries most of the major home language papers alongside Accounting and Mathematics Paper 1. Friday 23 October is the busiest single morning of the exam season for most students.
DateTimeSubjectMonday 19 October09:00isiZulu / isiXhosa / siSwati / isiNdebele HL P3 (3 hrs), FAL P3 (2½ hrs), SAL P3 (2½ hrs)Monday 19 October14:00Agricultural Sciences P1 (2½ hrs)Tuesday 20 October09:00Afrikaans HL P3 (3 hrs); Afrikaans FAL P3 (2½ hrs); Afrikaans SAL P3 (2½ hrs)Tuesday 20 October14:00History P1 (3 hrs); Maritime Economics (3 hrs)Wednesday 21 October09:00Sepedi / Sesotho / Setswana / Xitsonga / Tshivenda HL P3 (3 hrs), FAL P3 (2½ hrs), SAL P3 (2½ hrs); South African Sign Language HL P3 (3 hrs)Wednesday 21 October14:00Information Technology P2 Theory (3 hrs)Thursday 22 October09:00Accounting P1 (2 hrs)Thursday 22 October14:00Engineering Graphics and Design P1 (3 hrs); Marine Sciences P1 (2½ hrs)Friday 23 October09:00Mathematics P1 (3 hrs); Mathematical Literacy P1 (3 hrs); Technical Mathematics P1 (3 hrs)Friday 23 October14:00Hindi / Gujarati / Tamil / Telugu / Urdu HL P3 (2½ hrs), FAL P3 (2½ hrs); Portuguese / German HL P3 (2½ hrs); Portuguese / German FAL P3 (2½ hrs)Week 3: 26 to 30 October
Mathematics Paper 2 opens this week on Monday – just one weekend after Paper 1. Physical Sciences follows at the end of the week, with Physics on Friday 30 October and Chemistry the following Monday.
DateTimeSubjectMonday 26 October09:00Mathematics P2 (3 hrs); Mathematical Literacy P2 (3 hrs); Technical Mathematics P2 (3 hrs)Monday 26 October14:00Sport and Exercise Science (3 hrs)Tuesday 27 October09:00Sepedi / Sesotho / Setswana / Xitsonga / Tshivenda HL P1 (2 hrs), FAL P1 (2 hrs), SAL P1 (2 hrs); South African Sign Language HL P1 (2 hrs)Tuesday 27 October14:00Engineering Graphics and Design P2 (3 hrs)Wednesday 28 October09:00English HL P1 (2 hrs); English FAL P1 (2 hrs); English SAL P1 (2 hrs)Wednesday 28 October14:00Accounting P2 (2 hrs)Thursday 29 October09:00Geography P1 – Climate and Weather, Geomorphology and Map Work (3 hrs)Thursday 29 October14:00Computer Applications Technology P2 Theory (3 hrs)Friday 30 October09:00Physical Sciences P1 – Physics (3 hrs); Technical Sciences P1 (3 hrs)Friday 30 October14:00Tourism (3 hrs)Week 4: 2 November
Physical Sciences Paper 2 (Chemistry) opens the week on Monday, then the timetable breaks for four days. It’s breathing room – use it for Life Sciences and Business Studies revision.
DateTimeSubjectMonday 2 November09:00Physical Sciences P2 – Chemistry (3 hrs); Technical Sciences P2 (1½ hrs)Monday 2 November14:00Religion Studies P1 (2 hrs)Tuesday 3 November—No examsWednesday 4 November—No examsThursday 5 November—No examsFriday 6 November09:00isiZulu / isiXhosa / siSwati / isiNdebele HL P1 (2 hrs), FAL P1 (2 hrs), SAL P1 (2 hrs)Friday 6 November14:00Consumer Studies (3 hrs); Hospitality Studies (3 hrs)Week 5: 9 to 13 November
Life Sciences Paper 1 closes out this week on Friday. Monday has no exams, so you have the weekend and Monday to prepare for a busy week of home language papers and Business Studies.
DateTimeSubjectMonday 9 November—No examsTuesday 10 November09:00isiZulu / isiXhosa / siSwati / isiNdebele HL P2 (2½ hrs), FAL P2 (2½ hrs), SAL P2 (1½ hrs)Tuesday 10 November14:00Electrical Technology (3 hrs); Nautical Science P1 (3 hrs)Wednesday 11 November09:00Afrikaans HL P1 (2 hrs); Afrikaans FAL P1 (2 hrs); Afrikaans SAL P1 (2 hrs)Wednesday 11 November14:00Business Studies P1 (2 hrs)Thursday 12 November09:00Geography P2 – Rural and Urban Settlements, Economic Geography of SA and Map Work (3 hrs)Thursday 12 November14:00Religion Studies P2 (2 hrs)Friday 13 November09:00Life Sciences P1 (2½ hrs)Friday 13 November14:00Arabic / French / Italian / Mandarin / Modern Greek / Serbian / Spanish SAL P2 (2 hrs); Latin SAL P2 (2 hrs); Portuguese HL P2 (2½ hrs), FAL / SAL P2 (2 hrs); Equine Studies (3 hrs)Week 6: 16 to 20 November
Life Sciences Paper 2 opens Monday, followed by English and History later in the week. This is the last full week of major papers for most NSC candidates.
DateTimeSubjectMonday 16 November09:00Life Sciences P2 (2½ hrs)Monday 16 November14:00Dramatic Arts (3 hrs); Civil Technology (3 hrs)Tuesday 17 November09:00Sepedi / Sesotho / Setswana / Xitsonga / Tshivenda HL P2 (2½ hrs), FAL P2 (2½ hrs), SAL P2 (1½ hrs); South African Sign Language HL P2 (2½ hrs)Tuesday 17 November14:00Agricultural Sciences P2 (2½ hrs); Nautical Science P2 (3 hrs)Wednesday 18 November09:00Business Studies P2 (2 hrs)Wednesday 18 November14:00Visual Arts P1 (3 hrs)Thursday 19 November09:00English HL P2 (2½ hrs); English FAL P2 (2½ hrs); English SAL P2 (1½ hrs)Thursday 19 November14:00History P2 (3 hrs)Friday 20 November09:00Afrikaans HL P2 (2½ hrs); Afrikaans FAL P2 (2½ hrs); Afrikaans SAL P2 (1½ hrs)Friday 20 November14:00Economics P2 (2 hrs)Final Week: 23 to 26 November
The last four days are mostly specialist and smaller-enrolment subjects, along with the CAT and IT P1 rewrites on Thursday 26 November.
DateTimeSubjectMonday 23 November09:00Agricultural Technology (3 hrs)Monday 23 November14:00Music P1 Theory (3 hrs)Tuesday 24 November09:00Agricultural Management Practices (3 hrs); Marine Sciences P2 (2½ hrs)Tuesday 24 November14:00Dance Studies (3 hrs)Wednesday 25 November09:00Music P2 Comprehension (1½ hrs)Thursday 26 November09:00CAT P1 Rewrite Practical (3 hrs); IT P1 Rewrite Practical (3 hrs)