When do VCE exams start in 2026?
The 2026 VCE written exams run from Tuesday 27 October to Wednesday 18 November. English and EAL are first, on the morning of Tuesday 27 October; the maths block clusters in early-to-mid November (Mathematical Methods Exams 1 and 2 on Thursday 5 and Friday 6 November, Specialist on Monday 9 and Wednesday 11 November). The GAT was held earlier, on Tuesday 16 June 2026. Always confirm your exact subjects and session times against the official VCAA timetable.
The 2026 VCE written exam dates (English and the maths block)
These are the most-searched 2026 subject dates, confirmed against the official VCAA examination timetable. Times include the 15-minute reading period.
| Subject | Paper | Date | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| English / EAL | — | Tue 27 October | 9:00am – 12:15pm |
| General Mathematics | Exam 1 | Fri 30 October | 2:00pm – 3:45pm |
| General Mathematics | Exam 2 | Mon 2 November | 2:00pm – 3:45pm |
| Mathematical Methods | Exam 1 | Thu 5 November | 9:00am – 10:15am |
| Mathematical Methods | Exam 2 | Fri 6 November | 11:45am – 2:00pm |
| Specialist Mathematics | Exam 1 | Mon 9 November | 9:00am – 10:15am |
| Specialist Mathematics | Exam 2 | Wed 11 November | 11:45am – 2:00pm |
Take a science (Chemistry, Physics, Biology) or a language? Those sit on their own dates within the same 27 October to 18 November window — look each one up on the VCAA timetable and write them onto a single calendar so you see your real spread, not a subject in isolation. VCAA can adjust the timetable, so treat the official version as the source of truth for your rooms, session times and exact subjects.
The GAT is already behind you
A common search worth clearing up: the General Achievement Test (GAT) for 2026 was held on Tuesday 16 June, mid-year — not in the October–November block. If you're reading this in the second half of the year, the GAT is done; the written exams above are what's left.
The real skill is using the gaps, not memorising the dates
Look at the shape of that timetable. English on 27 October, then — for a Methods and Specialist student — nothing until 5 November. That's over a week. Then the maths papers land close together: Methods Exam 1 and Exam 2 on consecutive days (Thursday 5th and Friday 6th), a weekend, then Specialist across the following week. The exam period isn't one event; it's a series of them with uneven gaps, and how you use those gaps decides more than any single night of cramming.
- English first, then a long pause. The most useful thing you can do walking out of English is not run a corridor post-mortem — you'll misremember what you wrote and carry it into a subject that has nothing to do with English. Use the stretch to pivot fully into full, timed past-exam practice for your next block.
- Back-to-back days: you can't cram the gap. The night between Methods Exam 1 and Exam 2 is recovery time, not study time. Do one question on each of your two or three shakiest types, mark every step, then stop — on a CAS-active paper, tired and slow on your calculator is exactly where marks leak.
- Match your effort to the gap. A long gap means full timed practice; a one-night gap means a short, targeted review and rest. Don't do the same thing regardless of how much time you have.
- One bad exam is not your ATAR. A single hard paper is one component of one subject — how the whole result is built shows why it rarely defines the final number.
Turning the timetable into a revision plan
The students who finish strongest reverse-engineer their revision from the timetable. Work backwards from each exam date: schedule timed past-paper practice in the final two weeks before each subject, and protect the day or two immediately before an exam for that subject alone. For Maths and Science, the highest-yield revision is full VCAA past exams under timed conditions, marked against the examiner's report — not re-reading notes. If you want a structured plan and examiner-style marking through the exam period, our VCE tutoring is built around exactly this.
Dates change each year. This page was last reviewed on 13 July 2026. Always confirm the exact dates against the official VCAA / VTAC notices for your study year.