2026 Matric Exam Dates: The Full NSC Timetable
The 2026 National Senior Certificate (NSC) final exams start on Tuesday, 13 October 2026 and run through to Thursday, 26 November 2026. The Department of Basic Education (DBE) released the official timetable in February 2026, and it's confirmed for all public schools writing the NSC.
If you write Life Orientation, Performing Arts or Visual Arts and Design, your exams start earlier than the main timetable. Life Orientation CAT is on 1 September 2026.
FundiConnect has verified all dates below against the official DBE October/November 2026 NSC timetable, released February 2026. Morning papers start at 09:00 and afternoon papers at 14:00. Make sure you're at your desk before the official start time.
Before the Main Timetable Starts
A few subjects kick off well before October. If any of these apply to you, make sure you've noted the dates now.
Date | Subject / Activity |
|---|---|
3 Aug to 9 Oct | Performing Arts Practical |
1 September | Life Orientation CAT (2½ hrs) |
14 Sep to 13 Oct | Visual Arts and Design Practical |
9 October | Pledge Signing |
12 October | Life Orientation CAT Rewrite (2½ hrs) |
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.
Date | Time | Subject |
|---|---|---|
Tuesday 13 Oct | 09:00 | Computer Applications Technology P1 Practical (3 hrs) |
Tuesday 13 Oct | 14:00 | Hindi / 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 Oct | 09:00 | Information Technology P1 Practical (3 hrs) |
Wednesday 14 Oct | 14:00 | Arabic / 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 Oct | 09:00 | English HL P3 (3 hrs); English FAL P3 (2½ hrs); English SAL P3 (2½ hrs) |
Thursday 15 Oct | 14:00 | Hindi / 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 Oct | 09:00 | Economics P1 (2 hrs); Mechanical Technology (3 hrs) |
Friday 16 Oct | 14:00 | Design 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.
Date | Time | Subject |
|---|---|---|
Monday 19 Oct | 09:00 | isiZulu / isiXhosa / siSwati / isiNdebele HL P3 (3 hrs), FAL P3 (2½ hrs), SAL P3 (2½ hrs) |
Monday 19 Oct | 14:00 | Agricultural Sciences P1 (2½ hrs) |
Tuesday 20 Oct | 09:00 | Afrikaans HL P3 (3 hrs); Afrikaans FAL P3 (2½ hrs); Afrikaans SAL P3 (2½ hrs) |
Tuesday 20 Oct | 14:00 | History P1 (3 hrs); Maritime Economics (3 hrs) |
Wednesday 21 Oct | 09:00 | Sepedi / 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 Oct | 14:00 | Information Technology P2 Theory (3 hrs) |
Thursday 22 Oct | 09:00 | Accounting P1 (2 hrs) |
Thursday 22 Oct | 14:00 | Engineering Graphics and Design P1 (3 hrs); Marine Sciences P1 (2½ hrs) |
Friday 23 Oct | 09:00 | Mathematics P1 (3 hrs); Mathematical Literacy P1 (3 hrs); Technical Mathematics P1 (3 hrs) |
Friday 23 Oct | 14:00 | Hindi / 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.
Date | Time | Subject |
|---|---|---|
Monday 26 Oct | 09:00 | Mathematics P2 (3 hrs); Mathematical Literacy P2 (3 hrs); Technical Mathematics P2 (3 hrs) |
Monday 26 Oct | 14:00 | Sport and Exercise Science (3 hrs) |
Tuesday 27 Oct | 09:00 | Sepedi / 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 Oct | 14:00 | Engineering Graphics and Design P2 (3 hrs) |
Wednesday 28 Oct | 09:00 | English HL P1 (2 hrs); English FAL P1 (2 hrs); English SAL P1 (2 hrs) |
Wednesday 28 Oct | 14:00 | Accounting P2 (2 hrs) |
Thursday 29 Oct | 09:00 | Geography P1 — Climate and Weather, Geomorphology and Map Work (3 hrs) |
Thursday 29 Oct | 14:00 | Computer Applications Technology P2 Theory (3 hrs) |
Friday 30 Oct | 09:00 | Physical Sciences P1 — Physics (3 hrs); Technical Sciences P1 (3 hrs) |
Friday 30 Oct | 14:00 | Tourism (3 hrs) |
Week 4: 2 November (then a gap)
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.
Date | Time | Subject |
|---|---|---|
Monday 2 Nov | 09:00 | Physical Sciences P2 — Chemistry (3 hrs); Technical Sciences P2 (1½ hrs) |
Monday 2 Nov | 14:00 | Religion Studies P1 (2 hrs) |
Tuesday 3 Nov | — | No exams |
Wednesday 4 Nov | — | No exams |
Thursday 5 Nov | — | No exams |
Friday 6 Nov | 09:00 | isiZulu / isiXhosa / siSwati / isiNdebele HL P1 (2 hrs), FAL P1 (2 hrs), SAL P1 (2 hrs) |
Friday 6 Nov | 14:00 | Consumer 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.
Date | Time | Subject |
|---|---|---|
Monday 9 Nov | — | No exams |
Tuesday 10 Nov | 09:00 | isiZulu / isiXhosa / siSwati / isiNdebele HL P2 (2½ hrs), FAL P2 (2½ hrs), SAL P2 (1½ hrs) |
Tuesday 10 Nov | 14:00 | Electrical Technology (3 hrs); Nautical Science P1 (3 hrs) |
Wednesday 11 Nov | 09:00 | Afrikaans HL P1 (2 hrs); Afrikaans FAL P1 (2 hrs); Afrikaans SAL P1 (2 hrs) |
Wednesday 11 Nov | 14:00 | Business Studies P1 (2 hrs) |
Thursday 12 Nov | 09:00 | Geography P2 — Rural and Urban Settlements, Economic Geography of SA and Map Work (3 hrs) |
Thursday 12 Nov | 14:00 | Religion Studies P2 (2 hrs) |
Friday 13 Nov | 09:00 | Life Sciences P1 (2½ hrs) |
Friday 13 Nov | 14:00 | Arabic / 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.
Date | Time | Subject |
|---|---|---|
Monday 16 Nov | 09:00 | Life Sciences P2 (2½ hrs) |
Monday 16 Nov | 14:00 | Dramatic Arts (3 hrs); Civil Technology (3 hrs) |
Tuesday 17 Nov | 09:00 | Sepedi / 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 Nov | 14:00 | Agricultural Sciences P2 (2½ hrs); Nautical Science P2 (3 hrs) |
Wednesday 18 Nov | 09:00 | Business Studies P2 (2 hrs) |
Wednesday 18 Nov | 14:00 | Visual Arts P1 (3 hrs) |
Thursday 19 Nov | 09:00 | English HL P2 (2½ hrs); English FAL P2 (2½ hrs); English SAL P2 (1½ hrs) |
Thursday 19 Nov | 14:00 | History P2 (3 hrs) |
Friday 20 Nov | 09:00 | Afrikaans HL P2 (2½ hrs); Afrikaans FAL P2 (2½ hrs); Afrikaans SAL P2 (1½ hrs) |
Friday 20 Nov | 14:00 | Economics 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.
Date | Time | Subject |
|---|---|---|
Monday 23 Nov | 09:00 | Agricultural Technology (3 hrs) |
Monday 23 Nov | 14:00 | Music P1 Theory (3 hrs) |
Tuesday 24 Nov | 09:00 | Agricultural Management Practices (3 hrs); Marine Sciences P2 (2½ hrs) |
Tuesday 24 Nov | 14:00 | Dance Studies (3 hrs) |
Wednesday 25 Nov | 09:00 | Music P2 Comprehension (1½ hrs) |
Thursday 26 Nov | 09:00 | CAT P1 Rewrite Practical (3 hrs); IT P1 Rewrite Practical (3 hrs) |
Quick Reference: Key Subject Dates
If you just need to find a specific subject fast, here are the most commonly searched papers and their dates.
Subject | Paper | Date | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
English HL | P1 | 28 October | 09:00 |
English HL | P2 | 19 November | 09:00 |
English HL | P3 | 15 October | 09:00 |
English FAL | P1 | 28 October | 09:00 |
English FAL | P2 | 19 November | 09:00 |
English FAL | P3 | 15 October | 09:00 |
Afrikaans HL | P1 | 11 November | 09:00 |
Afrikaans HL | P2 | 20 November | 09:00 |
Afrikaans HL | P3 | 20 October | 09:00 |
Mathematics | P1 | 23 October | 09:00 |
Mathematics | P2 | 26 October | 09:00 |
Mathematical Literacy | P1 | 23 October | 09:00 |
Mathematical Literacy | P2 | 26 October | 09:00 |
Physical Sciences | P1 (Physics) | 30 October | 09:00 |
Physical Sciences | P2 (Chemistry) | 2 November | 09:00 |
Life Sciences | P1 | 13 November | 09:00 |
Life Sciences | P2 | 16 November | 09:00 |
Accounting | P1 | 22 October | 09:00 |
Accounting | P2 | 28 October | 14:00 |
Business Studies | P1 | 11 November | 14:00 |
Business Studies | P2 | 18 November | 09:00 |
Economics | P1 | 16 October | 09:00 |
Economics | P2 | 20 November | 14:00 |
History | P1 | 20 October | 14:00 |
History | P2 | 19 November | 14:00 |
Geography | P1 | 29 October | 09:00 |
Geography | P2 | 12 November | 09:00 |
CAT | P1 Practical | 13 October | 09:00 |
CAT | P2 Theory | 29 October | 14:00 |
Information Technology | P1 Practical | 14 October | 09:00 |
Information Technology | P2 Theory | 21 October | 14:00 |
Agricultural Sciences | P1 | 19 October | 14:00 |
Agricultural Sciences | P2 | 17 November | 14:00 |
Life Orientation | CAT | 1 September | — |
Source: Official DBE October/November 2026 NSC Timetable (PDF), released February 2026.
What You Need to Know
IEB and SACAI candidates write to different timetables. This article covers the DBE NSC timetable only. If you're an IEB or SACAI candidate, get your timetable directly from your school or examination board.
Prelims are set by your province and school. There's no single national prelim timetable. Most schools run preliminary exams between July and September 2026. Your school will give you the exact dates for your province.
Gaps in the timetable are deliberate. The days with no exams (3, 4, 5 and 9 November) give you preparation time between papers. Use them.
Morning papers start at exactly 09:00. Afternoon papers at 14:00. Be seated and ready before the official start time. Late arrival could mean you forfeit your paper.
The timetable can be amended. Schools can move a session in an emergency, and the DBE can issue an updated timetable. Always confirm against the copy your school gives you before you plan around a specific date.
After the Exams: What Comes Next?
Once your exams are done, the focus shifts to results and applications. Here's what to keep in mind:
Results for the 2026 NSC are expected to be released in January 2027, following the same pattern as previous years — typically announced by the Minister of Basic Education in the second week of January, with individual results available the following day.
University applications for most institutions close well before your matric results come in. If you haven't applied yet, check the 2027 university application dates guide now — several closing dates have already passed.
NSFAS applications for 2027 are expected to open in September 2026 and close before the end of the year. See our How to Apply for NSFAS 2027 guide for the full process.
Your APS score matters for university admission. Use FundiConnect's APS Score Calculator to work out your score once your results are released, and check which programmes you qualify for.
FAQs
When do the 2026 matric exams start?
The main NSC exams start on Tuesday, 13 October 2026. Life Orientation CAT is written earlier, on 1 September 2026, and Performing Arts practicals begin on 3 August 2026.
When do the matric exams end in 2026?
The final exam on the timetable is on Thursday, 26 November 2026 (CAT and IT P1 Rewrites).
When is the Maths exam in 2026?
Mathematics Paper 1 is on Friday, 23 October at 09:00. Mathematics Paper 2 is on Monday, 26 October at 09:00. Note that the two papers are just one weekend apart — three days to recover, review and prepare.
When is the Physical Sciences exam in 2026?
Physical Sciences Paper 1 (Physics) is on Friday, 30 October at 09:00. Physical Sciences Paper 2 (Chemistry) is on Monday, 2 November at 09:00.
Is this the IEB timetable?
No. This is the DBE NSC timetable. IEB and SACAI candidates write to separate timetables issued by their own boards. Check with your school for your specific timetable.
When do 2026 matric results come out?
The 2026 NSC results (for the class writing in October/November 2026) are expected to be released in January 2027, in line with the pattern of previous years. Watch the DBE website for the official announcement date.
Planning Your Year After Matric?
If you're working out your next steps after the exams, FundiConnect has everything you need:
Fund Your Studies With Fundi
Once your results are out and you know where you're going, make sure funding isn't what holds you back. Fundi has been helping South African students fund their studies since 1996. You can apply for a Fundi study loan to cover tuition, accommodation and other study costs. Use the Fundi loan calculator to see what your monthly repayments would look like before you commit. And if you need a laptop to study, the Fundi Shop lets you finance a device alongside your other costs.
Visit loans.fundi.co.za, fill in the form, and someone will get back to you.
For more guidance on matric, university applications, bursaries and career planning, visit www.fundiconnect.co.za.
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The FundiConnect Editorial Team researches, writes, and maintains comprehensive guides on South African higher education, bursaries, NSFAS funding, and career development. Our content is verified against official institutional sources, DHET publications, and direct admissions office communications to ensure accuracy for students navigating their post-school journey.
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