Matric exams will be written in both the morning and afternoon sessions throughout the week.
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With the 2026 National Senior Certificate (NSC) examinations entering their third week, matric candidates will face a packed schedule from Monday, 26 October to Friday, 30 October, with Mathematics, languages, English, Geography and Physical Sciences among the papers on the timetable.
The October/November 2026 NSC examinations timetable shows that candidates will write papers at 9am and 2pm on several days, with most papers lasting between two and three hours.
Monday: Mathematics papers
The week gets underway on Monday, 26 October, with Mathematics Paper 2 at 9am. The paper is scheduled for three hours.
Candidates taking Mathematical Literacy will also write Paper 2 at 9am, and the examination will last three hours. Technical Mathematics Paper 2 will also be written at the same time and will also last three hours.
At 2pm, candidates taking Sport and Exercise Science will write a three-hour paper.
Tuesday: African languages and Engineering Graphics
On Tuesday, 27 October, candidates taking Sepedi, Sesotho, Setswana, Xitsonga and Tshivenda will write Paper 1 at 9am.
The timetable lists Paper 1 for the home-language, first-additional-language and second-additional-language streams, with the papers lasting two hours for HL, FAL and SAL.
South African Sign Language HL Paper 1 will also be written at 9am and will last two hours.
At 2pm, candidates will write Engineering Graphics and Design Paper 2 over three hours.
Wednesday: English and Accounting
Wednesday, 28 October, will include English Paper 1 for candidates taking English at home-language, first-additional-language, and second-additional-language levels.
The exams start at 9am, and each is scheduled to last two hours.
Accounting Paper 2 will follow at 2pm and is scheduled for two hours.
Thursday: Geography and CAT
On Thursday, 29 October, Geography Paper 1 will start at 9am. The paper covers “Climate and Weather, Geomorphology and Map Work” and is scheduled for three hours.
Computer Applications Technology Paper 2 Theory will take place at 2pm and will run for three hours.
Friday: Physical Sciences and Tourism
The week concludes on Friday, 30 October, with Physical Sciences (Physics) Paper 1 at 9am. The examination is scheduled for three hours.
Technical Sciences Paper 1 will also be written from 9am for three hours.
At 2pm, Tourism candidates will write a three-hour examination.
The timetable therefore places several major subjects across the final week of October, with candidates expected to manage examinations scheduled in both the morning and afternoon sessions.
The next scheduled examination after this week is Physical Sciences (Chemistry) Paper 2 on Monday, 2 November.
