VCE trial exams: when they are, whether they count, and how to practise

These daily papers are short timed trials, not full VCE exams: 8 original questions worth 25 to 35 marks, where a VCE Physics, Chemistry or Biology exam is worth 120. Each matches its VCE study in some topics and not others; the list further down says which questions to sit.

When are VCE trial exams?

Your school sets them, before the VCAA exams begin. In 2026 the written exams run from Tuesday 27 October (English) to Wednesday 18 November, and results come out at 7:00 am on Thursday 10 December. These are the 2026 dates for the maths and science exams; each time includes 15 minutes of reading:

From the VCAA's 2026 timetable, checked 7 November 2026. The VCAA published the 2026 timetable in late May, so expect the 2027 one around the same time.

Do VCE trial exams count?

Not toward your study score directly. In Physics, Chemistry and Biology the study score is 50% School-assessed Coursework and 50% the VCAA exam; in Mathematical Methods it is 40% coursework and 60% across the two exams. Trials still matter: they show what to fix while there's time. Your SAC marks are then moderated against your school group's exam results, keeping the rank order your school set, so a strong exam from your whole class lifts everyone's moderated SAC marks.

Are VCE trial exams harder than the real thing?

It depends who wrote them. Commercial trial papers are their publishers' own work, not VCAA papers, so some run harder and some easier. The closest thing to the real exam is a VCAA past exam. Each study's examination specifications page has past exams, examination reports with comments on what students got wrong, and sample papers for the current study design. Exams written for an older study design may not match the current course, and VCAA says so on those pages.

How to run your own VCE trial exam

1. Pick a VCAA past exam or sample paper written for your current study design.
2. Sit it at the real length: 15 minutes reading, then 2 hours 30 minutes for Physics, Chemistry and Biology, or 1 hour and 2 hours for the two Methods exams.
3. Use only what's allowed: a formula sheet and one A3 page of notes in Physics, the data book in Chemistry, no calculator in Biology or Methods Exam 1, and CAS plus one bound reference in Methods Exam 2.
4. Mark it with the examination report beside you, and redo every question you lost marks on.

Daily papers as short timed VCE trials

• Year 12 Maths Methods: the rules of differentiation, tangents, stationary points, rates of change, integration and areas match the Methods calculus area of study. The substitution, integration by parts, parametric and differential equation questions go beyond Methods.
• Year 12 Statistics: the binomial, normal, sampling and conditional probability questions suit Methods; data presentation, spread and regression suit General Mathematics.
• Year 12 Physics: circular motion, gravitational, electric and magnetic fields, and electromagnetic induction match Unit 3. Skip capacitors, ideal gases, simple harmonic motion and radioactivity.
• Year 12 Chemistry: electrode potentials, spectroscopy and NMR, and organic reaction pathways match Units 3 and 4. Skip K_p, rate equations, Born-Haber cycles, transition metals and buffers.
• Year 12 Biology: photosynthesis, cellular respiration, gene expression, gene technology and evolution match Units 3 and 4. Skip homeostasis, the kidney, nerves and muscle contraction.

After your trial

Sort every lost mark by area of study and fix the biggest one first. Then sit a daily paper the next day as a quick check that it has stuck, and save full past exams for the last few weeks, when timing matters most.

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