SQA exam timetable 2026: dates and times for Maths, Physics, Chemistry and Biology

The tables below cover National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher Mathematics, Applications of Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Computing Science, plus the two Advanced Higher maths courses, Mathematics of Mechanics and Statistics. Every date and time comes from the official timetable. The 2026 exams are over, so use this page as a record. If you are sitting exams next year, the SQA exam timetable 2027 is already published.

SQA exam timetable 2026: dates at a glance

The SQA, now called Qualifications Scotland, gave each course one date at each level. All dates are in 2026. A dash means the course has no exam at that level.

The sciences were spread out. Higher Biology came first, on Tuesday 28 April, Higher Chemistry followed on Tuesday 12 May and Higher Physics on Thursday 21 May. A learner sitting all three Highers plus Higher Mathematics had nine days between Biology and Mathematics (Thursday 7 May), five days between Mathematics and Chemistry, and nine more before Physics.

Mathematics exam dates 2026

National 5 Mathematics, Higher Mathematics, Advanced Higher Mathematics and National 5 Applications of Mathematics each had a non-calculator Paper 1 followed by Paper 2. Higher Applications of Mathematics and Mathematics of Mechanics were a single paper, and Statistics had two. Higher Mathematics and Advanced Higher Mathematics were on the same morning, Thursday 7 May, and National 5 Mathematics was the next day. Our guides to National 5 Maths, Higher Maths and Advanced Higher Maths cover each paper.

In each maths exam the two papers sat on the same morning with a 30 minute gap between them: Higher Paper 1 ended at 10:15 and Paper 2 started at 10:45. National 5 Mathematics Paper 1 is 1 hour and Higher Mathematics Paper 1 is 1 hour 15 minutes.

Physics, Chemistry and Biology exam dates 2026

In 2026 each Higher science exam had two papers. Paper 1 was multiple choice and Paper 2 was the written paper, with a 30 minute gap between them. National 5 and Advanced Higher science exams were a single paper. See the guides to National 5 Physics, Higher Physics, Higher Chemistry and Higher Biology.

At Higher, the exam time across the two papers came to 3 hours for each of the three sciences: 40 minutes plus 2 hours 20 minutes in Biology and Chemistry, and 45 minutes plus 2 hours 15 minutes in Physics. National 5 science exams were 2 hours 30 minutes and Advanced Higher exams were 3 hours. All three National 5 science exams started at 13:00, and all three Higher and Advanced Higher exams at 09:00.

Computing Science exam dates 2026

Computing Science had all three levels on one morning, Wednesday 20 May, each starting at 09:00. See our National 5 Computing Science and Higher Computing Science guides.

Contingency day, bank holiday and results day

• Exam period. Wednesday 22 April to Tuesday 2 June 2026, according to the Qualifications Scotland guide for candidates.
• Contingency day. The timetable marks Tuesday 2 June as a contingency day, with no exams.
• Bank holiday. Monday 4 May had no exams.
• Results day. Tuesday 4 August 2026. Results were posted that day, and learners who had signed up to My Qualifications Scotland also got them by text or email from 8 am. Schools received the results too, and so did UCAS for anyone who applied to university through it.

The SQA is now Qualifications Scotland

Qualifications Scotland took over from the Scottish Qualifications Authority on 1 February 2026, and its website is qualifications.gov.scot. The change did not alter how learners complete their qualifications. Older documents still carry the SQA name, which is why this page uses both. The 2026 timetable itself was published by the SQA in September 2025, with revisions in December 2025.

Exam rules on the day

Qualifications Scotland's guide for 2026 candidates, What you need to know about National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher exams, sets out the basics.

• Be in the exam room at least 10 minutes before the start.
• Use a black or blue ink pen, not a gel pen or a pencil.
• Phones, smartwatches and any other device that stores information or connects to the internet are prohibited, even when switched off. A calculator is allowed only in exams where the rules say so.
• In an exam longer than an hour, you may be allowed to leave after 30 minutes. In an exam shorter than an hour, you stay to the end.
• Cross out rough work. Do not use correction pens, tape or fluid.

What happens if you miss an exam or are ill

Tell your school at once. If the circumstances were beyond your control, such as a medical problem, your school may be able to ask for the Examination Exceptional Circumstances Consideration Service. The school must make the request within 10 days of the exam. To be eligible you need an estimated grade from your school and must have completed the compulsory parts of the course that are not on the question paper. Exam nerves, distraction and losing concentration are not valid reasons. If you use this service, you cannot also appeal against your grade through the appeals service.

How the 2026 dates compare with 2027

The dates moved and, for the sciences, the exam lengths changed. Here are the main courses side by side. The 2027 figures come from Qualifications Scotland's 2027 timetable, version 02, published in August 2026. The SQA exam timetable 2027 guide lists every paper.

Qualifications Scotland says it has reduced the marks and the durations of the National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher Physics exams from session 2026 to 2027, and that Higher Biology now has a single question paper of 100 marks lasting 2 hours 30 minutes. The order of the Higher sciences has changed as well: Physics was the last of the three in 2026 and is the first in 2027.

Use the timetable to plan, then sit a timed paper

A timetable only helps when it turns into a plan. Work backwards from each date, and count the days between your exams. In 2026 there were nine days between Higher Biology and Higher Mathematics, enough to switch subjects and still have a go at a timed paper. In 2027 there are only two, so a learner taking both will want to be done with one before starting the other.

Scottish schools call their practice exams prelims, and our prelims guide explains how they feed into your estimated grade. To practise to a clock, sit a short timed paper on our Scottish papers: today's National 5 Maths, Higher Maths, Higher Physics, Higher Chemistry or Higher Biology paper is 8 questions and 25 to 35 marks. It is not a full Qualifications Scotland paper and it is not set by them, but it gives you practice at working to the clock.

Exam answers

The answers and a worked mark scheme come with today's paper once it is marked, so you can check each step of your working straight after you finish. They belong to our papers, not to the real Qualifications Scotland exams, so they are not official answers.

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Scotland · Dates and gradesSQA exam timetable 2027: Maths and science datesThe SQA exam timetable 2027 for National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher Maths, Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Computing, with paper times and results day.