SQA exam timetable 2027: dates and times for Maths, Physics, Chemistry and Biology

Every date and time below comes from Qualifications Scotland's Exam Timetable 2027, version 02, published in August 2026. Qualifications Scotland took over from the SQA on 1 February 2026. Its timetable page says an earlier provisional timetable was published in March and that feedback on it was collected, so always check the latest version, as dates can change. We update this page when the board does.

SQA exam timetable 2027: dates at a glance

All dates are in 2027. A dash means the course has no exam at that level.

Mathematics exam dates 2027

National 5 Applications of Mathematics opens the whole diet on Monday 26 April, with Higher Applications of Mathematics that afternoon. Higher Mathematics is on Friday 14 May, and National 5 Mathematics and Advanced Higher Mathematics share Monday 17 May, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Our guides to National 5 Maths, Higher Maths and Advanced Higher Maths cover each paper.

Physics, Chemistry and Biology exam dates 2027

Each science now has one entry for the exam, shown as a single sitting in the timetable. National 5 exams are 2 hours and start at 13:00. Higher and Advanced Higher exams are 2 hours 30 minutes and start at 09:00. Qualifications Scotland says it has reduced the marks and durations of the National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher Physics exams from session 2026 to 2027, and that Higher Biology has a single question paper of 100 marks, with a multiple-choice section worth 20 marks, lasting 2 hours 30 minutes. See the National 5 Physics, Higher Physics, Higher Chemistry and Higher Biology guides.

Computing Science exam dates 2027

Computing Science has all three levels on Thursday 27 May, starting at 09:00. See the National 5 and Higher Computing Science guides.

How the 2027 dates compare with 2026

Several dates have moved by a week or more, and the order of the Higher sciences has changed. Compare them with the SQA exam timetable 2026.

The gaps matter more than the dates. In 2027 there are 8 days between Higher Physics and Higher Biology, then only 2 days between Higher Biology and Higher Mathematics, then 7 days between Higher Mathematics and Higher Chemistry. In 2026 the same four exams, in the order Biology, Mathematics, Chemistry and Physics, were 9, 5 and 9 days apart.

Bank holiday, contingency day and results day

• Exam period. Monday 26 April to Wednesday 2 June 2027. The Qualifications Scotland timetable page gives Thursday 3 June as the finish, which is the contingency day.
• Bank holiday. Monday 3 May has no exams.
• Contingency day. Thursday 3 June is marked as a contingency day in the timetable.
• Results day. Tuesday 10 August 2027, according to the same page.

Plan your revision around the 2027 dates

Count backwards from each exam. Qualifications Scotland has two free apps for this: MyExams, which builds a personal timetable, and MyStudyPlan, which helps you organise revision. Your school's prelims are the next fixed point before the real exams.

Between those, sit a short timed paper on our Scottish papers. Today's National 5 Maths, Higher Maths, Higher Physics, Higher Chemistry and Higher Biology papers are 8 questions and 25 to 35 marks. They are not Qualifications Scotland papers, but they give you practice at working to a clock, and the answers come with each paper once it is marked.

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Scotland · Dates and gradesSQA exam timetable 2026: Maths and science datesThe SQA exam timetable 2026 for National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher Maths, Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Computing, with paper times and results day.