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HSC Business Studies exam 2026Exam: Mon 26 Oct · NESA timetable

Your HSC Business Studies exam:

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When and how long

  • Business Studies9.25 am to 12.30 pm3 h plus 5 min reading time

NESA: the exam start time shown on your timetable is when reading time begins, and you must arrive well before it. Finishing times marked approximate are shown as approx.

Source: 2026 HSC written exam timetable (NESA), checked Wednesday 23 September 2026. Where a start time, reading time or duration isn't shown, the timetable doesn't publish it: check your personal timetable and the front of your paper.

Paper format

Higher School Certificate Examination - Business Studies: 100 marks, 3 h writing time plus 5 minutes reading time.

  • Section I - Objective response20 marks
  • Section II - Short answer40 marks
  • Section III - Business report20 marks
  • Section IV - Extended response20 marks

NESA HSC exam specification (Business Studies Stage 6 syllabus): 3 hours plus 5 minutes reading time, 100 marks. Section I: objective-response questions worth 20 marks. Section II (40 marks): four to six short-answer questions, about 12 items. Section III (20 marks): one extended response in the form of a business report, about 800 words. Section IV (20 marks): answer one of two extended responses, about 800 words.

From the official specification: source.

Most-examined dot points

From 227 questions on the official NESA papers (2019 to 2025), mapped to the syllabus. Past frequency is a guide to what to secure, not a prediction.

  1. Key influences on HRM: stakeholders, legal, economic, technological, social and ethical (HSC Business Studies)30 questions · examined in 7 of 7 years
  2. Financial ratios: profitability, liquidity, gearing, efficiency (HSC Business Studies)27 questions · examined in 7 of 7 years
  3. The role of marketing and the marketing process (HSC Business Studies Topic 2)23 questions · examined in 7 of 7 years
  4. Operations processes: inputs, transformation and outputs (HSC Business Studies Topic 1)15 questions · examined in 6 of 7 years
  5. Operations strategies and performance objectives (HSC Business Studies)14 questions · examined in 6 of 7 years
  6. Marketing strategies: product and price (HSC Business Studies)11 questions · examined in 6 of 7 years
  7. Sources of finance: internal and external (HSC Business Studies)10 questions · examined in 4 of 7 years
  8. The role of operations management explained: HSC Business Studies Topic 110 questions · examined in 6 of 7 years

See every dot point in the exam trends.

Night-before and exam-morning checklists

The night before

  • Check your personalised timetable on Students Online: the start time shown is when reading time begins.[2]
  • Confirm your venue and the start time.[1]
  • Pack a clear bag: several black pens (no erasable ink), 2B pencils, sharpener, eraser and a ruler.[1]
  • Pack an approved calculator (check NESA's list) and a compass or protractor if the exam needs them.[1]
  • Fill a clear, label-free water bottle.[1]
  • A plain watch only if you want one (no smart or programmable watch); it goes on the desk.[1]
  • Stop revising around 7 to 8 pm, set two alarms and sleep.[1]

Exam morning

  • Eat a real breakfast.[1]
  • Arrive well before the start time to allow for seating and checks.[2]
  • Leave your phone and other electronic devices outside the exam room.[1]
  • Use the bathroom before you go in.[1]
  • In reading time, read and plan only: no writing, marking or annotating.[1]
  • You can't leave in the first hour or the last 15 minutes.[1]
  1. HSC exam day: what to actually expect
  2. NESA: HSC written exam timetable

Exam-week survival kit: The last 7 days · The night before and exam morning · What to bring, and what's banned · How to use reading time · If you're sick or something goes wrong · Handling exam-week stress.

Last-week revision

Syllabus by module

HSC Business Studies cram sheet

Key formulas, definitions and facts copied from our Business Studies syllabus pages, most-examined topics first. One page when printed.

Topic 1: Operations

Triple bottom line

Some businesses report on economic, social and environmental performance together (profit, people and planet). It is a useful way to frame CSR in an operations answer, but always tie it to a specific operations decision.

From: Influences on operations: globalisation, technology, quality, cost, government, law, sustainability and CSR
Stuck in the middle

Porter argued that businesses which try to be both lowest cost and most differentiated in the same market risk achieving neither. Large groups often resolve this by running separate brands or divisions with different operations strategies, as the Qantas and Jetstar example shows.

From: The role of operations management: cost leadership, differentiation, goods and services, interdependence

Topic 2: Marketing

Why the extended mix matters for goods too

Most goods are sold with services: advice in store, delivery, installation, returns and support. A retailer's staff (people), checkout and returns procedures (processes) and store and website (physical evidence) shape how customers see the goods themselves.

From: Marketing strategies: promotion, the communication process, place, the extended mix (people, processes, physical evidence) and e-marketing

Exam date and time from the official NESA 2026 timetable, checked Wednesday 23 September 2026. Not affiliated with NESA; always confirm with your personal timetable.

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