HSC Chemistry exam 2026Exam: Fri 30 Oct · NESA timetable
Your HSC Chemistry exam:
When and how long
- Chemistry9.25 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 - Chemistry: 100 marks, 3 h writing time plus 5 minutes reading time.
- Section I - Objective response20 marks
- Section II - Short answer and extended response80 marks
NESA HSC exam specification for the Chemistry Stage 6 (2017) syllabus: 3 hours plus 5 minutes reading time, 100 marks. Section I is objective-response questions worth 20 marks. Section II is worth 80 marks: 20 to 25 items (questions may contain parts), at least two of them worth 7 to 9 marks. There is no Section III. The time split per section is our suggestion.
From the official specification: source.
Most-examined dot points
From 301 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.
- Le Chatelier's principle23 questions · examined in 7 of 7 years
- The equilibrium constant Keq23 questions · examined in 7 of 7 years
- Solubility product (Ksp)21 questions · examined in 7 of 7 years
- Alcohols20 questions · examined in 7 of 7 years
- Hydrocarbons16 questions · examined in 6 of 7 years
- Acid–base titrations and indicators14 questions · examined in 7 of 7 years
- Nomenclature and IUPAC rules13 questions · examined in 7 of 7 years
- Static vs dynamic equilibrium13 questions · examined in 7 of 7 years
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]
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
- Timed mock examHigher School Certificate Examination - Chemistry
- 2025 past paperWalkthrough, with a link to the official NESA paper
- 2024 past paperWalkthrough, with a link to the official NESA paper
- 2023 past paperWalkthrough, with a link to the official NESA paper
- 2022 past paperWalkthrough, with a link to the official NESA paper
- Exam trendsEvery dot point by how often it is examined
- FlashcardsSpaced-repetition cards from the syllabus pages
- QuizEquilibrium and acid/base chemistry (Modules 5 and 6)
- QuizExam-style practice (harder): Chemistry multiple choice
- QuizOrganic chemistry (Module 7)
- Study guides7 guides
Syllabus by module
HSC Chemistry cram sheet
Key formulas, definitions and facts copied from our Chemistry syllabus pages, most-examined topics first. One page when printed.
Module 5: Equilibrium and Acid Reactions
Add reactant / remove product → shifts right (toward products). Kc unchanged.
Expression: , with pure solids, pure liquids and the solvent excluded.
Core formula: (moles equals concentration times volume in litres), applied to the titrant first, then converted to moles of analyte using the balanced equation's mole ratio.
Module 6: Acid/Base Reactions
Acid + active metal salt + . Test: lit splint gives a "pop".
Strength = degree of ionisation, measured by (or ): an intrinsic, fixed property of the acid or base that does NOT change with dilution.
for any conjugate acid-base pair, at the SAME temperature.
Strong + strong: equivalence pH (spectator ions only); any indicator with a range inside about pH 4 to 10 works.
Module 7: Organic Chemistry
Principal group priority (high to low): carboxylic acid > ester > amide > nitrile > aldehyde > ketone > alcohol > amine > alkene/alkyne > alkane. Only the top-ranked group present gets the suffix; every lower-ranked group becomes a prefix.
Bromine water test: instant decolourisation (orange-brown to colourless) = unsaturated ( or present); colour persists in the dark = alkane (saturated).
Primary (1 degrees C): one carbon on the C-OH carbon. Oxidises in two steps, alcohol to aldehyde to carboxylic acid.
One monomer with a , no byproduct written on the equation: addition polymerisation. The repeat unit is enclosed in brackets with subscript outside; every monomer atom appears in the product.
Module 8: Applying Chemical Ideas
Beer-Lambert law: , where = absorbance (no unit), = molar absorptivity (L mol cm), = concentration (mol L), = path length (cm, usually 1.00 cm).
Flame test electrons: the flame's heat excites an outer electron to a higher energy level; as it falls back it emits a photon of a characteristic wavelength, giving each metal ion its signature colour.
Molecular ion, M+: the peak at the highest ; its value IS the molecular mass.
TMS reference: , defined as ppm; downfield (higher ) means more deshielded.