TCE Chemistry exam 2026: date, time and cram sheet

When and how long

ChemistryWednesday 18 November 20261.30 pm start3 h

TASC: morning exams commence at 9:00 am and afternoon exams at 1:30 pm. Your Notice of External Assessment (NoE) shows where and when you sit each exam.

Source: 2026 TASC written exam timetable (TASC), 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.

What the exam covers

We don't have past-paper frequency data for this exam, so here is the course, module by module. Make sure every module is covered.

Night-before and exam-morning checklists

The night before

Check your Notice of External Assessment (NoE) for where and when you sit each exam.^[2]
Pack a clear, sealable plastic bag: black or blue pens (not erasable), 2B pencils, sharpener, eraser, highlighters, a clear plastic ruler.^[1]
Pack your permitted calculator and a basic analogue watch (it goes on the desk, not your wrist).^[1]
Water only, in a clear plastic bottle up to 1500 mL.^[1]

Exam morning

Morning exams commence at 9:00 am and afternoon exams at 1:30 pm.^[2]
No electronic items that can store or share information, no notes, no correction fluid or tape.^[1]
Exams can't be rescheduled for illness: if you are unwell, ask about derived exam ratings.^[2]

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

TCE Chemistry cram sheet

Key formulas, definitions and facts copied from our Chemistry syllabus pages. One page when printed.

Unit 3: Equilibrium, Acids and Redox

Enthalpy change

The heat energy absorbed or released by a reaction at constant pressure, symbol $\Delta H$ , usually quoted in $\text{kJ mol}^{-1}$ . Negative for exothermic, positive for endothermic.

From: Enthalpy and thermochemistry

Sacrificial anode

A block of a more reactive metal attached to a structure so it is oxidised in preference to the protected metal, forcing the protected metal to act as a cathode.

From: Corrosion and its prevention

Buffer solution

A solution that resists significant change in pH when small amounts of acid or base are added. It contains comparable amounts of a weak acid and its conjugate base (or a weak base and its conjugate acid).

From: Buffer solutions

Equilibrium constant

K_c = \frac{[\text{C}]^c[\text{D}]^d}{[\text{A}]^a[\text{B}]^b}

Concentrations are equilibrium values in

\text{mol L}^{-1}

; pure solids and pure liquids are omitted. A large

K_c

favours products; a small

K_c

favours reactants.

K_c

depends only on temperature.

From: Chemical equilibrium and Le Chatelier

Unit 4: Structure, Synthesis and Design

Homologous series

A family of organic compounds with the same functional group and general formula, where consecutive members differ by a $CH_2$ unit. Members show similar chemical properties and a gradual trend in physical properties.

From: Organic families and reactions

Esterification

\text{carboxylic acid} + \text{alcohol} \rightleftharpoons \text{ester} + \text{water}

For example, ethanoic acid plus ethanol gives ethyl ethanoate plus water. The sulfuric acid is a catalyst and also helps remove water, shifting the equilibrium towards the ester.

From: Carboxylic acids and esters

Oxidation products by class

A primary alcohol oxidises first to an aldehyde and then, on further oxidation, to a carboxylic acid. A secondary alcohol oxidises to a ketone, which resists further oxidation. A tertiary alcohol is not oxidised, because the hydroxyl carbon has no hydrogen to remove.

From: Reactions of alcohols

Addition polymerisation

A reaction in which unsaturated monomers, typically alkenes, join together when their double bonds open, forming a long-chain polymer with no loss of any atoms. The polymer and monomer share the same empirical formula.

From: Polymers