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WACE Computer Science exam 2026Exam: Thu 29 Oct · SCSA timetable

Your WACE Computer Science exam:

Add to calendar (.ics)All WACE exam datesComputer Science study hub

When and how long

  • Computer Science2.00 pm start3 h plus 10 min reading time

SCSA: arrive 30 minutes before the examination start time. Every ATAR written exam has 10 minutes reading time and 3 hours working time unless otherwise indicated. The timetable is final, and no allowance is made for misreading it.

Source: 2026 Year 12 ATAR course written examinations timetable (SCSA), 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

WACE ATAR Course Examination - Computer Science: 195 marks, 3 h writing time plus 10 minutes reading time.

  • Section One - Short answer108 marks
  • Section Two - Extended answer87 marks

Modelled on the structure table of the SCSA 2024 Computer Science ATAR examination (the first under the Year 12 syllabus for teaching from 2024), confirmed via search results for the SCSA document, as scsa.wa.edu.au blocks direct access: 10 minutes reading time, 3 hours working time. Section One, Short answer: 21 questions, 108 marks (40%), suggested 70 minutes. Section Two, Extended answer: 5 questions, 87 marks (60%), suggested 110 minutes. All questions are compulsory. This mock adds raw marks and omits the source booklet. Both sections use our original practice questions, not past exam questions: Section One items are worth up to 8 marks, so it usually has a few more than 21 questions; Section Two uses multi-part questions of 10 or more marks.

From the official specification: source.

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 personalised timetable: SCSA makes no allowance for missing an exam by misreading it.[1]
  • Read SCSA's Year 12 Information Handbook, Part II: Examinations (sitting an exam means you are taken to know it).[1]
  • Pack your equipment the night before, set two alarms and sleep.[2]

Exam morning

  • Arrive 30 minutes before the start time (9.20 am or 2.00 pm).[1]
  • Most exams have 10 minutes reading time before working time starts.[1]
  • Leave your phone and other electronic devices outside the exam room.[2]
  1. SCSA: 2026 ATAR course written examinations timetable
  2. Our exam-day guides (HSC, VCE, QCE)

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

WACE Computer Science cram sheet

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

Unit 3: Network communications

TCP: connection-oriented (three-way handshake: SYN, SYN-ACK, ACK), reliable, ordered, acknowledgements and retransmission, flow control. Used for web pages, email, file transfer.

From: OSI and TCP/IP models, protocols, TCP vs UDP and packets
Subnetting method
  1. Borrow bits for subnets: 2b2^b subnets from bb borrowed bits.
  2. Block size = 2h2^h where hh is the number of host bits.
  3. Usable hosts per subnet = 2h−22^h - 2 (network and broadcast addresses are reserved).
  4. Network address = first address in the block; broadcast = last.
From: IP addressing, subnetting, DNS, ports and network components

Unit 3: Programming

Common complexities, fastest to slowest
  • O(1)O(1) constant: dictionary lookup, array access by index.
  • O(log⁡n)O(\log n) logarithmic: binary search.
  • O(n)O(n) linear: linear search, a single loop.
  • O(n2)O(n^2) quadratic: nested loops, bubble, selection and insertion sort.
From: Arrays, dictionaries, searching, sorting and Big O

Class: a template of attributes and methods. Object: an instance of a class.

From: Development process, testing and debugging, OOP and developer obligations

Unit 4: Cyber security

Two frameworks
  • CIA triad: Confidentiality (only authorised people can read data), Integrity (data is accurate and unaltered), Availability (systems work when needed).
  • AAA: Authentication (verify identity), Authorisation (grant appropriate permissions), Accounting (log activity).
From: Privacy law, cyber threats, CIA, AAA and ethical hacking
TLS in one line each
  1. The server presents its certificate; the browser verifies it (identity).
  2. Asymmetric cryptography establishes a shared session key (secure key exchange).
  3. Symmetric encryption protects the data for the rest of the session (speed).
  4. Integrity checks detect tampering.
From: Symmetric and asymmetric encryption, certificates and TLS

Unit 4: Data management

ACID
  • Atomicity: all or nothing.
  • Consistency: valid state to valid state.
  • Isolation: concurrent transactions do not interfere.
  • Durability: committed changes persist after failures.
From: SQL, data import, ODBC, ACID and data management issues

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

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