What to bring to WACE ATAR exams, and what's banned (2026)

The 2026 WACE ATAR course written exams start on Wednesday 28 October. Your personalised timetable (time, date and venue) comes from the SCSA student portal, and SCSA makes no allowance for misreading it. The rules below come from SCSA's rules of conduct, its 2026 exam timetable and its circulars to schools (linked at the bottom). SCSA's full rules are in the Year 12 Information Handbook: Part II Examinations, and SCSA says it's every candidate's responsibility to understand the instructions, so read it once before your first exam.

A note on how we checked this page: SCSA's website blocks automated downloads, so we confirmed these rules through searches of SCSA's own site rather than reading every document end to end. If anything here differs from the Handbook, your personalised timetable or what your school tells you, they're right.

Your WACE exam kit

• Your own stationery. SCSA says candidates are responsible for providing their own stationery.
• A clear pencil case. SCSA says items should be in a pencil case made of clear materials.
• The items your exam needs. Every exam's front cover lists the materials "provided by the supervisor" and the ones "to be provided by the candidate". SCSA publishes the 2026 front covers, so look yours up now.
• Water, in a clear plastic bottle with the labels removed and a secure lid, no bigger than 1500 mL.

Calculators

Which calculator you can use depends on the course. For 2026, SCSA says the approved calculator use for each exam is in the course syllabus (the examination design brief), in Appendix C of the Year 12 Information Handbook 2026, and on the exam's front cover. SCSA also says calculator covers are non-authorised materials and not permitted.

What's banned

SCSA's rules of conduct say candidates can't wear or take into the exam room:

• a mobile device;
• a watch of any kind (analogue, digital or smart);
• similar wireless-enabled technology, such as a personal fitness device or smart glasses.

Formula sheets and data booklets are only used where the exam provides or allows them, as listed on the front cover.

What happens if you break the rules?

SCSA says bringing a smart watch, mobile phone, smart glasses or a calculator not approved for that exam results in cancellation of all or part of your exam mark. Markings on authorised materials (such as notes written on permitted items) can also lead to cancelled marks where they're relevant to the course. The chief supervisor reports alleged breaches to SCSA.

Before the exam starts, supervisors give you a final chance to declare anything you shouldn't have. Check your pockets and pencil case before you walk in.

When to arrive, and when you can leave

• Arrive 30 minutes before the start time.
• No one is admitted after 30 minutes of working time have passed. For Mathematics exams, the cutoff is 30 minutes into Section One (the calculator-free section).
• You can't leave during the first hour of working time or the final 15 minutes of the exam.

Reading time in one line

SCSA's 2026 timetable says all ATAR written exams have 10 minutes reading time and 3 hours working time unless the paper says otherwise. Reading time is for reading only: no marking the paper with pen, pencil, highlighter, fingernail or anything else, and no calculator. See how to use reading time well.

If something goes wrong

Sick or hit by something unexpected around exam time? Get independent evidence at the time, talk to your school, and read what to do if you're sick during WACE exams. For 2026 written exams, the sickness/misadventure application is due by 24 November 2026.