VCE Exam Timetable 2027: Dates and How to Plan Around Them

The first statewide date comes well before the exams. On Thursday 17 June 2027 you'll usually sit the General Achievement Test (GAT), a test of general skills in writing, numeracy and reasoning for students doing Units 3 and 4. VCAA says no additional study is required for it, so it goes in your calendar but not your revision plan.

Our guide to starting Year 12 explains what the GAT is used for.

The exams themselves sit at the end of the year in two windows that overlap by six days. One is for performance and oral exams, such as a music performance or a language oral. The other is for the written exams most subjects have.

Results come out on Thursday 9 December 2027, about three weeks after the last written exam. They include your study scores, and our guide to study scores and the ATAR shows how those become your ATAR.

Each subject's exam day and start time comes in VCAA's exam timetable. VCAA released it in late May in both 2025 and 2026, so late May 2027 is a sensible time to look, though no 2027 release date has been set. Until it appears, a 2027 subject timetable on another website isn't VCAA's.

The 2026 timetable shows what to expect. Written exams ran in morning and afternoon sessions, with three sessions on some days, so two of your exams can fall on the same day. Each exam usually opens with a short reading time before writing time starts. In 2025, VCAA made each student's personal exam timetable, listing only their own exams, available to schools in the first week of September.

Your school's dates matter too, because revision needs to fit around your SACs. SACs, short for school-assessed coursework, are the tests, essays and reports your school marks during the year. Your teachers can tell you when Unit 4 classes finish and whether the school runs practice exams.

Until May, you can plan in weeks rather than days, using the calendar above. The September holidays are your last school holidays before the exams, and they can give you time to revise several subjects together. It helps to decide roughly how you'll use them before Term 3 gets busy.

Before the holidays, revision sits alongside Unit 4 work and SACs, so smaller weekly blocks often fit better than long sessions. VCAA publishes past exams, along with reports on how students went in them. Trying past exam questions on a topic you've finished can show you early which parts need the holiday time.

If you have a performance or oral exam, you may finish preparing earlier. It can fall in the first week of Term 4, so its final practice can go in the September holidays.

Our weekly study planner can turn those revision blocks into a realistic week around school, sport and work, and you can print or save it.

Once the timetable is out, you can add each subject's exam day and session to your calendar. Your weeks stay the same; what can change is the order you finish revising in.

Your first exam gives you an early revision deadline, which you can weigh against the subjects that need more practice. A long gap after one exam gives you time for the next, so subjects with later exams can use those gaps. If two of your exams fall close together, or on the same day, you'll want both ready before the first one.

Your subject teachers are the people to ask which past exam questions suit what you've covered, and whether they'll look over a practice answer. For anything about the timetable itself, or arrangements for an illness or disability, your school's VCE coordinator, the staff member who looks after VCE, is the person to see. You can also ask whether your school runs revision sessions before the exams.

If one subject still needs more than that, working through it one-to-one can help. TMJ Tutoring's VCE tutors follow your school program, at home or online, and you'll speak with your tutor before the first session, so you can bring the past exams you've tried and your exam dates.

For now, you can choose one topic to revisit this week.

Are there other exam dates?

Yes, for a few subjects. The Extended Investigation critical thinking test is on Wednesday 28 July 2027, and the Auslan exam on Tuesday 12 October 2027. Written exams for some less widely taught languages, listed by VCAA under CCAFL, have no date yet; your languages teacher can tell you if yours is one.

What can I take into a written exam?

Pens, pencils, highlighters, erasers, sharpeners and rulers, in a see-through pencil case, and still water in a clear plastic bottle with the labels taken off. That's from VCAA's 2026 list; some subjects allow more, such as a calculator, and VCAA lists those for each subject. The bottle needs a secure lid, holds no more than 1.5 litres and can't go on your desk.

What happens if I arrive late?

You'll still be let in up to 30 minutes after writing time starts, with the full writing time but no reading time. After 30 minutes, VCAA's exam rules allow entry only in limited cases, starting with a recommendation from the school's principal. VCAA asks students to arrive at least 30 minutes before each exam starts.

What if I'm sick on the day of an exam?

You can apply for a Derived Examination Score if illness, an injury or something serious stops you sitting an exam or badly affects how you go in it. VCAA works the score out from your other results, including your SACs and the GAT, and uses it only if it's higher than your exam result. VCAA suggests asking your school for advice first.

Can I get special arrangements for my exams?

Yes, if an illness or disability affects how you read or answer exam questions. Your school applies to VCAA for these Special Examination Arrangements on your behalf, and for 2027 it can start applying on Wednesday 27 January 2027. Talking to your VCE coordinator early in Term 1 gives the school time to prepare it.

We checked these official sources on 6 November 2026.