NCEA exam timetable 2026
4 min read ยท updated 2026-10-13
NCEA and NZ Scholarship end-of-year examinations run from Tuesday 10 November to Friday 4 December 2026. Results are released online in mid-January.
Key dates
- โ End-of-year NCEA and NZ Scholarship exams: 10 November to 4 December 2026
- โ Morning exams start at 9:30am and afternoon exams at 2pm
- โ Results: released by NZQA in mid-January 2027 (the 2025 results were released on 14 January 2026)
Planning revision
Find each external standard's date in your personal timetable on the NZQA learner login, then plan backwards: past papers for each standard in the two weeks before it, and lighter review on gap days.
FAQs
When do NCEA exams start in 2026?๏ผ
Tuesday 10 November 2026.
When do NCEA exams finish?๏ผ
Friday 4 December 2026.
When are NCEA results released?๏ผ
In mid-January; the 2025 results came out on 14 January 2026.
What time do NCEA exams start?๏ผ
Morning exams start at 9:30am and afternoon exams at 2pm.
How many credits do I need for NCEA?๏ผ
Since 2024, 60 credits at the level or above for each level, plus the 20-credit literacy and numeracy co-requisite. Our free NCEA credits calculator checks your totals and endorsements.
Sources
Facts on this page were checked against these official sources on 2026-10-13.
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