Grade 12 (NSC) examination timetable in South Africa, covering both the mid-year and final (October/November) sessions, as officially released by the Department of Basic Education:

Mid-Year NSC Exams (May–June 2025)

  • The 2025 NSC mid-year exams start on Monday, 12 May 2025, and finish on Wednesday, 25 June 2025  .
  • Exams are structured in two daily sessions:
    • Morning: begins at approximately 09:00
    • Afternoon: begins at approximately 14:00  .

Final NSC Exams (October/November 2025)

  • The official final (October/November) NSC timetable runs from Tuesday, 21 October 2025, to Thursday, 27 November 2025  .
  • Highlights:
    • 21 October: Computer Applications Technology (CAT) Paper 1 – Practical begins the exam series  .
    • Friday, 31 October: Mathematics Paper 1 (MATH P1), Mathematics Literacy P1 (ML P1), and Technical Mathematics P1  .
    • Monday, 3 November: Mathematics Paper 2 (MATH P2), Technical Mathematics P2  .
    • Friday, 7 November: Physical Sciences Paper 1 (Physics)  .
    • Monday, 10 November: Physical Sciences Paper 2 (Chemistry)  .
    • Wednesday, 12 November: Geography Paper 1  .
    • 14 & 17 November: Life Sciences P1 & P2 respectively  .
    • 19 & 21 November: Economics Paper 1 & Paper 2  .
    • 25 November: Consumer Studies and Hospitality Studies  .
    • Final Exam Day – 27 November: Reserved for IT and CAT practical rewrites  .
  • Additional Important Dates:
    • Friday, 17 October 2025: Grade 12 learners take the NSC exam pledge  .
    • Life Orientation (LO) Common Assessment Task (CAT):
      • Main session: Monday, 1 September 2025
      • Rewrite: Tuesday, 14 October 2025  .

Summary Table: 2025 Grade 12 NSC Exams

Exam SessionDate RangeNotable Details
Mid-Year (May/June)12 May – 25 June 2025Morning (~09:00) & afternoon (~14:00) sessions  
Final (Oct/Nov)21 Oct – 27 Nov 2025Includes pledge, practicals, core subjects and rewrites  
LO CAT1 Sep (main), 14 Oct (rewrite) 2025Precedes final exam season  
Exam Pledge17 October 2025Official ceremony before exams commence  

What You Can Do Next

  • Download the full timetables (PDFs) from the Department of Basic Education website for complete subject listings and session times.
  • Create a customized study plan based on your subject list and exam schedule.
  • If you’d like, I can help you extract or highlight subject-specific dates, or even design a revision calendar tailored for your exam load.

 

 

 

 

Categorized in:

Grade 12