Matrics: Here is your May-June exam timetable

With just under two weeks left until matric pupils sit down to write their May-June National Senior Certificate (NSC) examinations, here is what they will be writing.

The matric June exams will start on 12 May and will conclude on 25 June for the NSC pupils. For the Independent Examinations Board (IEB) students, exams will commence on 5 May and continue until 27 May 2025.

NSC exam schedule

The first exam the pupils will be writing is foreign languages in the morning, followed by English in the afternoon on Monday, 12 May.

Other languages will be written on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, for both sessions.

Pupils will wrap up the week on a strong note with Mathematics in the second session on Friday, 16 May.”

According to the NSC timetable, pupils will have a break on 2 June in observance of a religious holiday.

Here is the full NSC final exam timetable:

2025 NSC Examination by oratile on Scribd

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IEB exam schedule

The IEB students will start with Information Technology Paper 1 in the first session and Life Sciences Paper 1 in the afternoon.

On Tuesday, the group will write Music Paper 1, Computer Applications Technology Paper 1 and History Paper 1 in the morning session, followed by Music Paper 2 in the afternoon.

Finally, the IEB exams will conclude Information Technology Paper 2 on 27 May.

Here is the full IEB final exam timetable:

2025 IEB NSC Examination by oratile on Scribd

How to deal with exam stress

As preparations for the exam season tend to be stressful, clinical psychologist Evelyn Nagel gave tips on how matrics can cope with the stress.

Here are some tips that can help you cope with stress:

• Switch off your devices.
• Try not to watch TV immediately after studying, as this will interfere with the work you studied, and you will lose the information you learned.
• Hydration, exercise and a well-balanced diet are healthy for your brain to function optimally.
• Laugh, play, and have some fun, which you schedule as a reward.
• Before the exam, don’t discuss the work with friends, as this increases anxiety. Just be positive and confident in what you have learned.
• After the exam is done, don’t have a post-mortem; it will affect the next exam, and this will not benefit you.
• Focus on some self-care before preparing for the next exam.
• Consult with teachers and tutors to clarify the challenging work.
• Use past papers and set yourself mock exams to test your knowledge before the exam.
• Approach the exam with a positive attitude. You have written many exams before this one.
• Always start your paper with questions you feel comfortable with, and time yourself per question.
• Have a schedule consisting of three-hour sessions with 10 to 15-minute breaks every hour, and at the end of three hours, take a power nap.
• Limit caffeine.
• Manage expectations.
• Exercise regularly.
• Ask for help and accept support.
• Leave the stress in the exam hall.
• Be kind to yourself.

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