HSC Biology exam-day checklist
Check your calculator, practise interpreting unfamiliar stimuli and tie each explanation to the biological mechanism.
By ATARMAxxing · Updated
What should you check before the exam?
The 2026 Biology cover allows a NESA-approved calculator, directs candidates to write in black pen and specifies pencil for diagrams. Check the current instructions and take stationery that meets them.
How can you approach the paper?
Read the whole stimulus, including axis scales and labels. In a written explanation, identify the mechanism and use the given result to show how it applies. For an investigation, separate what was changed, what was measured and what was controlled.
What should you check before you finish?
Check that diagrams have the labels the question requires. When describing a trend, include the direction and relevant evidence. When explaining it, make sure you have also named the underlying process.