SPM is the one exam almost every Malaysian family plans a year around. The official 2026 timetable has been out since August, but it is a 33-page document written mostly for exam centres. This guide pulls out the dates and rules a candidate or parent actually needs. Everything below comes from the Lembaga Peperiksaan's Jadual Waktu Peperiksaan SPM 2026, dated 18 August 2026, and its planning calendar letter of December 2025. Your school will hand you the full timetable, and where it differs from anything here, the school's copy and lp.moe.gov.my win.

Phase 1: the speaking tests (26 October to 5 November)

SPM does not start in November. The oral components come first, and they are held at school during the regular term.

  • Bahasa Melayu Paper 3, Ujian Bertutur (1103/3): Monday 26 to Thursday 29 October 2026. Each day runs in three sessions, starting 8am, 11am and 2.30pm, with an individual test followed by a group test of four candidates.
  • English Paper 3, Speaking Test (1119/3): Monday 2 to Thursday 5 November 2026.

For the speaking tests and practicals, candidates must be in the waiting room 10 minutes before the session's activities begin. Your school tells you which session you are in.

Phase 2: the science practicals (16 to 18 November)

  • Physics 4531/3: Monday 16 November.
  • Chemistry 4541/3: Tuesday 17 November.
  • Biology 4551/3 and Additional Science 4561/3: Wednesday 18 November.

Phase 3: the written papers (23 November to 17 December)

The written exam opens with both language papers and their listening tests:

  • Monday 23 November: BM Listening (1103/4) 9am to 9.30am, BM Paper 1 10.45am to 12.45pm, BM Paper 2 2.30pm to 5pm.
  • Tuesday 24 November: English Listening (1119/4) 9am to 9.40am, English Paper 1 11am to 12.30pm, English Paper 2 2.30pm to 4pm.
  • Wednesday 25 November: Pendidikan Islam Paper 1 or Pendidikan Moral, both from 8.15am.
  • Thursday 26 November: Mathematics Paper 1 8.15am to 9.45am, Paper 2 10.45am to 1.15pm.
  • Monday 30 November: Sejarah Paper 1 8.15am to 9.15am, Paper 2 10.30am to 1pm.

Pure science and commerce papers are spread over the next three weeks: Biology (with Perniagaan) on Wednesday 2 December, Sains and Physics on Thursday 3 December, Prinsip Perakaunan on Monday 14 December and Chemistry on Tuesday 15 December. The exam closes with Additional Mathematics on Thursday 17 December: Paper 1 8.15am to 10.15am, Paper 2 2.30pm to 5pm.

Art students note one oddity: candidates for Pendidikan Seni Visual Paper 2 (2611/2) collect their question paper from the chief invigilator on Tuesday 24 November, before their exam day.

The rules that catch people out

These come from Part D of the timetable, the candidate instructions.

  • Timing. Be seated in the hall 20 minutes before a written paper or listening test starts. A candidate who arrives up to 30 minutes late may be allowed in at the chief invigilator's discretion, with a strong reason, and no extra time is given.
  • Identity. Your MyKad (or another identity document, the LP/Am 118 identity form or an identity confirmation letter) stays on the right corner of your desk for the whole paper. You cannot sit without one.
  • What stays outside. Phones, any electronic or communication device, bags, pencil cases, notes, and even your own copy of the timetable and registration statement are banned from the hall. Calculators are allowed.
  • Pens and pencils. Answer in black or blue ballpoint. Objective answer sheets need a 2B or BB pencil and a soft eraser; correction fluid is banned.
  • Leaving early. You cannot leave in the first 30 minutes or the last 10 minutes of a written paper without the chief invigilator's permission.
  • Missing a paper. Missing any paper, oral or practical counts as absent for that subject. You need supporting evidence such as a government hospital doctor's letter, handed in before the SPM 2026 exam period ends.
  • Wrong details. If your registration statement has an error, tell your state education department (JPN) using the candidate correction form. The fee is RM30, paid by money order or postal order to the Akauntan Negara Malaysia.

Misconduct carries real penalties under the Education (Assessment and Examination) Regulations 1997: a paper's result can be cancelled, a whole centre's results voided, results withheld during an investigation, and a candidate caught impersonating or offering a bribe can be barred from sitting for a year.

Candidates with special educational needs get extra time on every written paper, from 30 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes depending on the category and the paper's length, and 10 extra minutes for science practicals. Schools apply on the candidate's behalf.

What is not in the timetable

The results date is not part of the timetable. The ministry announces it separately, and until it does, any date you see online is a guess. If you are also juggling the year-end school break or family travel, check the term dates first.

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*Cover image: candidates sitting a written examination at Universiti Darul Iman Malaysia, by Mahani Mohamad, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.*