Exam Format, Scoring, and Question Types

What Exam You Are Actually Taking

New York is in the middle of a transition. The Regents Examination in Physical Science: Chemistry is the new chemistry Regents, built on the New York State P-12 Science Learning Standards (NYSP12SLS) and first administered in June 2026. The older Physical Setting/Chemistry exam still runs alongside it and is available through June 2027 for students taught under the prior standards.

Knowing which version you sit matters: the two use different reference tables and different item styles. This guide targets the new Physical Science: Chemistry exam, the format most 2026 test-takers will face.

NYSED stands for the New York State Education Department, the agency (through its Office of State Assessment) that writes and scores the exam. Your school administers it.

Test Design: Clusters, Counts, and Time

The new exam is organized into question clusters rather than a flat numbered list. A cluster is a group of questions tied to one assessment storyline built around a real phenomenon (an observable event such as a reaction, a dissolving solid, or a spectrum). Each cluster gives you stimuli first, then asks questions that build on each other.

NYSED's published test design specifies:

Because cluster sizes vary, the exact item count shifts from form to form, but the 60/40 balance and three-hour limit are stable.

The Two Question Types

Multiple-choice (MC) questions give four answer choices and are worth 1 credit each. There is no penalty for guessing, so you should answer every MC item even when unsure.

Constructed-response (CR) questions require you to write the answer yourself. They range from one-credit fill-ins to multi-part items that ask you to:

• Show a calculation with the correct setup and units.
• Draw or complete a diagram, graph, or particle model.
• State a claim and support it with evidence and reasoning (the CER pattern).
• Balance an equation or write a chemical formula.

CR items are scored against a rating guide that lists acceptable responses. Partial credit is common, so always attempt every part.

Three-Dimensional Items

Every question, MC or CR, is three-dimensional. It blends three things at once:

1. A Science and Engineering Practice (SEP) - what you do, such as analyzing data or developing a model.
2. A Disciplinary Core Idea (DCI) - the chemistry content, such as bonding or stoichiometry.
3. A Crosscutting Concept (CCC) - a big-picture lens, such as patterns, cause and effect, or energy and matter.

Why it matters: you cannot pass by memorizing facts alone. You must apply content to a new scenario. A typical item shows an unfamiliar data table and asks you to reason from it using chemistry you know.

How the Exam Is Scored

Regents exams report a scale score from 0 to 100, not a raw percentage. Each administration publishes a conversion chart that maps your raw score (total credits earned) to the final scale score.

• 65 is the passing standard for a Regents diploma credit.
• 85 is the common mastery benchmark (and an Advanced Regents signal).
• The new science exam also reports a performance level; Level 3 means a student minimally meets expectations for the content-area requirement.

Because of the conversion, you do not need 65% of raw points to score a 65 - the chart does the translation. Still, treat every credit as valuable, since the curve near the cut score can be tight.

Eligibility and the Required Investigations

You take this exam through your school after completing the chemistry course. For admission to the exam, NYSED requires successful completion of three required Physical Science: Chemistry Investigations (hands-on labs), with "successful completion" judged locally.

Key rules to remember:

• The three Investigations are a gate to sit the exam, not part of the score.
• They help satisfy the 1200-minute hands-on lab requirement under Part 100 of the Commissioner's Regulations.
• Related lab performance expectations still appear as about 15% of written-test questions, so the lab skills are tested - just on paper.

Logistics, Fees, and the Schedule

Regents exams are free state assessments; NYSED publishes no direct student exam fee for enrolled students. There is no separate registration provider - your school registers you and assigns your room and report time.

Per the official June 2026 Regents schedule, the new Physical Science: Chemistry exam is given Tuesday, June 9, 2026 at 1:15 p.m. (an afternoon session, with a 2:00 p.m. statewide admission deadline), while the legacy Physical Setting/Chemistry exam is given Wednesday, June 24, 2026 at 9:15 a.m. (a morning session, with a 10:00 a.m. admission deadline). These are the only two chemistry slots in the June 2026 Regents week; the rest of the week (June 10, 17, 18, and 23-25) is taken up by other subjects. Statewide admission deadlines are 10:00 a.m. for morning exams and **2:00 p.m.

for afternoon exams**; verify your exact date, time, and room with your school. Remote testing is not offered - the exam is taken in person at your school.

Common Format Traps

• Treating clusters as independent questions and skipping the storyline stimulus.
• Leaving CR parts blank because the first part stumped you - later parts may be independent.
• Assuming you need 65% raw points; the conversion chart sets the real cut.
• Forgetting the Investigations gate and arriving ineligible to test.