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Timetables move from provisional publication for school feedback to a final schedule delivered via digital channels, with guidance for timetable clashes.",{"@graph":14,"@context":73},[15,34,56],{"@type":16,"itemListElement":17},"BreadcrumbList",[18,23,27,31],{"item":19,"name":20,"@type":21,"position":22},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",1,{"item":24,"name":25,"@type":21,"position":26},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/","Document",2,{"item":28,"name":29,"@type":21,"position":30},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/exam/","Exam",3,{"item":32,"name":10,"@type":21,"position":33},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/how-we-timetable-our-exams-video-transcript/642199/",4,{"url":32,"name":10,"@type":35,"image":36,"author":41,"headline":10,"publisher":44,"fileFormat":47,"inLanguage":8,"description":12,"dateModified":48,"datePublished":49,"encodingFormat":47,"isAccessibleForFree":50,"interactionStatistic":51},"DigitalDocument",{"url":37,"@type":38,"width":39,"height":40},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/how-we-timetable-our-exams-video-transcript/642199.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":42,"@type":43},"Finn","Person",{"url":19,"name":45,"@type":46},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-11-03","2026-10-23",true,{"@type":52,"interactionType":53,"userInteractionCount":55},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":54},"ViewAction",6,{"@type":57,"mainEntity":58},"FAQPage",[59,65,69],{"name":60,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":62},"What are the main factors considered when scheduling Cambridge exams?","Question",{"text":63,"@type":64},"The timetable accounts for national and international holidays, the number of students per exam, and practical sequencing such as avoiding science practicals on consecutive weekdays. It also prevents subject clashes like timetabling Maths and English for the same qualification on the same day and limits total exam time per day.","Answer",{"name":66,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":67},"What is the “Key Time” rule and why is it important?",{"text":68,"@type":64},"The Key Time rule ensures candidates taking the same exam across the world are in the exam or under supervision at the same time. This prevents access or sharing of exam material until everyone has finished.",{"name":70,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":71},"How do schools participate in the timetable process?",{"text":72,"@type":64},"Cambridge publishes a provisional timetable on CIE Direct and schools have a four-week period to review it and submit comments. Cambridge reviews these comments and makes amendments when possible, then publishes the final timetable months later and sends it to schools through the exams officer eNewsletter.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":32,"og:type":75,"og:title":10,"og:site_name":45,"og:description":12},"article",{"robots":77,"canonical":32},"index,follow",{"doc_id":79,"site_id":7},642199,1792908805,{"code":4,"msg":82,"data":83},"success",{"doc_id":79,"user_id":84,"nickname":42,"user_avatar":85,"doc_module":4,"category_id":33,"category_name":29,"doc_title":10,"doc_description":12,"doc_content":86,"file_id":87,"file_url":88,"file_type":89,"file_size":90,"view_count":55,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":22,"is_downloadable":22,"audit_status":22,"page_count":26,"language":91,"language_code":8,"site_id":7,"html_lang":8,"table_of_contents":92,"faqs":93,"seo_title":94,"seo_description":12,"update_tm":95,"read_time":96},34359740700684,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/avatar/1f400023980c374ae676?_k=1777273430885731487","How we timetable our exams  \nVideo transcript  \nExams officers  \nEvery year over a million learners from 10,000 schools across 160 countries take Cambridge exams. All these exams must be carefully timetabled.  \nCambridge International produce seven timetables for each of the June and November exam series.  \nWe allocate each country to one of six administrative zones. We publish a timetable for each administrative zone and one for the UK. Having a timetable for each administrative zone helps us ensure the security and integrity of our exams.  \nIt takes about nine months to create our timetables. Feedback fromour schools, regional teams and assessment experts has helped us to develop some useful guidelines which we try to consider when creating our timetables.  \nWe always consider major national and international holidays although it is not always possible to work around all of these.  \nWe consider the number of students taking each exam.  \nWe schedule English and Maths syllabuses as early in each exam series as possible. Lots of students will take these exams so this is to give as much time as possible for marking those papers.  \nWe try to avoid setting science practical exams on consecutive weekdays, so schools have time to prepare, and to clean up.  \nWe carefully consider the impact on students, for example, we try to avoid timetabling Mathsand English for the same qualification on the same day , or more than one science syllabus for the same qualification. We also avoid setting papers together that would add up to more than six hours of exams a day.  \nIt’s vital that all our timetables meet our security regulations.  \nWe design them so that all the candidates across the world taking the same exam are in the exam or under supervision at the same time. This means students can’t access or share exam material until everyone has finished. This is the Key Time rule.  \nEach timetable is divided into sessions. This is the period in the day when the exams takes place, which is either in the morning, afternoon or, for a limited number of exams, in the evening.  \nEach country has a Key Time for the morning and afternoon timetable session. There is also an evening session Key Time for countries in administrative zones 4 and 5.  \nAfter we’ve taken all these factors into account, we publish a provisional timetable on our secure online tool for exams officers CIE Direct. We publish the provisional timetable at the end of May for the following year’s June exam series and at the end of October for the following year’s November exam series. Over a four-week period, schools can review the timetable and make comments. It’s very important for schools to tell us about any potential problems at this stage.  \nAlthough it’s not always possible to make changes to the timetable, we review all the comments and make amendments if we possibly can.  \nThe final timetable is published on our website and sent directly to schools in the Cambridge Exams Officers eNewsletter about six months before the start of the exam series so that schools can then make their own timetables. It’s the school’s responsibility to inform all learners of the date, time and location of their exams.  \nVery occasionally we might have to change a final timetable after it’s been published. If this happens, we let schools know in the Cambridge Exams Officer eNewsletter so they can inform students of the revised date.  \nIf a school has a timetable clash with another of our subjects, with other exam boards, or in the eventof a school closure, we have clear guidance on what to do. Schools can find this in the Cambridge Handbook.  \nView our latest [timetable on our website:](timetable on our website: www.cambridgeinternational.org/timetables)[ ](timetable on our website: www.cambridgeinternational.org/timetables)[www.cambridgeinternational.org/timetables](timetable on our website: www.cambridgeinternational.org/timetables)","cbCaii0GYP0jxbxt","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaii0GYP0jxbxt","pdf",30370,"English","# How exam timetables are created\n## Administrative zones and global coverage\n## Scheduling principles and constraints\n## Security, Key Time rule, and sessions\n## Provisional review and final publication","[{\"question\":\"What are the main factors considered when scheduling Cambridge exams?\",\"answer\":\"The timetable accounts for national and international holidays, the number of students per exam, and practical sequencing such as avoiding science practicals on consecutive weekdays. It also prevents subject clashes like timetabling Maths and English for the same qualification on the same day and limits total exam time per day.\"},{\"question\":\"What is the “Key Time” rule and why is it important?\",\"answer\":\"The Key Time rule ensures candidates taking the same exam across the world are in the exam or under supervision at the same time. This prevents access or sharing of exam material until everyone has finished.\"},{\"question\":\"How do schools participate in the timetable process?\",\"answer\":\"Cambridge publishes a provisional timetable on CIE Direct and schools have a four-week period to review it and submit comments. Cambridge reviews these comments and makes amendments when possible, then publishes the final timetable months later and sends it to schools through the exams officer eNewsletter.\"}]","How we timetable our exams - Video transcript | PDF",1792721579,5,{"code":4,"msg":82,"data":98},[99,103,107,110,114,118,123,128,133,136,140],{"id":22,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":100,"show_sort_weight":101,"slug":102},"Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":26,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":104,"show_sort_weight":105,"slug":106},"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":33,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":29,"show_sort_weight":108,"slug":109},70,"exam",{"id":96,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":111,"show_sort_weight":112,"slug":113},"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":55,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":115,"show_sort_weight":116,"slug":117},"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":119,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":120,"show_sort_weight":121,"slug":122},7,"Healthcare",40,"healthcare",{"id":124,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":125,"show_sort_weight":126,"slug":127},8,"Research & Report",30,"research-report",{"id":129,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":130,"show_sort_weight":131,"slug":132},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":131,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":134,"show_sort_weight":131,"slug":135},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":137,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":138,"show_sort_weight":137,"slug":139},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":141,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":142,"show_sort_weight":96,"slug":143},19,"General","general"]