The Test

There are five Regents Exams: Integrated Algebra (or Math A), Global History and Geography, U.S. History and Government, Comprehensive English, and any one science regents. To receive an Advanced Regents Diploma, students must also pass an additional Regents science exam, (Earth Science, Chemistry, or Physics), an additional math exam (Geometry, Algebra 2/ Trigonometry, or Math B), and a foreign language exam.

A multiple-choice section (Part I), which is usually between 30 to 50 questions, and, a long-answer/essay section (Part II), which consists of either a selection of detailed questions for which the work must be shown, or a set of essay topics, of which one or two must be written about in detail.

Foreign language exams include a third section on listening skills with passages read aloud by a proctor. The History exams include a section of short responses on primary documents. For both social science exams, two essays are now required and students do not get a choice as to which essay to answer.

Most Regents exams are three hours long. The exceptions are the Comprehensive English exam, the Earth Science exam, and foreign language exams. Several of the foreign language Regents have oral exams which are administered before the written test and are not part of the three hour time limit.

Most Regents examinations are offered every January, June, and August. Most are normally scheduled to be taken in June, but some students do take them earlier in January; others have an extra opportunity to take them after summer school in August, or the following January, to make up for a previous exam failure.

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