Regents

General Information

General Information

Regents High School examinations are mandatory exams administered in New York State by the New York State Education Department. High school students typically take these exams as the culmination to a year-long course in the corresponding subject. There are currently ten different Regents exams administered covering a variety of subjects.

Regents Exams Administered

Algebra 2/Trigonometry
Chemistry
Comprehensive English
Earth Science
Geometry
Global History & Geography
Integrated Algebra
Living Environment
Physics
U.S. History & Government (Framework) — will first be administered in June 2022

New York State Requirements

To receive a regular high school diploma, students in New York State must pass five Regents Exams with a score of 65 or higher: Any math exam, such as Integrated Algebra, Algebra 1, Geometry, or Algebra II/Trigonometry. Any social studies exam such as Global History & Geography, U.S. History & Government (Framework); Comprehensive English, and any one science exam (Chemistry, Earth Science, Living Environment or Physics).

To receive an Advanced Regents Diploma, students must also pass at least nine Regents exams including an additional science exam and all three math exams (Algebra 2/Trigonometry, Geometry, and Integrated Algebra).

Format and Content

Most Regents exams are made up of a multiple-choice section and a free-response section (either essay or problem-solving format) and are three hours long. The Earth Science exam contains an additional laboratory component and the Foreign Language exams contain an additional oral exam component. The content of the exam varies depending on the subject.

Scoring

Exams are scored on a scale from 0 to 100. There is no wrong answer penalty.

Testing Schedule

Students typically take Regents exams in January or June, but they are also administered in August for students who want to take them after summer school. The testing schedule can be found on this page.