CSCA Exam Guide: Subjects, Languages and November 2026 Dates

The CSCA exam, or China Scholastic Competency Assessment, assesses international applicants preparing for undergraduate study in China. Your first decisions are which subjects your intended university requires, which language to take them in, and which sitting leaves enough time to submit your results. This guide explains those decisions and the dates we could verify directly.

Last checked: October 15, 2026. The next published sitting is November 14–15, 2026. Registration runs from October 15 at 15:00 to October 21 at 23:59, Beijing time (UTC+8), according to the official CSCA homepage. Check the official registration system before paying, and use your admission ticket for final subject times.

The current schedule and the older five-session plan

The official notice dated October 14, 2026 announces a schedule covering November 2026 through June 2027. Each sitting now spans two days: Professional Chinese and Mathematics on the first day, then Physics and Chemistry on the second.

Earlier university notices described five annual sessions in January, March, April, June and December. Those notices predate the new November sitting and two-day arrangements. Use the newer official schedule when planning upcoming exams; do not reconstruct a deadline from an older calendar.

The October 14 notice also says that, starting with November 2026, results will be announced within 10 working days after the exam ends. An older promise of seven working days is therefore unsuitable for planning this sitting. Leave additional time for your university's document submission process.

Which CSCA subjects should you take?

There are five subject options, but that does not mean every applicant takes all five. Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry are separate academic tests. Professional Chinese has two categories: Humanities Chinese and STEM Chinese, also described as science Chinese.

The official exam introduction gives selection guidance for institutions on the Campus China Chinese Government Scholarship university list. For applicants to Chinese Government Scholarship undergraduate programs, it lists Mathematics and the appropriate Professional Chinese category as required. Physics and Chemistry depend on the university and program.

For applicants outside that scholarship route, the same guidance lists Mathematics, with Professional Chinese required for Chinese-taught programs. Again, Physics and Chemistry depend on program requirements. Confirm both your funding route and teaching language; an English-taught degree alone does not settle every scholarship requirement.

Create a small application checklist for each university: degree name, teaching language, scholarship route, required subjects, accepted test language and score submission deadline. If two institutions disagree, ask whether you need an additional subject to keep both applications eligible.

Northwestern Polytechnical University's published 2026 requirements illustrate the variation: its English-taught business administration program lists Mathematics, while English-taught aerospace programs list Mathematics and Physics. These are examples from that institution and intake, not requirements for every Chinese university.

Choose the test language deliberately

Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry are offered in Chinese or English. The official guidance says to choose according to the university's requirements. Both Professional Chinese categories are taken in Chinese.

If your program accepts either language for a science paper, solve a short practice set in each before deciding. Compare how quickly you interpret terms such as displacement, concentration, domain and equilibrium. A familiar formula is less useful when you misread the quantity being requested.

For Professional Chinese, select the category specified for your intended degree. Humanities Chinese concerns academic reading and language associated with humanities and related disciplines. STEM Chinese emphasizes scientific terminology, mathematical expressions and technical explanations. Neither choice should be based simply on which name sounds easier.

Understand the paper format before timing practice

The current official introduction lists 48 objective multiple-choice questions in 60 minutes for each of Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry. Each Professional Chinese paper has 80 objective multiple-choice questions in 90 minutes. Every subject is scored on a 0–100 scale.

That gives an average of 75 seconds per science or mathematics question and 67.5 seconds per Chinese question. These are pacing averages, not instructions to abandon every difficult item at that point. Short vocabulary or substitution questions can leave time for longer reasoning tasks.

Universities set their own CSCA score requirements. Do not assume that a single score guarantees admission everywhere, or that a practice percentage converts directly into an official scaled result.

A preparation route for the next four weeks

First, confirm registration and take a diagnostic. For the November sitting, the October 21 deadline comes before most of your remaining study time. Resolve subject and language choices promptly, then attempt a short set without notes. Label each mistake as a knowledge gap, a reading error, a calculation error or a time-management problem.

Next, repair the foundations that block other topics. In Mathematics, prioritize algebra, functions and interpreting notation. In Physics, connect equations to quantities and units. In Chemistry, strengthen balanced equations, moles and concentration. For Chinese, practice the vocabulary and sentence patterns used to express evidence, conditions and conclusions.

Then mix topics and review explanations. Isolated drills tell you whether you can repeat a method. Mixed practice tests whether you can choose the method yourself. Reattempt missed questions after a delay and explain why the incorrect options fail.

Finally, rehearse the official logistics. Read the current candidate instructions for your selected home-based or test-center mode. Confirm equipment, identification and local start times. A November timetable uses Beijing time; your local date or daylight-saving offset may differ.

Start with the subjects on your application list

Use the CSCA preparation hub to organize your study, then open the relevant subject:

• CSCA Mathematics practice for algebra, functions, geometry and probability.
• CSCA Physics practice for mechanics, electricity and other syllabus topics.
• CSCA Chemistry practice for calculations, reactions and chemical principles.
• Humanities Chinese practice for academic vocabulary and reading.
• STEM Chinese practice for scientific language and technical reading.

Passumi currently provides the first 25% of each available paper as a free preview. Use it to identify a useful starting level. Passumi's original practice materials are independent preparation resources, not official CSCA papers or a prediction of your admission result.

Official sources and verification

Last checked: October 15, 2026. Schedule facts were read from the rendered official site, including its October 14 announcement.

• CSCA homepage: upcoming dates and November registration window.
• CSCA examination notice: November 2026–June 2027 arrangements.
• CSCA exam introduction: subjects, languages, format and score policy.
• CSCA preparation resources and syllabuses.
• NPU 2026 subject requirements: institution-specific examples and an older schedule.

If a later notification changes these arrangements, follow the official registration system, the sitting notice and your admission ticket.