The New Chemistry Regents, Explained (2026–27)
7 min read
New York replaced its chemistry exam. The new Regents Examination in Physical Science: Chemistry debuted in June 2026: 45–55 questions organized into 9–11 clusters, about 60% multiple choice and 40% written response, with required hands-on Investigations before you can sit for it. The legacy exam runs alongside it through June 2027, then retires.
The change is bigger than a fresh name. The old Physical Setting/Chemistry exam asked mostly stand-alone questions; the new one builds every question into a cluster that follows a real-world scenario. A student who prepared for the old format will recognize the chemistry and be surprised by the shape. This guide covers what changed, who takes which exam, and what preparation looks like when almost no past papers exist yet.
What is the new Chemistry Regents exam?
The Regents Examination in Physical Science: Chemistry is New York's replacement for the Physical Setting/Chemistry exam, first administered in June 2026. It measures the New York State P-12 Science Learning Standards, which are built on the same National Research Council framework as the Next Generation Science Standards. Under those standards, every question weaves together three dimensions: a Disciplinary Core Idea (the chemistry content), a Science and Engineering Practice (skills like analyzing data or arguing from evidence), and a Crosscutting Concept (themes like patterns or cause and effect). In plain terms, knowing the fact is no longer enough on its own; the exam asks you to use the fact on data it puts in front of you.
Do I take the new exam or the old one?
Which Chemistry Regents you take depends on which course you were taught. NYSED is running both exams in parallel during the transition: the new Physical Science: Chemistry exam started in June 2026, and the legacy Physical Setting/Chemistry exam continues through its final administration in June 2027. The overlap exists because the two sets of standards differ enough that students deserve the exam matching their instruction. If you start chemistry in September 2026, assume the new exam and confirm with your teacher, since course alignment is a school-level decision during the transition year. Students retaking after a legacy course still have the legacy exam available through June 2027.
What does the new exam look like?
| Feature | Legacy exam (through June 2027) | New exam (June 2026 onward) |
|---|---|---|
| Official name | Physical Setting/Chemistry | Physical Science: Chemistry |
| Standards | 1996 MST standards | NYS P-12 Science Learning Standards |
| Questions | 85 points across Parts A, B-1, B-2, C | 45–55 questions in 9–11 clusters, 1 credit each |
| Question mix | ~53% multiple choice (45 of 85 points) | ~60% multiple choice, ~40% constructed response |
| Organization | Mostly stand-alone questions | Every question belongs to a storyline cluster |
| Labs | 1,200 minutes of lab with reports | Required hands-on Investigations to sit for the exam |
| Score reported | Scaled score, 65 passes | Performance Levels 1–5, Level 3 meets the standard |
| Time | 3 hours | 3 hours |
Two of those rows change how studying feels. The written-response share rises to roughly 40%, so explaining reasoning in sentences and showing setups matters more than it did. And the cluster format means you read more: each cluster opens with a scenario and its stimuli before the first question arrives.
What is a question cluster?
A question cluster is a group of related questions, typically four to six given the exam's 45–55 questions across 9–11 clusters, that follow what NYSED calls an assessment storyline: a real-world phenomenon introduced with reading passages, data tables, graphs, diagrams, or photos, followed by questions that build on those materials and on each other. The cluster's introduction tells you how many questions it contains. Multiple choice and written response mix freely inside a single cluster, so you might interpret a graph in question 3 and defend a claim about it in question 4. NYSED publishes sample clusters and a Question Sampler on its Physical Science: Chemistry page, and they are the single best free preview of the format, because reading one cluster teaches you more about the exam's rhythm than any summary can.
What topics does the new Chemistry Regents cover?
NYSED publishes a topic blueprint with percentage ranges for each area of the exam:
| Topic | Share of the exam |
|---|---|
| Chemical Reactions | 36–46% |
| Structures and Properties of Matter | 30–40% |
| Energy | 10–14% |
| Engineering, Technology, and Applications | 5–11% |
| Waves and Electromagnetic Radiation | 5–7% |
| Matter and Energy in Organisms and Ecosystems | 2–5% |
Read the top two rows together: roughly three-quarters of the exam lives in chemical reactions plus the structure and properties of matter. That is the familiar heart of high school chemistry, from periodic-table patterns and bonding through reaction types, equilibrium, and conservation of matter. The engineering and ecosystems slices are new emphases from the standards, but they are the seasoning, not the meal.
What are the required Investigations?
The Investigations are hands-on lab tasks that NYSED requires students to complete during the course, and successful completion is a condition of admission to the exam itself. Where the legacy exam asked for 1,200 minutes of lab time, the new exam ties admission to specific three-dimensional tasks embedded in instruction. Around 15% of the written exam's questions relate to the Performance Expectations the Investigations measure, though they ask about the underlying content rather than the specific tasks. Scores on the Investigations are not reported to the state and do not appear in your exam score. The practical takeaway for students is simple: treat the Investigations as exam preparation rather than a hoop, because the written test assumes you have done them.
How is the new exam scored?
The new exam reports one of five performance levels instead of the familiar 0–100 scaled score. Level 3 means a student minimally meets the standards and satisfies the content requirement for a Regents diploma; Levels 4 and 5 mean fully meeting the standards and meeting them with distinction. There is no published equivalent of the old "65 passes" line, and raw-to-level conversions are set through NYSED's standard-setting process. Every question is worth one credit whether it is multiple choice or written response. Students also get a new reference table designed for locate-and-apply use, plus a required scientific calculator; the department states outright that the table holds information you are expected to find and use, not memorize.
How do you prepare for an exam with one past paper?
Preparing for the new Chemistry Regents starts from an awkward fact: only one operational exam has ever been given. The June 2026 paper and NYSED's sample clusters are the whole library, which makes the format materials precious and the fundamentals decisive. Three moves cover most of the ground:
- Read every sample cluster NYSED has published, then the June 2026 exam when it posts to nysedregents.org. Practice the rhythm: skim the stimuli, mark the data, answer in order.
- Make the foundation automatic. Element symbols, ion charges, formula reading. Every cluster still runs on this vocabulary, and the research on spaced recall practice that powered legacy prep transfers unchanged; our Chemistry Regents study plan walks through it.
- Practice explaining in writing. With written response near 40%, the habit of answering out loud in full sentences, then on paper, is worth building from the first week of the course.
Are the popular Regents review videos still useful?
Mostly yes, with one eye open. The best-known review resource in this space is the 100 Ways to Pass the Chemistry Regents video series from Chemistry Regents Video Tutor, made by a New York certified chemistry teacher: a hundred two-minute videos, one concept each, most followed by real past-exam questions. As chemistry teaching, that format holds up, and the core content overlaps heavily with the new exam's top two blueprint topics. What the existing video libraries cannot yet give you is the new FORMAT: they were built around the legacy exam's stand-alone questions, not storyline clusters or the higher written-response share. Use them for the chemistry; use NYSED's sample clusters and Question Sampler for the shape of the test.
Where a game fits in
The new exam raised the reading load and the reasoning load, but it did not change the entry fee: students who recognize "Fe," recall what sulfate carries, and read formulas without stopping have working memory left for the storyline. That fluency is what Periodic Mole drills. In our games you cannot take a turn until you answer a chemistry question right, set at your level, and the algorithm brings each of the 118 elements back right before you would forget it. Two of the games are free to play, the interactive periodic table and printable charts are free for everyone, and ten minutes a day from September onward means walking into June with the vocabulary automatic and your attention free for the clusters.
Try it free. Bond Forge is free to play with a starter set of elements, no account needed. One payment of $59 unlocks every game and all 118 elements, with progress saved. No subscription.
FAQ
When was the new Chemistry Regents first given? June 2026. The legacy Physical Setting/Chemistry exam continues alongside it through June 2027, after which only the new Physical Science: Chemistry exam is offered.
Is the new Chemistry Regents harder than the old one? It is different more than harder. The chemistry content overlaps heavily, but written response rises to about 40% of questions, every question ties to a cluster's scenario and data, and required Investigations gate admission to the exam. Students strong on fundamentals adapt fastest.
What score passes the new Chemistry Regents? The new exam reports Performance Levels 1–5 rather than a 0–100 score. Level 3 meets the content requirement for a Regents diploma. NYSED sets the raw-score boundaries for each level through its standard-setting process.
Is there a curve on the new Chemistry Regents? Not in the familiar sense. The legacy exam published a raw-to-scaled conversion chart per administration; the new exam instead sets the raw-score boundaries for Performance Levels 1–5 through NYSED's standard-setting process. The scoring materials released with each administration show how raw scores map to levels.
Do you still get a reference table on the new Chemistry Regents? Yes. The new exam has its own reference table, provided at the exam and published on NYSED's site, built for finding and applying information rather than memorizing it. A scientific calculator is required, and graphing calculators are permitted with cleared memory.
Related
- How to pass the Chemistry Regents (study plan)
- How to memorize the periodic table fast
- Get ahead before chemistry class starts
- Is high school chemistry hard?
Sources
- New York State Education Department. Educator Guide to the Regents Examination in Physical Science: Chemistry (June 2025). nysed.gov.
- New York State Education Department. Implementation Schedule for the New Regents Examinations in Science. nysed.gov.
- New York State Education Department. Sample Clusters for the New Regents Examination in Chemistry and Regents Examination in Physics. nysed.gov.
- New York State Education Department. Physical Science: Chemistry (Question Sampler and reference materials). nysed.gov.
- New York State Education Department. Regents Examination in Physical Setting/Chemistry, past exams. nysedregents.org/chemistry.