Side-by-side comparison: Physical Science: Chemistry vs. Physical Setting/Chemistry
| Feature | New Exam (NYSP12SLS) | Legacy Exam (1996 Core Curriculum) |
|---|---|---|
| Official NYSED title | Regents Examination in Physical Science: Chemistry | Regents Examination in Physical Setting/Chemistry |
| Standards framework | NYSP12SLS three-dimensional standards (SEP + DCI + CCC), including Engineering Design (HS-ETS1) & Ecosystems (HS-LS1/LS2) | 1996 Physical Setting/Chemistry Core Curriculum |
| Administration window | Debuted June 2026; sole Chemistry Regents starting August 2027 | Offered alongside the new exam in June 2026, Aug 2026, Jan 2027, and June 2027 (retires after June 2027) |
| Question count & structure | 45–55 questions across 9–11 phenomenon clusters (50 in June 2026; 48 in August 2026) | 85 questions divided into Part A (30 MC), Part B-1 (20 MC), Part B-2 (15 CR), and Part C (20 CR) |
| Question mix & credits | ~60% multiple choice, ~40% constructed response; 1 credit per question | 50 multiple choice (50 credits) and 35 constructed response (35 credits; 85 credits total) |
| Reference tables | 2025 Edition Reference Tables (4 pages) | 2011 Edition Reference Tables (12 pages, Tables A–T) |
| Laboratory requirement | 1,200 lab minutes including all 3 required NYSED Chemistry Investigations | 1,200 lab minutes with satisfactory written laboratory reports |
| Score reporting | 0–100 scale score with Performance Levels 1–5 (Level 3 = 65 passing, Level 4 = 78 proficient, Level 5 = 85 mastery) | 0–100 scale score (65 passing, 85 mastery) |
| Where to practice | All Regents — the only interactive platform built for the new NYSP12SLS cluster format | NYSED’s legacy Physical Setting/Chemistry archive |
New exam: NYSED 2025 Educator Guide · Legacy exam: NYSED Physical Setting/Chemistry archive
Old exam vs. new exam: 5 real question comparisons from our test library
Looking at actual questions from the June 2026, August 2026, and 2025 NYSED sample exams in the All Regents library shows why legacy Physical Setting/Chemistry practice leaves students unprepared for the new format:
| Topic | How Legacy Physical Setting/Chemistry Tested It | How the New Physical Science: Chemistry Exam Tests It (With Live Links) |
|---|---|---|
| Lewis electron-dot structures & polarity | Standalone Part B-2 prompt: “Draw a Lewis electron-dot diagram for a molecule of carbon dioxide, CO2.” | June 2026 Cluster 3: Equilibria in the Blood (Q12) asks you to “Draw an electron-dot diagram to model the gas released from the liver cells into the plasma.” You must first identify CO2 from the blood-gas diagram before drawing. In June 2026 Q50: Indoor Air Pollution, you label four δ+ / δ− boxes on a diagram of formaldehyde and water molecules without 2011 Table S electronegativity values. |
| Calorimetry (q = mcΔT) | Standalone Part B-1/B-2 calculation for water where you pull c = 4.18 J/g·K from 2011 Table B. | 2011 Table B is gone. In June 2026 Cluster 5: Urban Heat Islands (Q20), you combine the mass of a brick (2,700 g) from the reading passage, the specific heat of brick (0.84 J/g·°C) from the cluster’s materials table, and q = mcΔT from Page 4 of the 2025 Reference Tables. |
| Gas solubility & kinetics | Recall multiple choice: “As temperature increases, the solubility of a gas in a liquid…” | June 2026 Cluster 2: Chemistry of Beverages (Q8) and Cluster 7: Clock Reaction (Q28) give you a student’s experimental claim, require you to check Support or Refute, filter out unused measurements in the data table, and write a justification citing the cluster data. |
| Acid-base indicators | Look up a single indicator’s color change in 2011 Table M. | 2011 Table M is gone. In 2025 Sample Cluster 2: A Profitable Blueberry Field (Q1), you use a supplied 6-indicator table to choose which two indicators together verify a 4.5–5.5 soil pH window. In August 2026 Q25: Pool Water Chemistry, you complete a 4-sample indicator color table from a pool water report. |
| Periodic trends, alloys & engineering design | Look up atomic radius or ionization energy in 2011 Table S; zero engineering design questions. | In August 2026 Cluster 11: Safe Transport of Drinking Water (Q46), you use a supplied atomic-radius table (ignoring an untested ionization-energy column) to identify interstitial carbon in stainless steel. In August 2026 Cluster 10: Parade of Balloons (Q39–43), one cluster links Group 18 properties, urethane vs. vinyl engineering criteria (HS-ETS1-1), gas laws, and uranium-238 alpha decay. |
The 2027 schedule trap: why your exam date won’t tell you which test you’re taking
On NYSED’s official 2027 examination schedules, both Chemistry Regents exams are scheduled in the exact same date and time slot:
- January 2027 Administration: Both Physical Science: Chemistry and Physical Setting/Chemistry run on Tuesday, January 26, 2027 at 1:15 p.m.
- June 2027 Administration: Both Physical Science: Chemistry and Physical Setting/Chemistry run on Wednesday, June 23, 2027 at 9:15 a.m. (Physics has the same simultaneous slot on Wednesday, January 27, 2027 at 1:15 p.m. and Thursday, June 24, 2027 at 9:15 a.m.).
Because the exam calendar date is identical, use these three checks to verify which Chemistry Regents you are sitting:
- Check the reference tables used in class. If your teacher distributes a 4-page booklet titled 2025 Edition Reference Tables for Physical Science: Chemistry, you are taking the new exam. If you use a 12-page booklet with Tables A through T (2011 Edition), you are taking the legacy exam.
- Check whether your class completed the 3 state Investigations. Completing NYSED’s required Investigations (Structure and Properties of Matter, Energy / Helpers, and Chemical Reactions) is required for the new NYSP12SLS exam.
- Confirm the exact booklet title with your teacher. Schools order exam booklets by exact title (Physical Science: Chemistry vs. Physical Setting/Chemistry).
NYSED January 2027 Schedule (PDF) · NYSED June 2027 Schedule (PDF) · All NYSED Regents schedules
Start practicing with real NYSP12SLS clusters
All Regents is the only platform built specifically for the new Physical Science: Chemistry (NYSP12SLS) exam. Start with the three free NYSED sample clusters, then work through the released June 2026 and August 2026 papers and our original full-length practice exams.
Try the 3 free NYSED sample clusters →June 2026 Physical Science: Chemistry exam →August 2026 Physical Science: Chemistry exam →2025 Reference Tables guide →
If your school confirmed that you are taking the retiring Physical Setting/Chemistry exam in January or June 2027, practice with NYSED’s legacy Physical Setting/Chemistry archive and the 2011 Edition Reference Tables.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the difference between Physical Science: Chemistry and Physical Setting/Chemistry?
- Physical Science: Chemistry is New York's new NYSP12SLS Regents exam (debuted June 2026) featuring 45–55 phenomenon-cluster questions, a 4-page 2025 Reference Table booklet, and 3 required state lab Investigations. Physical Setting/Chemistry is the legacy 1996-curriculum exam (retiring after June 2027) featuring 85 standalone questions in Parts A, B-1, B-2, and C and a 12-page 2011 Reference Table booklet (Tables A–T).
- When is the last administration of the old Physical Setting/Chemistry Regents exam?
- June 2027 (Wednesday, June 23, 2027 at 9:15 a.m.) is the final administration of the legacy Physical Setting/Chemistry exam. Both Chemistry Regents exams are administered in parallel across four exam periods: June 2026, August 2026, January 2027, and June 2027.
- How can I tell which Chemistry Regents exam I am taking in January 2027 or June 2027?
- NYSED schedules both Physical Science: Chemistry and Physical Setting/Chemistry in the exact same time slot on Tuesday, January 26, 2027 (1:15 p.m.) and Wednesday, June 23, 2027 (9:15 a.m.). Check whether your class uses the 4-page 2025 Reference Tables (new exam) or the 12-page 2011 Tables A–T (legacy exam), whether your class completed the 3 NYSED Chemistry Investigations, and verify the exact booklet title with your teacher.