Master Your Regents Reference Tables: The Free Points Most Students Miss

May 18, 2026 1 views

Here is one of the most under-used advantages on the Regents: in several subjects, New York gives you a booklet of formulas and charts to use during the exam. They are essentially free points — but only for students who have practiced with them. Walking in cold and flipping pages for the first time on exam day wastes the gift entirely.

Which exams give you reference materials

Earth Science — the Earth Science Reference Tables (ESRT), the most extensive of all.
Chemistry — the Chemistry Reference Tables.
Physics — the Physics Reference Tables.
Math (Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II) — a high-school math reference sheet.
Living Environment and the social-studies exams generally provide no formula sheet — what you need is built into the questions and documents.

Earth Science: the ESRT

The ESRT is the single biggest score lever on the Earth Science Regents. It holds the key formulas — eccentricity, gradient, rate of change, percent deviation, and density — plus charts for identifying minerals and rocks, planetary data, dewpoint and relative-humidity tables, and the geologic history of New York State. Many questions are really just "find the right chart and read it."

Chemistry: the reference tables

Chemistry gives you a set of labeled tables you will use constantly:

The Periodic Table and Table S (properties of the elements, like electronegativity and atomic radius).
Table F — solubility guidelines (which ions form soluble vs. insoluble compounds).
Table J — the activity series (which metals react).
Table T — important formulas and equations.

Knowing which table answers which kind of question is half the battle.

Math: the formula sheet

The math reference sheet provides area, surface-area, and volume formulas (cylinder, cone, sphere, pyramid) and common conversions. One crucial caveat: it does not include the quadratic formula or the slope formula — you must have those memorized. Know what the sheet gives you, and drill what it does not.

How to actually use them

Download the official tables from NYSED and keep them beside you on every practice problem — not just at the end.
Learn the layout so you can turn to the right chart in a couple of seconds.
Train the trigger words. "Density" points to the density formula; "which mineral" points to the mineral chart; "solubility" points to Table F.
Memorize only what you will not be handed — the quadratic formula, key process names, and definitions.

NY Regents Quiz mirrors real exam conditions: our Earth Science and Chemistry practice is built around the same charts and formulas you will have on test day, with an instant explanation on every question. Browse the subjects and start practicing free.

NY Regents Quiz is an independent study platform and is not affiliated with the New York State Education Department. The contents of reference tables and which exams provide them can change — always use the current official tables from NYSED and confirm details with your teacher.