Using the Earth and Space Sciences reference tables
The 2026 Revised Reference Tables hold data, maps, charts and models you are expected to find and apply, not memorize. They are first used on the January 2027 exam, and every student gets a clean copy, so practice with them from the start.
Edition
2026 Revised Edition, first used January 2027
In the exam
One clean copy for every student
Purpose
Locate and apply, not memorize
Calculator
Four-function or scientific; no graphing calculator
What is in them
Space: solar system data, nucleosynthesis in a massive star, the electromagnetic spectrum, emission spectra, the H-R diagram and star life cycles.
Earth's history and interior: New York's geologic history, bedrock and landscape regions, Earth's interior, radiometric dating, hotspots and tectonic activity.
Rocks and minerals: Bowen's reaction series, igneous rocks, the rock cycle and the mineral identification flowchart.
Practice the way you will use them
Keep a copy beside you for every practice set, and find each value rather than recalling it.
Read a table's units and headings before its numbers.
Use them as evidence: say which table or map supports your claim.
Try 2 questions
Question 1
Use the nucleosynthesis table in the reference tables. A massive star's core has just finished fusing carbon into oxygen. About how much time is left before its core collapses, and which element will fill the core just before the collapse?
Question 2
A student draws a scale model of Earth's interior as a circle with a radius of 30.0 cm, with Earth's center at the center of the circle. Use the model of Earth's interior in the reference tables. How far from the center of the circle should she draw the boundary between the mantle and the outer core?