AAI exam-day guide
AAI · Prepare for the day ahead.
Your checklist
Printed admit card / hall ticket
Print at least two copies on plain A4 paper. Verify your name, roll/registration number, exam centre address, reporting time and shift are legible. If the admit card has a signature and pasted-photo requirement, complete it before you leave home. (needs_review - confirm the exact print/photo-attestation requirement with the provider.)
Original photo ID matching your application
Carry the original (not a photocopy) of the ID you declared in your application - typically Aadhaar, PAN, passport, driving licence or voter ID. Carry one backup original ID if you have it. (needs_review - the list of accepted IDs and whether photocopies are allowed must be confirmed with the provider.)
Passport-size photographs
Carry 2–3 recent colour photographs in the same specification as your application photo, in case the centre requires one for the attendance sheet. (needs_review - number and specification to be confirmed with the provider.)
Black/blue ballpoint pen
Bring your own pen for signing the attendance sheet and any physical declarations. Do not rely on the centre providing one.
Transparent water bottle
Only a clear, label-free bottle is normally permitted at the desk. Avoid opaque flasks, tuck-shop bottles with printed wrappers, and any food unless medically required and pre-approved.
Confirm your reporting time and centre route
Check the exact reporting time on the admit card and work backwards from it - not from the exam start time. Do a route/distance check the day before. Late entry is very commonly refused. (needs_review - the exact cut-off after which entry is barred must be confirmed with the provider.)
Leave prohibited items at home
Mobile phones, smartwatches, fitness bands, Bluetooth earbuds, calculators, paper, notes and bags are almost universally banned inside the hall. Many centres have no secure storage, so travel light.
Dress for the security check
Avoid belts with heavy metal buckles, large jewellery, shoes that are hard to remove, and clothing with many pockets - these slow down frisking and metal-detector screening.
Know the paper pattern and section timing
Re-read the official instruction page for number of questions, total time, whether sections are individually timed, and whether there is negative marking. Do not rely on memory or on second-hand summary sites.
Personal medication and accessibility needs
If you need medicine, a scribe, extra time or a specific seating/screen facility, you normally must have requested it in advance and carry supporting documentation. (needs_review - confirm the approval process and documentary proof required with the provider.)
A small snack and water for after the test
Leave these outside the hall or in your vehicle - you generally cannot carry food to the desk. Useful if your shift is long or travel home is far.
Backup plan for travel and a contact number
Note the centre's phone number and a family contact. Have a fallback transport option in case of delays, strikes or weather.
Plan the day
Download and print the admit card the moment it is available; verify every detail and raise any discrepancy with the provider immediately. Re-read the official instruction page end to end. Confirm the centre location on a map and estimate travel time including a 45–60 minute buffer. Do one full-length timed mock under exam-like conditions (single sitting, no phone, on-screen). Stop learning brand-new topics; spend remaining study time on formula sheets, error logs and your strongest scoring sections.
Pack your bag: admit card, original ID, photographs, pen, transparent bottle, and any approved medical documents. Lay out clothes. Charge nothing you cannot carry - leave the phone at home or plan to surrender it. Sleep a full night rather than cramming; a 7–8 hour sleep is worth more than two extra hours of revision. Set two alarms. Eat familiar food, not something new or heavy.
Eat a normal breakfast and hydrate moderately. Leave earlier than your calculated time - aim to reach the centre 45–60 minutes before the reporting time. Re-check that the admit card and original ID are in your hand, not in a bag you might be asked to leave outside. At the centre, complete frisking and registration calmly, locate your assigned terminal, and confirm the system is working before the clock starts.
Read the on-screen instructions and confirm the total number of questions, time remaining and marking scheme shown on screen. Check that your name and photograph appear correctly on the terminal. If the screen, keyboard or mouse is faulty, raise your hand immediately - do not start the paper on a broken machine.
Do a fast first pass and bank the easy questions; mark and skip anything that will take more than about 90 seconds. Keep an eye on the sectional or overall timer per the pattern. Use rough work only on the sheets/space provided. If negative marking applies, guess only where you can eliminate at least two options. Aim to leave the last 5 minutes for reviewing marked questions and confirming submission.
Confirm the submission/submit-success screen is displayed and note the acknowledgement if one is given. Collect your belongings from the counter, and keep your admit card and ID safe until the result process is complete.
Rules to check
Carry the original photo ID declared in your application; a photocopy, soft copy on a phone, or a different ID is commonly refused entry. Confirm the accepted ID list with the provider before exam day.
Reach the centre before the reporting time printed on your admit card. Entry after the announced cut-off is normally not permitted regardless of the reason, and no extra time is given to late entrants. Confirm the cut-off with the provider.
Electronic devices - phones, smartwatches, Bluetooth devices, calculators, earbuds - must not be carried into the test hall. Possession, even switched off, is typically treated as unfair means. Confirm the centre's storage arrangements with the provider.
Follow all instructions from invigilators and security staff, including frisking, biometric capture and photograph capture. Refusal to comply can lead to disqualification.
Do not communicate with other candidates once inside the hall, do not look at another terminal, and do not exchange any material. Any suspicion of impersonation or malpractice is usually escalated and can bar you from future attempts.
Breaks are generally not permitted during the test; you may only leave your seat with an invigilator's permission, and the clock usually keeps running. Confirm the break and washroom policy with the provider.
Your score is based solely on the responses recorded and submitted on the terminal. If a technical failure occurs, immediately inform the invigilator and follow their instruction rather than restarting the machine yourself - confirm the provider's technical-failure policy in advance.
Do not rely on unofficial answer keys, leaked papers or coaching-centre 'predictions'. Verify every rule - marking scheme, negative marking, qualifying cut-offs, normalization - only against the provider's official notification.