ABR exam-day guide
ABR · Prepare for the day ahead.
Your checklist
Government-issued photo ID with your signature
Your name on the ID must match your registration exactly. If your name has changed since you registered, resolve it with the board before exam day rather than at the test center.
A second form of identification
Many computer-based testing vendors require one primary photo ID; whether a second form is required for your specific ABR exam varies by vendor and exam type. Confirm with the provider and bring a second ID if you are unsure.
Appointment confirmation and testing-center address
Have your scheduling confirmation accessible (printed or on your phone before you enter the building) and re-check the exact street address and suite number the day before - test centers relocate and share buildings with other businesses.
Prepared travel and arrival plan
Plan to arrive well before your appointment time; vendor guidance for check-in windows is ~30 minutes early. Build in buffer for traffic, parking, and security screening. Confirm the specific arrival window with the provider.
Familiarity with the testing interface
Run through the free vendor tutorial/demo of the exam software (navigation, flagging, calculator, reference tools) before exam day so you spend your exam time on content, not on the interface.
No personal calculators, watches, or notes
Expect to be provided with on-screen or center-issued resources and scratch material. Personal items are typically stored in a locker and prohibited in the testing room. Confirm exactly what is provided and prohibited with the provider.
Leave smart devices and wearables at home or in the car
Phones, smart watches, fitness trackers, and earbuds generally must not enter the testing room; retrieving them mid-exam can end your session. Fewer devices means a faster, lower-risk check-in.
Reviewed current exam content outline and timing
Know the number of questions/sections, the total appointment length, and which categories are covered from the board's official exam specifications, so you can pace yourself and know when breaks fall.
A written pacing plan
Estimate average seconds per question from the published item count and testing time, and decide in advance a rule for when to flag and move on (for example, after one pass over the question without a confident answer).
Approved accommodations paperwork, if applicable
Accommodations almost always must be requested and approved well in advance - they cannot be arranged on exam day. If you have an approved accommodation, confirm what documentation the center expects you to bring.
Practical comfort items permitted by the center
Layers you can adjust, water and a snack for the break area, and any permitted medical items. Confirm the center's policy on food, drink, and medical devices before relying on them.
Your board portal login and results process
Know where results are posted and roughly when to expect them so you are not refreshing a portal hourly. Score reporting timelines are published by the board - verify the current timeline on the official site.
Plan the day
Re-confirm your appointment date, time, and test-center address; verify your name matches your ID; re-read the board's candidate admission and conduct policies; run the interface demo once; print or save your confirmation.
Stop adding new material. Do one or two short, timed mixed sets to rehearse pacing, then review only high-yield summaries and your own error log. Protect sleep starting now rather than the night before.
Pack ID, confirmation, and permitted comfort items in one place by the door. Check the weather and route, set two alarms, eat a normal dinner, and go to bed at your usual time. Cap review at a couple of hours of light skimming, ideally early in the day.
Eat a normal breakfast with protein; avoid heavy caffeine if you are not habituated. Leave earlier than the map suggests. Keep your phone off and stowed once you enter the building. Use the restroom before check-in.
Expect ID verification, a photograph, a palm-vein or fingerprint scan, a signature, and a rules acknowledgment at many centers. Store everything in your locker. Ask the proctor how breaks work and how to signal for one before you start.
Complete the tutorial if offered, then write nothing down that is not permitted. Take 30 seconds to note your target pace (questions per hour) on your scratch material so you can check it at each break.
Work in passes: answer everything you are confident on, flag the rest, and return. Check the on-screen clock against your target pace at natural section boundaries. Take the scheduled break even if you feel fine - a 5-minute reset usually pays for itself.
Stop starting new long reasoning chains. Ensure no items are unintentionally left blank if the exam does not penalize guessing, and confirm you have submitted each section as required by the interface.
Rules to check
Bring a valid, unexpired government-issued photo ID whose name matches your registration exactly; candidates whose ID does not match may be denied admission and could forfeit fees. Exact ID requirements vary by vendor - confirm with the provider.
Personal belongings generally may not enter the testing room. Scratch material, if provided, is typically collected at the end; removing exam materials from the room is treated as misconduct.
Break rules differ between scheduled and unscheduled breaks. At many computer-based test centers the clock continues to run during unscheduled breaks, while scheduled breaks do not count against testing time. Confirm the specific break policy for your exam with the provider before test day.
You will likely sign a confidentiality/nondisclosure agreement covering exam content. Do not discuss, reproduce, or post specific exam items - this applies after the exam as well as during it.
Scoring is criterion-referenced: your result depends on meeting a passing standard established through the board's standard-setting process, not on a curve against other candidates. Confirm current scoring and reporting details, including whether each category must be passed, on the board's official site.
Arriving after the appointment window can result in denial of admission or forfeiture of your exam fee. If an emergency occurs, contact the testing vendor and the board as soon as it is safe to do so - policies for rescheduling emergencies must be confirmed with the provider.
Accommodations must be requested and approved in advance through the board; proctors cannot grant them on the day of the exam.
Any prohibited behavior - using unauthorized materials, communicating with others, tampering with the workstation, or attempting to record content - can result in dismissal, cancellation of your score, and referral to the board for further action.