AI-200 exam-day guide
AI-200 · Prepare for the day ahead.
Your checklist
Government-issued photo ID (primary)
Bring the original physical ID you registered with. The first and last name on the ID must match your registration exactly - a shortened first name or a married name that differs from the booking is the single most common check-in failure. Confirm with the provider which ID types they accept for your country and delivery mode.
Second form of identification
Some delivery modes or regions require a second ID. This varies by provider and location, so confirm with the provider whether a second document is required before you travel.
Appointment confirmation number
Write or print the confirmation/registration number. You will not be allowed to keep your phone at the test station, so a paper copy or a screenshot looked at before check-in is safer than relying on an email you can't open.
Exact exam appointment details
Double-check date, start time, time zone, and delivery mode (test centre vs. online proctored) a few days out. Time zone mix-ups are a routine cause of no-shows. If anything looks wrong, contact the provider immediately instead of waiting until the day.
Test-centre logistics plan
For an in-person appointment: confirm the street address, building/floor, parking or transit route, and expected check-in time. Build in a buffer for traffic, security lines, and finding the room. Ask the provider how early they want you to arrive rather than assuming.
Online-proctoring system readiness (if applicable)
Run the provider's system test on the same machine and network you will use: camera, microphone, browser plug-in, and bandwidth. Do this at least 24 hours ahead so you have time to fix a driver or firewall problem. Confirm with the provider which browsers and operating systems are supported.
Clean, private, well-lit room (if online proctored)
Clear the desk of papers, books, phones, smartwatches, and second screens. Close the door, tell household members you cannot be interrupted, and position a light source in front of you so your face is visible. Expect a room scan and a photo of your workspace during check-in.
Reliable connection plus a backup
Prefer a wired or stable Wi-Fi connection, and have a phone hotspot ready as a fallback. Keep the charger plugged in. Confirm with the provider what happens to your time if you are disconnected mid-exam.
Account credentials for the exam delivery platform
Know the username and password for the account tied to your appointment (the delivery vendor's candidate account, not just your employer login). Test the sign-in the day before so a password reset isn't competing with your start time.
Break supplies, if breaks are permitted
Water and a small snack are useful if your appointment is long, but food and drink are usually not allowed at the test station, and break rules differ between in-person and online delivery. Confirm with the provider whether breaks are available, whether the clock stops, and where you may leave items.
A one-page personal summary of your weak spots
A single sheet listing the specific facts you keep missing - service limits, default authentication settings, naming and deployment constraints, quota behaviour - reviewed in the waiting area and then left outside the testing room. It is a study aid, not an allowed reference.
Sleep and alertness plan
Two alarms, a real meal beforehand, and caffeine limited to your normal amount. Shift your sleep schedule over the final few days so you are genuinely awake at your appointment hour rather than 90 minutes into a bad night.
Plan the day
Lock down logistics and diagnose, don't cram. Confirm date, time, time zone, delivery mode, and that the name on the booking matches your ID character for character; if it doesn't, contact the provider now, because corrections can take days. Then take one timed practice set or the official practice assessment, and write down the two objective domains where you scored worst. Re-read the published skills outline and build your one-page summary around those gaps only. For an in-person exam, do a dry run of the route. For online delivery, run the system test. Start moving your bedtime toward your appointment hour.
Taper to 60–90 minutes of review, early in the day, on your one-page summary only - no new topics. Pack and stage everything by the door: ID, printed confirmation, and for online delivery the charged laptop, charger, and hotspot. Clear and photograph the desk you'll use, and warn anyone in the house about the no-interruption window. Confirm the exam's stated duration and question format on the exam page, since these can change, and decide your per-question time budget from that. Set two alarms and stop studying by early evening.
Eat properly, hydrate, and keep caffeine at your normal dose. Arrive at the test centre roughly 30 minutes before your start time, or whatever your appointment confirmation states, so that ID verification and a room scan don't eat into exam time. For online delivery, sign in early for the identity check, room scan, and proctor setup. Review your one-page summary only in the waiting area or before check-in - it does not go into the room. Stop studying about 15 minutes before you begin and spend that time settling your pace plan instead.
Answer every item before you leave it: an unanswered question scores the same as a wrong one. Read the whole stem and hunt for qualifiers - EXCEPT, BEST, FIRST, minimum, least privilege, lowest cost - because those words usually decide between two defensible answers. Use the mark-for-review flag instead of stalling; give yourself a hard cap of roughly two minutes per item and return to flagged ones at the end. If your exam opens with a case-study block, read the scenario once carefully, note its stated constraints, and confirm whether you can return to that block later before you move on. For ordered multi-step items, read the requirement before you start selecting or dragging. If the screen freezes, the camera drops, or the app misbehaves, contact the proctor immediately through the on-screen channel - don't close or restart the application yourself. In review, only change an answer when you can point to a specific word you misread; vague doubt is not a reason to flip a correct answer.
Rules to check
Bring government-issued photo ID with a name that matches your registration exactly. If you have any doubt about which documents are accepted for your location and delivery mode, confirm with the provider before exam day - you will be turned away at check-in, and the fee is generally not refunded.
No notes, books, printed material, phones, smartwatches, earbuds, or secondary screens in the testing environment. Scratch paper is allowed only if the provider supplies or explicitly authorises it - do not bring your own, and confirm the rule for your delivery mode.
You will be asked to accept the exam's non-disclosure and conduct terms at the start. Do not photograph, record, share, or reconstruct exam content afterwards; doing so breaches the agreement and can void your result and bar you from future exams.
Break rules differ between scheduled and unscheduled breaks and between in-person and online delivery, and the clock may or may not stop. Confirm the policy for your appointment beforehand, and assume any unscheduled absence from the camera is logged.
Scores are typically reported on a scaled range with a pass threshold set per exam. Do not assume you know the exact passing score or the scoring weight of individual sections - confirm the current pass mark on the official exam page, and assume no partial credit on multi-select items unless the item says otherwise.
Rescheduling and cancellation windows, and any associated fees, are set by the provider and vary by region and delivery mode. If something forces a change, act as early as possible and confirm the terms with the provider rather than guessing.
If a technical failure interrupts your exam, stop and notify the proctor through the official channel before doing anything else. Whether time is restored or the attempt is rescheduled is decided by the provider - confirm the outcome and get it documented in writing before you leave.