ATR-BC exam-day guide
ATR-BC · Prepare for the day ahead.
Your checklist
Government-issued photo ID
Bring the original, unexpired ID in the exact name used on your registration. If your legal name differs from your registration name, contact the certification board before test day to ask how to document the change; confirm with the provider which secondary documents are accepted.
Exam appointment confirmation
Have the confirmation email or scheduling notice available, whether printed or on your phone, showing your test date, time, and testing location or remote-proctoring link. Confirm with the provider whether printed copies are required at your site.
Know your test center or remote set-up
For an in-person site, plan the route and parking in advance and note arrival guidance. For remote proctoring, confirm the platform, camera and microphone requirements, and the room rules in advance; confirm with the provider which browser and system checks are required.
Acceptable calculator, if permitted
The exam includes scaled-score and statistics-related content, but do not assume a calculator is allowed. Confirm with the provider whether an on-screen or approved physical calculator is provided and which models are permitted.
Tested accommodation approval, if applicable
If you requested extended time or other accommodations, bring the approval notice and follow the provider's check-in instructions for accommodated candidates. Confirm with the provider how accommodations are activated on test day.
Storage plan for personal items
Most testing sites restrict phones, watches, bags, notes, and study materials to a secure locker or designated area. Plan to travel light and confirm with the provider what must be left outside the testing room.
Review the content outline and scoring basics
Re-read the published exam content domains and the score-report explanation so you know the format, the number of items, and how results are reported. Confirm current details with the provider rather than relying on older candidate accounts.
Rest, hydration, and a light meal plan
Protect sleep in the final days and plan a modest meal and water before the exam; avoid heavy caffeine or unfamiliar foods. Know the site's policy on water and snacks during breaks by confirming with the provider.
Time-management plan
Decide in advance how you will pace yourself, how you will flag uncertain items, and how much review time to reserve. Practice this pacing on full-length practice sets so the plan is automatic.
Ethics and scope-of-practice refresher
Review core art therapy ethics topics such as informed consent, confidentiality and its limits, boundaries, documentation, supervision, and scope of practice. These themes recur across domains and reward careful reasoning over memorized slogans.
Arrival buffer
Plan to arrive well before your scheduled start to complete check-in and security screening. Confirm with the provider the exact arrival window and the late-arrival policy for your site.
Backup plan for disruptions
Save the provider's contact information and know the procedure if you are delayed, ill, or experience a technical failure during remote testing. Confirm with the provider how to report a testing irregularity.
Plan the day
Shift from broad review to consolidation. Re-read your own condensed notes on assessment, theories, ethics, and clinical application, and work through a limited number of practice items with careful review of rationales. Stop introducing new resources. Confirm your appointment details, ID, travel or remote set-up, and any accommodation approval. Protect sleep and avoid last-minute cramming that displaces rest.
Do a light review only, focusing on lists and frameworks you tend to forget. Prepare everything you will bring, lay out clothes, and confirm transportation or the remote-testing room and equipment. Eat normally, avoid alcohol, and go to bed at your usual time. If you feel anxious, rehearse your pacing plan and remind yourself that partial knowledge plus reasoning handles many items.
Eat a light, familiar meal and limit caffeine to your normal amount. Leave early with a generous buffer. At the site or before logging in, do a brief calm-down routine such as slow breathing or a short grounding exercise. Avoid discussing content with other candidates, since speculation can increase anxiety. Follow check-in instructions exactly.
Read each item fully, including qualifiers such as best, first, or except. Answer straightforward items first, flag difficult ones, and return to them. For clinical scenarios, identify the setting, the client's risk level, and the most ethical and least restrictive next step. Use remaining time to review flagged items, but change answers only when you have a clear reason. Take scheduled breaks if offered and confirm the break rules with the proctor.
Note any testing irregularity immediately with the proctor or provider. Follow the provider's instructions on when and how scores are released, and keep your score report. If you did not pass, review the domain-level feedback before planning a retake and confirm retake and waiting-period rules with the provider.
Rules to check
Bring original, unexpired government-issued photo ID matching your registration name; confirm with the provider which additional documents are accepted if your name has changed.
Follow all proctor instructions and the provider's prohibited-items list. Do not bring notes, phones, smart watches, or study materials into the testing room unless explicitly permitted; confirm with the provider what is allowed.
Maintain test security and integrity. Do not copy, photograph, record, or discuss exam content, and do not communicate with other candidates about items during or after the exam.
Use only breaks authorized by the proctor. Confirm with the provider the number and length of breaks, whether the clock stops, and whether you may access food, water, or medication during breaks.
Request accommodations in advance through the provider's formal process and follow its documentation requirements; accommodations are not arranged on test day without prior approval.
Understand that scoring is based on your performance across content domains and reported on a scaled score with a passing standard set by the certification board. Confirm the current passing score, score-report format, and retake policy with the provider rather than relying on secondhand information.
If a technical failure, illness, or other irregularity occurs, stop and notify the proctor or provider immediately and follow its reporting procedure; do not attempt to resolve it informally.
Answer every item if the format does not penalize guessing, since unanswered items cannot earn credit; confirm with the provider whether any scoring penalty for incorrect responses applies.