CA ANZ Core 5 exam-day guide
CA ANZ Core 5 · Prepare for the day ahead.
Your checklist
Photo identification
Bring the current, valid photo ID specified in your admission details, and check that the name matches your enrolment exactly. If your ID is expired, damaged, or shows a different name, contact the provider before test day to confirm what alternative evidence is accepted.
Admission or confirmation documentation
Have your booking confirmation, candidate number, or admission ticket available in the form the provider specifies. Confirm with the provider whether a printed copy is required or whether a digital version is acceptable.
Approved calculator
Confirm on the provider's current list which calculator models are permitted, and check battery or charge the night before. If you are unsure whether your model qualifies, ask the provider rather than assuming.
Permitted reference or formula materials
Some sittings supply formula sheets or an on-screen reference; others do not. Confirm with the provider exactly what is provided and what, if anything, you may bring, so you do not rely on material that will not be there.
Writing materials as permitted
Check whether the venue supplies pens and paper or whether you must bring your own. For computer-based sittings, confirm whether any paper or note-taking materials are allowed and how they are collected.
Confirmation of test format and venue logistics
Verify the delivery mode, start time, reporting time, address or remote-proctoring requirements, and parking or transport options in advance. For remote sittings, confirm the platform, system check, and room and desk requirements with the provider.
Personal items plan
Decide in advance where your phone, watch, bag, and notes will go, since these are typically not allowed at the desk. Confirm the venue's storage arrangements with the provider.
Break and timing plan
Confirm with the provider whether breaks are scheduled, optional, or unavailable, and how the clock is managed. Plan hydration, medication, and restroom needs around the rules you are given.
Review your own summary notes
Bring only concise personal summaries if the provider allows notes outside the testing room. Focus the final review on structure, common traps, and time allocation rather than learning new material.
Practical arrangements for the day
Plan travel with a buffer, set two alarms, arrange meals and medication, and tell someone your schedule. Being early and unstressed protects more marks than one extra hour of study.
Read the provider's candidate rules once more
Rules on conduct, prohibited items, and misconduct can change between sittings. Read the current version rather than relying on what a colleague told you.
Backup plan for disruption
Save the provider's contact details and know what to do if transport fails, you fall ill, or your equipment fails. Confirm with the provider in advance how technical issues during a remote sitting are handled.
Plan the day
Stop expanding your content coverage and switch to consolidation. Work through your own one-page summaries of each module, redo a small number of representative questions under timed conditions, and write out the calculation or journal formats you keep getting wrong. Confirm all logistics: venue or platform, reporting time, ID, calculator, and permitted materials. Protect sleep from this point onward, because fatigue costs marks on multi-part questions.
Do a light review only: skim your summaries, rehearse the exam structure and marking logic, and check the timing plan for each section. Prepare your bag or desk with ID, confirmation, calculator, and permitted materials. Confirm travel times and, for a remote sitting, run the system and equipment check. Eat normally, avoid intensive new topics, and go to bed at your usual time.
Eat a proper meal, take any medication, and arrive or log in early with buffer time. Do a final five-minute skim of your summary sheet, not a cram session. Switch your phone off and stow it as required, set up your workspace, and take a few slow breaths. Read the instructions and any on-screen navigation guidance carefully before the clock starts.
Read the instructions and note the number of questions, marks per section, and any penalty or negative-marking rules. Build a rough time budget per question or section. Start with questions you can answer confidently to build momentum, and flag anything that needs a return visit.
Answer the question actually asked, and note the command words and any constraints such as dates, tax rates, or entity type. Show workings where marks are awarded for method. If a question stalls you, mark it, move on, and come back. Keep an eye on the clock at section boundaries rather than every minute. Leave time at the end to check that all questions are answered and that units, signs, and rounding are correct.
Confirm every question has a response, since an unanswered question scores nothing. Check flagged items, verify that calculated figures are internally consistent, and make sure you have submitted or saved as the platform requires before leaving.
Rules to check
Bring and present the photo identification specified by the provider, with the name matching your enrolment. If there is any mismatch, resolve it with the provider before test day.
Follow the provider's rules on permitted and prohibited items. Phones, smart watches, notes, and unauthorised materials are typically not allowed at the desk, so confirm the exact list and storage arrangements with the provider.
Do not communicate with other candidates during the sitting, and do not share, copy, or reproduce exam content afterwards. Treat all question content as confidential.
Breaks are governed by the provider and the delivery mode. Confirm in advance whether breaks are scheduled, optional, or unavailable, and whether the clock stops during them, rather than assuming.
If you experience illness, a technical failure, or another disruption, notify the invigilator or support channel immediately and follow the provider's documented process. Do not attempt to resolve it silently.
Scoring and any penalty rules are set by the provider. Confirm the current policy on unanswered questions, negative marking, and partial credit for workings before the sitting, and answer accordingly.
Arrive or log in at the reporting time stated in your admission details. Late arrival may be handled at the provider's discretion, so confirm the policy rather than relying on being admitted.
Keep to the time allowed and stop writing or typing when instructed. Continuing after time is called can lead to invalidation of your sitting.