Casualty-Only exam-day guide
Casualty-Only · Prepare for the day ahead.
Your checklist
Government-issued photo ID
Bring the original, unexpired ID in the name you registered under. A photocopy or a photo on your phone is normally not accepted. If your ID name differs from your registration name (for example, a recent name change), contact the provider before test day to confirm what supporting document they require.
Confirmation / admission notice
Print or save the scheduling confirmation email with your appointment time, test center address, and candidate ID. Some centers ask to see it at check-in; others only need your ID. Confirm with the provider whether a printed copy is required.
Exact test-center location and arrival time
Check the address on your confirmation rather than a general search result, since testing sites inside office buildings or campuses can be hard to find. Plan to arrive earlier than the reporting time printed on your notice; the specific early-arrival window is set by the provider, so confirm it with them.
Route and backup transport plan
Know your travel time at the hour you will actually travel, and identify a second route or mode in case of delays. Traffic, transit outages, and parking queues are the most common reasons candidates miss their slot.
Payment method for parking, transit, or locker fees
Some centers charge for parking or for a locker, and not all accept cards. Carry a small amount of local cash and a card.
Knowledge of the permitted-items list
Most testing providers restrict what enters the testing room: phones, smart watches, notes, and bags usually must be stored in a locker or left outside. The exact list varies by provider and site, so confirm it with the provider and read your admission notice.
Plan for personal items and accessibility needs
If you need to bring medication, a medical device, or an approved accommodation item, arrange approval in advance. Accommodation requests usually have a lead time and are rarely granted on the day. Confirm the process and deadline with the provider.
Break and timing expectations
Find out in advance whether the exam has scheduled breaks, whether breaks are timed, and whether you can leave the testing room during them. Rules on food, drink, and access to your stored items during breaks differ between providers.
Rest, food, and hydration plan
Treat the day before like an athlete's pre-event day: normal sleep schedule, familiar food, and no new caffeine dose on the morning of the exam. A long multiple-choice paper rewards steady blood sugar and sleep more than last-minute cramming.
Scratch-paper and calculator policy
Many providers supply scratch material and an on-screen or approved calculator, and prohibit bringing your own. Confirm with the provider what is supplied and what, if anything, you may bring.
Score-report and result-timing knowledge
Know whether your result is shown at the end of the test or released later, and how it will be delivered. These details are provider-specific; confirm them rather than relying on what other candidates report.
Needs-review: provider-specific requirements
Any requirement not stated on your admission notice, such as a health screening, a signature-consent form, or a specific arrival window, should be confirmed directly with the provider before you travel. Do not assume another candidate's experience applies to your site.
Plan the day
Re-read your admission notice line by line and write down every requirement it lists. Confirm the test-center address, reporting time, and ID requirements. If anything is unclear, contact the provider now rather than the morning of the exam, when support lines are busy.
Confirm any accommodation, medication, or personal-item approval is already in place. If it is not, ask the provider whether it can still be arranged; do not bring unapproved items and expect to use them.
Do a final content pass focused on weak areas and on the exam's structure, not on new material. Review how questions are formatted, how many there are, and how much time you will have per question.
Protect your sleep. Shift bedtime earlier gradually rather than trying to force an early night the day before. Sleep loss hurts accuracy on long reasoning questions more than one extra hour of review helps.
Do one realistic timed practice set under exam conditions: no phone, no pauses, same time of day as your real appointment. Use it to calibrate pacing, not to chase a score.
Travel to or locate the test center if you can, or at minimum confirm the route and parking on a map. Check transit schedules or road closures for the exam morning.
Lay out ID, confirmation notice, payment for parking, and any approved items in one place. Pack nothing you have not confirmed is permitted.
Eat a normal meal, avoid alcohol, and stop studying by early evening. Do a short, calm review of formulas or frameworks only if it reduces anxiety; otherwise stop.
Set two alarms and a backup alarm, and check the weather forecast for the morning. Decide your departure time with a buffer for delays.
Eat a normal breakfast you have eaten before. Avoid a large dose of a new energy drink or unfamiliar supplement; the goal is a steady state, not a spike.
Leave earlier than your calculated travel time. Arriving early and waiting calmly is far better than arriving flustered, and late arrival can mean being turned away depending on provider policy.
At check-in, follow staff instructions for ID verification and secure storage of prohibited items. Keep your ID on you until you are seated.
Read the instructions and any tutorial screens before the clock starts, and confirm how to flag and revisit questions if the platform allows it.
Do a first pass at a steady pace, answering what you know and flagging what you do not. Do not let one hard question consume time meant for several easier ones.
Watch the clock at planned checkpoints, for example after each quarter of the allotted time. Adjust pace early rather than discovering a time problem at the end.
Use scheduled breaks as intended: stand, hydrate, and reset. Confirm before the exam whether breaks are timed and whether the clock stops.
On return from any break, re-verify your identity and seating as instructed, and check that your flagged questions are still marked.
Note anything about the day that affected you, such as a equipment issue or a disruption, and report it to the test administrator before leaving if it was significant. Ask how and when results will be released.
Rules to check
Bring the original, unexpired ID in your registered name. If your name or ID type is unusual for the region, confirm accepted ID forms with the provider before test day; do not assume a copy or digital ID will be accepted.
Follow the provider's permitted-items list exactly. Phones, smart watches, notes, and bags are commonly restricted in the testing room, and unauthorized items can lead to confiscation or score cancellation under provider rules.
Arrive by the reporting time on your admission notice. Late-arrival and rescheduling policies are set by the provider; confirm the cutoff and any fee before the exam rather than negotiating at the door.
Breaks are governed by provider and site rules. Confirm in advance whether breaks are scheduled, timed, and whether you may access stored items, food, or medication during them.
Scoring and result timing are provider-specific. Do not rely on secondhand reports about pass marks, scaled scores, or instant results; confirm the scoring method and release timeline with the provider.
Report any test-day problem, such as a malfunctioning workstation, a disturbance, or an accessibility issue, to the test administrator immediately and ask how it will be documented.
Do not discuss, reproduce, or share exam content. Most providers require candidates to keep question content confidential, and doing so can invalidate your result.
If you need an accommodation, request it through the provider's process well before the exam. Accommodations are generally not arranged on the day of testing.