CFA Level II exam-day guide
CFA Level II · Prepare for the day ahead.
Your checklist
Valid, unexpired international travel passport
CFA Institute's identification policy has historically required a current international travel passport rather than a national ID card, with the name matching your registration exactly. Check the current ID policy in your candidate account before test day, and confirm with the provider which documents your test center will accept.
Approved calculator (plus a backup if you own one)
Only the Texas Instruments BA II Plus (including the Professional) and the Hewlett-Packard 12C (including the Platinum) are permitted. Know your model cold: the item-set format leaves little time to hunt for keystrokes, and the calculator's memory/worksheet functions are heavily used in quant, fixed income, and corporate finance questions.
Fresh batteries / spare approved calculator
A dead calculator mid-session is unrecoverable. Replace batteries well before test day, and if you own two approved models, plan to bring the second as backup only if the provider's policy allows it at your seat; confirm with the provider.
Appointment confirmation and test center address
Save the confirmation email and the exact test center address offline on your phone and on paper. Confirm the address, arrival window, and any building-access instructions with the provider, since centers are often inside office parks or shared facilities.
A realistic arrival plan
CFA Institute guidance has generally been to arrive well before the appointment time for check-in and ID verification. Build in buffer for traffic, parking, and security screening, and confirm the specific arrival window with the provider.
Nothing that counts as study material
Notes, formula sheets, flashcards, textbooks, and smart devices are not permitted in the testing room. Plan to leave them at home or in your car; do not assume a locker will be available for large items.
Light snacks and water for the break
The break between sessions is short. Keep food and drink small and quiet, and confirm with the provider where and whether personal items may be accessed during the break.
Practice with the exam software tutorial
Complete the free online tutorial in your candidate account so the highlighting, strike-through, flag-for-review, and calculator-on-screen features are familiar before you sit down. Learning the interface under time pressure costs real points.
A one-page personal 'traps' list to review the night before, then discard
Use it only the evening before - for example, common errors in residual income, currency translation, or pension adjustments. It stays home on test day.
A plan for the ethics and item-set reading approach
Decide in advance how you will read a vignette: skim the required questions, then read for the specific data each question needs. Rehearse this with timed item sets so it is automatic.
Plan the day
Stop learning new material. Complete two or three timed item sets per topic area under exam conditions, then review only your error log. Confirm the test center address, appointment time, and ID requirements with the provider, and check the appointment portal for any change in location or time.
Shift your sleep schedule toward the exam's start time so you are fully alert for the first session, which is when many candidates lose concentration. Prepare and pack your passport, calculators, and confirmation in one place.
Do a light review of formulas and your personal traps list only. Pack the bag, lay out clothes, charge your phone, and confirm transport. Eat a normal meal and go to bed at a normal hour - do not attempt a late-night cram, because item sets reward reading stamina, not last-minute facts.
Eat a substantial breakfast with protein and slow carbs, since the break is brief. Leave earlier than you think necessary. Do not study in the waiting area; a quick skim of formulas is fine, but new material will only increase anxiety. Complete check-in and ID verification, then use the tutorial time to test the on-screen calculator and highlighting.
Before question one, decide your pacing: the two sessions together contain 22 item sets, so budget roughly 12 minutes per item set including reading. Flag anything that runs long and move on - every question counts equally, and there is no penalty for a wrong answer.
Work in passes: answer everything you can, flag the rest, and return. Never leave a question blank. Write nothing on anything other than the materials the provider supplies, and keep your eyes on your own screen.
Leave the room, drink water, eat something small, and move. Do not discuss questions with anyone and do not rehash the first session - candidates who dwell on a few uncertain answers lose focus for the second session.
Stop starting new items with about five minutes remaining. Confirm that every question has an answer selected and that nothing is accidentally flagged and unanswered.
Note your impressions of which topic areas felt weak while they are fresh, but do not attempt to reconstruct questions. Results are released on the timeline published by CFA Institute.
Rules to check
Bring a valid, unexpired international travel passport with a name matching your registration exactly; confirm the current identification policy and any secondary ID requirement with the provider before test day.
Only the Texas Instruments BA II Plus (including Professional) and Hewlett-Packard 12C (including Platinum) are permitted calculators. Do not bring a model outside that list, and do not rely on the test center to supply one.
Personal items such as phones, smart watches, notes, and study materials are not allowed at your seat. Follow the provider's instructions on where to store them, and confirm the policy in advance rather than assuming lockers exist.
Follow all instructions from test center staff and proctors, including on breaks, room re-entry, and moving around the facility. A rule violation can result in a report to CFA Institute and cancellation of your result, so ask a proctor rather than guessing.
There is no penalty for an incorrect answer, so every question should have a response. Do not leave anything blank, even if you must guess in the last seconds.
Do not discuss, record, or share exam content - before, during, or after the test. The candidate pledge prohibits disclosing specific questions, and CFA Institute enforces this.
Scoring is based on the total number of correct answers across both sessions, with a minimum passing score set by CFA Institute; there is no separate pass/fail per topic, though topic-level performance is reported. Confirm current scoring and result-release details with the provider.
If something goes wrong on test day - a technical fault, an illness, or a center issue - notify the proctor immediately and follow up in writing through the official channel, since remedy options depend on documentation and deadlines set by the provider.