Valencian Community PAU Latin II exam-day guide
Valencian Community PAU Latin II · Prepare for the day ahead.
Your checklist
DNI or passport (original, valid)
Bring the original photo ID you registered with. Photocopies and expired documents are generally not accepted. If you have any doubt about which document is valid for your case, confirm with the provider (your centre or the university's PAU office) before exam day.
Printed exam registration / matrícula receipt
Carry the document showing your assigned centre, tribunal or classroom and the subjects you are sitting. Keep a paper copy; do not rely only on your phone. Confirm with the provider whether a printed copy is mandatory or a digital version is accepted.
Blue or black pens (at least two) plus spares
Write the whole exam in ink. Bring several working pens of the same colour so a failed pen does not cost you time. Do not use pencil for answers you want marked.
Pencil, eraser and sharpener
Useful for rough work, planning translations and marking up the Latin text before you write the final version in ink. Keep rough work clearly separate from your answers.
A small Latin–Spanish dictionary
A monolingual Latin–Spanish dictionary is the standard tool for the translation section. Confirm with the provider which dictionaries are permitted in your centre and whether any annotations or inserts are checked at the door.
Wristwatch (non-smart)
Rooms do not always have a visible clock and phones must be off. A plain analogue or digital watch lets you control time per section. Smart watches are normally not allowed.
Clear water bottle with labels removed
Stay hydrated, especially for a long morning session. Confirm with the provider whether bottles are allowed in your room and in what form.
Light snack for between papers
If you sit more than one subject on the same day, eat something quick between sessions. Food is usually not allowed at the desk during the exam; confirm with the provider.
Know your exact centre, building and room
Check your assignment the day before and plan the route. Arrive with a wide margin; access to the building can be slow with large numbers of candidates. Confirm with the provider the arrival time and door-closing rule.
Phone switched off and stored away
Turn it off before entering the room and put it out of reach. Even a silent phone on your person can be treated as a serious irregularity. Confirm with the provider where devices must be left.
Review the official exam structure and marking for Latin II
Know the sections, the text or texts, the marks per question and the time limit set for your year. The structure and weightings are set in the official model published for your call; confirm with the provider or the official PAU documentation rather than relying on older papers.
Prepared translation and commentary method
Bring a rehearsed routine: read the passage once for sense, identify main clauses and verbs, translate clause by clause, then check agreement and case use. The same routine should cover the literary commentary, morphology/syntax questions and any cultural or lexical items in the paper.
Plan the day
Stop learning new material. Reread your own summaries of morphology (declensions, conjugations, irregular verbs), core syntax (case functions, subordinate clauses, indirect statement, subjunctive uses) and the set authors or texts for your year. Do two timed translations under real conditions and mark them against the official criteria, noting recurring errors such as ablative absolute, passive periphrastic or sequence of tenses.
Check the administrative side: registration status, assigned centre and room, permitted materials and the exact exam timetable. Anything unclear about ID, dictionaries or arrival times should be resolved now by confirming with the provider, not on the morning.
Do a light review only: vocabulary lists, a short passage read aloud, and your one-page checklist of syntax traps. Prepare your bag with ID, registration printout, pens, pencil, eraser, dictionary, watch, water and snack. Set out clothes and travel money. Sleep a full night; do not study past the evening.
Eat a proper breakfast, leave early and arrive at the centre with time to spare. Keep your phone off and stored. Before entering, skim your syntax checklist and remind yourself of the time allocation you planned for each section. Follow the invigilators' instructions on seating, materials and filling in your details.
Read the whole paper before writing. Fill in your personal details exactly as instructed. Choose any optional questions deliberately, then budget minutes per section and write the translation first while your attention is freshest, leaving time for the commentary and grammar questions.
For the translation: identify main verbs and clause boundaries, translate in sense units, then check cases, agreement and tense. For commentary and grammar questions, answer what is asked with brief textual evidence rather than long paraphrase. Leave a few minutes at the end to check that every question is answered and that your handwriting and numbering are clear.
Do not spend time comparing answers at the door. If you have another paper, move straight to a short reset and review for that subject. Keep your materials until results and any review or appeal period are over; confirm with the provider the deadlines and procedure for reviewing your marks.
Rules to check
Bring the original valid photo ID you registered with and place it on the desk if asked. If your document is damaged, expired or in a different name, resolve it in advance by confirming with the provider; do not assume a photocopy will be accepted.
Follow the invigilators' instructions at all times, including seating, start and finish times, and filling in headers and answer sheets. Questions about the paper's content are normally answered only to clarify printing or wording, not to explain the Latin.
Electronic devices, smart watches and any connected equipment must be switched off and stored as instructed. Unauthorised material on your person or desk can lead to annulment of the exam; confirm with the provider the exact list of permitted items.
Use only the materials allowed for the subject, in particular the dictionary rules for Latin. Do not pass materials between candidates, and do not write on anything other than the paper or answer sheets provided.
Breaks and leaving the room are usually restricted, especially in the first and last part of the session. If you need to leave for a genuine reason, raise your hand and wait for an invigilator; confirm with the provider the centre's specific policy.
Write legibly and in ink, number your answers to match the questions, and keep rough work clearly separate. Answers that cannot be read or matched to a question may not be marked.
Scoring follows the official marking criteria for the subject and the published weightings of each section. Do not expect marks for content that was not asked; answer the question set. Confirm with the provider how marks are combined and what the pass or access thresholds are for your case.
If you believe there was an irregularity or a problem with the paper, report it to the invigilators immediately and follow the official review or appeal procedure afterwards. Confirm with the provider the deadlines and the channel for submitting a claim.