FRM Part I exam-day guide
FRM Part I · Prepare for the day ahead.
Your checklist
Valid government-issued photo ID
Passport or equivalent photo ID, unexpired, with signature. The name must match your GARP registration exactly, including middle names and suffixes. If your registered name differs in any way, resolve it with GARP before exam day - a mismatch can bar you from sitting. Do not rely on a photocopy or digital ID.
Exam appointment confirmation / admission ticket
Locate your appointment confirmation and admission ticket in the GARP candidate portal and follow whatever instruction GARP gives about printing it. Confirm with the provider whether a printed copy is required or an electronic copy is accepted.
GARP-approved calculator (verified against the current list)
The approved families are the Texas Instruments BA II Plus (including Professional) and the Hewlett-Packard 12C and 10bII/17bII/20b series, but the authoritative list is published by GARP - check the current version the week before the exam. A non-approved model will be confiscated and may end your session.
Fresh batteries / backup calculator
Install a new battery in your calculator a few days before the exam and carry a spare if the test center permits it. Confirm with the provider whether a second calculator or loose batteries may be brought into the testing room.
Confirmed test center location and travel plan
Verify the address and building entrance of the Pearson VUE center (or confirm that your appointment is remote-proctored, if that option applies in your region) and plan to arrive roughly 30 minutes early to allow for ID check and security screening. Confirm the recommended arrival window with the provider.
Reviewed GARP exam-day policies and calculator policy
Read the current candidate handbook sections on ID, permitted items, and testing-room conduct shortly before the exam. Policies are updated periodically, so the version you read at registration may be out of date.
Plan for personal belongings
Test centers typically require phones, watches, wallets, notes, and bags to be stored in a locker or left outside the room. Leave valuables at home and travel light so the check-in process is fast.
Contact details for the test center / scheduling provider
Save the phone number and your appointment number in a place you can reach without your phone in hand (for example, written on paper kept with your ID) so a transport problem can be reported immediately.
Light snack and water for before and after the exam
Food and drink are not permitted in the testing room; eat a normal meal beforehand so hunger does not cost you time in a four-hour paper.
Compact formula and concept summary for pre-exam review
Use it in the waiting area only. Study material of any kind must stay outside the testing room.
Written logistics note: exam start time, length, question count
FRM Part I is 100 multiple-choice questions in 240 minutes - about 2.4 minutes per question. Knowing the arithmetic in advance stops you from over-investing in any single item.
Confirmed that scratch paper/note board is supplied
Test centers normally provide an erasable note board or scratch paper and marker, and you may not bring your own. Confirm the current arrangement with the provider before relying on it.
Plan the day
Stop learning new material. Re-read your own condensed notes, drill formulas you keep forgetting, and redo a timed 100-question set at the real 240-minute length to rehearse pacing. Re-check your appointment details, ID name match, test center address, and the current GARP calculator list. Shift your sleep schedule so you are awake and alert at your appointment time.
Light review only - skim summary sheets, then stop. Pack your bag: ID, admission ticket, approved calculator, spare battery if allowed. Test the calculator (power on, clear memory, check the decimal and payment/time-value settings). Set two alarms, confirm transport, and go to bed at a normal hour. No alcohol, no late-night cramming, no new practice exams.
Eat a normal meal and hydrate, but not so much that you need the restroom early in the paper. Arrive about 30 minutes before your appointment. Have your ID and ticket ready at check-in, store everything else in the locker, and use the restroom before you enter the room. Do a five-minute mental warm-up on a formula you know well - this is for focus, not for learning.
Read the on-screen instructions, confirm the clock and question count, and check that your note board and marker work. Take a breath and start. Do not spend time re-reading the tutorial once you know how to flag and navigate.
First pass: answer everything you know quickly and flag anything that needs more than about two minutes. Target roughly 2.4 minutes per question, so aim to be at question 50 near the two-hour mark. There is no penalty for a wrong answer, so never leave an item blank; if time runs short, fill in your best guess on every remaining question.
Use the note board for multi-step calculations and write down intermediate values so a single slip does not force a restart. Watch the classic traps: annual versus semi-annual compounding, percentage versus decimal, continuously compounded rates, and whether a question asks for price or yield. If a numeric answer is not among the choices, check your calculator's decimal places and compounding setting before redoing the whole calculation.
Stop taking new questions. Confirm every question has a response, revisit your flagged items, and only change an answer when you have a concrete reason - first instincts are usually right. Use any remaining time to verify that each of the four topic areas has been answered somewhere.
Rules to check
Carry a valid, unexpired, government-issued photo ID with your signature. The name must match your GARP registration exactly. If your name differs, contact GARP well before exam day; an unresolved mismatch may prevent you from sitting and can forfeit your fee. Confirm the specific ID requirements with the provider.
Only a GARP-approved calculator is permitted. Proctors may inspect your calculator and may clear its memory or require that memory be cleared before entry. Bringing an unapproved model or a device with stored study content can void your result. Verify the approved-model list against GARP's current published policy.
Phones, smartwatches, watches, earbuds, notes, textbooks, and any other study or communication device must not enter the testing room. Store them as instructed. If a device is found on you during the session, expect your exam to be terminated.
There is normally no scheduled break during FRM Part I. If you leave the room, the clock generally keeps running and re-entry may require another security check, so treat every exit as costly. Confirm the current break and restroom policy with the provider.
Every question carries equal weight; there is no penalty for an incorrect answer. Answer every question, even if you must guess on the last few - an unanswered item can only be scored as wrong.
Follow all proctor instructions and the candidate attestation you signed. Attempting to remove exam material, communicate with another candidate, or use unauthorized aids is misconduct that can result in score cancellation and further sanctions from GARP.
Arrive before your appointment time. Candidates who arrive late may be refused admission and lose their fee, depending on the test center's policy - confirm the exact cut-off with the provider and treat the recommended arrival time as a hard deadline.
Results are released by GARP after the exam rather than at the test center. Expect a pass/fail outcome with topic-level performance information rather than a numeric score, and confirm the expected release timing and result format with the provider.