ICAEW ACA Accounting (ICAEW) exam-day guide
ICAEW ACA Accounting · Prepare for the day ahead.
Your checklist
Photo identification
Bring the original photo ID that matches the name on your exam booking, typically a current passport or driving licence. Check the expiry date now. If your ID is expired, damaged, or in a different name from your booking, confirm with the provider well before exam day what alternative evidence is accepted.
Exam admission details and booking confirmation
Save a copy of your booking confirmation, candidate number, and the exact test centre address and arrival time to your phone and to paper. Confirm with the provider whether a printed confirmation is required or whether a digital copy is accepted.
Approved calculator
Bring a calculator that meets the exam regulations. Confirm with the provider the current permitted models and whether the calculator's memory must be cleared or a cover removed. Do not rely on the test centre supplying one.
Permitted written materials
Check the current exam instructions for what reference material, if any, is allowed at your sitting. Do not assume a formula sheet or standards extract is provided. Confirm with the provider for your specific exam and version.
Clear pencil case with pens, pencils, eraser, sharpener, ruler
Bring spares of everything you will actually use. Use a clear case or no case if the centre restricts what is on the desk. Test your pens beforehand so none leak or skip.
Watch or timing plan
Some centres restrict smart watches or remove wall clocks from view. Bring a simple non-smart watch if permitted, and confirm with the provider whether wrist watches are allowed in the room. Otherwise rehearse pacing using the on-screen or announced time.
Water and a light snack for before/after
Bring water in a clear container if the centre allows drinks at the desk, and a snack for after the sitting. Confirm with the provider whether drinks are permitted in the exam room.
Plan for the journey and arrival buffer
Rehearse the route, check transport disruptions, and aim to arrive with a comfortable buffer before the stated reporting time. Late arrival can mean refused entry, so treat the reporting time as a hard deadline.
Confirm exam format and software
Check whether your sitting is computer-based or paper-based, the exam duration, and whether any on-screen tool tutorial is available at the start. Practise with the provider's familiarisation or demo material if one is offered.
Personal circumstances and access arrangements
If you need adjustments, extra time, a separate room, or medical arrangements, confirm with the provider that these are approved and recorded for this sitting, and ask what evidence you must bring.
Leave valuables at home
Bring only what you need. Centres usually require bags and phones to be stored away from the desk, and storage may be limited. Confirm with the provider what can be taken into the room.
Rest, food, and a backup alarm
Protect sleep in the final nights, eat a normal breakfast, and set two alarms. Exam-day performance is affected more by fatigue and hunger than by one extra hour of late revision.
Plan the day
Stop learning new topics. Work through your error log and the syllabus areas where you lose the most marks, and do one timed section under exam conditions. Confirm your booking details, test centre address, reporting time, ID, and any approved access arrangements with the provider. Check your calculator against the permitted list.
Do one full timed practice paper at the same time of day as your real sitting, including the on-screen or paper instructions, so you rehearse pacing and fatigue. Afterwards, review only the questions you got wrong or guessed, and write a one-page summary of recurring errors.
Light revision only: read your one-page summary, key definitions, and the layout of the main statements or calculations you will produce. Pack your bag with ID, confirmation, calculator, pens, and permitted materials. Check the journey and any planned engineering works. Set alarms, eat a normal meal, and go to bed at a sensible hour rather than revising late.
Eat breakfast and hydrate. Do a short review of your summary sheet only, not a new mock. Leave with a buffer, arrive early, and use waiting time to settle rather than to cram. Follow the centre's sign-in and ID checks, store belongings as instructed, and listen carefully to the invigilator's instructions and any software tutorial.
Read the instructions and check the number of questions or tasks, the marks available, and the time. If an on-screen tutorial is offered, use it to confirm navigation, the calculator, and the formula or reference tools. Note your pacing targets, for example marks per minute, and start with a question you can do confidently to settle nerves.
Work in passes. Answer the questions you can do quickly, flag the rest, then return to harder items. Watch the clock against your pacing plan and never let one question consume a disproportionate share of the time. For calculations, write the working so you can check it, and watch units, dates, and whether a figure is required as a number or a percentage. If a break is permitted, confirm the rules with the invigilator before leaving the room.
Stop and check that every question has an answer, since unanswered questions usually score zero. Review flagged items only if time allows, and check for obvious slips such as missing negatives, wrong signs, or a figure entered in the wrong unit. Submit or hand in as instructed and keep your answer materials until the invigilator confirms you may leave.
Rules to check
Bring the original photo ID that matches your booking name. If it is expired, lost, or in a different name, confirm with the provider before exam day what alternatives are accepted; do not assume a photocopy or digital image will be accepted.
Arrive by the stated reporting time. Candidates who arrive late may be refused entry or given reduced time, and the exact cut-off is set by the provider, so confirm it with them rather than guessing.
Follow all invigilator instructions on what may be on the desk, phone and smart-device storage, and permitted calculators and materials. Unauthorised items or devices can lead to confiscation and disciplinary action.
Do not communicate with other candidates once in the exam room, and do not attempt to access notes, the internet, or messaging during the sitting. Suspected malpractice is usually reported and can invalidate your result.
If you need to leave the room, raise your hand and wait for the invigilator. Confirm with the provider in advance whether toilet breaks are permitted, whether you are escorted, and whether the clock stops; in most sittings the time continues to run.
Scoring and pass marks are set by the provider and can change between sessions. Do not rely on a remembered pass mark; check the current exam regulations for how your paper is marked, how marks are allocated, and when results are released.
If you feel unwell or something goes wrong during the sitting, tell the invigilator immediately and ask for it to be recorded. Follow the provider's procedure for special consideration, and confirm the deadline and evidence requirements with them afterwards.
Keep your booking confirmation and any correspondence about access arrangements with you. If there is a discrepancy at sign-in, ask the centre staff to resolve it before the exam starts rather than after.