Irish Logical Thinking exam-day guide
Irish Logical Thinking · Prepare for the day ahead.
Your checklist
Bring the ID the test provider specifies
Use the exact document type and name match the provider requires (for many test centres this means a current passport or national ID card). Confirm with the provider which documents are accepted and whether photocopies or expired documents are refused, because ID rules are strict and enforced at the door.
Know your test centre, room, and arrival time
Re-check the confirmation email or booking portal the day before. Note the full address, the building entrance, and whether you must arrive a set interval before the start time for check-in. If you are unsure of the arrival window or late-arrival policy, confirm with the provider.
Print or save your admission confirmation
Many centres ask for the booking confirmation or an admission letter. Keep a printed copy and an offline copy on your phone in case the network is unavailable. Confirm with the provider whether a printed copy is mandatory.
Plan the journey with a time buffer
Work out the route in advance and add a buffer for traffic, parking, and finding the room. Aim to arrive early rather than exactly on time; arriving flustered costs marks on the first section.
Pack permitted stationery only
Bring what the provider allows, typically pencils, an eraser, and a sharpener. Do not bring notes, formula sheets, or smart devices unless explicitly permitted. Confirm with the provider what is allowed in the room.
Leave phones and smart watches out of the room
Most centres require phones, smart watches, and other devices to be switched off and stored as instructed. A device buzzing in a pocket can lead to a misconduct finding, so plan where it will go before you enter.
Check the format and section timings
Re-read the structure: how many sections, how many questions, whether sections are timed separately, and whether you can move back and forth between questions. Knowing this prevents wasted minutes working out the interface mid-test.
Prepare for the reasoning question types
Refresh the families of questions likely to appear: sequences and series, logical deduction from statements, syllogisms, analogies, spatial or diagram reasoning, and data interpretation. Practise a few of each under time pressure in the final days rather than learning new types on the morning.
Set a per-question time budget
Divide the section time by the number of questions to get an average pace, then decide in advance how long to spend before guessing and moving on. Marking a best-guess answer is usually better than leaving a blank where there is no penalty for wrong answers; confirm the scoring rule with the provider.
Plan food, water, and medication
Eat a normal breakfast, bring water if permitted, and take any prescribed medication on schedule. Check with the provider whether water bottles and snacks are allowed in the room and whether breaks are available.
Get a full night's sleep
Avoid last-minute cramming the night before; a tired candidate makes careless errors on sequences and deduction items. Review lightly and stop early.
Read the candidate rules in advance
Look up the provider's rules on conduct, calculators, rough paper, and breaks. If anything is unclear, confirm with the provider before test day rather than asking invigilators under time pressure.
Plan the day
Confirm logistics: re-check the test centre address, arrival time, ID requirements, and your booking status. If any detail is missing from your confirmation, contact the provider now rather than the day before. Plan the journey and decide your departure time with a buffer.
Do a timed mini-mock of one section to calibrate pace. Record how many questions you completed and where you lost time. Use the result to set your per-question budget and a rule for when to guess and move on.
Review your error log rather than new material. Rework the question types you got wrong most often, focusing on method: how to set up a sequence, how to diagram a syllogism, how to eliminate options in an analogy.
Light review only. Skim a one-page summary of question types and your personal pitfalls, then stop. Avoid a full mock this late, because fatigue and a poor score can undermine confidence without improving performance.
Lay out everything for the morning: the specified ID, printed confirmation, permitted stationery, water if allowed, and the address written down. Charge your phone but plan to store it as the centre requires. Set two alarms.
Confirm the start time and arrival window once more, and check the weather and transport disruptions for the route. Decide what you will eat for breakfast and when you will leave.
Eat a normal breakfast and take any prescribed medication. Leave with the buffer you planned; aim to be at the centre early enough to check in calmly.
Do not cram new question types. If you want a warm-up, do two or three easy sequence or deduction items to get your mind working, then put the material away.
At the centre, follow check-in instructions, switch off and store devices as directed, and use the toilet before the test begins. Listen carefully to the invigilator's instructions on timing and permitted items.
Read the instructions for each section before starting, and note whether sections are separately timed. If a section is separately timed, do not spend time on questions you cannot finish; mark your best guess and move on.
Work at your planned pace and check the clock at set checkpoints rather than constantly. On long deduction items, eliminate clearly wrong options first; on sequences, test differences, ratios, and alternating patterns before assuming a complex rule.
If you get stuck, mark the question, give it a best-guess answer if the format allows, and return only if time permits. Reserve the final minutes to check that every question has an answer and that no answers were mis-keyed.
Rules to check
Bring the exact ID the provider requires and expect it to be checked at the door. A name mismatch or an unaccepted document can mean being turned away, so confirm with the provider which documents are valid and whether expired ones are refused.
Arrive within the provider's check-in window. Late arrival may mean you are refused entry or given reduced time; the exact cut-off is set by the provider, so confirm with the provider rather than assuming.
Leave the room's permitted-items list to the invigilator. Do not bring notes, formula sheets, or unauthorised electronic devices into the test room, and switch off and store phones and smart watches as instructed.
Follow all invigilator instructions and do not communicate with other candidates during the test. Any suspected misconduct is handled under the provider's rules, so read those rules in advance and confirm with the provider if anything is unclear.
Check the scoring rule before you start: whether wrong answers are penalised and whether unanswered questions score zero. This determines whether guessing is sensible, so confirm with the provider.
Ask about breaks before test day. Whether breaks are allowed, how long they are, and whether the clock stops during them are set by the provider; confirm with the provider so you can plan hydration and medication.
If you need adjustments such as extra time or a separate room, arrange them with the provider well before test day. Approved arrangements are usually not granted on the morning of the test.
Keep rough work on the paper or interface the provider supplies, and do not remove any test materials from the room. If you are unsure what counts as permitted rough work, ask the invigilator before the section begins.