ICDL Image Editing (ICDL) exam-day guide
ICDL Image Editing · Prepare for the day ahead.
Your checklist
Valid photo ID
Bring the original photographic ID your test centre requires (typically a passport or national photo driving licence). The exact accepted forms vary by country and centre, so confirm with your provider before test day. Do not rely on a photocopy or a photo on your phone.
Booking confirmation and candidate number
Bring the confirmation email or letter showing your appointment time, test centre and ICDL candidate number or login details. If your centre issues a separate username and password for the test platform, have these with you.
Exact centre address and arrival plan
Check the address, which entrance to use and the recommended arrival time (commonly 15-30 minutes early, but confirm with your centre). Plan your route and a backup route, and note parking or public transport options.
Know which image editing software and version the centre uses
ICDL Image Editing is delivered using image editing software, and centres may use different applications and versions (for example GIMP or Adobe Photoshop). Ask your centre which one you will sit the test on and practise on that application, not a different one you happen to have at home.
Syllabus skills checklist
Work through the official skill set point by point: image size and resolution, canvas size, cropping, rotating and flipping, colour modes and adjustment, selection tools, layers, text on images, basic retouching and correction, applying effects/filters, and saving/exporting in the correct file format at the required quality or compression.
File format and export practice
Be able to save and export to common formats used in the test (such as native project formats, JPEG, PNG and GIF), and to control quality, compression and transparency settings when exporting. Practise saving into a specified folder with a specified file name, since tasks often require this.
Glasses or contact lenses if you use them
Detailed image work depends on seeing small differences in colour, edges and pixel-level detail. Bring whatever you normally use for screen work.
Confirm what personal items are allowed
Phone, smartwatch, bag and paper policies differ by centre. Ask in advance where to leave personal belongings and whether anything must be handed in. Assume notes and unauthorised materials are not permitted unless your provider tells you otherwise.
Confirm any access arrangements already booked
If you need extra time, a different screen, larger text, a reader or any other adjustment, check that it has been recorded on your booking. Adjustments usually must be requested before the test day, not on the day itself.
Shortcuts and confident navigation
Review the menu locations and keyboard shortcuts for the common operations in your software: undo, duplicate layer, free transform/scale, crop, zoom, save and export. Fast navigation saves time in a timed test.
Water and a light snack for afterwards
Keep these outside the test room unless your centre allows otherwise. Confirm the centre's rules on drinks at the workstation.
Backup contact number for the centre
Save the centre's phone number so you can call if you are delayed, ill or cannot find the room.
Plan the day
Confirm your booking, start time, address, ID requirements and which software version you will use. Re-read the skills checklist and list any topic you cannot yet do without help.
Do targeted practice on your weakest two or three topics, working on the same application you will sit the test on. Use your own images and follow the syllabus wording exactly (for example 'resize the image to a width of 800 pixels, keeping the aspect ratio').
Sit one or two full timed practice sets in one sitting, without pausing, to get used to working under time pressure and to check you can save and export files correctly.
Do a light review of menu locations and shortcuts only. Stop heavy practice in the evening so you are not tired or second-guessing on the day.
Pack your ID, booking confirmation and glasses, charge your phone, check travel times at the hour you will actually travel, and set two alarms.
Eat something and arrive at the centre early as advised. Use the waiting time for a calm skim of your shortcut list, not for learning new material.
Follow the check-in procedure, hand in or store belongings as instructed, and tell the invigilator immediately if you feel unwell or have a technical problem with your workstation.
Read each task fully before touching the software. Note the exact values requested (dimensions, resolution, file name, format), since these are what get marked.
As a working order: open the source file, work non-destructively using layers or copies, apply the requested changes, then save/export exactly as specified. Verify the result by looking at the saved file, not just the screen preview.
If a task will not work, move on and come back rather than losing time. Watch the clock so you have a few minutes at the end to check that every file has been saved in the right place with the right name.
Rules to check
Bring the original photo ID accepted by your centre. You may be refused entry without it, so confirm the accepted forms with your provider before test day.
Follow all instructions from the invigilator. Do not attempt to use the internet, external storage, messaging, or any application other than the test environment unless explicitly permitted.
Treat the test content as confidential. Do not copy, photograph, record or share any question, task or file from the test.
Confirm the centre's policy on breaks and on leaving the room in advance. In many centres a supervised test is taken in one sitting, and leaving may end or pause the session.
Report any technical fault, crash or file that will not open to the invigilator immediately, before continuing, so the incident is logged. Do not try to fix hardware or network problems yourself.
Scoring and the pass mark are set by the awarding body and applied by your centre. Ask your provider what the pass mark is and when and how your result will be issued; do not assume a score from practice tests.
If you are late, ill or cannot attend, contact the centre as soon as possible. Rescheduling and refund conditions are set by the provider, so confirm them in advance.
Keep your workspace tidy and use only the materials the invigilator allows. The test is usually taken at the workstation provided, so check in advance whether you may use your own equipment.