LC Ancient Greek exam-day guide
LC Ancient Greek · Prepare for the day ahead.
Your checklist
Photo ID matching your registration name
Bring the original government-issued photo ID you registered with. A name mismatch, an expired document, or a photocopy can bar entry. Confirm with the provider which ID types it accepts and whether a second form is needed.
Admission ticket or registration confirmation
Print or download the confirmation showing your test center, date, and start time. Some centers require a printed copy; confirm with the provider whether a digital version is accepted.
Confirm the exact test center location and arrival time
Check the address and reporting time on your confirmation, not from memory. Campus buildings and room numbers change; note the specific building and entrance. Confirm with the provider if the reporting time is earlier than the published start time.
Permitted writing instruments only
Bring two or three dark-blue or black pens and a couple of pencils with an eraser if your center allows them. Leave highlighters, correction fluid, and colored ink at home unless the provider explicitly permits them. Confirm with the provider which instruments are allowed.
Clear, unmarked water bottle (if permitted)
Many centers allow a transparent bottle with the label removed at the desk; others require it to stay outside the room. Confirm with the provider and follow the invigilator's instruction on the day.
Leave prohibited electronics behind or plan storage
Phones, smartwatches, fitness bands, earbuds, and any device that can transmit or store data are almost always banned from the testing room. If you must carry a phone for travel, expect it to be switched off and stored as directed. Confirm with the provider where devices are stored and whether a bag is allowed.
Know the permitted dictionary or vocabulary policy
Classical Greek papers vary: some allow a specified printed dictionary, some allow none, and some supply a vocabulary list for set texts. Do not assume. Confirm with the provider exactly which books, editions, and annotations are permitted, and whether borrowing during the test is possible.
Plan food, drink, and medication for the full session
Sessions with set-text and translation papers can run long. Eat a proper meal beforehand and bring any necessary medication in its original packaging; tell the invigilator if you need access during the test. Confirm with the provider how medication and food are handled.
Review the format and timing of each paper
Know in advance how many sections each paper has, whether passages are prescribed or unseen, and how the marks are distributed, so you can allocate minutes per question. Confirm with the provider the current structure and any changes to the syllabus for your session.
Prepare a one-page personal reminder sheet to review, not to bring in
Summarize endings, principal parts, common particles, and vocabulary you keep missing. Use it in the final days and leave it at home on exam day; bringing notes into the room is misconduct.
Check travel and backup transport
Plan the route, allow a buffer for delays, and identify a backup option. Arriving late may mean you are refused entry or given no extra time. Confirm with the provider the latest arrival time and the policy on lateness.
Rest and set two alarms
Sleep is worth more than one more hour of vocabulary at this stage. Set two alarms and a backup on a second device, and confirm the correct time zone if you are traveling.
Plan the day
Stop learning new material. Re-read your own summary sheets and error log, and do one timed practice paper under exam conditions, ideally at the same time of day as the real test. Mark it strictly against the published scheme, then spend more time on the question types that lost the most marks than on the ones you already handle. Check your ID, confirmation, and travel plan, and confirm with the provider any open questions about permitted dictionaries, instruments, and reporting time.
Do targeted revision of high-frequency grammar: principal parts of irregular verbs, contract and athematic forms, participle and infinitive constructions, and the particles and connectives that carry meaning in prose. For set texts, re-read the prescribed passages in Greek and rehearse translating a short stretch aloud or in writing without notes. For unseen translation, practise the routine: read the whole passage once, identify the main verb in each clause, mark connectives, then translate.
Light review only: vocabulary you keep missing, a few paradigms, and a quick skim of set-text passages. Lay out ID, confirmation, pens, pencils, water, and clothing in one place. Confirm the journey and set alarms. Eat a normal meal, avoid cramming late into the night, and read the paper structure once more so you know how you will divide the time.
Eat breakfast, check you have ID and confirmation, and arrive with a buffer. Do not attempt new material; a brief skim of your reminder sheet before leaving is enough. At the center, follow signage, store devices as directed, and use the washroom before entering the room. Once seated, read the front of the paper carefully, including instructions and mark allocations.
Read all instructions and the rubric. Note the number of questions, the marks, and any choice. Write your candidate details as instructed. Sketch a time budget on the paper: for example, minutes per section plus a reserve of several minutes for checking. If there is a choice, decide quickly rather than dithering.
Work to your time budget and move on when a passage stalls; a difficult line is not worth the marks you lose elsewhere. For translation, keep sentences complete and grammatical rather than word-by-word, and leave no blank answers. For commentary or essay questions, state a clear point and support it with specific Greek quotation and precise reference. If you finish early, check endings, agreement, and accents, and verify you have answered every required question.
Confirm candidate details, question numbers, and that no answer is left blank. Check that you have not written outside the permitted areas or left notes in the room. Stop writing immediately when instructed and hand in as directed.
Rules to check
Bring the original photo ID you registered with; the name must match your registration. If your ID is expired or the name differs, contact the provider before test day rather than at the door. Confirm with the provider which documents are accepted.
Follow all invigilator instructions. Do not begin writing before you are told and stop immediately at the end. Writing after time is called or continuing during a pause is misconduct and can lead to your paper being cancelled.
No phones, smartwatches, earbuds, or other electronic devices in the testing room. Switch them off and store them where directed. If a device sounds or is found on you, expect it to be treated as a breach. Confirm with the provider the storage arrangements.
Use only permitted materials. A dictionary, vocabulary list, or annotated text is allowed only if the provider's current regulations say so, and only in the permitted edition. Unauthorized notes, annotations, or borrowed materials are misconduct.
Raise your hand for a toilet break or to speak to an invigilator; do not leave the room unaccompanied. Breaks are usually not given as extra time, and some centers restrict breaks during the final part of the session. Confirm with the provider the break policy for your paper.
Do not communicate with other candidates once in the room, and do not remove question papers, answer booklets, or working notes unless told they may be taken. Keep your eyes on your own work.
Scoring follows the published mark scheme for each paper; write legibly and label answers clearly so examiners can find them. Illegible or unlabeled work may not be credited. Confirm with the provider how marks are combined across papers and what counts as a pass.
If illness or an emergency affects your performance, tell the invigilator at the time and ask what to do; special consideration usually requires evidence and a deadline. Confirm with the provider the procedure and time limit for any application.