Iran Specialty Board - Cardiology exam-day guide
Iran Specialty Board - Cardiology · Prepare for the day ahead.
Your checklist
National ID card and printed admit card / exam entry permit
The Iranian specialty board (دستياری/بورد تخصصی) is administered under the supervision of the Ministry of Health and Medical Education, and identity is checked strictly. Bring your original national ID (کارت ملی) plus the exam entry document issued through the official registration portal. Confirm with the provider which exact documents are accepted and whether a photo ID is additionally required; policies are updated per cycle.
Two or three black ballpoint pens and a pencil with eraser
Answer sheets are usually machine-read (mark-sense). Bring spare black ballpoints and a pencil; confirm with the provider whether pencils are permitted for the answer sheet and whether correction fluid or tape is allowed (often prohibited because it can damage optical reading).
Printed confirmation of registration and fee payment
Keep a printed copy of the registration/payment receipt in case your eligibility is queried at the desk. Verify the exact required printout format on the official portal; confirm with the provider.
Know the exact venue, hall, and reporting time
Venues are typically university or ministry exam halls in major cities and can change between cycles. Re-check your entry document the day before. Arrive well before the stated reporting time; late entry is commonly refused after the answer sheet has been distributed. Confirm the cut-off policy with the provider.
Plan the route and a backup transport option
Traffic and parking near large exam centers can be severe. Know a second route and a nearby landmark, and aim to be in the area at least an hour before reporting time so you are not deciding logistics under stress.
Review the official exam blueprint and weighting
The cardiology specialty board covers the full breadth of adult cardiology - ischemic heart disease, heart failure, arrhythmias and electrophysiology, valvular disease, congenital heart disease, cardiomyopathy, pericardial disease, pulmonary hypertension, preventive cardiology and lipids, intensive cardiac care, ECG and imaging interpretation, and pharmacology. Confirm the current blueprint and relative weighting with the provider rather than relying on older cycles.
Confirm whether a calculator, watch, or phone is allowed
Many board exams prohibit phones, smart watches, and programmable devices entirely, and some prohibit any electronic device in the hall. Ask the provider in advance; do not assume a simple calculator is permitted.
Check permitted personal items (medication, water, snacks, hijab/prayer needs)
If you take scheduled medication, confirm the procedure for bringing it into the hall; it may require prior declaration. Confirm whether water, snacks, and prayer arrangements exist at the venue - ask the provider, as these vary by center.
Sleep schedule and a light, familiar breakfast
The exam is long and cognitively demanding. Shift your sleep earlier for several nights beforehand, and eat a normal breakfast you tolerate well rather than something new. Avoid heavy caffeine loading on the morning of the exam if you are not habituated.
A one-page personal high-yield review sheet
Prepare a single page of your own recurring errors: ECG criteria, drug dosing pitfalls, guideline thresholds, and imaging patterns. Review it in the final 24 hours instead of starting new material. Do not bring it into the hall unless permitted.
Read the answer-sheet instructions before you start
Confirm the number of questions, the marking scheme (correct/negative/blank), and the correct way to fill or erase bubbles. Ask the invigilator if anything on the sheet is unclear before the clock starts.
A time budget written on your scratch paper
Compute minutes per question from the total time and question count, and note checkpoints (e.g., where you should be at the halfway mark). This prevents over-investing in a few hard items.
Plan the day
Stop acquiring new material. Spend these days on consolidation: your own error log, high-yield tables (ECG criteria, hemodynamics, guideline thresholds, drug interactions), and rapid review of images you have already studied. Do one timed practice block under exam-like conditions to calibrate pacing, then review only the explanations you got wrong. Verify venue, reporting time, and required documents on the official portal, and prepare the physical items on your checklist the night before so the last morning is frictionless.
Light review only - no new topics, no marathon sessions. Re-read your one-page high-yield sheet and the answer-sheet rules. Confirm transport and, if needed, accommodation near the venue. Set two alarms, lay out ID, entry document, pens, and clothing the night before, and go to bed at a normal hour. Avoid intensive discussion with colleagues about obscure topics late in the day, as it raises anxiety without adding reliable knowledge.
Eat a normal breakfast, arrive at the venue with buffer time, and locate your hall and seat early. Keep conversation with other candidates brief and non-technical. Once seated, read the cover instructions, confirm the question count and marking rules, and write your time checkpoints on permitted scratch paper. Do a short breathing exercise to settle before the start signal.
Work in passes. First pass: answer every question you can resolve quickly and mark uncertain ones. Second pass: return to marked items with remaining time. Do not leave blanks unless the marking scheme penalizes wrong answers - confirm that rule before the exam. If you are stuck, commit to a best answer and move on; a single item is rarely worth more than its share of time. Re-check that answers are recorded in the correct row, and reserve the last few minutes to verify no item is unfilled and your identifying details on the sheet are correct.
Note which topics felt weak while memory is fresh, in case of a future cycle. Do not attempt to reconstruct or circulate exam content - this is prohibited and can jeopardize your result. Wait for official result announcements through the ministry or university channel; confirm the result timeline with the provider.
Rules to check
Bring original identification and the official entry document; entry is refused without them. Confirm the exact accepted documents, and whether a photograph or secondary ID is required, with the provider before exam day.
Electronic devices - phones, smart watches, earbuds, and usually calculators - are generally prohibited in the hall. Confirm permitted devices with the provider; do not rely on assumptions from previous cycles.
Follow invigilator instructions exactly on seating, timing, and answer-sheet handling. Any communication with other candidates during the exam, or looking at another candidate's sheet, is treated as misconduct.
Do not remove, photograph, or reproduce exam booklets or questions. Content confidentiality is enforced and violations can invalidate your result.
Breaks are usually limited or not permitted during the exam; confirm the break and restroom policy with the provider and plan fluid intake accordingly.
Scoring and any negative-marking or pass-threshold rules are set by the ministry and vary by cycle. Confirm the current scheme with the provider rather than relying on secondhand reports.
If you believe a question is defective or an incident occurs, report it to the invigilator at the time and follow the formal complaint procedure; confirm the deadline and channel with the provider.
Declare any required medication or special accommodation need well before exam day through the official channel; requests made on the day may not be honored.