Iran Specialty Board Radiology exam-day guide
Iran Specialty Board Radiology · Prepare for the day ahead.
Your checklist
Primary photo identification
Bring the original national ID card (or passport) used at registration. Confirm with the provider which document types are accepted and whether a photocopy is ever permitted; do not assume a driver's license works.
Admission permit / exam card
Print or download the entry document issued by the examination secretariat and check that your name, photo, and exam site match. If it has not arrived, contact the provider early rather than on exam morning.
Confirmation of exam site and address
Verify the exact building, hall, and city on the permit. Large university campuses and hospital complexes often have multiple entrances; confirm which gate opens for candidates.
Reporting time and gate-closing time
Record both times separately. Many high-stakes exams bar entry after a fixed cutoff; confirm the exact cutoff with the provider and plan to arrive well before it.
Permitted stationery
Carry several dark blue or black pens and a pencil plus eraser if the answer sheet is machine-read. Confirm whether correction fluid, highlighters, or pencil cases are prohibited.
Simple analog watch
Wall clocks may be absent or poorly placed. Confirm with the provider whether wristwatches are allowed, since smartwatches and phones are almost always banned from the hall.
Prohibited-item plan
Leave phones, smart devices, notes, and study material outside the hall. Confirm whether the site offers secure storage; if not, arrange for a companion or leave items at your accommodation.
Personal medication and hydration
Bring any prescribed medication in original packaging and confirm with the provider how to declare it. Water and snacks may be restricted to break areas, so check the rule in advance.
Comfort layers and footwear
Exam halls are often cold and sessions are long. Dress in layers that are easy to remove and wear quiet footwear; confirm whether outerwear must be left at the door.
Travel and parking contingency
Rehearse the route at the same time of day and identify a backup route. Traffic, weather, and road closures are the most common cause of late arrival; build in a large buffer.
Rest and nutrition plan for the preceding night
Protect sleep in the final night rather than studying late. Heavy caffeine on the morning of a long exam can worsen tremor and frequent urination.
Provider contact details
Save the examination secretariat phone number and email in case of a last-minute problem. Confirm the provider's procedure for illness or emergency on the day.
Plan the day
Stop acquiring new material. Review your own condensed notes on high-yield topics: thoracic, abdominal, and neuroimaging patterns, modality physics and safety, and reporting pitfalls. Confirm travel, accommodation, and site logistics, and re-read the permit for reporting time and prohibited items.
Do one timed full-length or sectional practice run under exam conditions to recalibrate your pace. Afterwards, review only the errors, not the whole paper. Check that your ID, permit, and stationery are gathered in one place.
Travel to the exam city if needed and locate the venue from outside. Prepare clothes, documents, and stationery in a single bag. Eat a normal meal, avoid alcohol and late caffeine, and set two alarms. Do a light review of formulas and checklists only; no new topics.
Stop studying at a fixed hour. Confirm the alarm, the route, and the backup route. Aim for a full night's sleep; if you cannot sleep, rest quietly rather than studying, since alertness matters more than one extra hour of review.
Eat a normal breakfast, avoid heavy caffeine if it makes you jittery, and leave earlier than the calculated travel time. Arrive at the site with a wide margin, complete identity checks calmly, and locate the restrooms and your seat before the hall fills.
Read the instructions and check the number of questions, the time allowed, and the marking scheme. Write your candidate number exactly as instructed and verify that the answer sheet matches the booklet version.
Work in passes: answer confident questions first, flag uncertain ones, and return to them. For image-based items, read the stem before studying the image, note the modality and window, and look for the single finding that discriminates between options. For negative stems, underline the word 'not'.
Reserve time to transfer or verify all answers and ensure no flagged item is left blank unless the marking scheme penalizes wrong answers. Confirm with the provider in advance whether unanswered or incorrect items carry a penalty.
Note which topics felt weak while memory is fresh, and confirm the provider's stated timeline and channel for results. Do not attempt to reconstruct or share exam content with others.
Rules to check
Carry the original identification document matching your registration; entry may be refused if identity cannot be verified. Confirm accepted document types with the provider before the exam day.
Arrive before the stated gate-closing time. Candidates arriving after the cutoff may be excluded, and the decision is usually at the provider's discretion; confirm the exact rule in the instructions.
Electronic devices, smartwatches, notes, and unauthorised study material must not be brought into the hall. Possession during the exam can lead to disqualification even if the device is switched off.
Follow all instructions from invigilators, including seat allocation, answer-sheet coding, and any prohibition on leaving before a set time. Ask an invigilator rather than improvising if something is unclear.
Breaks are typically limited and may be supervised. Confirm in advance whether you may leave the hall for restroom use and whether the clock keeps running during any absence.
Do not communicate with other candidates during the exam, and do not remove question booklets, answer sheets, or rough paper from the hall unless explicitly permitted.
Understand the scoring rule before the exam: confirm whether the marking scheme penalises incorrect answers or leaves them unmarked, since this determines whether guessing is advisable.
Report any irregularity, illness, or equipment problem to an invigilator immediately and ask for it to be recorded; later appeals are difficult without a contemporaneous note.