Iran Pharmacy Ph.D. Entrance Exam exam-day guide
Iran Pharmacy Ph.D. Entrance Exam · Prepare for the day ahead.
Your checklist
Printed admission card / exam entry permit (کارت ورود به جلسه)
The permit is normally released through the applying organization's own portal (for example the Sanjesh (سنجش) system or the university's announced registration page) a few days before the test. Download it early, print at least two copies, and check that the name, national ID number, photo, subject code, and test centre address all match your documents. If the portal does not show your permit, contact the provider immediately - do not travel to the hall without it. Confirm with the provider whether a printed copy is mandatory or a digital copy is accepted.
Original national ID card (کارت ملی) or the exact ID document named in the instructions
Bring the original physical document, not a photocopy or a photo on your phone. Check that the ID is valid and not expired. If your ID is lost or being renewed, ask the provider in advance which substitute document (for example a temporary ID receipt with photo) they accept - this varies by year and centre.
Multiple black ballpoint pens
Most Iranian multiple-choice answer sheets are filled by hand, so bring three or four reliable black ballpoint pens and test them at home. Pencil is generally not accepted for machine-read sheets. Confirm with the provider whether pens are supplied at the centre.
Watch (non-smart, no alarm sound)
Many halls have no visible clock and phones are collected, so a simple analogue or basic digital watch helps you pace yourself. Disable any alarm or hourly beep. Smart watches are almost always prohibited - leave them at home.
Water and a light snack for before/after the session
The test session is long and mentally demanding. Drink water and eat something light before entering; heavy meals cause drowsiness. Whether you may keep a bottle at your desk inside the hall should be confirmed with the provider, as rules differ by centre.
Know the exact test centre address and travel route
Centres are often university campuses or large schools and can be far from the city centre. Check the address on the permit against a map, plan the route, and estimate travel time including traffic. If the centre is unfamiliar, do a dry run the day before. Arrive well before the stated reporting time; late entry is commonly refused.
Review the announced subject structure, number of questions, and scoring/penalty rules
Confirm from the provider's official notice how many questions each subject carries, whether wrong answers carry a negative penalty, and whether there is a minimum percentage per subject. Your guessing strategy depends directly on this. Do not rely on last year's numbers - they can change.
Confirm whether a calculator, periodic table, or formula sheet is allowed
For quantitative sections, check the official notice for the permitted calculator model (if any) and whether reference tables are supplied. If calculators are banned, practise mental arithmetic and estimation beforehand. Confirm with the provider rather than assuming.
Leave prohibited items at home (phone, smart watch, notes, bags)
Phones, smart watches, earphones, printed notes, and study material are normally confiscated or treated as a violation. Many centres do not provide secure storage, so arrange for a companion or leave items at your accommodation. Confirm with the provider what storage, if any, is available.
Sleep schedule and a realistic final-week study plan
Shift your sleep so you are alert during the actual test hours. In the last days, prioritise reviewing your own error log, formula sheets, and high-yield summaries over starting new material. Plan the final 48 hours so you are not studying late the night before.
Emergency contact and backup transport plan
Save the centre's phone number and a family contact in your phone and on paper. Have a backup way to reach the centre (taxi app, a relative, public transport alternative) in case of a vehicle problem or traffic incident.
Read the full official instruction sheet attached to the permit
The permit usually carries a page of rules on dress, entry cutoff, permitted items, and behaviour in the hall. Read it line by line and note anything unclear so you can ask the provider before test day. Details such as reporting time and gate-closing time are the ones candidates most often miss.
Plan the day
Download and print the admission card as soon as it appears; verify every field. Confirm the centre address and travel plan. Re-read the official instruction sheet and note the reporting time and gate-closing time. Prepare the physical documents (ID, permit, pens, watch) in one envelope and keep it by the door. Reduce new-material study; focus on your error log, formula summaries, and the subject-weighting strategy you will use in the hall.
Do one timed mini-simulation under exam conditions to calibrate your pace per question, then review only the mistakes. Check the weather forecast and traffic advisories for the route. Confirm your transport arrangement (driver, taxi booking, or ticket). Stop studying by early evening and protect your sleep.
Do a light review only - no new topics, no marathon sessions. Lay out clothes, the document envelope, pens, watch, water, and snack. Charge nothing you will bring that is prohibited; instead remove the phone and smart watch from your bag. Set two alarms. Eat a normal dinner, avoid heavy caffeine after midday, and go to bed at a reasonable hour. If you have not received the permit, contact the provider now.
Eat a light breakfast with protein and complex carbohydrates; avoid an unusually large or greasy meal. Re-check the envelope: permit, original ID, pens, watch, water. Leave earlier than your planned travel time to absorb traffic and queueing. Arrive well before the reporting time; do not risk the gate-closing cutoff. Once seated, use the toilet before the session starts if permitted.
Read the answer sheet instructions carefully: confirm your name, national ID number, booklet code, and subject code are written and bubbled correctly. Check that the booklet is complete and legible; report any defect to the invigilator immediately. Note the start and end time and calculate your per-question budget.
Work in passes: first answer questions you can solve confidently, marking uncertain ones in the booklet; then return to the uncertain ones; leave blind guesses for the end. Track time against your per-question budget and do not let one hard item consume several minutes. Fill the answer sheet as you go rather than at the very end, to avoid transcription errors under time pressure.
Apply the penalty rule you confirmed in advance. If wrong answers carry a negative penalty, guess only when you can eliminate at least one or two options; if there is no penalty, never leave a blank. Keep bubbling neat and fully erase or avoid stray marks, since machine reading is unforgiving.
In the last few minutes, verify that every answered question has a corresponding bubble and that no answers are misaligned by one row. Do not start a new long calculation. After the session, note your perceived weak areas while memory is fresh, keep your permit and booklet code for any later result inquiry, and avoid comparing answers in a way that undermines your confidence before other sections or stages.
Rules to check
Bring the original identity document and the printed admission card exactly as named in the official notice. Photocopies, expired documents, or a photo on a phone are commonly refused; if your document situation is unusual, confirm with the provider well before test day.
Arrive before the stated reporting time. Gates typically close at a fixed moment and late candidates are not admitted; because the exact cutoff is set by the provider, confirm it from the permit or official notice rather than assuming.
Phones, smart watches, earphones, notes, and study material are prohibited in the hall. Devices are usually collected or confiscated, and possession during the test can be treated as a violation with consequences for your result. Confirm with the provider what storage is available.
Follow invigilator instructions on seating, booklet handling, and answer-sheet completion. Do not communicate with other candidates, exchange material, or look at another answer sheet; such behaviour is normally recorded and reported.
Breaks are typically not permitted during the timed session, so use the toilet before entering and manage water intake. If you need to leave for a genuine emergency, raise your hand and follow the invigilator; confirm with the provider whether the lost time is compensated.
Scoring, negative marking, and any per-subject minimum are set by the provider and can change between years. Confirm the current rules from the official notice and let them determine your guessing strategy; do not rely on second-hand accounts.
Only use permitted aids. If a calculator is allowed, bring only the approved type; if reference tables are supplied, do not bring your own. Confirm the permitted list with the provider in advance.
Keep your admission card and booklet code after the test. If you later need to query a result or a seating issue, these identifiers and the provider's published review procedure are what you will be asked for; confirm the deadlines and process with the provider.