Tawjihi Health Field exam-day guide
Tawjihi Health Field · Prepare for the day ahead.
Your checklist
Admission / seat card (بطاقة الجلوس)
Print two copies once it is issued and keep one in your bag and one with a family member. The card carries your seat number and exam center - check that the name and ID number match your ID exactly. Confirm with your school how and when the card is issued in your governorate; the issuing channel can vary by year.
Valid photo ID
Bring the identity document your school told you to bring (national ID, or passport / family booklet for candidates who do not yet hold a national ID). Check the expiry date now, not on exam morning. If your ID is lost or expired, contact your school immediately - replacement or an official substitute document takes days, and the accepted substitute must be confirmed with the provider.
Two blue or black ballpoint pens plus a spare refill
Test both pens on scrap paper the night before. Answers written in pencil, or in a colour other than the one the paper instructs, may not be accepted for marking.
Pencil, eraser and sharpener
Needed for tables, diagrams, growth charts and any answer that has to be drafted before being written in ink. Never leave a final answer in pencil.
Ruler and, if announced, a protractor
Health papers often include reading tasks on tables, charts or simple measurement items. Bring the geometry tools only if your teacher confirmed the paper uses them.
Non-programmable calculator - only if permitted
Some health-field papers allow a basic calculator for dosage, BMI or percentage items, others do not. Confirm the rule for each specific paper with your school before bringing one; a programmable or graphing calculator can be confiscated even where a basic one is allowed.
Transparent pencil case or clear plastic bag
Opaque pouches get opened and inspected at the door and slow you down. Put everything in one clear bag the night before.
Plain analogue watch
Smart watches are treated as communication devices. A simple watch lets you pace the paper without relying on a hall clock you may not be able to see.
Water bottle and a light snack
Drink water before you enter; eat a proper breakfast rather than relying on a snack. Whether food or drink is allowed inside the hall, and whether toilet breaks are supervised, is set locally - confirm with the provider.
Leave the phone and all smart devices at home
Do not bring a phone 'switched off in the bag'. Most centers treat possession of a phone in the hall as a violation regardless of whether it was used, so the safest option is not to carry it.
Route and timing to the exam center checked in advance
Do the trip once, at the same hour of the morning, in the week before. Add 30 minutes of buffer for traffic, checkpoints or a wrong building number - arriving flustered costs you marks in the first ten minutes.
Declared health or access needs
Asthma inhaler, insulin, allergy medication, or a request for a ground-floor seat or extra time: tell your school in writing well before the exam so the center committee can arrange it. Requirements and documentation differ by center - confirm with the provider.
Plan the day
Stop learning new material. Work only from your own summary sheets, past-paper mistakes and the definitions and normal values you keep forgetting (normal ranges, first-aid steps, terminology). Do three timed passes over your weakest two units rather than re-reading everything. Fix your sleep schedule now: shift bedtime back so that you are awake and alert at the hour the paper starts, and keep the last two evenings light. Confirm the paper timetable, the exact center address and the transport plan with whoever is taking you.
Pack the clear bag with pens, pencil, eraser, sharpener, ruler, watch, admission card and ID, and leave it by the door. Re-read only one-page summaries; no new topics after mid-afternoon. Lay out clothes (uniform or the announced dress code, plus a layer for air conditioning). Eat a normal dinner, avoid heavy caffeine after sunset, and go to bed at your usual time - an all-nighter costs more marks than the last chapter is worth. Set two alarms and arrange a backup wake-up call.
Eat a real breakfast with slow-release carbohydrates and drink water; use the toilet before leaving. Do a final check of the bag against the checklist - card, ID, pens, watch - and leave earlier than the trip requires. Do not stand outside the hall with classmates re-testing each other on facts; it raises anxiety and the disputed fact rarely appears. Arrive at the gate with time to find your seat number and settle, then sit quietly and breathe slowly rather than discussing the paper.
Fill in the header exactly as it appears on your admission card, then read the entire paper before writing. Count the questions and the marks and decide your minutes per section. Mark the questions you can answer confidently, and start with those to build momentum and bank marks early.
Answer every required question, keeping an eye on the clock at the quarter, half and three-quarter points. For clinical or applied items, write the key steps or keywords first and then expand - examiners mark for the points, not for length. If a question blocks you for more than two or three minutes, leave a gap and move on; return to it later with a calmer mind. Keep handwriting legible and number your answers exactly as the paper numbers them.
Stop writing new content and audit instead: check that every question has an answer, that no multiple-choice bubble is blank, that units and normal values are correct, and that your name and seat number are on every sheet. Cross out rough work clearly so it is not marked. Hand the paper in only when the invigilator calls time.
Rules to check
Bring the admission card and the identity document together on every exam day. A candidate without them may be referred to the exam committee before being allowed to sit, and the accepted substitute documents are set by the ministry - confirm with the provider in advance rather than arguing at the gate.
Phones, smart watches, earbuds and any other communication or recording device are prohibited in the exam hall. Possession alone is typically treated as a violation and can lead to the paper being cancelled, so leave them at home or with a companion outside the center.
Silence is required from the moment you enter the hall. Do not talk, gesture, borrow equipment, or look toward another candidate's paper; a request for a pen or a sharpener must go to the invigilator by raising your hand.
Late arrival, early departure and toilet breaks are regulated locally. In most centers you cannot leave in the first part of the exam or during the last minutes, and toilet breaks are escorted. Ask your school what the rule is before exam day - confirm with the provider.
Write in the ink colour the paper specifies and keep answers inside the designated spaces. Answers written on scrap paper, in the margin, or on the question booklet instead of the answer sheet may not be marked.
There is no credit for unanswered questions: attempt every item, since partial answers typically earn partial marks. Confirm whether the paper applies any penalty for wrong multiple-choice answers before you decide to guess.
If you believe a mark is wrong, do not approach the examiner. Grade review and re-correction requests go through the official channel announced by the ministry within the stated window, with your admission card details - confirm the procedure and deadline with the provider.
If you are ill or unable to sit a paper, get official medical documentation the same day and inform your school immediately. Make-up or compensatory sittings are governed by fixed rules and deadlines that are not negotiable after the fact - confirm with the provider.