USJ Medical Sciences Concours - Medicine, Dental Medicine & Pharmacy exam-day guide
USJ Medical Sciences Concours - Medicine, Dental Medicine & Pharmacy · Prepare for the day ahead.
Your checklist
Convocation / exam notice (printed copy)
Print the convocation or registration confirmation you received when you registered, and check the exact building, hall and reporting time printed on it - these are set by the faculty, not by the general university timetable.
Valid photo ID
Bring the original national identity card or passport used at registration. Photocopies and expired documents are usually refused; if you registered with a residence permit or a different document, confirm with the provider which ID is accepted on the day.
Registration/payment proof, if your notice requires it
Some sessions ask for the stamped receipt or a signed authorisation. Confirm with the provider whether anything beyond the convocation is checked at the door, and staple it to the convocation so you are not searching for it under pressure.
Two black ballpoint pens plus one spare refill
Answer sheets are usually machine-read or hand-graded in ink, so write in black only, keep the same pen throughout, and avoid gel pens that smudge on scanning paper.
Pencil, eraser and a small sharpener
Useful for rough work, for shading answer boxes if the sheet is optical, and for diagrams in physics or chemistry items. Keep the eraser clean so you do not tear the answer sheet.
Non-programmable calculator (subject to provider approval)
Confirm with the provider whether a calculator is allowed and which models are permitted. If it is allowed, bring a basic scientific model with fresh batteries and no cover carrying formulas, and be ready to hand it over for inspection.
Analogue watch
Halls do not always have a visible clock. Smartwatches and connected bands are almost always confiscated, so bring a simple analogue or non-connected digital watch and confirm that it is accepted.
Clear water bottle and a light snack for after the test
Sessions can run long with a short or no break. Keep the bottle label-free if the hall rules require it, and leave the snack in your bag outside the room unless the invigilators allow it inside.
Glasses or contact lenses plus spare solution
Screens, small print and long reading passages make uncorrected vision a real scoring risk. If you wear lenses, carry a case and solution in case the session runs longer than expected.
Transport plan with a backup
Beirut traffic and checkpoints can turn a 20-minute trip into an hour. Plan to arrive at least 60–75 minutes before the reporting time, identify a second route, and check whether the campus has a specific pedestrian entrance on exam day.
Phone switched off and stored outside the hall
Assume phones, smartwatches and any connected device are banned at your desk. Confirm with the provider where bags and devices are left, and do not count on being able to reach your phone between sections.
Nothing written on your hands, arms or calculator cover
Invigilators may check for notes. Remove any annotations, formula stickers or labels before entering, and pack only what you are willing to have inspected.
Plan the day
Re-read the official notice end to end: exact address, hall, reporting time, duration of each section, permitted materials and the scoring rule. If any of these is missing or ambiguous, email or call the admissions office now rather than the day before - it is your last realistic window for an answer. Then do a light content review only: your own summary sheets, formula lists and recurring mistakes, not new chapters. Sleep at your normal time; three nights of normal sleep are worth more than one extra chapter.
Do one full timed simulation under exam-like conditions: same start time as the real test, no phone, no interruptions, answer sheet filled in as you would on the day. Mark it the same afternoon and write a single page listing your three biggest error patterns. Stop all new material after this point.
Confirm the trip: route, departure time, and whether you will be dropped off or park nearby. Pack the bag completely - convocation, ID, pens, pencil, eraser, calculator, watch, water - and leave it by the door. Check the weather and lay out clothes. Read only your one-page error list and formula sheet, for a maximum of about 90 minutes. Eat a normal dinner, avoid caffeine after mid-afternoon, and go to bed at your usual hour; do not try to force sleep earlier than your body expects.
Re-check the reporting time on the convocation one final time and set two alarms, one of them away from the bed. Charge nothing overnight that you need to carry unless it is allowed in the hall - assume your phone stays in your bag.
Eat a real breakfast with protein and slow carbohydrates, even if you feel nervous; low blood sugar in the third hour costs more marks than any last-minute revision. Drink normally but not excessively. Take the packed bag, verify ID and convocation at the door, and leave earlier than your plan says.
Report at the stated time, not the start time. Find your hall, locate the toilets before you sit down, and check where bags and phones are left. Once seated, fill in every identification field on the answer sheet exactly as instructed, and listen to the invigilator's instructions on coding, erasing and turning the paper over.
Read the instructions on the cover before question one: number of items, number of options, whether there is negative marking, and whether you must answer on the sheet or in the booklet. Then work in two passes. First pass: answer everything you know, quickly, and mark anything that needs more than about a minute with a clear symbol in the margin. Do not let a single long calculation consume a disproportionate share of the section.
Return to the marked items, hardest last. For multiple-choice items, eliminate options explicitly and commit only when you have a reason; if there is a penalty for wrong answers, confirm the rule before guessing blindly, and if there is no penalty, never leave a blank. Watch the clock at fixed points - for example at the halfway mark of each section - rather than continuously.
Check that every answer is transferred to the answer sheet, that the numbering matches, and that erased answers are fully erased. Write your name and code exactly as required. If a section is timed separately, stop writing the instant the invigilator calls time; continuing after the signal risks cancellation of your paper.
Rules to check
Bring the original photo ID used at registration and keep it on the desk for the whole session. If your ID has changed since registration, confirm with the provider before exam day which document will be accepted.
Phones, smartwatches, connected bands, earphones and any other device must be switched off and left outside the hall. Possession at the desk is typically treated as a serious irregularity, so do not rely on a pocket.
Only the materials listed on the convocation may be on the desk. Confirm with the provider whether a calculator, a dictionary or any printed sheet is permitted for your specific concours before you bring one.
Breaks are set by the invigilators, not by candidates. If you need to leave the room, raise your hand and wait to be accompanied; do not assume you will get extra time, and confirm the provider's policy on breaks between sections.
Follow the invigilator's instructions on timing and on stopping work. Writing after time is called, or continuing a section during a break, can lead to your paper being cancelled regardless of your score.
Scoring rules - including whether wrong answers carry a penalty, how sections are weighted, and how ties are broken - are set by the provider each year. Read the current official notice or confirm with the admissions office; do not assume last year's rule still applies.
Communicating with another candidate, looking at another candidate's paper, or passing any material during the session is treated as cheating. Keep your eyes on your own sheet and your answers covered if the layout is tight.
If you believe there is an error in a question, do not argue with the invigilator. Note the question number, answer as best you can, and raise it in writing through the provider's stated procedure after the session - this is the only route that can affect your result.