AFM Officer Cadet exam-day guide
AFM Officer Cadet · Prepare for the day ahead.
Your checklist
Government-issued photo ID
Bring the original document, not a photocopy or a photo on your phone. Confirm with the provider which ID types it accepts and whether the name must match your registration exactly; if your ID name differs from your booking name, ask the provider in advance how to resolve it.
Admission or confirmation document
Print or download the confirmation the provider sends after booking, including your candidate number, test centre address, and reporting time. Check the provider's rules on whether printed or electronic copies are accepted.
Test centre location and travel plan
Look up the exact building and entrance the day before, not the morning of. Plan to arrive with a buffer for transport delays; many centres refuse entry after a cut-off time, so confirm that cut-off with the provider.
Permitted calculator
Confirm with the provider which calculator models are allowed and whether a memory reset or a specific mode is required. Bring a calculator you have already used in practice so the key layout is familiar.
Stationery allowed by the provider
Check whether pens, pencils, erasers, and rulers are provided or must be brought. Do not assume rough paper is allowed; confirm with the provider whether it is supplied and collected.
Watch without smart features
A plain analogue or basic digital watch helps you pace sections if the room clock is hard to see. Confirm with the provider whether wristwatches are permitted at all, since some centres ban them.
Water and a light snack for breaks
Bring these only if the provider allows food and drink in the waiting area. Confirm the break policy, since some tests are continuous with no scheduled break.
Layers of clothing
Test rooms vary in temperature and you may be sitting for several hours. Choose comfortable layers without logos or slogans that could breach conduct rules.
Leave valuables and phones at home or in storage
Most centres require phones to be switched off and stored away from the desk. Confirm with the provider where bags and devices are kept during the test.
Review the format and timing
Know the number of sections, question types, and time per section before the day. Confirm the current format with the provider, as published formats can change between sittings.
Medical or access arrangements
If you need extra time, a separate room, or other adjustments, confirm with the provider well before the test that the arrangement is approved and recorded. Bring any supporting letter the provider asks for.
Backup plan for disruption
Save the provider's contact details and know its policy on lateness, illness, and rescheduling. Confirm with the provider how to report a problem on the day.
Plan the day
Stop learning new material. Re-read your own summary notes and formula sheet, then do one timed practice section under exam conditions to check pacing rather than to learn. Review the provider's candidate information for rules on ID, calculators, devices, and reporting time, and confirm anything unclear with the provider. Check your travel route and the centre's opening time, and prepare your bag with ID, confirmation, calculator, and stationery. Protect sleep: shift bedtime earlier over these three nights rather than relying on a late-night cram.
Do a light review of high-value topics and the instructions for each section, then stop by early evening. Lay out clothes, ID, confirmation, calculator, spare batteries if your model uses them, stationery, water, and snack by the door. Reconfirm the reporting time and address, and check transport for planned engineering works or strikes. Set two alarms and aim for a full night's sleep. Eat a normal meal rather than a heavy or unfamiliar one.
Eat a normal breakfast and avoid excess caffeine if you are prone to anxiety. Leave earlier than the journey planner suggests. At the centre, follow staff instructions, keep your phone off and stored, and complete any ID check calmly. Once seated, check your calculator works and is in the permitted mode, read the instructions page, and note the section timings. If something is wrong with your equipment or workstation, raise it with an invigilator before the test starts.
Read the instructions for each section before starting and note how many minutes you have per question. Answer the questions you can do quickly first and flag the rest, then return to them. Watch the clock at fixed checkpoints, for example every quarter of the section, rather than constantly. If a question stalls you, make a reasoned choice, mark it, and move on. Leave time to transfer or check answers if the format requires it. If you feel panicking, pause, breathe slowly for a few seconds, and restart with an easy question.
Note which topics felt weak while the memory is fresh, in case you need to resit. Keep your ID and any candidate paperwork until results are confirmed. Check the provider's published results date and how results are released, and confirm with the provider if you have not heard by then.
Rules to check
Bring the original photo ID the provider requires, with the name matching your registration. If the names differ or you have no acceptable ID, contact the provider before test day; centre staff generally cannot waive the ID rule on the day.
Follow all instructions from invigilators. Do not talk, pass items, or look at another candidate's work once the test has started. Raise your hand if you need an invigilator.
Switch off phones, smart watches, and other devices and store them where instructed. Do not keep any device on your person during the test unless the provider explicitly permits it.
Use only permitted equipment and materials. Do not bring notes, unauthorised calculators, or rough paper into the test room unless the provider supplies or allows them. Confirm the calculator policy with the provider.
Confirm the break policy with the provider before test day. If breaks are scheduled, leave and return promptly and do not take materials out of the room. If the test is continuous, plan hydration and toilet visits around the format.
Scoring and question weighting are set by the provider. Confirm the marking scheme, whether wrong answers are penalised, and how results are reported; do not assume a penalty or a pass mark that the provider has not published.
If you are ill or cannot attend, contact the provider as soon as possible and ask about its policy on illness, withdrawal, and rescheduling. Do not attend if the provider's rules require you to stay away when unwell.
Report any problem during the test, such as a faulty workstation, disruptive noise, or a timing error, to an invigilator immediately and note the time, so the provider can consider it afterwards.