ICLTE exam-day guide
ICLTE · Prepare for the day ahead.
Your checklist
Registration confirmation / admission ticket
Print or download your ticket as soon as it is issued and check the report time, venue address, and seat or candidate number. Some centres insist on a printed hard copy while others accept a digital version, so confirm the format with your test provider before the day rather than assuming.
Original photo ID matching your registered name exactly
Bring the original document, not a photocopy or a photo on your phone. Confirm with the provider which document types are accepted and whether your name must match character for character, including whether a Chinese-character name and its pinyin transliteration are both acceptable.
Two writing instruments you have already tested
If the answer sheet is machine scored, confirm the required pencil grade; if the constructed-response or teaching-design section requires ink, bring a black pen plus a spare. Test both at home so you are not discovering a dry pen in the exam room.
Eraser, sharpener, and a clear pencil case
Keep them in a transparent pouch. Some venues require all items to be visible on the desk, and opaque pencil cases are sometimes asked to be put away.
Written confirmation of the test format and section timings
Know in advance whether you are sitting a paper-based or computer-delivered test, how many sections there are, the time allowed for each, and whether any listening component is played once only. Write the section order and minute allocations on your review sheet so you do not have to work them out on the day.
Water in a clear bottle and a light snack
Confirm with the provider whether drinks are allowed at the desk and whether there is a supervised break. If breaks are not scheduled, eat something sustaining beforehand rather than relying on a snack during the test.
A plain analogue watch
Useful if the room clock is not visible from your seat. Smartwatches and any device with communication or storage capability are normally prohibited, so leave them at home or in the designated storage area.
Route plan and a 45-60 minute arrival buffer
Rehearse the journey at the same time of day if you can, and identify a backup route. Registration and ID checks close at a stated time, and centres commonly refuse entry after that cutoff, so treat the report time as the latest acceptable arrival, not the target.
A one-page terminology sheet for the waiting area only
Limit it to high-frequency items you keep confusing: grammatical terms in both Chinese and English, tone and pinyin conventions, common classroom instruction phrases, and the headings of a lesson plan. Read it in the queue, then put it away before you enter the room.
Anything the provider requires for computer delivery
If your test is computer delivered, confirm whether you need login credentials, a candidate number, or a photo taken on site, and whether a keyboard or handwriting input is used for the extended-response section.
Leave prohibited items behind
Notes, textbooks, dictionaries, phones, smartwatches, and earbuds should stay at home unless the provider has explicitly said otherwise. Storage may be limited or unavailable, so do not depend on being able to leave a bag at the venue.
Plan the day
Lock down logistics: print the ticket, verify that your ID name matches the registration exactly, and re-read the official candidate handbook for format, section timing, permitted items, and the late-arrival rule. Send one email to the provider if anything is ambiguous rather than guessing. From this point, stop learning new content; work only from your own error log, and do one timed run-through of a single section to check your pacing.
Shift your sleep schedule so that you are awake and alert at the actual report time. Prepare the teaching-design and case-analysis frameworks you will write from memory (for example: learner profile, objectives, key language points, staging, activity types, assessment, anticipated difficulties), and practise reproducing them in under five minutes so that you spend exam time on content, not on structure.
Pack the bag completely: ID, ticket, pens and pencils, eraser, clear pouch, water, watch, and your one-page terminology sheet. Lay out clothes, charge nothing you cannot bring in, and check the transport timetable including any weekend or public-holiday variation. Do a light review of your error log only; do not attempt a full mock paper. Eat normally and go to bed at a reasonable hour.
Eat a proper breakfast and avoid excessive caffeine if you are already anxious. Arrive at the venue with your buffer intact, use the restroom before check-in, and keep conversation with other candidates light, since last-minute comparing of answers raises anxiety without adding knowledge. Before entering the room, read your terminology sheet once, then close it and put it away. Switch off your phone fully, not just to silent, before you go in.
Check that your papers or screen show the correct section, write your candidate number exactly as instructed, and confirm how much time is allowed. If something is wrong (a missing page, an unreadable screen, a broken headset for a listening component), raise your hand and report it immediately; problems reported after the test are much harder to resolve.
Work to a per-question time budget rather than to the clock on the wall. On knowledge items, answer and move on; flag anything that takes more than about a minute and return to it only if time allows. On teaching-design and case-analysis items, spend two minutes outlining before writing, because a structured, partially finished answer usually scores better than an unstructured complete one. Keep the last five minutes for transferring answers and checking that no question has been left blank, unless the provider confirms that wrong answers are penalised.
Write down which sections felt weak while the memory is fresh, and note any incident you may need to report. Do not attempt to reconstruct or share question content with other candidates, and do not rely on recollection-based answer keys circulating online.
Rules to check
Bring original identification that matches your registered name exactly. Centres generally will not admit a candidate whose ID does not match the registration, so confirm the accepted document types and the policy on expired documents with your provider well before the test date.
Phones, smartwatches, and any wearable or earbud with communication or storage capability are normally prohibited in the exam room. Turn devices off rather than silencing them, and follow the invigilator's instructions on where to store them; confirm with the provider if you rely on a medical device.
Do not bring dictionaries, glossaries, notes, or textbooks unless the provider has explicitly listed them as permitted for your test. Where a section tests knowledge of grammar, vocabulary, or culture, the assumption should be that nothing is allowed in.
Breaks are usually only at scheduled points, and the clock typically does not stop for unscheduled absences. Confirm the break policy in advance; if there is no scheduled break, plan hydration and food accordingly rather than expecting to step out mid-section.
Arrive by the stated report time. Candidates arriving after the cutoff are commonly refused entry with no refund or transfer, so treat the report time as a hard deadline and confirm the exact rule with the provider.
Do not communicate with other candidates during the test, do not leave your seat without permission, and raise your hand for any technical or administrative problem. Report faults as they happen, since claims made after the session are difficult to substantiate.
Confirm the marking rules before you sit, in particular whether incorrect answers in any multiple-choice section attract a penalty. If no penalty applies, ensure every question is answered; if one does apply, answer only where you can eliminate options with reason.
Score release timing, the validity period of your result, and any retake or appeal procedure are set by the test provider and can change between sessions. Check the current handbook rather than relying on what previous candidates have told you.