Palestinian Board Part II exam-day guide
Palestinian Board Part II · Prepare for the day ahead.
Your checklist
Confirm exact venue, date, and reporting time on your admission document
Venue, session time, and gate-closing rules are set by the administering body and can change between sittings. Re-read your admission letter or portal notice the week before and again 24 hours before. If anything is unclear, confirm with the provider rather than relying on what a colleague told you about a previous cycle.
Original, valid photo ID plus a photocopy
Bring the original government-issued photo ID you registered with. Some centres also accept a passport or national ID; which documents are accepted, and whether a photocopy is needed, is decided by the provider, so confirm with the provider and carry a copy as a precaution.
Printed admission permit / hall ticket
Print the permit rather than showing it on a phone, since many centres restrict phone use at the desk. Check that your name, ID number, and specialty match your registration exactly; report discrepancies to the provider before exam day, not at the gate.
Two or three black ballpoint pens and a pencil with eraser
If the paper uses an optical answer sheet, you will need a soft pencil and eraser; if it is a written booklet, you will need dark ink. Carry both so you are not dependent on the centre's supplies. Confirm the permitted stationery list with the provider.
Simple analogue watch
Wall clocks may be out of view and phones are usually banned at the desk. A basic non-smart watch lets you pace yourself. Smart watches and any device with communication or storage capability are commonly confiscated, so leave them at home.
Leave phones and smart devices at home or with a companion
Most centres require phones to be switched off and stored outside the hall, and possession at the desk can trigger a misconduct finding even if the device is off. Assume there is no safe place to store valuables at the venue.
Transparent bag with water and a light snack for after the exam
Snacks are usually not allowed at the desk, but a long exam plus travel makes hydration and a post-exam snack useful. Check whether the centre permits water bottles in the hall; rules vary, so confirm with the provider.
Plan the route and a backup transport option
Do a dry run or map the route in advance and add a 30-45 minute buffer for traffic, security checks, and finding the correct building. Aim to arrive well before the reporting time, since late entry is often refused once the paper has started.
Know your candidate number and specialty code by heart
You will write these on the answer sheet repeatedly. Copying them wrongly can invalidate a script, so memorise them and double-check the first page before the clock starts.
Review only your own condensed summary sheets the night before
Do not start new topics or attempt unfamiliar mock questions in the last 24 hours. Re-read your own one-page summaries of high-yield lists, normal values, and common pitfalls so you consolidate rather than panic.
Plan the day
Stop expanding your scope. Spend the time on your own summary notes, high-yield tables, and previously missed questions. Confirm the venue address, reporting time, and permitted items with the provider if anything is ambiguous. Prepare the documents and stationery in one envelope or folder so nothing is decided on the morning.
Do one timed run-through of a mixed set of questions to rehearse pacing, then review only the explanations for items you got wrong. Check travel arrangements and, if you are staying overnight, confirm the booking and the distance to the venue. Avoid heavy new material and avoid comparing preparation with colleagues, which mostly raises anxiety.
Lay out ID, permit, pens, pencil, eraser, watch, and clothing for the next day. Re-read the admission document once. Eat a normal meal, avoid late caffeine, and go to bed at your usual time rather than much earlier. Do not attempt a full mock exam today.
Eat a normal breakfast, arrive at the venue with a large buffer, and locate the hall and the washrooms before the gates open. Keep conversation with other candidates light; last-minute fact-swapping tends to create doubt. Switch off and hand over your phone before entering the hall.
Fill in your name, candidate number, and specialty code exactly as on your permit, and check the page count and printed instructions. Ask the invigilator immediately about any defect in the booklet or answer sheet, before you write anything else.
Work in passes: answer the straightforward questions first, mark uncertain ones, and return to them. Allocate roughly one minute per question as a baseline and adjust to the actual item count. Transfer answers to the answer sheet as you go, or in blocks, so a late rush cannot cost you completed questions. Leave the final ten minutes to verify numbering alignment and that no question is blank.
Write down which topics felt weak while memory is fresh, but do not attempt to reconstruct questions to share; discussing live exam content can breach confidentiality rules. Rest before starting any resit planning.
Rules to check
Bring the original photo ID you registered with and the printed admission permit; entry is normally refused without them, and the exact accepted documents are set by the administering body, so confirm with the provider.
Arrive before the reporting time. Centres commonly refuse entry once the paper has started, and extra time is not granted for lateness or for transport problems.
Phones, smart watches, and any storage or communication devices must be switched off and kept outside the hall. Possession at the desk can lead to disqualification even if the device is unused.
Do not communicate with other candidates once the paper is distributed, and do not look at another candidate's script. Invigilators may annul a script for talking, passing materials, or attempting to see another answer sheet.
Follow the invigilator's instructions on breaks. Toilet breaks are usually escorted and may not extend your time; check the rules for your centre with the provider before exam day.
Write only in the permitted stationery and only inside the designated answer areas. Answers in the margins or on rough paper are normally not marked, so keep rough work clearly separated and labelled.
Do not remove the question booklet, answer sheet, or any notes from the hall unless the instructions explicitly allow it. Exam content is confidential and sharing it afterwards can be treated as misconduct.
Scoring and pass marks are set by the provider and may vary by sitting and specialty. Do not assume a fixed percentage from previous cycles; confirm the current scoring and pass criteria with the provider.
If you believe there was a disturbance, a defective paper, or a procedural error, report it to the invigilator at the time and follow the provider's formal complaint or appeal route afterwards.