Everything you need to know about what to expect at Prometric, from arrival to walking out the door.
The week before your exam is about finalizing your preparation and reducing stress, not cramming. If you're using Meridian CPA Academy, focus your final sessions on flagged questions and weak-area drills.
Trust your preparation. Last-minute cramming does more harm than good.
Pro tip: Leave valuables in your car, not the Prometric locker. Lockers are small and you can't access them during the exam.
Arrive early to allow time for check-in. Late arrivals may forfeit their exam.
Present IDs, store belongings in locker, palm vein scan, photo taken.
Prometric staff escorts you. You'll receive scratch paper and calculator.
Optional intro tutorial and pre-exam survey. Use this time to settle in.
The actual exam. You control when to start after the tutorial.
Brief survey after exam. Your score is NOT shown immediately.
You'll need a valid government-issued photo ID with your signature (driver's license or passport). The name must exactly match your NTS - even middle names matter.
Prometric uses palm vein scanning technology. You'll scan your palm each time you leave and return to the testing room (including breaks).
Everything except your IDs goes in a small locker. This includes your phone, watch, wallet, and any other items. You'll keep the locker key with you.
Staff will ask you to turn out your pockets and may check glasses frames. This happens every time you enter the testing room.
Your photo is taken and you'll sign digitally. This is used to verify your identity if you leave for breaks.
An on-screen calculator is available. It's a basic calculator, similar to the Windows calculator. Practice with the AICPA sample tests to get comfortable with it.
You'll receive two double-sided noteboards (laminated paper) with markers. You can request more if needed by raising your hand.
You can flag questions for review within a testlet. Once you submit a testlet, you cannot go back to it.
TBS questions include Excel-like spreadsheets. You can sort and filter data, but functionality is limited compared to actual Excel.
Important: Take the AICPA sample tests at aicpa.org to familiarize yourself with the exact interface before exam day.
You get one official 15-minute break that doesn't count against your exam time. This occurs after the first set of TBS questions.
You'll complete a brief survey. You will NOT see your score - scores are released by NASBA according to the score release calendar. Collect your belongings and head out.
Resist the urge to look up answers when you get home. It won't change anything and will only increase anxiety. What's done is done.
Regardless of outcome, you just completed a 4-hour professional exam. Do something nice for yourself - you earned it.
Scores for all sections (core and discipline) are released on specific dates published by NASBA, typically within 2-3 weeks of sitting. Check the score release calendar for specific dates. And if the result isn't what you hoped for, our retake recovery guide will help you regroup and come back stronger.
Get notified when scores are released so you're not constantly refreshing.
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