Exam day nerves are hard enough without wondering whether you’ve forgotten something you needed. Here’s exactly what ACCA requires, and what tends to trip candidates up.
ACCA exam day checklist: A quick summary
For a centre-based ACCA exam, bring valid original photo ID, your printed exam attendance docket, and an approved calculator, and arrive around 30 minutes early.Only a clear, unlabelled water bottle is permitted, no food, despite what some other guides claim. Phones, smartwatches, and any unauthorised notes are banned from the exam room entirely.
Remote sittings are now the exception rather than the norm, available only if you have no local exam centre or a qualifying medical condition, and involve a mandatory system test and a different check-in process.
What should I bring to my ACCA exam?
You need three things without exception:
- valid original photo ID (a passport, driving licence, national identity card, or biometric residence permit),
- your printed exam attendance docket,
- and an approved calculator.
Photocopies, expired documents, and digital ID scans on your phone are all rejected, it has to be the original physical document.
Your calculator must be noiseless and cordless. It can be programmable, but it must not have a printout function or any graphic or word display facility, in any language. If you’re not certain your calculator qualifies, check it against ACCA’s rules well before exam day rather than finding out at the door.
Bring a small, clear bottle of water with the label removed, or a clear glass of water. That’s it for food and drink.
You may bring a snack for consumption in between exams, but ACCA’s own exam guidelines state plainly that no other food or drink is permitted in the exam room. Worth knowing before you pack an energy bar that you won’t be allowed to eat.
What can’t I bring into an ACCA exam?
Unauthorised notes, books, electronic devices, smartwatches, cameras, and any communication equipment are all prohibited, and bringing them in can lead to disciplinary action.
Mobile phones aren’t treated as an ordinary item either. If you bring one, you must declare it to an invigilator immediately and store it exactly as instructed, out of arm’s reach for the duration of the exam.
You’re not permitted to bring your own scrap paper into a centre-based exam. Instead, invigilators will hand out 2 sheets on request, along with a pen or pencil, and you can’t take any paper away with you afterwards.
How early should I arrive for my ACCA exam?
Aim to arrive around 30 minutes before your exam starts. That gives you time to go through check-in, settle in, and deal with anything unexpected, a longer queue than you anticipated, or last-minute nerves, without adding time pressure on top of everything else.
If you’re at all unsure how long it’ll take to reach your centre, do a practice run beforehand. Account for rush-hour traffic and the possibility of delays, since exams often start at peak commuting times.
What is the ACCA exam attendance docket?
Your docket and photo ID are used to verify your identity at check-in. The name on your docket has to match both your official ID and myACCA registration exactly. It’s worth double-checking this in advance rather than discovering a mismatch on the day.
The centre supervisor collects your docket during the exam to record your attendance. If you have further exams later in the same session, it’s returned to you.
If it’s your last exam of the session, ACCA keeps it for their records. Your docket also carries the specific exam regulations for your sitting. Read this properly rather than relying on what you remember from a previous exam, since requirements can change between sessions.
What happens at check-in?
You’ll present your photo ID and docket together, and staff will verify your identity against both. If you can’t prove who you are, you won’t be able to sit the exam, and your answer booklet may not be marked even if you’ve already started, so this step matters more than it might seem in the moment.
If you’re under 18, a guardian needs to be present at check-in and show their own ID alongside yours.
What are the rules during the exam?
You can’t leave your desk for any reason unless specifically permitted. The room needs to be quiet, no music, television, or other background noise, and any personal electronic devices need to be well out of reach for the full duration.
What if I’m sitting a remote ACCA exam?
Remote sittings are now the exception rather than the standard route. Since March 2026, ACCA only offers remote invigilation if there’s no exam centre in your country, or if you have a permanent disability or serious medical condition, most candidates now sit in a physical centre. See our ACCA exam dates guide for more on how exam delivery has changed.
If you do qualify for a remote sitting, you’ll need to pass a mandatory system test through Exam Planner before check-in, and check in 30 minutes before your start time, the same window as a centre-based exam.
You’ll need administrator access on your device to close background applications and disable any VPN connection, since exam regulations require this. Unlike a centre-based exam, you’re not permitted to bring your own scrap paper into a remote session at all.
During a remote exam, you’re allowed one bathroom break of up to 5 minutes. You request this through the chat function with your invigilator, and you don’t need to wait for a response before stepping away. The exam clock keeps running throughout, and if you don’t return within 5 minutes, your exam may be terminated.
FAQs
Valid original photo ID, your printed exam attendance docket, and an approved noiseless calculator. You’re also allowed a clear, unlabelled water bottle, but no other food or drink.
No. ACCA’s exam guidelines state that no food is permitted in the exam room, only a clear, unlabelled water bottle or glass of water.
Around 30 minutes before your scheduled start time, enough to get through check-in and settle in without added time pressure.
Contact ACCA as soon as possible before your exam date. You need your docket alongside photo ID to check in, and without proof of identity you won’t be permitted to sit the exam.
Only in limited circumstances since March 2026, if you have no exam centre in your country, or a permanent disability or serious medical condition. Most candidates now sit exams at a physical centre.
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