You’ve studied for months. With your upcoming CPA exam day, how you handle the exam day at Prometric matters almost as much as how well you know the material.
Miss a single detail, the wrong ID, a forgotten NTS, arriving five minutes late, and you can forfeit the entire exam fee for that section, no exceptions. Here’s our straightforward, no-nonsense CPA exam day checklist to help you focus on your big day.
Quick summary
- Bring your printed NTS and two forms of ID, the name on all three must match exactly, with a few specific allowed exceptions
- Arrive 30 minutes early, check-in involves a digital photo, fingerprint scan, and a metal detector inspection
- You get one standardized 15-minute break that doesn’t count against your testing time, plus optional breaks between testlets that do
- Scratch paper, pencils, and a calculator are provided, you can’t bring your own, and personal items go in a locker
- If something goes wrong (technical issue, disruption), report it immediately and follow up with NASBA Candidate Care within 5 days
What to bring to the CPA exam
You need exactly two things, and missing either one means you forfeit your exam fee for that section with no refund.
- Your Notice to Schedule (NTS). Print it, don’t rely on a digital copy. Your NTS contains the Launch Code you’ll enter to start your exam, and the exact name that must match your identification.
- Two forms of identification, one of which must include your photo. From NASBA’s official list:
- Primary ID (must have photo and signature): valid driver’s license, state ID card, government-issued passport, or US military ID
- Secondary ID (must have signature, doesn’t need a photo): a second item from the primary list, an accountancy board-issued ID, or a valid credit card, debit card, or ATM card
Not accepted, even though people assume they will be: Social Security cards, student IDs, and green cards.
The name-matching rule that trips people up
The name on your application, your NTS, and your ID must match exactly, or you will not be admitted, full stop. NASBA does allow a few specific exceptions, worth knowing so you don’t panic unnecessarily:
- A middle initial can substitute for a full middle name, or vice versa (Michael A. Smith vs. Michael Albert Smith)
- A missing middle name entirely is fine
- Inclusion or exclusion of a second last name is acceptable (Jose L Martinez-Ramirez vs. Jose L Martinez)
- Suffixes like Jr. or Sr. can be present or absent
- Truncated names on a driver’s license are fine, as long as the signature ID matches your NTS exactly
If your name doesn’t fit one of these exceptions and doesn’t match, contact your Board of Accountancy or CPAES immediately, don’t wait until exam day to find out.
What happens at check-in
Arrive at least 30 minutes before your scheduled appointment. This isn’t a suggestion, arriving after your scheduled start time can mean forfeiting your appointment and fees entirely. Here’s the actual sequence:
- Present your printed NTS and two forms of ID
- Your ID is scanned and swiped, and a digital photo of your face is taken, this is mandatory to test
- A biometric fingerprint scan is captured, you’ll also be fingerprinted before and after every break
- You’ll pass through a hand-held metal detector, and be asked to turn out your pockets, pull back your sleeves and pant legs, and remove your eyeglasses for close inspection
- Personal items (phone, bag, wallet) go into a small locker, keep your key, you’ll need it to retrieve your things afterward
- You’re given scratch paper (noteboards), a pencil, and a hand-held calculator, all provided, none of which you bring yourself
- You’re escorted to your workstation and your exam is launched
If your appointment is delayed more than 30 minutes for reasons other than your own error, including an unresolved technical issue, you can choose to keep waiting or request to reschedule without penalty.
What you can’t bring in
The prohibited items list is long, but the pattern is simple: nothing that isn’t provided by the test center.
That includes your own calculator, phone, watch, food or drink, notes or paper of any kind, bags, and jewelry beyond a wedding or engagement ring.
The one specific allowance: soft foam earplugs with no strings, which staff will inspect before you’re allowed to use them.
Managing your time during the exam
Each section is genuinely 4 hours of testing time. Your appointment slot will show testing time plus 30 minutes, that extra 30 minutes covers login, the closing survey, and your standardized break, it is not additional testing time.
Once you enter your Launch Code, you have 5 minutes to read and click through the introductory screens before the exam automatically terminates, with no way to restart it and a score of 0 recorded. Move through them promptly.
For the testlets themselves:
- MCQs: Don’t sink more than 75 seconds into any single question. Flag it and move on, you can return to flagged questions before submitting the testlet.
- SIMs: Some take 15-20 minutes. If you’re not sure where to start, scan the exhibits first and tackle the most familiar-looking one.
- Buffer time: Aim to finish each testlet with 5-10 minutes to spare for review.
Breaks: know which ones cost you time
You’re offered one standardized 15-minute break, roughly midway through the section, after the first task-based simulation testlet. This one does not count against your testing time. You can also take an optional break at the end of any other testlet, but those do count against your testing time, so treat them as a deliberate trade-off, not a default.
Whichever break you take, you’ll be fingerprinted again before leaving and again before re-entering. Leave the testing room only through the proper break process, walking out any other way means you won’t be allowed back in, and it gets reported to your Board of Accountancy.
If something goes wrong
Report any technical or environmental issue to test center staff immediately, don’t wait until after the exam. If the circumstances genuinely affected your ability to perform, file a formal concern with NASBA Candidate Care within 5 days of your exam, this is separate from any comment you leave in the end-of-exam survey, and survey comments alone don’t count as a formal complaint.
After the exam: scores and retakes
Once you finish, you’ll sign a log and be dismissed. Score release timing depends on whether you sat a Core or Discipline section, see our CPA exam dates and score release guide for the current release calendar.
A few specific things worth knowing that aren’t well publicized:
- NASBA doesn’t release scores directly for California, Illinois, or Kentucky. Your state board handles score release for these three, so check with your board directly rather than expecting the standard NASBA portal notification.
- Score appeals aren’t available everywhere. California, DC, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Montana, and Virginia don’t offer an appeal process for failing scores.
- If you fail a section, you can’t re-register for it immediately, it can take up to 5 days after your score releases before the section formally closes out and you’re able to apply again.
Your CPA exam day checklist
The night before:
- Review your cheat sheets and summary notes, don’t cram new content
- Confirm your Prometric appointment and location
- Pack your printed NTS, primary and secondary ID, and set two alarms
The morning of:
- Arrive 30 minutes early, not on the dot
- Bring only your NTS and ID, nothing else you’d need to store in the locker
- Dress in layers, testing centers run unpredictably warm or cold
Frequently asked questions
Your printed Notice to Schedule and two forms of identification, one with a photo (driver’s license, passport, state ID, or military ID) and one with just a signature (a second photo ID, a credit or debit card, or an accountancy board ID).
The name on all three must match exactly, with a few specific allowed exceptions like a middle initial standing in for a middle name.
No. A hand-held calculator is provided at your workstation along with scratch paper and a pencil. Personal calculators, along with phones, watches, and any other electronic device, are prohibited in the testing room.
One standardized 15-minute break, roughly midway through the section, that doesn’t count against your testing time. You can also take optional breaks between other testlets, but those do count against your testing time.
You may be denied entry and forfeit your exam fee for that section entirely, with no refund. Arrive at least 30 minutes before your scheduled time to avoid this.
Report it to test center staff immediately. If it affected your performance, file a formal complaint with NASBA Candidate Care within 5 days of your exam, separate from any comment left in the end-of-exam survey.
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