OPRA exam day: what to bring and what to expect

Two forms of ID — and they decide whether you get results

You must present two forms of identification, at least one of them a primary ID. This is not a formality: APC states your IDs must meet these requirements in order for you to receive your results.

Every ID must be valid and unexpired, original (not a photocopy and not a digital ID on your phone), in English or NAATI-translated, and must match the name you registered with.

• Primary ID — government-issued, showing your full name, date of birth, a recognisable photograph and your signature: international passport, national identity card with photo, citizenship card with photo, or an Australian/New Zealand driver's licence
• Secondary ID — showing either your name and signature, or your name and a recognisable photo: a debit or credit card, or any second document from the primary list

If your name or ID does not match

APC accepts some variance on the secondary ID only: names in a different order, missing middle names, or an initial in place of a first or middle name. Anything else needs clearing in advance.

If you have a problem with any ID document, email APC at least 3 business days before the exam to request pre-approval — and send only the names shown and the document type in writing. APC asks candidates never to email copies or images of ID documents, for your own security.

If you have no acceptable primary ID issued by the country you are sitting in, use an international travel passport from your country of citizenship.

What you can and cannot bring

The exam is closed-book. The prohibited list catches people out because it is stricter than most exams they have sat — a wristwatch is not allowed, and neither is your own pen.

The calculator rule, and what is already on screen

You may bring your own calculator, scientific or standard, provided it has no internet connection, no text-storage capability, and no camera or video recording.

You may not need it. Pearson provides an on-screen calculator (both scientific and standard) at your desk, along with a whiteboard notebook and an erasable marker — paper and pen are not permitted, so that questions cannot be recorded or copied. Tissues are provided on entry, and earplugs or headphones are available on request.

The exam software also gives you a scratch pad, a highlighter, strikethrough for eliminating options, and an on-screen timer.

Your appointment is longer than the exam

Budget for roughly three hours in the chair, not two and a half. APC's published structure is:

• 5 minutes to read and agree to the non-disclosure agreement, which includes the exam rules
• 10-minute tutorial before the exam starts
• 2.5 hours for the 120 exam questions — about 75 seconds each
• 5 minutes at the end for a survey

There is no scheduled break, and the clock does not stop

The OPRA exam has no scheduled break. You may raise your hand for an unscheduled break to use the bathroom or get water, but the exam clock keeps running, and you will go through admission and security checks again on your way back in.

Water is usually available in the waiting area, but you cannot take water or a bottle into the exam room. Plan your hydration and your meal before you go in — a mid-exam break costs you marks in a paper this tightly timed.

Arriving and admission

Arrive at least 30 minutes before your scheduled time. If you arrive after it, you will not be permitted to start — there is no grace period, and the next opportunity is the next sitting.

Turn your phone off rather than silencing it, and check no alarms are set; you will be asked to show it is off. Everything not permitted goes into a locker.

During admission your photograph is taken, and that photo is used in your Skills Assessment Outcome. Security checks may include showing your ears, rolling up your sleeves, turning out pockets, running your hands around your waist and down your legs, removing glasses for inspection, and a handheld scanner. If you would rather these checks were done in a separate room, tell the supervisor — APC states you can ask.

If something goes wrong mid-exam

Technical interruptions happen. Your answers are saved automatically every three seconds, so an interruption should not cost you your work.

If you hit a problem, raise your hand and wait for the invigilator. If it cannot be fixed on the spot, make sure you are given a case number — APC reviews the case and contacts you within one business day where needed, and that follow-up can include a rebooking option. Report it on the day: without a case number, APC may not be able to investigate afterwards.

What this should change about your preparation

Two of these details are worth acting on weeks before the exam rather than reading the night before.

First, there is an on-screen calculator, and you will likely use it rather than a familiar physical one. Practise calculations the way you will sit them — clicking through a software calculator is slower than the handset you have used for years. Our Calculations Lab is free and needs no account.

Second, 2.5 hours with no scheduled break is a stamina problem as much as a knowledge one. Sit at least one full timed mock end to end, without pausing, before exam day — the first time you discover how you pace 120 questions should not be at a Pearson centre.

Every requirement on this page is APC's, taken from APC's exam day preparation page and last checked on 18 August 2026. Confirm it there before you travel.