CFA® Exam Day, What to Expect and How to Prepare

This page is split into two clearly separated parts: FinQuiz Editorial Additions and the Original Guest Post (Text Unchanged). Packing for the day? See the companion post, the CFA Exam Day Emergency Preparedness Kit.

Read the Original Guest Post Level I Resources FAQ
On this page FinQuiz Editorial Additions (2026 update) Recommended Level I resources Original Guest Post (Text Unchanged) FAQ

Disclosure

  • The guest author does not endorse FinQuiz products.
  • FinQuiz editorial additions are separate from the original guest post.
  • The author’s words are preserved exactly as written, with no links added into the guest text.

FinQuiz Editorial Additions (2026 Update)

This section is written by FinQuiz editors. The guest post below was written in May 2013 for the paper-based June exam (“a successful June 1st”). It is the how-the-day-feels companion to our restored exam-day kit post—that one covers what to bring; this one covers what happens. Here is the day, retranslated for the computer-based exam.

What survives untouched: rehearse your route, eat a sensible breakfast, keep your normal coffee, don’t cram new material at the break—and above all, never second-guess your first-session answers. That last line may be the most valuable between-sessions advice ever written for this exam, and it applies to the modern break exactly as it did to the old lunch hour.

The 2013 day vs. the 2026 day

  • No more June 1st: the exam runs in multiple windows per year at Prometric test centers, at an appointment time you choose—in 2026 the remaining Level I windows are August 18 and November 11.
  • No admission ticket: there is nothing to print. The passport ritual he describes survives in stricter form—your passport must be valid and its name must exactly match your CFA Institute account.
  • Check-in is individual now: arrive about 30 minutes before your appointment for passport verification, security screening, and a locker for personal items. You’re typically seated within 30 minutes of your appointment, and your exam clock doesn’t start until you’re seated and launched—the mass file-in and read-aloud instructions are gone.
  • “Lunch” became a break: Level I is two 135-minute sessions with an optional roughly half-hour break between them. Food stays in your locker—no eating in the testing room—so pack a locker snack. His advice about not discussing the exam got stronger too: exam confidentiality is part of the Candidate Agreement, so networking is great, question talk is not.
  • The restroom rule aged perfectly: you may still go during the exam—raise your hand for a proctor—and the clock still keeps running while you’re away, exactly as he warns.
  • Earplugs—solved for you: test centers provide noise-reducing headsets, so the lawn-mower horror stories are retired along with the paper exam.
  • His CFA Institute links: the pages he linked (“linked here”) belonged to the paper era and no longer exist at those addresses. His underlying advice stands, though—CFA Institute is always the last word—so check the current exam-day preparation and personal-belongings policy pages on cfainstitute.org before your window.

Recommended Level I resources (FinQuiz)

Only Level I resources are promoted in the editorial areas of this page.

  • Free Full-Length Mock Exam — rehearse the two-session day itself: one complete 180-question mock (two 90-question sessions) free with any account.
  • Level I Formula Sheet — the modern version of his lunchtime flash cards, for the final weeks rather than the break.
  • Level I Summary (Primary) — high-yield review for the “couple of weeks to the exam” this post is set in.
  • Level I Question Bank — timed practice to make exam pacing automatic. An optional extra alongside the official practice included with your CFA Institute registration.
  • Level I Notes — LOS-aligned reference for anything final review exposes.
  • Level I Full Course Playlist — free video-led coverage with guided pacing.
Practical pairing: Take the free mock as a full dress rehearsal—two timed sessions with a half-hour break between them, and practice not reviewing session one during the break. The discipline is trainable.

Original Guest Post (Text Unchanged)

Disclosure: The guest author does not endorse FinQuiz products. The content below is displayed with no edits, no paraphrasing, and no reordering. No links have been added into the author’s text; the CFA Institute pages it references (“linked here”) belonged to the paper-exam era and those links no longer resolve. Originally published May 10, 2013—see the editorial update above for today’s exam day.

Unfortunately, more than a few candidates have failed an exam not because they didn’t know the curriculum but because of a test day hurdle.

You’ll hear stories every year of the candidate that is refused admission because they don’t have the proper identification, arrived late or don’t have their admission ticket. On top of these problems, you also run the risk of being so distracted from test day jitters that you can’t focus on the exam.

Knowing how to prepare for exam day and what to expect can go a long way to having a successful June 1st.

Unless the testing center is within walking distance, don’t assume that you can get their without any planning. If you can, try to drive the route a few days before test day. You may be surprised to see detour signs or that construction will start over the weekend. Google maps or other GPS services are good but not infallible and they aren’t going to refund your hard work if you get lost and miss the exam.

Play it safe on the food. That big meal the night before might just keep you up all night with indigestion. Eat a good breakfast but nothing heavy on grease or sugar. If you drink coffee, have a cup to avoid caffeine withdrawal. You are allowed to use the restroom during the exam but it comes out of your allotted time.

Don’t forget to print out your admission ticket (available by clicking here). In fact, open a new internet window and do it now. Put it in a safe place and do not write on it. After you’ve done that, look for your passport. Go ahead, I’ll wait……

Ok, visually check to make sure your passport does not expire through the test day then put is with your admission ticket.

Some candidates bring ear plugs for the test. I never had a problem with noise distractions but it is a good idea just in case. I have heard horror stories of open windows and lawn mowers distracting candidates. If you are at all distracted by small noises, bring ear plugs.

On test day, you’ll all arrive and wait outside the exam room. There will be a table of exam admin to check people in. Just before the exam begins, you’ll all file into the room showing your admission ticket and identification. You’ll be given your seat assignment and put your materials in front of you on the table. Test procters will also check your calculator and any materials you have with you. There is usually a separate area outside the exam room to leave your personal items not allowed in test room but I’d recommend leaving your stuff in the car if you can.

The proctor will read off the test instructions just before the exam. From this point forward do not talked to anyone or look around for any reason. I know it may seem rude but you really cannot risk being flagged as a cheater. It does happen.

I wouldn’t get too anxious about what to do or not to do over lunch. Don’t be afraid to talk to other candidates, these are the best peers and connections you’ll have over your career. Obviously, don’t talk about the test or any specific questions but just use the opportunity to get to know people and what they do.

Just eat as you normally would for lunch. Stay as close to the test site as possible and don’t get in a rush.

Above all, do not second guess any answers you worked on in the morning session! It’s over, don’t worry about it. If you prepared, you did fine. Worrying about the morning session will only lose you points in the afternoon.

I usually studied flash cards for about 20 minutes during lunch. It helped refresh some of the more detailed formulas, but at this point don’t worry too much about learning new material.

The CFA Institute is always the last word on exam day do’s and don’ts. Linked here is the Main Exam Page, where you will find links to print your exam ticket and other useful information. Linked here is the main page for policies on identification, calculators, materials, personal belongings and the candidate pledge. Lastly, the link here is to the Institute’s FAQ page for the exams.

We’ve still got a couple of weeks to the exam. We’ll spend them reviewing and talking about how to squeeze out those last points. Stick with it and get your study time in and you’ll go into the exam confident and ready to pass.

‘til next week, happy studyin’

Written by Joseph Hogue, CFA

Related Blog Posts

FAQ (Global candidates)

Does CFA exam day still have a lunch break between sessions?

Not a lunch break—an optional break of roughly half an hour between the two exam sessions (Level I runs two 135-minute sessions). Food and drink stay out of the testing room, so your snack waits in your locker, which you can access during the scheduled break. The post’s single best piece of break advice transfers perfectly: do not second-guess your first-session answers—it’s over, and worrying about it only costs you points in session two.

Is there still an admission ticket to print?

No. The computer-based exam has no admission ticket—the passport-check ritual this post describes now happens against your CFA Institute account details instead, and the name match must be exact. Your required items are a valid international passport and an approved calculator; keeping your Prometric appointment confirmation number handy is sensible but not required. For the full current packing list, see our restored companion post, the CFA Exam Day Emergency Preparedness Kit.

Can I use the restroom during the exam, and does it cost me time?

Yes and yes—this is one detail that has not changed since 2013. You raise your hand for a proctor and may leave for the restroom, but the exam clock keeps running while you are away. Manage fluids sensibly (the post’s caffeine advice stands), and note that at most centers you may now keep a clear, label-free water bottle at your desk after inspection.

What does check-in look like at a Prometric test center?

More individual and more secure than the mass file-in this post describes. Arrive about 30 minutes before your scheduled appointment; you’ll present your passport for verification (possibly scanned, with electronic fingerprinting at some centers), pass a security screening, store personal items in a locker, and be seated at your assigned computer—typically within 30 minutes of your appointment time, and your exam clock doesn’t start until you’re seated and launched. The old advice to stay silent once instructions begin still applies: exam confidentiality is part of the Candidate Agreement.