9.3 Day-of Checklist

Rest, Timing, and the Thirty-Minute Block

Official Top Tip #2 tells you to complete the assessment when you are well rested, comfortable, and free of distractions, with your phone off. Top Tip #4 adds the logistics gate: do not access your unique JOA link until you are ready to complete the assessment in full, with about 30 minutes free. Day-of preparation is where those tips become a concrete checklist rather than abstract advice.

Sleep and body state

• Prioritise a normal night’s sleep; all-nighters destroy working memory and pattern spotting.
• Avoid scheduling the JOA immediately after a long physical shift or a heavy exam day if you can choose.
• Eat a light, familiar meal beforehand; do not experiment with new energy drinks mid-session.
• Use the bathroom, set water nearby, and settle temperature/lighting before the link is opened.

Cognitive speed on mixed numerical–verbal–abstract items is highly state-dependent. A brilliant but exhausted sit under-reads your natural ability the same way a noisy room does.

Build a 30-minute calendar fortress

You need enough continuous time for:

1. Final technical checks and instruction reading
2. Up to 10 minutes of practice with five cognitive ability examples
3. The 20-minute / 51-question scored assessment
4. A small buffer for loading screens

That is why "I only have fifteen minutes between classes" is not ready. Block at least half an hour where nobody expects a reply. Tell housemates or family the door stays closed. If your only free slot is chaotic, reschedule the sit — you still have process options before opening the link, and you have only three lifetime attempts with six months between them, so do not waste a calm-performance window.

Morning-of vs evening-of choice

Pick the time of day when you are sharpest. Some candidates think clearly early; others peak mid-afternoon. Do not copy a friend’s schedule. What matters is your rest and a quiet slot, not a mythical "best ADF hour."

Device, Browser, and Room Setup

Device and browser checklist (complete before the link)

If you lack a suitable device, do not improvise on a phone. Arrange the JOA at the nearest ADF Careers Centre by calling 13 19 01 during published support hours rather than burning a bad technical sit.

Quiet room protocol

• Door closed; "do not disturb" communicated
• TV/music off in adjacent spaces if you control them
• Notifications silenced on the computer
• Phone off or in another room (Top Tip #2) — not face-down on the desk buzzing
• No study notes walls, second laptops with solvers, or "just in case" helpers nearby (Top Tip #3)

Glasses and vision aids

Abstract figures, matrices, and multi-line verbal stems punish blurry vision. If you wear glasses or contacts, put them on before the unique link opens. Have a spare pair in reach if you own one. Screen zoom as a last resort can distort layouts; correct prescription is better than constant pinch-zoom improvisation on a computer you should not be using as if it were a phone anyway.

Unique Link Discipline and What Not to Do

Do not open the link early

The unique emailed link is a session access path, not a brochure. Opening it "just to look" risks starting a pathway you cannot casually pause when a delivery arrives or a meeting runs over. Unsupported devices or browser issues can also cause the link to fail, forcing you to seek a new link from Defence Force Recruiting before you can complete the JOA. Curiosity clicks are expensive.

Ready-to-click gate — all must be true:

1. ~30 uninterrupted minutes available now
2. Supported laptop/desktop and approved browser
3. Pop-ups allowed; power and internet stable
4. Quiet room; phone off; solo workspace
5. You are rested enough to display natural ability
6. You understand the flow: instructions → practice examples → scored 51 / 20
7. You will not click outside the browser once started (doing so may cause errors)

Only then open the email link.

Phone: off means off

"Phone on silent but nearby for the time" still tempts mid-item glances and outside-help channels. Physical separation beats willpower. If you use the phone as a hotspot, prefer a different stable network if possible; if the hotspot is unavoidable, enable it first, confirm stability, then place the phone where you cannot read messages during items.

No outside help on the day

Day-of is when well-meaning people hover. Pre-brief them: you must answer independently. If someone knocks, do not hand them the abstract item. Flag, breathe, continue. Remember online sits may later require supervised verification at a Careers Centre — your day-of behaviour should match what you could repeat under supervision.

ID and process documents

Have access to whatever identification and application details Defence Force Recruiting has asked you to keep available for the wider process. The JOA itself is an online cognitive session via unique link (or Careers Centre delivery), but day-of calm includes knowing where your application emails and candidate details live if support needs to verify who you are when you call. Keep the support number visible on paper: 13 19 01.

Support number: when to use 13 19 01

Call 13 19 01 before you open the unique link if:

• You have no suitable laptop/desktop and need a Careers Centre booking
• Your link appears missing, broken, or you need process guidance on access
• You are unsure about timing relative to application steps and need official clarification

Do not wait until mid-scored-assessment panic to discover you are on an unsupported tablet. Resolve access first. Support hours are published by Defence Force Recruiting (commonly weekdays and Saturday windows in AEST); call within those hours for process help rather than inventing workarounds.

Final ten-minute pre-flight

Ten minutes before click:

1. Re-check charger, browser, pop-ups, internet
2. Glasses on; water ready; bathroom done
3. Phone off and removed
4. Household reminder: thirty minutes quiet
5. Mentally rehearse: read instructions carefully; use practice examples to settle navigation and flagging; on scored items, confident first, flag sticky, watch multi-answer counts; aim for as many accurate attempts as possible knowing full completion is rare
6. Open the link only when the room still matches the checklist

After you finish

When the scored block ends, follow on-screen completion steps. Do not immediately post remembered item content to public forums. Note any technical anomalies factually if you need to contact recruiting support. Your next process artefact will involve the Job Opportunities Report and recruiter conversations — Chapter 10 covers that pathway. Day-of, your job is simpler: arrive rested, set the machine and room correctly, stay solo, and execute the mixed reasoning you trained.

One-page day-of checklist (print or copy)

• Well rested; not rushed or exhausted
• ~30 free uninterrupted minutes blocked
• Laptop/desktop ready; not phone/tablet
• Chrome, Edge, Firefox, or Safari; pop-ups allowed
• Stable internet; charger in; brightness OK
• Glasses/contacts if needed
• Quiet room; household informed
• Phone off / other room; no helper screens
• Will not click outside browser once started
• Unique link still unopened until all above true
• Support number noted: 13 19 01
• Mindset: practice examples first, then 51 in 20; flag/return; multi-answer care; independent answers

Bottom line for Section 9.3

Day-of JOA performance is the product of state + setup + integrity + pacing habits. Rest, a supported device and browser, a quiet solo room, phone off, glasses ready, thirty free minutes, and a unique link opened only when fully ready prevent avoidable disasters. Keep 13 19 01 for pre-start access help. Then let the mixed numerical, verbal, and abstract skills from your integrated prep show under the real clock.