13.2 Exam Week Prometric and Passport Checklist
Key Takeaways
- CFA Level I is in-person, proctored, computer-based testing through Prometric and some British Council locations.
- A valid international travel passport is required to register for and sit for the CFA exam.
- Exam-week readiness includes appointment confirmation, route planning, permitted items, calculator controls, and personal-belongings rules.
- Rescheduling within the exam window is subject to availability, deadlines, and a USD 250 fee.
Prometric and passport control
CFA Level I is delivered as in-person, proctored, computer-based testing through Prometric and some British Council locations. The exam is not a remote test. Your final week should include the same operational care you would give a client meeting, trading deadline, or board presentation.
The identification rule is central. CFA Institute requires a valid international travel passport to register for and sit for the exam. The passport should be original, current, and aligned with the name in your CFA Institute account. A strong study plan can still fail at check-in if identity control is weak.
| Check | Candidate action | Risk controlled |
|---|---|---|
| Passport | Confirm validity, name match, and physical condition. | Admission failure. |
| Appointment | Confirm date, time, location, and Prometric email. | Wrong center or time. |
| Route | Test commute at the same time of day if possible. | Late arrival. |
| Permitted items | Review CFA and test-center policies. | Personal-belongings issues. |
Seven days before
Confirm the test center and appointment in your CFA Institute and Prometric records. Save the appointment details in more than one place. Review the admission, appointment, identification, calculator, and personal-belongings policies from CFA Institute.
If you need to reschedule your appointment within the same exam window, CFA Institute says the request must be made by the published deadline, is subject to availability, and carries a non-refundable USD 250 fee plus any applicable taxes. That is a scheduling tool, not a new study window.
Inspect the calculator allowed under CFA Program policy. Check batteries, reset comfort, decimal settings, and keystrokes. Do a short set using the exact calculator you will bring. Exam week is too late to discover that a setting changes every bond, TVM, or cash-flow answer.
Forty-eight hours before
Pack only what the policies allow. Separate study materials from test-day materials so you do not accidentally carry prohibited items. Decide where your phone, wallet, watch, notes, and other belongings will go under test-center rules.
Run one final route plan. Check traffic, transit, parking, building entry, weather, and backup transport. If your appointment is early, adjust sleep before the night immediately preceding the exam. A plan made at midnight is usually a weak plan.
| Time | Action |
|---|---|
| 48 hours | Confirm route, appointment, passport, calculator, and permitted items. |
| 24 hours | Stop heavy new learning and review compact notes. |
| Exam morning | Eat normally, leave early, bring required identification, and follow staff instructions. |
Exam morning
Arrive early enough to absorb ordinary delays. Once inside the center, follow proctor instructions closely. The test-center environment is part of the exam experience, so save mental energy by complying with procedures instead of improvising.
Your pacing plan should already be rehearsed. Each session has 90 questions in 135 minutes, which implies about 90 seconds per question. Move through clear questions first, mark difficult items, and return with remaining time. One stubborn item should not absorb the time for several answerable items.
Prometric disruption plan
If Prometric changes or cancels an appointment, use official communications and CFA Institute guidance. Do not rely on rumors or informal screenshots. Keep records of notices, dates, and contacts. If an event may qualify for a deferral, follow the CFA Institute deferral policy and deadlines.
The main exam-week principle is simple: remove avoidable uncertainty. Know the passport, know the route, know the rules, know the calculator, and know the pace. Then spend your remaining attention on reading stems and choosing the best supported answer.
A Level I candidate discovers exam week that the passport name differs from the CFA Institute account name. Which response is most appropriate?
A candidate wants to change the exam appointment within the same exam window. The candidate should expect:
Which exam-week checklist item is most directly tied to admission at the test center?