Arriving at the Exam Site

You cannot just "show up" at the testing center and hope to take the exam; you must schedule it in advance with a Cisco-authorized testing center. The lead time is at least three testing days; the number of calendar days you must wait depends on which days the testing center is open (not all of them are open on weekend days, for instance) and how full the center's schedule already is. Cisco exams can be taken at VUE (Virtual University Enterprises) or Prometric testing centers.

Appointments to take an exam are just that: appointments. You have reserved a time to use the testing center's limited equipment, and the center has allocated that equipment to you for the appropriate time block. The facility might have turned away subsequent requests for that time slot from other people, based on your reservation. If you will be delayed (for any reason, including transportation problems), you should call the center. Depending on how full the schedule is for that day, the center might or might not be able to let you take the exam later.

You should plan to arrive at least 15 minutes before your scheduled exam time. You must go through a certain amount of administrative detail, and you might want to make time for one last bathroom trip just before going in to actually take the testnervousness affects some people that way. Part of the administrative detail is proving you are the person who is scheduled to take the exam. You must provide two forms of identification that show your signature; one must be a photo ID (such as a driver's license, passport, or other official identity document).

You are not to take anything into the testing room with you that might facilitate cheating or provide others with information concerning the test. Scratch paper and a pen or pencil will be provided to you by the testing center (some now provide an erasable marker and a plastic-covered sheet that can be reused). Some testing centers have lockers where you can secure your belongings, but others simply put them in a drawer or on a shelf behind the desk. I do not recommend taking into the test center anything that you think might be stolen, such as a cell phone, PDA, or laptop. Most centers allow you to take a wallet into the testing room, but not a purse or other bag.