What to Bring to GMAT Test Day

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Last Updated on May 12, 2023

Test day is almost here! Hopefully, you’re excited to finally put all of the knowledge and skills you’ve gained during your GMAT preparation to the test. Of course, you may have been so focused on learning GMAT content and techniques that, until now, you haven’t given much thought to the practical matter of what to bring to GMAT exams in order to ensure game day goes smoothly. 

Not to worry. We’ve got a checklist of the items you need to bring with you to the GMAT test center, and the items you’ll want to bring to have your best test experience possible.

• A Note About Your Locker
• What Not to Bring
• What to Bring

• A Face Mask
• A Valid Form of ID
• Your Appointment Confirmation
• Directions to the Test Center
• A Playlist
• A Snack
• An Extra Layer
• Prescription Eyeglasses
• A Few Practice Questions
• A Mental Checklist
• Your “A” Game!

A Note About Your Locker

Although you won’t be able to bring personal items such as a cellphone, purse, wallet, or backpack into the GMAT exam room with you, you will have the option of storing those and other personal items in a locker outside of the exam room that you can access during your breaks. Keep in mind, though, that locker space at test centers is not endless, and there are many items, such as a cellphone or notebook, that you’re not allowed to use during your breaks even if you store them in your locker. So, don’t go crazy packing everything under the sun into the bag you take to the test center. Test day is definitely a time to “travel light”!

Before we go over the items that you should bring to your GMAT, let’s quickly review some items that you definitely should not bring with you to a GMAT test center.

What Not to Bring

First off, let’s reiterate the value of bringing only those items you really need on test day. As you’ll see in this article, there are very few items you’re allowed to bring into the actual exam room with you, so anything else you carry into the test center will have to be stored in your locker. Cellphones, watches, sunglasses, hats, lip balm, tissues, ear plugs, water bottles — the list goes on — none of these items are permitted in the exam room.

Furthermore, as we already mentioned, many items that you technically can store in your locker at the test center, such as pens and pencils, calculators, and books, you are not allowed to actually access during your breaks. So, bring only what you absolutely need, and if you’re driving to the test center, leave as many items as you can in your car.

Importantly, there are some items that are completely prohibited at test centers — not just in the exam room, but anywhere on the premises. Those items include weapons such as firearms (regardless of permit) and knives (including Swiss army knives) and anything that could be used as a weapon. That means that some items that may fall under the category of “school supplies,” such as scissors and box cutters, should be left at home. 

Make sure to empty your pockets and clean out any backpack or purse you’ll be bringing to the test center, so that you don’t inadvertently carry a prohibited item into the building and get denied entry to your GMAT. You would also be wise to review GMAC’s test center rules and the rules for your specific test center before your exam date, so you can plan ahead. 

Now that we know what not to bring to GMAT test centers, let’s take a look at the items you’ll need and want to have with you on test day.

What to Bring

A Face Mask

Right now, a global pandemic is affecting every aspect of our lives, and the GMAT is no exception. In fact, many GMAT test centers are still closed due to COVID-19. However, some test centers have reopened or will be reopening soon, and there are some new safety measures that those locations have in place in order to maintain a hygienic environment for test-takers.

You’ll want to check the guidelines of your test center, because public health measures vary depending on location, but you may be required to wear a face mask for the duration of your GMAT. If a face mask is required, make sure to bring one that you know will be comfortable for you to wear for several hours straight, so it doesn’t become a distraction (or fog up your eyeglasses) during your test.

Hand-sanitizing liquid or wipes should be provided at the test center, but you can always give your test center a call if you’re concerned.

A Valid Form of ID

Consider this your ticket for entry into the GMAT test center. For obvious reasons, GMAT test centers take security pretty seriously, so at the start of the GMAT check-in process, you’ll need to present a valid and acceptable form of identification. Valid forms of ID include an international travel passport, a government-issued driver’s license, a government-issued identity card (national/state/province or European ID card), or a military ID card.

Importantly, the name, date of birth, and country of origin (if applicable) on your identification must exactly match the information you provided to register for the GMAT. If they don’t, you won’t be allowed to take your exam. Additionally, be sure that your name appears on your ID using the Roman alphabet, and that your ID contains your signature and a photograph that is recognizably you. If you don’t have one form of identification that covers all these bases, bring a second ID to fill in any gaps.

Remember to arrive at the test center about 30 minutes before the start of your exam, so you’ll have plenty of time to check in. If you get to the test center even earlier than that, find a seat at a nearby coffee shop where you can pregame with some important notes or a few practice questions (we’ll talk more about that later).

Your Appointment Confirmation

This isn’t required for check-in at the test center, but you may want to print your appointment confirmation email from Pearson VUE, or bring your confirmation letter if you received one in the mail, to show the test administrator in the event that there is some confusion about your test date or time. When you’re headed to the airport, it’s good to have your flight information on hand, even though you don’t need it to board the plane, right?

Directions to the Test Center

This may seem obvious, but you don’t want to have to do any guesswork about where you’re going on test day. If you’re relying on GPS to get to your test center, you may also want to have a printout of directions, just in case technology fails you.

Additionally, it’s a good idea to do a dry run of the trip to the test center before the big day, if possible. There really is something to be said for having some familiarity with your surroundings during your commute, rather than seeing everything for the first time on test day. You may be surprised at how much calmer your nerves are the second time around. Try to take this trip at the same time of day and on the same day of the week you’ll be traveling to your test, so you can get an accurate sense of how traffic might affect your travel time. If your test center is too far or it simply isn’t feasible for you to do a dry run, just make sure to review a map of your route before you get on the road.

A Playlist

You won’t be able to listen to music during your exam (and you probably wouldn’t want to), but making a playlist of some songs to elevate your mood and get your energy up during your commute to the test center is a great way to get pumped for your GMAT. Even if you’re walking to your local test center, grab some headphones and get yourself psyched up. You’ve worked hard to prepare for this day — get ready to crush it!

A Snack

Even marathoners need to refuel during a race. Hopefully, you’ve already started test day with a healthy, energizing breakfast to fuel your brain and body, but you still may want to bring a snack with you to the test center. The last thing you need is a growling stomach halfway through your exam. 

Of course, any snack you bring will have to be left in your locker and eaten during an 8-minute break. A protein bar or a banana is a quick and filling option. You can also store drinks in your locker, so bring a bottle of water and a coffee or energy drink if you need one. Just remember that your 8-minute breaks are also your only bathroom breaks, so don’t overdo it on liquids.

An Extra Layer

Don’t expect the “weather” inside the exam room to be the same as the weather outside. Ice-cold air conditioning, stifling heat, mysterious drafts from unknown vents — hopefully you won’t have to battle any of these elements during your exam, but why not be prepared? You are allowed to bring an extra sweater or non-outerwear jacket into the exam room with you, and having another layer just in case can’t hurt.

If it’s summertime and the air-conditioning is on full blast, you may be grateful to have the option of long sleeves. Likewise, you may want to wear a T-shirt under your sweater if it’s cold outside and the heat in the test center is turned up a little high. Everyone has their own “ideal temperature,” and you have no way of controlling what the temperature at the test center will be, so do yourself a favor and dress for a couple of different climates.

Keep in mind also that your photo will be taken during the check-in process at the test center, and schools may request that phototo confirm that you were in fact the person who sat for your exam. So, while you certainly want to dress for comfort on test day, you may not want to look like you just rolled out of bed.

Prescription Eyeglasses

You may be surprised by the things people can forget when they’re anxious or in a rush, or their minds are preoccupied with, say, a major exam they’re about to take. Earlier, we mentioned that personal items are not allowed in the exam room with you; prescription eyeglasses are the exception to that rule. If you need them, make sure to bring them, and keep in mind that you won’t be able to bring an eyeglass case, cleaning cloth, or any other related accessories into the exam room, so store those in your locker if you need them.

If there are other medically necessary items you need to have on your person during your GMAT, such as a hearing aid or an asthma inhaler, contact GMAC customer service to find out the protocol for bringing those. We recommend that you reach out to GMAC well in advance of your projected or scheduled exam date, just in case you need to register as a test-taker with disabilities.

A Few Practice Questions

Cramming on the day of your test (or the week leading up to it) is not recommended, but doing a handful of practice questions right before you walk into the test center can actually provide a good mental “warm-up,” reduce any anxiety you may be feeling, and help you get into the zone for your GMAT.  

The key word here is a few. You don’t want to go overboard with a 20-question set of GMAT problems and burn yourself out before the test begins. If you’re feeling nervous about seeing that first question on the computer screen, or you just need to wake up your brain a little, do a couple of quant questions and a couple of verbal questions, so you don’t start your GMAT completely cold.

A Mental Checklist

You won’t be able to bring written notes of any kind into the exam room with you, or access any notes during your break, but there are some important notes you should have written on your “mental notepad” for your GMAT, and we’re not just talking quant formulas and grammar rules.

Here are the 3 essential items for your “mental checklist” on test day:

1. Exam section order
2. Score cancellation strategy
3. Up to 5 score recipients (school names)

Let’s look at each item in detail.

#1: Exam section order

Hopefully, you’ll have taken all 6 official GMAT practice exams before you sit for your actual GMAT, and you’ll have taken most or all of those exams using your preferred section order. As you may already know, the final introductory screen you’ll see at the beginning of your exam will be the section order selection screen, on which you can choose from 3 section order options for your test:

• Default order: Analytical Writing Assessment; Integrated Reasoning; Quant; Verbal 
• Verbal first: Verbal, Quant, Integrated Reasoning, Analytical Writing Assessment
• Quant first: Quantitative, Verbal, Integrated Reasoning, Analytical Writing Assessment

If you don’t select a section order within the allotted 2 minutes, the computer will automatically select the default order for you. So, you definitely want to know your preferred section order before you walk into the test center, so you’re not scrambling to make a potentially score-altering decision as your exam is about to begin.

#2: Score cancellation strategy

One of the first things any GMAT test-taker should do when mapping out a GMAT preparation plan is set a score goal. However, at some point before test day, you also should figure out a strategy for canceling your GMAT score. If your score goal is 720, will you cancel any score below that mark? Any score below 700, or 710? 

Your GMAT score cancellation strategy should be informed by the average GMAT scores at your target schools and your application deadlines, just as your score goal was. Have a specific number in mind that will serve as your cut-off point, and know that necessary, you have the option of reinstating a canceled score down the line.

#3 Up to 5 score recipients

If you choose to keep your GMAT score, you will have the option to send your score for free from the test center to up to 5 schools or programs. Luckily, you do not need to memorize the school codes for your chosen score recipients; you can simply search by school name to look up the codes on your computer at the test center. 

So, before your test, make a mental list of which schools (if any) you want to send your score. If you’re really not sure where you want to send your GMAT score or you don’t have any schools in mind, you can send your score report after you leave the test center for a fee of $35 per recipient.

Your “A” Game!

This one goes without saying, but you want to step into the test center with your best foot forward and a top competitor’s mindset. If you’ve put in the time and effort to properly prepare for your GMAT, and learned and practiced with the kind of study materials that result in GMAT mastery, you have absolutely no reason not to feel confident that you will hit your score goal on test day.

You want to step into the test center with your best foot forward and a top competitor’s mindset.

Now that you know what to bring to GMAT test centers, you may want to check out these GMAT test-day tips.

Let’s do this!!