Plan to arrive at the Pearson VUE testing center 30 minutes prior to your scheduled appointment time. If you arrive more than 15 minutes after your scheduled appointment time, you may be prohibited from testing. The examination is two hours in length. You can expect testing to be completed in approximately 2½ to 3 hours from your arrival time.
Identification (ID) Requirements for Admission to the Test
You are required to present two forms of original, unexpired identification (no photocopies, digital IDs, or expired IDs): a government-issued primary ID and a secondary ID. The first and last name that you use to register must match exactly the first and last name on both of the IDs that you present on test day. Any corrections to your name must be made by you in your NCBE Account Dashboard and MUST be submitted at least 48 hours before the first day of the test administration.
Additional rules for each type of ID are listed below.
Primary ID
Your primary ID must be government issued and include your first and last name, recent recognizable photo, and signature. If you do not have a qualifying primary ID issued in the US, your primary ID must be an international travel passport issued by your country of citizenship. To be acceptable, passports must be printed in roman characters.
Common forms of primary ID include:
- International travel passport
- US driver’s license or similar state identification card
- US military ID (including spouse and dependents)
- US alien registration card (permanent resident or green card, visa)
Expired forms of ID are not acceptable unless accompanied by valid renewal papers. If your government-issued primary ID is missing a visible signature (or has an embedded signature), you will be allowed to test as long as the other requirements for primary and secondary IDs are met.
Secondary ID
Your secondary ID must include at least a first and last name and signature or first and last name and recent recognizable photo.
Common forms of secondary ID include:
- School/university/college ID
- Credit card
- Library card
If you do not present both an acceptable primary ID and an acceptable secondary ID, you may be prohibited from testing. If you are allowed to test, your score may be canceled. Your test fee will not be refunded.
Before you enter the testing room, Pearson VUE will collect your digital photograph and digital signature for the purposes of verifying your identity and protecting the security and integrity of the test. As part of the registration process you will be required to consent to, and as part of the check-in process you will be required to sign, the NCBE Candidate Rules Agreement, which reviews the policies presented here and explains Pearson VUE testing center procedures.
If there are any discrepancies during the check-in process, you may be prohibited from testing. If you are allowed to test, your score may be canceled.
Requests for exceptions to any test day policy, such as the ID policy, must be submitted through the Contact page on the NCBE website at least seven business days before your scheduled exam appointment. If you fail to obtain prior approval for a policy exception, you may be prohibited from testing. If you are allowed to test, your score may be canceled.