United States
Hong KongExam day
Arrive early with photo identification and your books. They are checked against the approved list at check-in. The session runs 330 minutes with a result on screen at the end.
Longer than most exams and with more to carry. Worth thinking about the practicalities.
Before you go
Photo identification, and your books. Around two dozen references is a genuinely heavy load, so plan how you are getting them into the building.
Arrive early. Book checking takes time, and it takes more time if something on your table is not on the list.
The book check
Each reference is checked against the approved list and inspected. Permanent index tabs and highlighting are permitted; loose paper is not.
A receipt used as a bookmark, a sticky note left in a chapter, a page with writing on it. Any of those can cause a problem at the door, and finding them at 8am is not when you want to be sorting it out.
The session
330 minutes. There is no scheduled break, and leaving the room follows the center's own rules while the clock continues.
Five and a half hours is a long time to sit. Eat properly beforehand, and think about what you can drink under the center's rules.
Working the paper
First pass on everything answerable without opening a book. Mark the rest. Then work the lookups with a known amount of time remaining.
That structure protects you from the failure mode where a difficult category early on eats the time you needed for easy questions later.
Finishing
Answer every question before submitting. The result appears on screen and you collect a score report before leaving.
Common questions
What do I bring to the NASCLA exam?
Photo identification and your approved reference books, tabbed and highlighted.
Are the books checked?
Yes, against the approved list and for anything not permitted, such as loose notes.
Is there a break?
None scheduled. Leaving follows the center's rules and the clock keeps running.
How should I work the paper?
A first pass on everything answerable without a book, then the lookups with a known amount of time left.
When do I find out if I passed?
On screen at the end of the session, with a score report before you leave.