ESAT test day checklist: Pearson VUE ID, check-in and rules

Your test-day checklist

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1Before you leave
- Appointment time and centreCheck both in your Pearson confirmation.
- Original photo ID in your exact booking nameBring an accepted original photo ID matching every name on your booking. Check the ID policy for signature and country exceptions.
- Pearson confirmation, on screen or printed
- Permitted comfort aids and approved arrangements checkedPearson's listed comfort aids can be inspected at the centre without advance approval. Other additional items need approval beforehand.
- A route that gets you there 30 minutes earlyMore than 15 minutes late and you can be refused entry and lose the fee.
2At check-in
- Show your ID and confirmation
- Phone, watch, wallet, bag, notes, food and water go in the lockerListed comfort aids and items allowed by your approved arrangements are exceptions.
- Whoever came with you waits elsewhereReceptions are for test takers only, with no waiting area.
- Use the toilet nowRaise your hand if you need a break. The clock keeps running unless you have approved pause-the-clock breaks.
3At the desk
- Check the pen works before you start
- Raise your hand for fresh sheets whenever you need them
- No scheduled breaks between modulesStandard modules last 40 minutes; follow the extra time and breaks recorded in your approved arrangements.
4If something goes wrong
- Raise your hand straight away
- Get a Case ID before you leave
- Make sure it is reported within 24 hoursAt the centre, or by contacting Pearson customer services.
- Not resolved? Ask Pearson for an investigation within three daysA case number alone does not start one.

If something goes wrong: three deadlines

Within 24 hours: the incident is reported, at the centre or to Pearson customer services. Later reports are not considered.
Within three days: if it was not put right, ask Pearson for an investigation by phone or email, with your Case ID.
Within two days of Pearson's outcome: appeal to UAT-UK from your dashboard if you disagree.

A serious illness or issue known before you enter the centre should be reported through UAT-UK's special-consideration form before your appointment. If illness starts after you enter the centre, including during check-in, tell staff immediately, obtain a Case ID and contact UAT-UK through your account. Read both policies for the requirements: the special consideration policy and the test incident policy.

Unsure about your ID?

The ID policy asks for original, unexpired, government-issued photo ID matching every name on your booking. Usually, an ID without your visible signature needs an unexpired bank or credit card bearing your printed name and visible signature. This includes a child passport signed by a parent. Malaysian and Hong Kong passports, and Mainland China and HKSAR national ID cards, have a signature exception when used at a centre in their issuing country or region. The full rules are in the 2027-entry Admission and Photo ID Policy.

Expired passport? The Test Day webpage and linked ID policy give different guidance. Ask Pearson before your appointment whether your documents will be accepted.

UK candidates without an accepted form of photo ID can ask UAT-UK for an ID exemption. A school photo letter or a CitizenCard is usable after UAT-UK approves the exemption, subject to the approval's conditions. Ask no later than five working days before the test: for a 12 October appointment that was 5 October, so ask today if you are unsure, as a late request may not be granted in time.

The working sheet

The question is on the screen and your working is on the erasable notebook. Train on A4 and divide it into three zones:

Top strip: the standard-time practice checkpoints 13 → Q10 · 26 → Q19 · 38 → Q27, then flagged question numbers with a one-word return hook. Approved extra time changes them: with 25% extra the final sweep starts at 47 minutes, with 50% extra at 57.
Main field: one compact block per question, starting with its number and the unit or sign asked for.
Right gutter: fragile facts only, such as $\mathrm{cm^3}\to\mathrm{m^3}$ , $q$ $=-e$ or “strictly $>$ ”.

Cross out rather than erase: it is faster and keeps your earlier attempt.

Worked example Three lines, not a page

A question states that $x$ $\ne0$ and

x+\frac1x=3.

Find $x^4+x^{-4}$ . Do not solve the quadratic for $x$ . Use the structure:

x^2+x^{-2}=\left(x+x^{-1}\right)^2-2=9-2=7,

then square once more:

x^4+x^{-4}=\left(x^2+x^{-2}\right)^2-2=49-2=\boxed{47}.

On the sheet, the whole block is “Q12: $s$ $=3$ $\Rightarrow s_2$ $=7$ $\Rightarrow s_4$ $=47$ ”.

Correct: the structure replaces two quadratic solutions and saves space.

Trap: solving for $x$ creates surds, doubles the arithmetic and invites a copying error.

One module, one clock

Each module has its own 40 minutes. Spare time does not carry into the next one.

First passFlags

30 minutes: first pass Answer what you can. Stuck for about a minute? Pick your best answer, flag it, move on.
8 minutes: flags Go back to the flags nearest to finished.
Last 2 minutes: sweep Every question has an answer before the module ends.

Decision 1 of 2

Question 9. A minute in, and no route yet. What now?

Drill it on the timing gym, or read the full pacing method.

Module handovers

The next module starts straight away, unless your approved arrangements include breaks. In the last 30 seconds of each one:

fill any blank answer first;
let the old module go;
set your sheet up for the next subject with fresh checkpoints (13 / 26 / 38 at standard time).

Need to move your test?

You can reschedule or cancel up to 48 hours before the appointment, through your UAT-UK account or Pearson. A new slot is not guaranteed, and October booking has closed, so do not cancel hoping to switch modules. Check your cutoff

ESAT test day, decoded

Your test-day checklist

1Before you leave

2At check-in

3At the desk

4If something goes wrong

If something goes wrong: three deadlines

Unsure about your ID?

The working sheet

One module, one clock

Module handovers

Need to move your test?

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