AMC CAT MCQ Exam Day: What You Can (and Can't) Bring
AMC documents a real, specific set of exam-day rules for the AMC CAT MCQ — worth knowing before you're at the test centre, not during. Here's exactly what AMC's own MCQ examination page (https://www.amc.org.au/pathways/standard-pathway/amc-assessments/mcq-examination/) says.
Any personal items brought to the venue, including bags and mobile phones, must be left in the venue's allocated storage area, and phones must be turned off before being stored. Food and drink are not permitted in the examination room, and you're not allowed to take tissues, paper of any kind, pens/pencils, or rulers into the exam itself — a whiteboard and pen are provided for notes instead, and collected at the end. Family members are not allowed in the examination venue and must wait outside the building.
A real, specific number worth knowing ahead of time: candidates must arrive at least 30 minutes before their appointment time, at every venue.
Conduct expectations are explicit: comply with the MCQ Examination Specifications, and conduct yourself courteously toward examination centre staff and other IMGs. A breach of examination procedures can lead to real, specific consequences — your result not being awarded or being withdrawn, being excluded from the examination, or being refused the opportunity to sit future examinations.
Because the exam is computer-administered, AMC also documents what happens during a genuine technical disruption (a power outage, computer malfunction, or network difficulty): the AMC takes extenuating circumstances into account, and where a technical issue prevents you from completing the exam, the AMC MCQ Results Panel may run a statistical analysis of your responses to determine whether the partial results reliably reflect your ability. If no conclusion can be made from the completed responses, the Panel may order a new examination — at no additional fee, though AMC states it isn't responsible for other associated costs like travel.
Study takeaway: the arrival window (30 minutes) and the banned-items list are both fixed, specific rules, not general guidance — confirm them the night before rather than on exam morning, since a whiteboard and pen are provided and nothing else for notes is allowed in.