MRCPCH theory exam day checklist: ID, documents and arrival

Use your current RCPCH admission document as the final authority for your MRCPCH theory exam. Check the date, registration time, start time, delivery method and location; prepare an original accepted photo ID; and print the admission document if you are attending a test centre. Test-centre candidates arriving within the first 30 minutes may sit without extra time, but entry is not permitted after that point. Remote candidates should follow the stated login time and UK-time instructions exactly.

This guide covers non-clinical examination logistics. It contains no clinical teaching, diagnostic, treatment, prescribing, dosing, safeguarding or patient-management guidance.

Requirements can change. This article reflects official RCPCH pages available on 19 October 2026. Your current admission document and the live RCPCH instructions govern your sitting.

The direct answer: make admission depend on a checklist, not memory

For an MRCPCH theory exam, prepare the documents and timing before the morning of the exam.

For both test-centre and online-invigilation sittings, current RCPCH guidance accepts one of these original identity documents:

• a passport with photograph and signature, current or expired by no more than 12 months;
• a valid driving licence with photograph and signature; or
• a national identity card with photograph and signature.

The ID must be the original. A photograph, scan, photocopy or digital copy is not accepted. It must be in English or accompanied by a notarised translation. The name must match the candidate record and admission document; current RCPCH regulations require original documentary proof when a candidate changes their name by marriage, civil partnership or deed poll.

If attending a test centre, print the admission document and bring it with the original ID. The admission document contains the centre address, registration details and exam timing. If sitting through online invigilation, use the admission document for the UK start time and calculate the correct local time in advance.

The safest exam-day document is not the one you remember seeing in an old email. It is the current admission document for the exact component, paper and sitting you are about to take.

Key points

• Bring an original accepted photo ID; images, scans, photocopies and digital copies are not accepted, and an ID problem can lead to refusal without a fee refund.
• Test-centre candidates should print their admission document, verify the exact centre and registration time, and build a transport buffer before leaving.
• A candidate arriving or starting within the first 30 minutes may be permitted to sit but receives no extra time; after 30 minutes, entry or access is not permitted under current RCPCH guidance.

What to check on your MRCPCH admission document

RCPCH says the admission document is sent by email several weeks before the examination. Its practical value is that it personalises general website guidance to your booking.

Read it line by line and record:

1. the examination component: FOP, TAS, AKP paper 1 or AKP paper 2;
2. the date and day of the week;
3. whether the sitting is at a test centre or through online invigilation;
4. the registration or permitted login time;
5. the examination start time;
6. the test-centre address and What3Words location, where supplied; and
7. any sitting-specific instructions, links or contact details.

Do not merge details from two emails. FOP and TAS candidates may have separate links, and AKP has two papers. The current online guidance warns that exam emails can look very similar. Label each email or save each link beside its component and scheduled time without opening it prematurely.

If the document has not arrived within the period stated on the live RCPCH page, if the delivery method is wrong or if any personal detail is inconsistent, contact the RCPCH Help Centre before exam day. Do not wait for an invigilator to solve an account or identity discrepancy at the door.

Which ID is accepted for an MRCPCH theory exam?

Use an original document, not a copy

The current RCPCH exam-day page lists a passport, driving licence or national identity card, each with a photograph and signature. It explicitly excludes a photograph of the ID, scan, photocopy or digital copy.

This means a phone image is not a backup form of admission. Put the original document in the bag you will carry, or beside the remote-exam workspace, on the previous evening. Check that the photograph, signature and identifying details are legible.

RCPCH currently permits a passport that is current or no more than 12 months expired. Its page describes the driving licence as valid. Because those conditions are not identical, do not assume the 12-month passport allowance applies to another document.

Match the name before exam day

Current RCPCH regulations require candidates to be admitted in the full name recorded from their qualification or medical-register details. A minor-looking difference can still require discussion. If your name has changed, prepare the original documentary proof required by the regulations.

If your ID is unusual, lacks a signature, is not in English, has a spelling difference or may fall outside the published conditions, ask RCPCH in advance. The exam-day guidance says ID-related refusal does not qualify for a fee refund.

Keep identity documents secure

Make a packing check without publishing or uploading the ID to a revision tool. The task is to confirm that the original exists and travels with you, not to create unnecessary copies of sensitive personal data.

Test-centre arrival: remove avoidable uncertainty

Rehearse the exact destination

Use the address in the admission document rather than searching only for the organisation or building name. RCPCH advises candidates to review the journey and provides a What3Words location with the address. Check the entrance, travel time and a realistic alternative route.

The admission document gives the registration time. Use that, not the examination start time, as the operational target. Add a buffer for transport disruption, finding the entrance, security, identity checking and ordinary unfamiliarity.

There is no universal evidence-based arrival buffer for every candidate and city. Choose one that reflects the actual journey and consequences of delay. Staying nearby or making the route the day before may be proportionate when the trip is long, unfamiliar or vulnerable to disruption.

Understand the 30-minute rule correctly

The current RCPCH how-you-sit page says a candidate who arrives after the exam starts but within the first 30 minutes may still sit, with no additional time. After 30 minutes, the candidate will not be permitted to sit.

This is a final boundary, not a recommended arrival target. A candidate admitted 20 minutes late has already lost 20 minutes. Planning to arrive at the start therefore converts a small delay into a material time loss and risks crossing the admission boundary.

If disruption occurs, follow the contact instructions in the admission document. Preserve objective records where appropriate, but do not assume that calling ahead changes the published entry rule.

Online invigilation: timing and identity still apply

Remote delivery removes the journey, not the admission process. The original accepted ID must be ready for inspection, and the remote system, room and devices must satisfy the current instructions.

All online start times are stated in UK time. Work out the local time in advance and recheck it after any daylight-saving change. Write both times with the date and time zone, for example:

Admission document: 09:30 UK time. My verified local time: [time, date and zone].

Do not rely on a mental conversion made weeks earlier. Use a current time-zone source and set more than one device to the correct automatic time.

RCPCH says to refer to the admission document for the permitted login time and not to attempt to log in earlier than the registration time, because doing so may prevent access. This is different from being technically ready early. Complete the required system check, room setup and equipment preparation before the permitted login window, then use the correct link at the stated time.

The current guidance applies the same late-start principle: a candidate starting within the first 30 minutes may sit without extra time, while after 30 minutes access is not permitted. The RCPCH about page also warns that late remote login may prevent a candidate from starting or completing and does not create eligibility for compensation.

For the detailed technology sequence, use the MRCPCH remote-exam TestReach checklist. For deciding between delivery methods before booking, see the online-versus-test-centre comparison.

Use the ADMIT exam-day framework

ADMIT is a PaedVault editorial memory aid, not an RCPCH policy.

A - Audit the admission document

Confirm the component, paper, date, delivery method, registration time, start time and location or link. Resolve discrepancies with RCPCH early.

D - Documents and identity

Prepare the printed admission document for a test-centre sitting and the original accepted ID for either delivery method. Check name matching, validity, language and any linking document.

M - Map the arrival or login

For a centre, map the exact entrance and an alternative route. For remote invigilation, map UK time to local time and associate each exam email with the correct paper.

I - Inspect the environment

Pack only permitted items for the centre. For remote delivery, complete the required system check on the equipment and in the location you will use. Follow current invigilator instructions rather than an old candidate account.

T - Time-buffer the plan

Build margin before registration without attempting a remote login before the permitted time. Treat the first 30 minutes after the exam begins as lost exam time and a hard final-admission window, not usable contingency.

The evening-before packing and setup list

Test-centre candidate

• printed admission document;
• original accepted photo ID;
• original linking document if required;
• route, exact entrance and transport alternative;
• registration and start times;
• permitted personal items only; and
• RCPCH contact route from the current instructions.

Keep the admission document and ID together in the bag you will actually take. A checklist left on a desk does not protect against changing bags in the morning.

Online-invigilation candidate

• admission document open or available as instructed;
• original accepted photo ID;
• correct exam link associated with the correct paper;
• verified UK and local registration/start times;
• completed system check on the actual devices and location;
• private room and equipment arranged to current requirements; and
• current technical-support and RCPCH contact details.

The final 72 hours before an MRCPCH theory exam guide covers the wider preparation period. Use this article for the narrower admission and identity check.

What to do when something is wrong

The admission document is missing

Search the email account and spam folder linked to the RCPCH booking, then check the online account. If it is still missing within the current delivery period, contact the RCPCH Help Centre. Do not use another candidate's document or assume that a payment receipt is equivalent.

The name does not match

Contact RCPCH before the examination. If the difference follows a name change, check the current regulations and prepare the original documentary proof they require. Do not alter a document yourself.

The ID is lost, expired or unsuitable

Read the live accepted-ID rules and ask RCPCH what is acceptable for your circumstances. A passport expired by no more than 12 months is currently listed as acceptable, but that specific allowance should not be extended to other documents by inference.

The route or online system fails

Use the current support route in the admission document. For remote technical problems, follow the official troubleshooting instructions and contact TestReach and RCPCH if the issue cannot be resolved. Record what happened accurately, but do not leave the system or improvise with another device unless instructed.

Anxiety is consuming the buffer

Use a prewritten sequence - document, ID, time, route or link - rather than repeatedly rechecking everything. The MRCPCH exam-nerves performance plan gives a separate non-clinical routine for managing attention and arousal.

A worked non-clinical example

A candidate is sitting TAS at a test centre in an unfamiliar city. Three days before the exam, they open the admission document and discover that the centre is on a different campus from the organisation's main address.

They:

1. save and print the current admission document;
2. confirm the component, registration time and centre address;
3. check the What3Words location and street-level entrance;
4. place an original accepted photo ID beside the document;
5. compare the ID name with the admission document;
6. plan a primary and alternative route with a meaningful buffer; and
7. put both documents in the bag they will carry.

On the morning, a transport delay uses part of the buffer but does not make the candidate late. The value of the plan is not that it controls transport; it stops one disruption from combining with a wrong entrance, missing document or uncertain identity check.

Conclusion

The MRCPCH theory exam-day checklist is short but consequential: use the current admission document, carry the original accepted ID, match the names, and arrive or log in according to the stated registration time. Test-centre candidates should print the admission document; remote candidates must convert the UK time correctly and use the right link at the permitted time.

Do not plan around the 30-minute late window. Within it, lost time is not restored; beyond it, current RCPCH guidance does not permit entry or access. Resolve document and identity questions before exam day so the sitting tests examination performance rather than administrative luck.

Frequently asked questions

What ID do I need for an MRCPCH theory exam?

Current RCPCH guidance accepts an original passport with photograph and signature that is current or no more than 12 months expired, a valid driving licence with photograph and signature, or a national identity card with photograph and signature. Photographs, scans, photocopies and digital copies are not accepted. The ID must be in English or have a notarised translation.

Do I need to print my MRCPCH admission document?

Yes, if you are sitting at a test centre: the current RCPCH exam-day page tells candidates to print the admission document and bring it. It contains the centre address and timings. Remote candidates should follow their admission document and current online instructions; keep it available and use its UK registration and start times.

How early should I arrive for an MRCPCH theory exam?

Use the registration time on your admission document as the target and add a realistic buffer for the journey, entrance, security and identity check. RCPCH does not publish one universal number of minutes for every centre. The 30-minute late-admission limit is not a suggested buffer: late candidates receive no extra time.

What happens if I am late for an MRCPCH theory exam?

Current RCPCH guidance says candidates who arrive at a centre or start remotely after the examination begins but within the first 30 minutes may still sit, without additional time. After 30 minutes they are not permitted to sit. Remote candidates who log in late may also be unable to start or complete and are not eligible for compensation.

Are online MRCPCH exam times shown in UK time?

Yes. RCPCH states that online start times are in UK time and candidates are responsible for calculating the correct local time. Use the time in your current admission document, verify the conversion in advance and note any daylight-saving difference. Follow the stated registration time and do not try to log in earlier than permitted.

Sources

1. Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health. Theory exams: how to prepare for the exam day. Updated 6 February 2026.
2. Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health. Theory exams: how you sit your exam. Accessed 19 October 2026.
3. Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health. Theory exams: what you need to know before you apply and sit your exam. Accessed 19 October 2026.
4. Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health. Regulations and rules for MRCPCH and DCH examinations. Updated 14 October 2026.