The Day of the Test
Reporting to the Test Site
Your testing confirmation information, sent to you after you schedule your test, lists your test selection, test date, testing time, and test center. Please report to the test center 15 minutes before your scheduled testing time. On the day of the test, you may wish to dress comfortably in layers. This will allow you to adjust for the temperature at the test center, which may vary and may not be under the control of the test administrators. Please wear soft-soled shoes to help maintain a quiet testing environment.
Pearson Professional Centers Tour 
Preview a visit to a Pearson Professional Center, including a view of the typical test room and of other test center areas.
Computer-Based Testing Tutorials – Find out what to expect when you take a computer-based test.
Required identification. You must bring proper identification with you to the test site. Your identification must be a current, government-issued identification printed in English, in the name in which you registered, bearing your photograph and signature. Copies will not be accepted.
Acceptable forms of government-issued identification include photo-bearing driver's licenses and passports. The Department of Motor Vehicles provides acceptable photo-bearing identification cards for individuals who do not have a driver's license.
Review the complete Identification Policy.
Withdrawal/Refund Policy
If after registering for a test you wish to withdraw your registration, you may do so according to the following procedure:
If you have not yet scheduled your test: Submit a withdrawal request through your account.
If you have already scheduled your test:
- First, cancel your test appointment at least 24 hours before your scheduled testing time. To cancel your appointment, log in to your account, click "Reschedule," and follow the instructions provided.
- After cancelling your test appointment, submit a withdrawal request through your account.
If you withdraw your registration before you have scheduled your test appointment or if you cancel your test appointment at least 24 hours before your scheduled testing time and then withdraw your registration, you will receive a full refund of your test fees.
In most cases, your refund will be issued by Evaluation Systems within one week of your request; however, some requests may take additional time to resolve.
If you registered for a test with subtests and wish to modify your subtest selection, you must withdraw your registration and reregister.
If you are absent from the test, you will not receive a refund or credit of any kind.
Your registration is valid for one year from the date of issue. If you do not schedule a test appointment and take your test within one year, or do not withdraw your registration within one year, your registration will expire and you will not receive a refund or credit of any kind.
Payment Policy
Duration of Payment Validity
After payment, your registration will be valid for one year. If you do not take the test or withdraw your registration within that period, your registration will expire and you will receive no refund or credit of any kind.
Payment Processing
If you register to take the same test on multiple test dates and pass the test on the first test date, you will not be issued a refund for your additional registrations on the basis of your passing performance.
If you have any outstanding balance owed by you to Evaluation Systems after a test appointment for which you were registered, all of your scores for that test date may be permanently voided and therefore not reported to you, to NYSED, or to any educator preparation programs.
The following policies apply to you when you have an outstanding balance with Evaluation Systems:
- You will be assessed a $20 fee to cover the processing required to clear your account.
- You will not be allowed to register for future test appointments until your balance, which includes the additional fee, is paid in full.
- Any credits or refunds for which you may be eligible will be applied first to your outstanding debt, with any excess to be returned to you.
If a credit card charge for an Evaluation Systems service for you is disputed:
- You may not be allowed to make any future payments by credit card.
- You must make your payment to clear your account by cashier's check or money order only.
- If you attempt to pay for any further services by cashier's check or money order before clearing your account, any payments received will be applied first to your outstanding debt, with any excess applied to the requested services.
Additionally, if a personal check submitted by you is returned by the bank:
- You will not be allowed to make any future payments by personal check.
- You must make your payment to clear your account by cashier's check or money order only, unless you are making a subsequent credit card payment for additional services, in which case your credit card will be billed for both the outstanding balance and the additional requested services.
- If you attempt to pay for any further services by credit card before clearing your account, your credit card will be billed for the amount of all services you have requested, as well as the outstanding balance owed. You agree to pay for all such services and outstanding balances in the event your credit card company does not.
- If you attempt to pay for any further services by cashier's check or money order before clearing your account, any payments received will be applied first to your outstanding debt, with any excess applied to the requested services.
ID Policy for the NYSTCE
You must bring to the test center one piece of current, government-issued identification printed in English, in the name in which you registered, bearing your photograph and signature.
Acceptable forms of identification include the following:
- Driver's license with photograph and signature
- Passport with photograph and signature
- State identification with photograph and signature (provided by the Department of Licensing for individuals who do not have a driver's license)
- National identification with photograph and signature
- Military identification with photograph and signature
- Alien Registration Card (green card, permanent resident visa)
A government-issued ID missing a visible signature or that has an embedded signature must be supplemented with an original (no photocopies), valid (unexpired) ID that has at least a matching name and recent recognizable photograph, or a matching name and signature.
Unacceptable forms of identification include draft classification cards, credit cards of any kind, social security cards, student IDs, international driver's licenses, international student IDs, notary-prepared letters or documents, employee identification cards, learner's permits or any temporary identification cards, and automated teller machine (ATM) cards.
If you do not have proper identification at the time of your test, you will be denied admission to the test session. If you are refused admission to the test, for any reason, you will be considered absent and will receive no credit or refund of any kind.
Please note the following:
- Your middle initial in your account on this website must match the middle name or initial on your ID.
- If you have a hyphenated last name, one of the following must be true of your name as it appears in your account on this website and on your ID:
- either both instances must use the complete hyphenated name
or
- if one instance only uses one last name, it must be the second last name from the full hyphenated version
If the name on your identification differs from the name in which you are registered, you must bring official, original verification of the change (e.g., original marriage certificate, original court order).
If you have any questions about your identification, please contact Evaluation Systems before the day of the test.
As part of the identity verification process, your digital signature will be taken at the test center, and a palm scan and/or a digital photograph may also be taken.
These will be used only for the purpose of identity verification. If you do not allow your digital signature, palm scan, and/or digital photograph to be taken,
you will not be allowed to test and you will not receive a refund or credit of any kind.
Late Arrival Policy
It is essential that you report for your test appointment on time. If you arrive more than 15 minutes late to a test appointment, you may not be admitted. If you arrive late and are not admitted, you will be considered absent and will not receive a refund or credit of any kind. You will need to register and pay again to test on a future date.
Absentee Policy
If you are absent, you will not receive a refund or credit of any kind. You will need to register and pay again to test on a future date.
Emergency circumstances. If you are absent from a test appointment because of an emergency circumstance (illness, injury, hospitalization, or death in the immediate family), you may be eligible to receive a fee voucher that you may use to register for a future test date.
To request a voucher, you must submit a written request to Evaluation Systems describing the emergency situation. Include written documentation, such as a dated newspaper obituary or a dated letter signed by a professional licensed to diagnose or treat the emergency condition (e.g., physician), on that person's professional letterhead. Documentation from a medical professional must specifically excuse you from testing on the date of the test. Documentation containing electronic signatures will not be accepted.
The request and required documentation must be received at Evaluation Systems within 30 calendar days after the missed test appointment.
A response to your request will be sent to you within two weeks after the missed test date, or two weeks after your request is received, whichever is later. If your request for a fee voucher is granted, the fee voucher you receive will be in the amount of the test fee you paid for the missed test appointment.
Test Cancellation Policy
In the event that it becomes necessary to close a test center due to severe weather conditions or a natural disaster (e.g., flood, fire), examinees will be notified by telephone and/or email and you will be contacted to reschedule your test appointment.
If you miss a test appointment that has not been officially canceled due to a test center closing, you will be considered absent and will not receive a refund or credit of any kind. Contact Pearson VUE at (800) 989-8532 if you have any concerns or questions on the day of the test.
For Nursing Mothers
Nursing mothers who need to make arrangements for bringing specialized equipment or storage materials should follow the Alternative Testing Arrangements process to ensure prior approval and the ability of a test center to meet your specific needs. Please note that children will not be allowed in the testing center or into the secure testing room.
Calculator Information for Math and Science Tests
Refer to the chart below for calculator information for your test or test part:
| Test |
Scientific Calculator Provided* |
Standard
4-Function Calculator Provided* |
Bring Approved Graphing Calculator** |
| Biology CST (160) |
|
 |
|
| Chemistry CST (161) |
|
|
|
| Earth Science CST (162) |
|
|
|
| Mathematics CST (004) |
|
|
|
| Physics CST (163) |
|
|
|
| Multi-Subject: Teachers of Early Childhood (Birth–Grade 2) Part Two: Mathematics (246) |
|
|
|
| Multi-Subject: Teachers of Childhood (Grade 1–Grade 6) Part Two: Mathematics (222) |
|
|
|
| Multi-Subject: Teachers of Middle Childhood (Grade 5–Grade 9) Part Two: Mathematics (232) |
|
|
|
| Multi-Subject: Secondary Teachers (Grade 7–Grade 12) Part Two: Mathematics (244) |
|
|
|
| School District Business Leader, Part Two (106) |
|
|
|
* Calculator is provided on-screen during the test.
** You must bring your own graphing calculator. For more information, including a list of approved calculator models, go to the 004 Mathematics CST test page.
Prohibited Materials
The following are prohibited at the test site:
- Smoking and the use of all tobacco products
- Visitors, including relatives, children, and friends
- Weapons of any kind
DO NOT bring any unauthorized aids or prohibited items, listed below, with you to the test site. If you do bring any of these items, you will be required to leave them in a designated area outside the testing room in a secure area or in your vehicle. You will be asked to empty and turn out all pockets to ensure nothing is in them before you enter the testing room.
Any personal items that you bring to the test center must be stored in a locker or other area designated by the test administrator outside the testing room during the test. This includes jewelry, watches, wallets, and purses, in addition to the prohibited materials listed below. Some test centers do not have individual lockers, and locked storage may be limited. See the test administrator regarding the storage of any personal items. You will not be allowed to access these items during the test.
Note: If you are taking both parts of an assessment in a nine-hour two-test session with a scheduled lunch break, you may bring a snack or lunch to eat during the break. Any food you bring must be stored in a locker outside the testing room during the test and consumed outside the testing room during the break.
- Cell phones
- Electronic communication devices, visual or audio recording or listening devices, or any device with an on/off option, including, but not limited to, MP3 players, PDAs, tablets, computers, CD players, removable storage devices, calculator watches, clocks or watches with alarms, spellcheckers, etc.
- Eyeglasses with communication and recording devices; note that during the check-in process you may be asked to remove any pair of eyeglasses for a visual inspection, but the test center proctor will not touch or otherwise handle your glasses
- Calculators, except as noted for Mathematics CST, and calculator manuals (on-screen calculators are automatically provided for tests that allow them)
- Handwritten or printed materials, such as dictionaries, notebooks, scratch paper, textbooks, etc.
- Packages and bags of any kind, such as backpacks, briefcases, etc.
- Hats or headwear, including barrettes and hair clips larger than ¼ a quarter -inch wide and hairbands larger than ½ a half -inch wide, except for those being worn for religious or medical purposes
- Food and drink, including chewing gum
- Unauthorized aids, such as slide rules, rulers, translation aids, highlighters, etc.
- Unauthorized medical devices, defined as any device not noted on Pearson VUE's Approved Comfort Aids list
, unless prior approval has been obtained (refer to Requesting Alternative Testing Arrangements for more information)
Violation of test site rules, including the possession or use of prohibited materials during a test administration, may result in the voiding of your scores.
The Test Session
The test session is designed to allow sufficient time for sign-in, review of the Test Center Rules 
, and communication of directions before testing begins and for completion of the test by examinees. Some examinees may finish testing well before the scheduled ending time of the test session. However, you should be prepared to use the entire test session. You will be allowed no more than the allotted time to complete the test.
Before testing, you will be presented with a nondisclosure agreement, which will ask you to indicate your agreement to the conditions set forth on this website and the rules communicated to you orally or in writing at the test administration. You will have five minutes to review and accept the terms of this agreement. If you do not accept the terms of the agreement within five minutes, you will not be permitted to test and you will receive no refund or credit of any kind.
You will be monitored at all times by video and audio recording. If you leave the testing room at any time during the test (e.g., to take a restroom break), your identification will be checked and/or your palm scan will be taken when you leave and when you re-enter the testing room.
During testing, you may take restroom breaks. Any time that you take for restroom breaks is considered part of the available testing time. You may not leave the testing facility or room in which you have been seated for any purpose (other than to use the restroom, as permitted) until you have been officially dismissed by a test administrator. During the test administration, you may not communicate with other examinees or any unauthorized persons in any way, either in person or by using any communication device.
The test center at which you take your test(s) may administer a variety of tests, including those for other professional licenses. Please be aware that other individuals at the test center may be taking tests that have rules, policies, and other terms and conditions that may be different from those that apply to the test that you will be taking.
Dismissal from the test. When you have completed testing or when the test session ends, whichever occurs first, you will be dismissed from the test. Once you have been officially dismissed, you must leave the testing facility.
Your feedback. If you have comments about the test site or the conditions under which you took a test, please submit your comments to Evaluation Systems no later than seven days after your test date.
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