Appointment Arrival Time
You MUST arrive 30 minutes prior to your scheduled appointment.
ID Information
You must present two forms of ID: one primary and one secondary, or two primary. Refer to “Acceptable forms of identification” lists below.
The first and last name on both IDs MUST match the first and last name on the ATT letter. The middle name/initial is not required for ID purposes.
The address on the ATT letter and the identification does not need to match. Please ensure the address in the MyNBCOT account is correct.
All forms of ID MUST be original and MUST have a signature that matches the first and last name of the ATT letter.
Acceptable forms of primary identification include:
Valid, unexpired government-issued photo ID with legal name and legible signature.
- Driver’s license requirements: Current issue date, legal name, signature, photograph
- Passport requirements: Current issue date, legal name, signature, photograph
- State-issued ID requirements: Current issue date, legal name, signature, photograph
- Permanent Resident/Green Card requirements: Current issue date, legal name, signature/barcode, photograph
- Military ID requirements: Current issue date, legal name, signature/barcode, photograph
Acceptable forms of secondary identification include:
Unexpired ID from the secondary list must contain both printed name and legible signature.
- Current major credit card with expiration date (Visa, MasterCard, American Express, or Discover)
- ATM card
- Employee ID card
- Student ID card
- Original social security card
- Any ID from primary ID list
Face masks are not required at the test center; however, individual test centers may be required to comply with any local or government social distancing requirements, which are subject to change.
Candidates who choose to wear a face mask during testing will be asked to lower their mask as part of the check-in/identity verification process.
If you are sick/have been sick within the past two weeks, have recently traveled, or have recently been exposed to someone who tested positive for COVID-19, we strongly urge that you stay home to help ensure the safety of test center employees and other test-takers, and recommend that you reschedule your exam.
Pearson VUE will take a digital candidate photo and collect a digital signature to match with the primary ID. They also utilize palm-vein biometric screening, which is a non-invasive and highly accurate measure of identity. You will place your palm on the scanner, which uses a near-infrared light source (similar to a TV remote) to scan the veins in your palm. The information is converted to a digital template and used to prevent anyone from testing under your identity. There is video surveillance in all candidate-accessible areas of the testing center.
Prohibited items include ANY electronic device (cell phones, personal digital assistants [PDAs], or any type of camera device), any type of watch, any jewelry outside of wedding and engagement rings, weapons, or any hard copy documentation. These items are not allowed in any area of the testing facility, including, but not limited to, the lobby, bathroom, test administration check-in and/or waiting rooms, or the test administration room. Purses, backpacks, totes, and other bags must remain in your locker and may not be accessed at any time during the exam appointment.
Test center staff conducts inspections of all eyeglasses, jewelry, and other accessories. Candidates may be asked to remove these items for inspection. Questionable items should not be brought into the test center. Questionable items brought into the test center may need to be placed in your locker. To avoid delays at check-in and upon return from breaks, candidates may wish to take the necessary steps to leave such items at home or in their car.
If you are found accessing a cell phone, using an electronic device, in possession of any type of camera device, or referencing exam-related material during any part of the test administration process, test center staff will require you to step out of the test administration area. The staff member will inform you that you have violated test center rules and a detailed report will be filed with NBCOT. You will be dismissed and the exam terminated. Any type of camera device will be confiscated by Pearson VUE. Your future exam eligibility status will be determined by NBCOT.
Earplugs are available for all candidates testing at Pearson Professional Centers.
If a candidate wants to bring/use their own custom pair of earplugs, formal testing accommodations approval is required. Earplugs must be stand-alone earplugs, with no wires, and are subject to visual inspection at the test center.
Please refer to the NBCOT Testing Accommodations Handbook for further information.
- A light sweater or jacket may be worn in the testing room and may be taken on or off as needed. Heavier jackets or coats are not allowed to be worn in the testing room.
- Once in the testing room, you cannot remove your shoes.
- Head coverings of any kind are not allowed in the testing room unless it is being worn for religious purposes (such as hats, turbans, scarves, and yarmulkes). If the item is worn for religious purposes, it will be visually inspected before you are admitted into the testing room and MUST remain in full view at all times. If you need to reposition or take off the head covering or religious item, you will be asked to step out of the testing room and into the waiting area. All types of hair accessories, ties, and bow ties are subject to inspection, and you may be prohibited from wearing them in the testing room.
- Jewelry outside of wedding and engagement rings is prohibited in the testing room.
A list of pre-approved personal items that do not require a request for testing accommodations is available here. Candidates are not permitted to plug any device into the computer workstation. If the medical device includes an accompanying external remote-control device, the remote-control device may not be taken into the testing room without prior approval. If the device makes any kind of noise, you must request and be approved for testing accommodations in advance. If the medical device includes an accompanying external remote-control device and there is a need to take the external remote-control device into the testing room, including a cell phone, candidates must apply and be approved for a testing accommodation to do so. Please review the Testing Accommodations Handbook and contact accommodations@nbcot.org to review diabetic monitoring requirements, including the use of a cell phone for diabetic monitoring.
The OTR and COTA exams are 4 hours long (this is your exam time). Your appointment time will be longer than your exam time to allow time for check-in, exam tutorials, surveys, check-out, and other administrative procedures (approximately 4 hours and 45 minutes). Please note, accepting the terms of the Acknowledgment section prior to launching the exam is mandatory. If the terms are not accepted within the seven minute time limit, the exam will automatically close and the appointment will be forfeited. Candidates must then contact NBCOT at credentialingservices@nbcot.org to reissue their ATT letter for a fee.
There will likely be other candidates taking different exams at your test center during your exam appointment. The layout of the testing cubicles ensures you have ample workspace and privacy from other test takers.
Yes, you may take breaks during the exam. However, the exam clock will continue to run while you are on the break. You will be required to complete all check-in procedures to re-enter the testing room. This may require waiting for other test takers to complete check-in procedures. Please note that candidates may not exit the test center building while taking a break. Exiting the test center during your exam could result in you being dismissed and the exam terminated. Exam fees could be forfeited and your future exam eligibility status will be determined by NBCOT.
No. The optional tutorial(s) that accompany the exams walk you through the process of selecting answers and progressing through the exam on the computer. Tutorial time does not count toward your allotted exam time. You can repeat the tutorial(s) if you wish. You can also view the exam tutorial(s) online in advance by clicking here.
Note taking is not allowed during the tutorial, acknowledgement, or at any time before test time starts to count down. You can request to use a wet marker note board from the test center staff during your exam. If you require additional materials, you will need to wait for the test center staff to clean the originally-issued note board before reusing it. Writing on your hand or anywhere on your body is strictly prohibited and a violation of test center rules and the NBCOT Candidate/Certificant Code of Conduct.
Food and beverages, including water, are not permitted in the testing room. Food and beverages can be stored in lockers and consumed in the test center waiting area.
Candidate conduct is addressed in Pearson VUE’s Candidate Rules Agreement. Any candidate who does not follow test center regulations may be dismissed from the test center and the exam terminated. Exam fees could be forfeited and your future exam eligibility status will be determined by NBCOT. In addition, an NBCOT sanction may be imposed due to a violation of the NBCOT Code of Conduct.
You MUST alert the test center staff immediately. Staff will make every effort to remedy the situation as soon as possible. The time spent to remedy the problem will not count as part of your exam time. Due to the nature of the exam delivery system, all previously entered exam data is saved.
If the problem cannot be remedied within 30 minutes, you have the right to reschedule the exam for another day within your eligibility period.
You must contact NBCOT at credentialingservices@nbcot.org or 301-990-7979 (ask for credentialing services) for rescheduling approval and instructions.
Examples of administrative or technical issues include: computer screen freezing, power failure, physical disruption within the testing center, or the exam or approved testing accommodation is not available at the scheduled time.
NBCOT cannot address any administrative or technical complaints with Pearson VUE if you did not first file a complaint at the test center. Administrative or technical complaints submitted after your pass/fail status is posted will not be investigated.
The following procedures must be followed for your complaint to be reviewed.
Administrative or Technical Complaints Checklist:
- ☐ I, the examination candidate, MUST file a complaint immediately with the test center staff or before leaving the test center. Test center staff will file a case report.
- ☐ I MUST request a confirmation of the complaint.
- ☐ I MUST contact NBCOT by email at credentialingservices@nbcot.org within 24 hours after the incident occurred to describe the incident in detail and provide the case report number, if applicable.
- ☐ NBCOT will confirm initial receipt of the complaint.
ALL exam scores are held when an exam complaint is submitted. Exam results will NOT be posted or released until the complaint has been fully investigated and resolved.
If you wait until AFTER your pass/fail status has been posted to submit your exam administrative or technical complaint, your exam complaint will NOT be acknowledged.
Please note that all exam scores are held until the exam complaint has been fully investigated and resolved. As a result, the posting of pass/fail status to the NBCOT website and the release of exam results to a state board(s) may be delayed.
NBCOT will respond within 21 business days of receipt of the complaint. After you receive a decision from NBCOT regarding the administrative or technical complaint, you have the right to appeal. You can only appeal AFTER (1) you have already submitted a complaint, (2) NBCOT has reviewed the complaint, and (3) a decision has been rendered.
Appeals must be sent in writing via traceable mail and must be received by NBCOT within 21 days of the candidate’s receipt of NBCOT’s complaint response. The candidate will be notified of the status of the appeal investigation within 30 days of receipt of the appeal.