Last verified: 13 November 2026. The documents-to-carry list, the barred-items list, the exam-day timings and the entry rules below are ✅ CONFIRMED from the NTA AISSEE-2027 Information Bulletin, Chapters 10–11 (public notice dated 3 November 2026), read in full this run. The packing and timing advice is practical guidance from that bulletin, clearly marked where it is advice rather than a rule.
Photo: Pexels
Picture exam morning, 31 January 2027. Your child is dressed, fed, and ready — and then someone asks, “Where is the admit card?” A drawer is opened. A bag is emptied onto the bed. Ten minutes vanish, then twenty. The child who spent months preparing now walks into the exam hall already rattled.
Honestly, this is the most avoidable disaster in the whole AISSEE cycle. The National Testing Agency’s bulletin is unusually clear about exam day: your child must bring exactly three things, and a long list of things must stay home. Pack the three things the night before, and exam morning becomes a calm walk, not a scramble.
The bulletin (Chapter 11, rule 11.8) is strict: “Candidates must bring ONLY the following documents on the day of examination at the exam centre. Candidates who do not bring these will not be allowed to sit in the examination.” Those three things are:
| # | What to carry | Details that matter |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Printed admit card | Downloaded from exams.nta.nic.in/sainik-school-society from 25 January 2027. Print it on A4 — and check the next row of this table before you call it done. |
| 2 | One original, valid photo ID | School ID card, PAN card, passport, or any other valid photo ID issued by the Government. It must be the original, not a photocopy. |
| 3 | One spare passport-size photograph | For affixing on the attendance sheet at the centre. Keep a second spare in the folder too — it costs nothing and saves a crisis. |
And the admit card itself has two requirements parents routinely miss: it must carry a passport-size photograph — the same one uploaded in the application form — and the child’s left-hand thumb impression. Do this the night you download the card, 25 January, not on exam morning. A thumb impression needs a stamp pad and a steady hand; exam morning is neither the time nor the place. Print two copies and keep the spare in a different bag — the card is never sent by post, no duplicate is issued at the centre, and if one copy gets wet or torn on the way, the other saves the day.
This is where most families go wrong, because the list is longer than anyone expects. The bulletin bars all of the following from the examination hall — and it adds that no arrangement is made for safe keeping, so anything you bring and can’t take in is your problem at the gate.
| Barred | Why parents get caught |
|---|---|
| Geometry box, pencil box, stationery, paper | Children pack them out of habit. The exam is OMR-based; the bulletin bars all stationery. |
| Handbag, purse | Leave them with the parent waiting outside. |
| Mobile phone, earphone, microphone, pager | Switched off is still barred. Possession inside the premises can attract an unfair-means case. |
| Calculator, DocuPen, slide rule, log tables, whitener | All barred, including the whitener children use to fix OMR mistakes. |
| Cap, goggles | Yes, really — both are on the list. |
| Eatables, loose or packed | No snacks in the pocket. Eat before you leave. |
| Camera, tape recorder, electronic watches with calculator, metallic items, gadgets | Anything electronic stays outside. A plain analogue watch is not on the barred list — but check your admit card’s instructions when it arrives, and if in doubt, leave it out. |
A word on the pen question, because every parent asks it: the bulletin does not name a pen colour or type, and it bars stationery generally. So don’t guess — read the instructions printed on the admit card itself when it arrives on 25 January, and follow exactly what it says. That document governs your child’s exam, and it outranks every blog post, including this one.
The exam is on Sunday, 31 January 2027. Class 6 runs 2:00–4:30 PM (150 minutes); Class 9 runs 2:00–5:00 PM (180 minutes). The bulletin lays out the day minute by minute:
| Time | What happens |
|---|---|
| 12:00 PM | Examination centre opens — two hours before the exam |
| 12:30–1:00 PM | Your target arrival window. Frisking, admit-card checking and document verification happen now, without a queue. |
| 1:30 PM | Last entry. No one is admitted after this, under any circumstances. |
| 1:30–1:45 PM | Important instructions announced; invigilator checks admit cards |
| 1:45 PM | Question booklet distributed |
| 1:50 PM | Candidates write their particulars on the booklet |
| 2:00 PM | Exam begins — a signal is given at the start, at half-time, and before closing |
| 4:30 / 5:00 PM | Exam closes (Class 6 / Class 9). No one leaves the hall before the exam concludes. |
Two rules in that table deserve emphasis. First, 1:30 PM is an absolute wall — the bulletin repeats it twice — and there is no re-exam under any circumstances for anyone who misses the exam for any reason. Second, your child must find the seat with their roll number on it: sitting in the wrong seat or room can cancel the candidature. Before leaving, your child signs the attendance sheet twice, puts a left thumb impression on it, signs the admit card in front of the invigilator, and hands both the OMR sheet and the admit card over.
Do this on Saturday, 30 January, after dinner. Tick each box out loud with your child — fifteen minutes, and the single most calming thing you can do the night before an exam.
Arriving after 1:30 PM. Traffic, a wrong turn, a late start — none of it matters to the gate. The bulletin is absolute, and there is no re-exam. Leave an hour earlier than you think you need to.
Going to the wrong centre. Your child can appear only at the centre printed on the admit card. Centres cannot be changed, and appearing elsewhere means the result is cancelled. Check the address the day the admit card arrives.
A barred item in a pocket. A phone, a calculator watch, a geometry box — possession inside the centre premises can be booked as an unfair-means case, and the bulletin says candidates caught using unfair means are debarred for three years. Empty every pocket the night before.
Nothing to pack yet — the admit card doesn’t exist until 25 January. But the two January dates are fixed in the bulletin: the advance city intimation slip on 11 January 2027 and the admit card on 25 January 2027. Save both dates, keep the application number and password safe, and keep the NTA helpline numbers handy — 011 40759000 and 011 69227700, 10 AM to 5 PM, Monday to Saturday, or [email protected]. The form window is open until 2 December 2026, so if you haven’t applied yet, do it now: the calmest exam morning in January starts with a form filled properly in November.
What documents must my child carry to the AISSEE 2027 exam centre?
Only three things, per the NTA bulletin: a printed copy of the admit card with a passport-size photograph and left-hand thumb impression on it, one original valid photo ID such as a school ID card, PAN card, passport or any government-issued photo ID, and one spare passport-size photograph for the attendance sheet. Without these, your child will not be allowed to sit the exam.
Can my child carry a mobile phone to the AISSEE exam centre?
No. Mobile phones, earphones, calculators, smart watches, cameras and all electronic gadgets are barred inside the centre, and the bulletin says no arrangement is made for safe keeping. Leave the phone at home or with the parent waiting outside.
What time should we reach the AISSEE 2027 exam centre?
The centre opens at 12 noon, two hours before the 2 PM exam, and the last entry is 1:30 PM sharp. Aim to reach by 12:30 to 1:00 PM so frisking and document verification happen without a queue.
Can my child carry a pencil box or geometry box to AISSEE 2027?
No. The NTA bulletin bars instrument and geometry boxes, pencil boxes, stationery, paper and textual material from the examination hall. Pack only the three documents the bulletin asks for.
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