If someone is sitting at the desk you believe is assigned to you, ask an invigilator to check the seating list. Keep your Entry Proof ready and tell staff the room or desk number you were given. Let staff decide where each candidate should sit and what to do with any materials already on the desks.
SEAB’s 2026 GCE handbook required candidates to be seated at their assigned desks by the applicable reporting point. For the 2027 Singapore-Cambridge Secondary Education Certificate (SEC), follow your own notice and the centre’s instructions. Confirm the assignment for the paper you are sitting that day.
- Check the venue and room before looking for the desk.
- Ask staff to resolve a seat mismatch.
- Leave any examination material where staff issued it unless directed otherwise.
- Check your own details before using personalised materials.
Check the room before checking the desk
A desk number makes sense only inside the correct room. Start with the venue and the component shown in your current instructions. At the centre, use the room assignment supplied for that paper. A desk used for an earlier paper does not establish where you sit today.
Suppose the notice sends you to Room 3 and you see an empty desk with your expected number in Room 2. Ask staff to confirm the room before sitting down. This is easier to correct at the entrance than after materials have been issued.
Ask staff to resolve an occupied seat
Show the staff member your Entry Proof and explain which desk you expected. Avoid asking the other candidate to move or exchanging documents. The invigilator can check whether one candidate read the wrong row, whether the plan was updated or whether you have been directed to the wrong room.
If staff direct you to a different desk, follow their instructions on what to take with you. Keep your personal documents to hand. Leave question papers, answer sheets and other examination materials for staff to manage unless they direct you to move them.
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Check personal details on materials when instructed
Once you are in the confirmed seat, check any visible personalised details as the staff direct. Your desk assignment and the candidate details on a personalised sheet are separate checks. If the sheet shows another candidate’s information, raise your hand before marking it.
If the problem concerns the question paper rather than a personalised sheet, tell the invigilator which identifier looks wrong. Follow the announcement on when you may turn over or open the paper. A seating issue does not change those instructions.
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Report a mismatch even if the exam has started
If you notice the issue after the start, signal to staff promptly. Tell them what you can see and whether you have already written anything. Wait for their instructions about continuing, replacing material or moving. Avoid transferring answers to a different sheet on your own.
When planning your arrival, allow time to find the room and settle in. Read the stated reporting and seating times for your component. The 2026 handbook gave separate seating instructions for Listening Comprehension, so use the instructions issued for your current paper.
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Frequently asked questions
Can I take another empty seat?
Ask staff to confirm where you should sit and follow their direction.
Can I use the same desk as yesterday?
Check today’s room and desk allocation for the specific paper.
What if a personalised sheet has someone else’s name?
Signal to the invigilator before you use it, or tell them what you have already written if you notice later.
What if there is no desk number on my Entry Proof?
Use the centre’s reporting or seating instructions and ask staff at the venue where to go.