Most guides to extra time explain the rules. This one follows the process — the sequence a private candidate actually goes through to get 25% extra time approved, with the sticking points we see most often. It is a walkthrough, not a single person's account: the candidate below is a composite of the enquiries we handle every year, so no real individual is described.
Week one: realising the school route doesn't exist
Our candidate — call her the resitter — had extra time at school for dyslexia. She assumes it will carry over. It doesn't. Access arrangements are applied for by the exam centre, for a specific series, and a school's application ends when the pupil leaves. As a private candidate she needs a new application, made by the centre that will host her exams, and that centre needs evidence it can stand behind.
First lesson: choose your centre before you chase paperwork. The application is theirs to make, so their requirements come first. Ours are set out on the access arrangements page.
Week two: finding out what "evidence" means
Under JCQ regulations, extra time needs two things: proof of an underlying need and proof of a history of that need. For a school pupil the history is the school's own records. For a private candidate it has to be reconstructed:
- A specialist assessment — for learning difficulties, the JCQ Form 8 completed by a suitably qualified assessor, with the standardised test scores that show the need. An old school report on its own is not enough, but it helps establish history.
- For a medical or psychological condition, current evidence from a relevant professional describing the impact on exam performance.
- Anything showing the arrangement was used before — a previous centre's confirmation, or exam papers marked with the arrangement.
The resitter's school assessment is four years old. She books a new assessment with a specialist assessor, which is the single largest cost and the longest lead time in the whole process.
Week five: the assessment
The assessment takes an afternoon and produces a report with the test results the centre needs to see. Her scores support 25% extra time. The report is sent to us, not to the exam board — boards never see the evidence; the centre holds it and confirms on the application that it exists and meets the criteria.
Week six: the centre applies
We log the application through JCQ's online system, matched to her exam entries. This is why access arrangements and exam entries are linked: no entry, no application. It is also why the deadline matters — for the summer 2027 series, access arrangement applications must be in by 21 March 2027, and the underlying exam entries by 21 February. Both dates are on our deadlines page. Miss the March date and the arrangement cannot be applied to that series, however good the evidence.
Approval — and what it doesn't cover
The approval covers 25% extra time on her written papers at our centre for the named series. It does not automatically transfer to a different centre, a different series, or a different arrangement (a reader, a scribe, rest breaks and a word processor are each applied for separately). If she resits the following year, we re-confirm the arrangement rather than starting again, because the evidence is still held.
What she would have done differently
- Started in the autumn. The assessment took three weeks to book and two to report. Six months before the exam is comfortable; six weeks is not.
- Kept every school document. Her old assessment did not prove current need, but it established history and made the new assessor's job easier.
- Asked the centre first. An assessment commissioned before knowing the centre's requirements can turn out to be the wrong kind.
Frequently asked questions
How much extra time can you get?
25% is the standard arrangement. More than 25% is granted only in exceptional cases with substantially stronger evidence.
Does a diagnosis on its own qualify you?
No. The evidence must show the condition affects your performance in timed written exams and that the arrangement reflects how you normally work.
Can I apply directly to the exam board?
No. Applications are made by the exam centre on your behalf.
Do you get extra time in exams for ADHD, dyslexia or autism?
Often, yes — but the diagnosis alone is not the deciding factor. JCQ looks for evidence that the condition affects your speed of reading, writing or processing in a timed exam, and that extra time is how you normally work. Dyslexia, ADHD and autism are common grounds for 25% extra time when the assessment shows that impact.
Can you get extra time in exams for anxiety?
Sometimes, with current evidence from a relevant professional showing how the anxiety affects exam performance. Rest breaks are more commonly granted for anxiety than extra time, so ask the centre which arrangement fits the evidence.
Is extra time noted on my certificate?
No. Certificates do not show that any access arrangement was in place.
Need an arrangement for your next exam? Read our access arrangements guide, then get in touch early so the evidence is ready before the deadline.
