Bring less than you think you need
For admission
One current physical photo ID from DRE's accepted list
For the appointment
Your schedule details, with a printed notice as the low-risk backup
For the room
No personal belongings unless DRE or the proctor has expressly authorized them
The safest California DRE exam-day kit is one accepted physical photo ID, your appointment details, and as few personal belongings as possible. DRE bars a long list of ordinary items from the examination room. A phone may travel with you, but it must be powered off and stored as directed. It cannot remain in your pocket, even during a break.
DRE, current examination control and personal-belongings rules · checked 2026-08-27Use four decisions, not one packing list
| Decision | What it means |
|---|---|
| Bring to check-in | One current physical photo ID from DRE's accepted list and the appointment information needed to find the correct session. |
| Keep out of the room | Every item on DRE's prohibited list, including a powered-off phone, wallet, keys, watch, bag, water, gum, pen, and study notes. |
| Store only as directed | A phone and other unavoidable belongings must go in an individual locker or, when lockers are unavailable, on the personal-belongings storage table. |
| Confirm before exam day | Any necessary medical device, medication access, religious item, disability-related equipment, or other item that could conflict with the room rules. |
Not permitted in the room does not always mean banned from the building
DRE directs candidates to place unavoidable belongings in a locker or storage area before testing. That does not make the item safe to keep during the exam. Follow the proctor's storage direction, and remember that DRE disclaims responsibility for loss or damage.
The full current prohibited-item list, grouped for memory
Electronics and recording devices
Cell phones, smart glasses, tablets, laptops, PDAs, cameras, video or digital recording devices, and watches
These can communicate, store, display, capture, or time information outside the controlled testing system.
Bags, containers, and everyday carry
Purses, wallets, keys, backpacks, briefcases, and suitcases
DRE places these on the not-permitted list even when they contain no study material.
Food and oral items
Food, drinks, and gum
The current room-control list excludes all three. A routine water bottle is not a published exception.
Study and writing materials
Study materials and pens
Candidates may not bring notes or write down exam content. DRE's regulation says written computations use paper furnished by the Department.
Clothing accessories and weapons
Lapel pins, tie tacs, hats or caps, and weapons
These are expressly named. Ask DRE early about a required religious, disability-related, or medical item instead of relying on a check-in exception.
Calculators and anything else the proctor rejects
Calculators and other items deemed inappropriate by proctors
The operating list names calculators and also preserves proctor authority over unlisted items. A separate policy conflict makes personal calculators a confirm-before-you-pack item.
This grouping changes the order, not the scope, of DRE's list. The final category matters: proctors may also reject an item they deem inappropriate. An item is not automatically allowed merely because it is absent from the examples.
A powered-off phone is still not allowed in your possession
The strict rule
DRE prohibits both use and mere possession of a cell phone during the examination, including while the candidate is out on break. Silent mode, airplane mode, and leaving the phone untouched in a pocket do not satisfy the published storage instruction.
- 1
Finish directions, parking, rideshare, and contact messages before check-in.
- 2
Power the phone completely off rather than relying on a notification setting.
- 3
Place it in the individual locker or personal-belongings area the proctor identifies.
- 4
Do not retrieve or use it during a break unless an examination official expressly directs otherwise.
Lockers solve room control, not loss risk
If a locker is available
Store every disallowed item exactly where staff direct. Do not assume a locker permits access during the test or break.
If lockers are unavailable
DRE says a personal-belongings storage table will be set up. The items remain separated from you and may be less private.
In either setup
DRE says it is not responsible for belongings that are lost, stolen, or damaged. Bring fewer valuables rather than treating storage as insurance.
Treat a personal calculator as a policy conflict, not a packing exception
DRE's current examination-control list says calculators are not permitted in the room, and current center pages say basic calculators are provided. The regulation reproduced farther down the same DRE page still describes a narrow class of personal calculator. Do not turn that conflict into permission to carry one past the proctor. Leave the personal calculator out of the room and follow the booked center's current instruction.
Necessary does not mean automatically authorized
Contact DRE before the appointment
A candidate may need medication, food, water, medical equipment, special seating, a reader, or another testing adjustment. The public room list does not grant a blanket exception for a necessary item. DRE directs applicants who need a disability-related accommodation to submit RE 413 with the required documentation. Ask the Examination Section how the approval affects what may enter the room and what must be stored.
Do not wait for check-in
The accommodation process belongs with the examination application and documented arrangements. A proctor cannot be assumed to approve an unplanned item or procedure on the morning of the test.
The night-before belongings audit
Accepted physical photo ID is valid and packed separately for check-in
Printed schedule notice or offline appointment details are ready
Phone plan covers directions, shutdown, storage, and no break-time access
Wallet, keys, watch, bag, food, drink, gum, pen, and notes will not enter the room
No personal calculator is included in the room plan
Valuables have been reduced because DRE does not assume loss responsibility
Any medical, religious, or disability-related item has been discussed with DRE
The current center page and appointment instructions have been checked
Eight packing mistakes that create avoidable risk
Reading not permitted in the room as permission to keep the item in a pocket
Leaving a phone on silent instead of powering it off and storing it
Planning to check messages during a break
Assuming a locker will always be available or private
Bringing valuables because DRE provides a storage location
Packing a water bottle, gum, watch, pen, or keys as harmless exceptions
Assuming an unlisted device is allowed without asking the proctor
Waiting until arrival to disclose a necessary item that may require accommodation
Put the packing list inside one calm arrival plan
Prepare the center, ID, storage, and timing together
Continue to the exam-day hub for identification, arrival, center details, electronic testing, breaks, results, and contingency planning in one sequence.
California license requirement FAQs
Keep going
Place the belongings checklist inside the full exam-day plan
Move from qualification to forms, fingerprints, the examination, and license issuance.
Bring the exact photo ID DRE accepts
Check the closed credential list, validity, Fresno wording, and name mismatches.
Understand the controlled testing workstation
See what the center supplies and how the electronic examination proceeds.
Plan a reasonable accommodation early
Find RE 413 and the examination forms that must be handled before test day.