NAATI CCL Tips

NAATI CCL Rules: What You Can and Can’t Do on Test Day

  • May 21, 2025
  • Com 3
Candidate following NAATI CCL rules alone at a clear desk with a phone as second camera

Nobody wants to lose a CCL attempt over a smartwatch on the desk or a pair of earbuds. But NAATI is strict, and a rule breach can mean lost marks, a cancelled test or no refund.

This guide explains the NAATI CCL rules in plain English, grouped the way you’ll meet them: equipment, your room, identity, notes, the interpreting rules themselves, and what happens after you finish. At the end there’s a checklist of 12 mistakes to avoid. The NAATI CCL rules are the same for every language.

Everything here comes from NAATI’s CCL candidate instructions, which every candidate is expected to read in full. We’re an independent practice platform, not NAATI, so treat that page as the final authority.

naati ccl rules test day 1

NAATI CCL rules for equipment

NAATI’s CCL test page lists the full technical specifications. In short, you need two devices and a solid internet connection:

  • A personal laptop or computer with a working camera, built-in microphone and speakers, a power cord and the latest Google Chrome. NAATI warns that work, university and library computers often get blocked.
  • A phone or tablet with a working camera, used as a second camera beside you.
  • Home internet that meets NAATI’s minimum speeds. Public connections such as a library, university or workplace network aren’t allowed.

Ad-blocker extensions must be disabled or removed, and the ProctorExam extension and app will be installed during your system check.

The headphone rule

This one catches people every time. No headsets, headphones or earphones are allowed, whether wired, wireless or Bluetooth. You’ll hear the dialogues through your computer’s speakers. If you’ve been practising with earbuds, switch to speakers now.

If you use hearing aids, tell NAATI at least one week before your test, with pictures and the model number.

NAATI CCL rules for your room and desk

  • You must be in a location with no other people.
  • Your desk must be clear of anything not authorised.
  • Other devices, including phones, tablets, laptops and smartwatches, must be switched off and placed in a different room. Only one screen is allowed.
  • Your face must be clearly visible the whole time, and virtual backgrounds aren’t allowed.
  • The test is audio and video recorded.
  • You can’t pause the test, leave the room or disconnect your cameras until it’s finished.

Our tip: set the room up the night before, then sit in it for five minutes and look around as if you were the supervisor. A forgotten phone charger cable is fine. A second phone on the shelf is not.

Try NAATI CCL Practice Test 1: GP Clinic & Emergency

NAATI CCL rules on identity

NAATI only accepts a current passport (from any country) or Australian or New Zealand ID such as a driver’s licence or proof of age card. If NAATI can’t confirm who’s sitting the test, results won’t be issued. Have your ID on the desk before you start.

NAATI CCL rules on note taking

  • You may take notes with a pen on loose sheets of paper.
  • You can’t bring existing notes.
  • Typing notes is banned, along with dictionaries, web browsing and live caption or transcription tools.
  • Your second camera must show you taking notes from the side.

Our NAATI CCL note taking guide covers what to write and simple symbols that work under these rules.

The interpreting rules: timing, repeats and corrections

These NAATI CCL rules affect your marks directly.

The five-second rule

You must begin interpreting within five seconds of the chime. Long pauses may lose marks, especially if they push your total recording past 20 minutes.

The 20-minute limit

Your test performance, meaning the dialogue recordings plus your interpreting, must be under 20 minutes. Navigation, reading instructions and uploading don’t count. If your recording runs longer, NAATI may stop assessing at the 20-minute mark.

The repeat rule

If you don’t catch a segment, press Finish attempt, then Start, and the whole segment replays. You can repeat one segment per dialogue without penalty. A second repeat in the same dialogue loses marks.

The correction rule

You can correct yourself if you notice an error. Preface it with something like “Sorry, I’ll just say that part again,” then give the corrected version. Constant corrections and long pauses distract from the flow and can cost marks.

The direct speech rule

Interpret in the first person. If the client says “I lost my job last month,” you say “I lost my job last month”, not “He says he lost his job.” NAATI says indirect speech can lose marks, and interpreting a whole dialogue in indirect speech may invalidate your test.

NAATI CCL rules on conduct and integrity

NAATI flags suspicious behaviour and may contact you to clarify it. Candidates caught cheating have their test cancelled, receive no results and may be banned from future NAATI tests. NAATI’s examples of cheating include:

  • using a device to record or translate test material
  • communicating with a third party
  • having someone else sit the test for you
  • pretending to have technical problems

By sitting the test you also agree to keep the test materials confidential. That means no posting segments online or sharing them with friends afterwards.

And be courteous to NAATI support staff before, during and after the test. It’s actually listed among the NAATI CCL rules.

Try NAATI CCL Practice Test 7: Childcare & Pharmacy

Timing rules before and after the test

The NAATI CCL rules start days before your session and don’t stop when the last segment ends. Keep these dates and steps in your calendar:

  • System check: complete it at least 48 hours before your test, using the same setup you’ll use on the day. You only get your test link after this.
  • Time zone: all NAATI test times are in AET. If you miss your test date or time, you’re not eligible for a refund or a reschedule.
  • Setup time: ProctorExam’s ID and room check can take 10 to 15 minutes and doesn’t come out of your test time.
  • After the test: click End Exam on the ProctorExam tab once your responses are uploaded.
  • Technical issues: report them by email within 24 hours, or they won’t be considered.

For fees, dates and the rescheduling cut-off, see our NAATI CCL test booking guide. For a step-by-step of the day itself, read our NAATI CCL test format guide.

12 mistakes to avoid under the NAATI CCL rules

  1. Wearing earbuds or headphones of any kind
  2. Leaving a phone, tablet or smartwatch in the room
  3. Using a work, university or library computer
  4. Sitting the test on public or workplace Wi-Fi
  5. Skipping the system check or doing it on different equipment
  6. Getting the AET time conversion wrong
  7. Having someone walk into the room
  8. Bringing notes written before the test
  9. Using a second repeat in the same dialogue
  10. Switching to “he said…” instead of first person
  11. Pausing so long that you run past 20 minutes
  12. Forgetting to report a technical problem within 24 hours

The first eight can cancel or invalidate a test. The last four cost marks or chances. Our NAATI CCL pass mark guide explains how deductions add up against 63 out of 90.

Try NAATI CCL Practice Test 10: Counselling & Council

Practise under the NAATI CCL rules before test day

The easiest way to make the rules feel normal is to follow them during practice. Use speakers, clear the desk, put your phone in another room, play each segment once and allow yourself one repeat per dialogue.

Our practice tests follow the real format: two timed dialogues, segments that play once and answers recorded in your browser. A human marker scores you out of 90 and flags issues like indirect speech, omissions and long pauses, with feedback in about three days. Tests are currently in English–Urdu, with more languages on the way.

Credits are $35 for one test, $140 for five and $227.50 for ten (AUD) on the CCL credits page. Read our terms and conditions and more about us. For broader study tips, see How to Score Higher in the NAATI CCL Test, our NAATI CCL vocabulary guide, the NAATI CCL 5 points explainer and, for Urdu speakers, the NAATI CCL Urdu guide.

NAATI CCL rules FAQ

Can I drink water during the test?

Yes. NAATI suggests having a glass of water ready, along with your pen, loose paper and ID.

Can I use an external monitor?

Only one screen is allowed at a time. Second screens and monitors must be switched off and placed in another room.

What if my internet drops?

Use the live chat in the ProctorExam tab during the test, and email NAATI’s online testing team within 24 hours afterwards. Your equipment and connection are your responsibility, so test them well before the day.

Are the NAATI CCL rules different for my language?

The test rules are the same for every language. What differs is NAATI’s language policy, which explains how examiners treat things like English loanwords in each language.

Know the rules, then forget about them

Once you’ve practised under the NAATI CCL rules a few times, they stop being something to worry about. That leaves your attention where it belongs: on listening and interpreting well. Read through the NAATI CCL rules one last time the night before your test.

Practise under real test conditions
NAATI CCL Note Taking: What to Write, What to Skip and How to Practise
NAATI CCL Mock Test: How to Use Practice Tests the Right Way