Exams are held in May and November. You will be asked to specify which one you wish to sit on the application form. Applications should be received around six weeks prior to your chosen exam – this allows time for two optional practice papers to be sent out.

The exam itself consists of a transcription paper and a braille comprehension paper.

The exam is three hours long and a suitable venue and invigilator will be discussed with our Braille Training Team.

The pass marks are A-E. Grades F and below are a fail, but students can pay again to retake the exam as many times as they wish.

On passing, students will be accredited with an RNIB Unified English Braille course certificate.

Please note: You will not receive a physical product when purchasing this exam. All materials will be sent to you via email. Please ensure you download and complete the application form (Word file) found in the User Guides section on this page. 

You will be tested on your knowledge of:  

• The braille alphabet.
• All the contractions of Unified English Braille.
• Punctuation signs.
• Basic numbering and capitalisation.
• Basic formatting and typeforms.

The exam does not cover:  

• Advanced notation.
• Specialist codes (for example, mathematics, science, or music).
• Skills in teaching braille to blind individuals.

• Application form (DOC)