Free PIP Assessment Day Companion PDF

The PIP assessment is a conversation with consequences: what you say, and what the assessor observes, becomes the report your award is decided on. Under pressure, most people forget their worst days, minimise out of politeness, and remember the example they should have given on the way home. This companion fixes that - fill it in calmly before the day, keep it in front of you during (notes are normal and allowed), and capture what happened straight after.

What is inside

What actually happensWho the assessor is, how the appointment runs, the "typical day" technique, the informal observations that start before the first question - and the "I'm fine" reflex that quietly costs points.

Your bring-sheetOne page for your conditions, medication and side effects, aids and adaptations, and the people who help - short notes to jog your memory when you are nervous.

Worst incidents + typical dayThree dated real examples to reach for when a question comes, and your morning, evening and night sketched honestly before anyone asks.

After-notes that protect youSame-day notes on what was asked, what was cut short and what it cost you afterwards - the evidence a mandatory reconsideration is built from if the report gets it wrong.

Get the companion free

Enter your email and the PDF downloads straight away. Print it, fill it in at your own pace, and take it with you.

No spam - occasional PIP guidance only. Unsubscribe anytime. Privacy

Your companion is ready

⬇ Download the PDF

Fill in pages 3 and 4 before the day, on a day you can think clearly - and fill in page 5 the same day as the assessment, while it is fresh.

We have also emailed you the download link, with three tips for using it, so you can come back to it any time.

Next: practise saying it out loud

The sheet organises you. Practice prepares you. Assessment Prep coaches the spoken side around your own conditions: the questions to expect for each activity, how to keep bad days in your answers, and the wording traps that cost points. Try its free preview first.

See Assessment Prep →

Still filling in the form? See one of your own PIP2 answers free →

Why a sheet of paper changes the assessment

Assessors use the "typical day" question because open conversation reveals more than direct questions - including things that read as ability: "I manage", "I'm fine", "not too bad". With your facts already written down, you answer from your real record instead of your polite reflexes: the typical day including the bad days, the help you actually get, and what tasks cost you afterwards. And because assessment reports do get things wrong, the after-notes page turns your same-day memory into evidence you can use at mandatory reconsideration if you ever need it.

It pairs naturally with our guides on preparing for the assessment, what not to say and the questions assessors ask.

The sheet organises you. Practice prepares you.

Our Assessment Prep tool coaches the spoken side around your own conditions: the questions to expect for each activity, how to keep bad days in your answers, and the wording traps that cost points.

See Assessment Prep → Still filling in the form? Try one PIP2 answer free →

Frequently asked questions

Is the PIP assessment companion really free?+

Yes. Enter your email and the PDF downloads straight away - no payment, no card details. We fund it through our paid PIP guidance service. We may send occasional PIP guidance emails, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Can I have notes with me at a PIP assessment?+

Yes. Keeping notes in front of you is normal and allowed, whether the assessment is by telephone, video or face-to-face. You can also have someone with you, ask for breaks, and ask for questions to be repeated or rephrased. Nerves make people forget their worst days - notes are how you make sure the assessor still hears about them.

What should I prepare for a PIP assessment?+

Have your conditions and medication list to hand, the aids and adaptations you use, the people who help you, and two or three real dated examples of things going wrong. Be ready to describe a typical day honestly, including bad days and what tasks cost you afterwards. The companion gives you a page for each of these.

What if the assessor's report is wrong?+

It happens, and you can challenge the decision through mandatory reconsideration and appeal. Notes made on the day of the assessment - what was asked, what was cut short, what you noticed - carry far more weight later than memories from months after. The companion's after-notes page exists exactly for this.

The PIP Assessment Day Companion