Apparition Test Centre

• Type: Ministry of Magic Examination Centre
• Location: The primary centre is presumably located within the Ministry of Magic headquarters in London. However, tests are also conducted in other locations for convenience, such as in Hogsmeade for students of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
• Owner/Residents: Operated by the Department of Magical Transportation within the Ministry of Magic. Tests are administered by officially appointed Apparition Examiners, such as Wilkie Twycross.
• Key Features: A designated and controlled area where a witch or wizard demonstrates the ability to perform Apparition successfully. The test is designed to ensure that the candidate has mastered the “Three D's” – Destination, Determination, and Deliberation – to avoid the dangerous magical mishap known as Splinching.

An Apparition Test Centre is a facility mandated by the Ministry of Magic for the purpose of licensing witches and wizards in the art of Apparition. As Apparition is a difficult and potentially dangerous form of magical travel, the Ministry requires anyone wishing to Apparate legally to pass a practical test upon reaching the age of seventeen. The test itself is straightforward but requires a high degree of concentration and skill. For a fee of twelve Sickles, a candidate must demonstrate the ability to Apparate from a starting position to a designated destination a short distance away, all under the watchful eye of a Ministry examiner. The examiner's primary role is to assess the success of the teleportation and to confirm that no part of the candidate's body or belongings has been left behind—a phenomenon known as Splinching. While the central test centre is likely at the Ministry itself, temporary centres are set up elsewhere. For Hogwarts students, twelve-week Apparition lessons are offered within the castle's Great Hall, and the subsequent test is held in the nearby village of Hogsmeade.

The Apparition Test Centre and the test itself feature prominently in *Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince*. The process serves as a significant rite of passage for the sixth-year students as they come of age. The differing outcomes of the test for the main characters highlight their individual personalities and skill levels. Hermione Granger passes her test on the first attempt with characteristic perfection, earning her license shortly after her seventeenth birthday. In contrast, Ron Weasley fails his first test by Splinching, leaving half an eyebrow behind. This failure is a source of great annoyance and embarrassment for him and serves as a practical, albeit minor, demonstration of the dangers repeatedly warned about by their instructor, Wilkie Twycross. Harry Potter, being younger than his friends, is not yet seventeen when the first test date arrives, separating him from this particular milestone. The concept of licensed Apparition later stands in stark contrast to the trio's frequent and unlicensed use of the skill during their hunt for Voldemort's Horcruxes in *Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows*, underscoring their desperate circumstances and operation outside the law.

In the film adaptation of *Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince*, the Apparition lessons at Hogwarts are depicted, but the formal test and the Apparition Test Centre in Hogsmeade are not shown. Ron Weasley's failure is mentioned in dialogue but not visually portrayed. (film)