FIRST Robotics Competition events have TEST AREAS. TEST AREAS are areas at events where teams can test their ROBOT with representative FIELD elements. Teams may also be able to test their starting AUTO modes but TEST AREAS are not designed for full FIELD play such as AUTO modes that traverse larger areas of the FIELD or interact with multiple FIELD elements. TEST AREAS are tether-only. FUEL is not provided and if a team wishes to practice with FUEL, they must bring their own.
FIRST provides a recommended layout, but events may need to tweak exact placement depending on the space available in the venue. Teams may not relocate elements from their original locations. The layout is specifically intended to discourage testing of complex AUTO routines.
FIRST provides a small set of production run AprilTags for the TEST AREAS. The tags provided for the 2026 TEST AREA will include tags 2, 5, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, 14, 15, and 16. Teams that wish to use other AprilTag IDs for the TEST AREA may print copies of other tags to bring to events but should not remove the provided tags. Printable copies of the field AprilTags can be found on the Playing FIELD webpage. Teams may temporarily cover up the provided tags (e.g. with a blank sheet of paper) to prevent their vision systems from reading nearby tags unintentionally.
HUMAN PLAYERS are welcome to practice throwing FUEL into the TEST AREA HUB as long as the area around the HUB is clear of other ROBOTS and humans to avoid missed shots hitting people or interfering with ROBOT testing. Priority is given to ROBOT practice over HUMAN PLAYER practice. Teams choosing to practice throwing FUEL must bring their own FUEL.
Although some events may also provide PRACTICE AREAS, many do not have the space or resources to provide long full FIELD interactions. PRACTICE AREAS are defined as areas with a full FIELD. Some District Championships and FIRST Championship may choose to run a full Field Management System on the PRACTICE AREA which allows them to connect robots wirelessly. For events that have full FIELDS but are using tether, teams should expect that 2 teams are allowed on half the field at a time. Practice Attendants may allow additional teams provided teams are a safe distance from one another.