As with most precise activities, the bulk of the work is done in the preparation while the actual test is completed extremely quickly. A typical impact test takes approximately 10 milliseconds. The procedure is as follows:

1. Latch the pendulum in its upright position.
2. Place the specimen on the anvils with special Charpy tongs. These tongs typically have a fill-in section for the notched specimen and are usually just slightly smaller than the width between the anvils - this way the sample is easily placed in the center of the test area. The sample is placed such that the notched surface is facing away from the direction of impact.
3. After making sure that the swing plane of the pendulum arm is clear, release the pendulum and allow it to break the specimen.
4. Once the test is complete, allow the pendulum to swing back close to the original release point and push the pendulum back into the latched position. Some models have a motorized return capability where a brake is activated , stopping the swinging pendulum, and returns the pendulum back into it's original latched position.