Registration information for the accreditation exam.
Exam registration
The Language part of the accreditation exam is scheduled for Monday 7 December 2026 at a time to be confirmed. We have not yet set dates for the Knowledge and Manuscript parts, but they will be in the first half of 2027 (likely in March and May, respectively). Registration information is provided below, under the following headings:
- Key dates
- Registration policy
- Registration fees
- Registration procedure
- Cancellation and refund policy
Information on the exam itself – such as structure and format – and on preparing for the exam is set out on the following pages:
Key dates
The table below sets out the key dates relating to registration and cancellation of registration for the full exam and the Language part.
| Event | Date |
| Registrations open (full exam) | Monday 10 August 2026 |
| Earlybird registrations close (full exam) | Sunday 11 October 2026 |
| All registrations close (full exam) | Sunday 8 November 2026 |
| * Early cancellation (Language part) | Up to and including Sunday 8 November 2026 |
| * Late cancellation (Language part) | Monday 9 November to Sunday 22 November 2026 |
| * Emergency cancellation (Language part) | Monday 23 November to Monday 7 December 2026 |
| Exam day (Language part) | Monday 7 December 2026 |
| ** Special consideration requests | Tuesday 8 December to Monday 14 December 2026 |
* See Cancellation and refund policy below for more information about cancellation of registration.
** For information about requests for special consideration in the marking, see the Guide for candidates.
Registration policy
The accreditation exam is open to all IPEd members and members of approved affiliate editing organisations. Affiliate members will be asked for their membership details, which we will verify with the relevant organisation.
Non-members wishing to sit the exam must first join IPEd in the appropriate membership category.
First-time candidates must pay either the earlybird full fee, the standard full fee or the concession full fee by the relevant closing date for each part of the exam.
If you are resitting the exam, you must indicate in the online registration form which exam you sat previously and pay either the earlybird resit fee, the standard resit fee or the concession resit fee by the relevant closing date for each exam part. . We will check your eligibility for the resit fee (only one resit at the reduced rate is allowed). If you have already registered and paid the reduced (resit) rate for the current exam, but you have previously resat the exam at a reduced rate, you will be asked to pay the difference to make up the full fee at either the earlybird, standard or concession rate depending on your original date of payment.
Registration is not complete until you have:
- registered for the exam via IPEd events
- completed the registration form
- paid the registration fee for the Language part
by the earlybird or final closing date, as applicable to the date of your registration.
Registrations that are incomplete the day after the closing date for registrations will be automatically cancelled.
Registration fees
Overall exam fees
The table below shows the fees for the 2026–27 exam in Australian dollars both with GST (Australian candidates only) and without GST. Each fee shown is payable in instalments for each exam part (see Payment instalments below).
| 2026-27 rate | Fee with GST | Fee ex-GST | Closing date |
| Earlybird full | $625.00 | $568.18 | Sunday 11 October 2026 |
| Earlybird resit | $435.00 | $395.45 | Sunday 11 October 2026 |
| Standard full | $750.00 | $681.82 | Sunday 8 November 2026 |
| Standard resit | $525.00 | $477.27 | Sunday 8 November 2026 |
| Concession full | $500.00 | $454.55 | Sunday 8 November 2026 |
| Concession resit | $350.00 | $318.18 | Sunday 8 November 2026 |
Other fees that may apply are the cancellation fees (see Cancellation and refund policy) and the appeal fee (see under “Appeals” in the Guide for candidates).
Payment instalments
The table below shows the breakdown of payment instalments for each exam part in Australian dollars with GST. You must pay for the Language part no later than 11 October 2026 for the earlybird rate or 8 November 2026 for the standard or concession rate. The remaining instalments will be due for payment approximately 4 to 6 weeks before the exam date for that part, subject to you passing the previous part.
| 2026–27 rate | Language (20%) | Knowledge (40%) | Manuscript (40%) |
| Earlybird full | $125.00 | $250.00 | $250.00 |
| Earlybird resit | $85.00 | $175.00 | $175.00 |
| Standard full | $150.00 | $300.00 | $300.00 |
| Standard resit | $105.00 | $210.00 | $210.00 |
| Concession full | $100.00 | $200.00 | $200.00 |
| Concession resit | $70.00 | $140.00 | $140.00 |
Registration procedure
Once you have registered, you will receive an email with a link to the online exam registration form.
- Pay the relevant registration fee.
You have 2 payment options:
- Pay now – pay upfront by credit or debit card
- Pay later – receive an invoice to pay at a later date (e.g. by bank transfer).
Note: Whichever payment option you choose, you must pay the Language part instalment by the relevant closing date (11 October for the earlybird fee or 8 November for the standard or concession fee).
- Complete the online registration form before the final closing date of Sunday 8 November 2026.
- You must read the Guide for candidates before completing the form.
- If you require adjustments so you are not disadvantaged when sitting the exam, please indicate this in the form.
Download a preview PDF of the 2026–27 exam registration form.
Cancellation and refund policy
All cancellation fees are taken as deductions from the refund of the registration fee you paid. The refund will vary depending on the registration fee paid (see Registration fees above) and the date of cancellation (see below). There are no concession rates for cancellation fees.
Early cancellation (up to 4 weeks before exam day)
Late cancellation (between 2 and 4 weeks before exam day)
Emergency cancellation or no-show (exam day and 2 weeks before)
The Accreditation Board (AB) will assess refund applications on a case-by-case basis, and payment of a refund is at the AB’s discretion. If the AB approves a refund, the cancellation fee deducted from the refund will be A$150 (including GST), or the full fee paid if less than this, to cover the administration and per-person costs incurred by IPEd.
The table below summarises all cancellation fees for the 2026–27 exam.
| Category | Applicable dates | Fee (incl. GST)* | Reason for fee |
| Early cancellation | up to 4 weeks before exam day | $50.00 | Admin costs for exam coordinators and IPEd staff |
| Late cancellation | between 2 and 4 weeks before exam day | $100.00 (or full fee paid if lower) | Higher admin costs (e.g. assignment of candidate numbers, emails providing instructions, invigilator training) |
| Emergency cancellation or no-show (with refund application lodged within 1 week after exam) | within 2 weeks before or on exam day | $150.00 (or full fee paid if lower) | Higher admin costs as above and per-person fees incurred (e.g. invigilator honoraria) |
| No-show and no refund application lodged | within 2 weeks before or on exam day | Full exam fee paid | Exam development and admin costs incurred and no reason given for cancellation or no-show |
* All cancellation fees are deducted from the refund of the registration fee paid by the candidate. There are no concession rates for cancellation fees.
The IPEd accreditation exam is proudly sponsored by the Macquarie Dictionary and Thesaurus Online and the Canberra Society of Editors
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