From the Accreditation Board
The accreditation exam date has been set for Monday 24 August 2026 – and the countdown has started!
If you are thinking about sitting the exam, this is the perfect time to map out your exam preparation timeline. This article gives you a handy summary about what to expect in the exam and where to find essential information, such as key dates, registration fees, policies and procedures, and exam preparation resources.
Exam changes
Style guides
With the decommissioning of the Biotext content manual in October 2025, the Accreditation Board (AB) has been considering the use of various other online style guides.
As in previous exams, the online Australian Government style manual will be available during the exam. The exam registration form will ask candidates to nominate which style guide they intend to use in the exam so that access to other online or digital guides can be considered.
Accessibility
The AB has decided that the editing task in the Manuscript part of the exam will include some editing for accessibility, as this is now a baseline editing skill.
Candidates will now have the option of applying Word Styles to the extract to show the heading hierarchy and any block quotes. Styles will not be a requirement, and candidates may opt to mark up headings and quotes using angle brackets instead. The only requirement is that candidates choose one method and apply it consistently. The sample exams are being updated to reflect the new accessibility requirements and style functionality.
The principles of accessibility will still be tested in the Knowledge part of the exam. A second Knowledge-part sample exam is in preparation and should be available on the website early next year.
Key dates
The registration cut-off and other key dates for the 2026 exam are listed under Key dates on the exam registration webpage. Some of these dates are as follows:
- Registrations open – February 2026
- Earlybird registrations close – Friday 12 June 2026
- All registrations close – Friday 24 July 2026
- Exam day – Monday 24 August 2026
Registration
Fees
We are yet to confirm the fees for the 2026 exam. More information about the registration fees will be provided in early 2026.
In the meantime, the web page lists the Registration fees from the 2024 exam, which you can use as a guide for what you might expect in 2026.
Policies and procedures
There are 3 steps required to register for the exam:
- Register for the event via the IPEd Events page.
- Pay the registration fee.
- Complete the online exam registration form.
Further information, including a flowchart of the procedure, is provided under the Registration procedure section on the exam registration web page.
The 2026 exam registration policy explains who can sit the exam and which exam fee might apply to you. It is available under Registration policy on the exam registration web page.
The Cancellation and refund policy explains what happens if you cancel your registration or can’t make it on exam day.
Exam preparation resources
The AB supplies numerous resources to help candidates prepare for the exam.
Here’s where to start:
- Exam resources
- This web page contains information about how to prepare for the exam overall, including information on style guides, dictionaries, study groups and exam techniques, as well as specific resources for each part of the exam (Language, Manuscript and Knowledge) and the IPEd standards for editing practice.
- Sample exams
- On this web page, you will find sample exam documents to help you prepare – these will be updated soon to show the accessibility requirements, but the old versions are still useful. You will also find some suggestions for timing your exam and simulating the exam conditions.
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- This guide provides all the essential information you need to prepare for the exam. The 2026 version will be available early next year, but the 2024 guide still has lots of relevant and useful information. The AB has also provided the Study tips fact sheet, which lists some of the top tips from previous candidates.
We hope this article has given you all you need to know about the exam for now. Please check the website regularly for updates, and if you have questions, contact your branch AB delegate or the AB chair (ab.chair@iped-editors.org).
In the meantime, happy exam preparation!