Examinations
Examinations
Session calendar, admission, and the regulations governing conduct at the examination. Examinations are held in person. They are not held online and will not be.
Session calendar
| Session | Registration | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 2026/II | closed 4 March 2026 | concluded |
| 2026/III | closed 2 July 2026 | concluded |
| 2026/IV | open to invited candidates | admitting |
| 2027/I | opens 12 January 2027 | not yet open |
Registration closes four weeks before the date of the session. Candidates are notified of the venue, date and starting time by letter. The venue is not published.
Admission
Admission is by written invitation from the Examinations Office, or on the recommendation of a national member organisation. Invitations carry a Candidate Reference and are not transferable.
An invitation may admit more than one candidate. Where it does, one reference is issued for the invitation and all candidates named on it register on a single form. A candidate registered singly on a joint invitation is not registered.
A candidate who has received an invitation registers by returning the particulars requested, quoting the Candidate Reference in full. Registrations that do not quote it are not processed and are not acknowledged.
Session 2026/IV is admitting candidates. Holders of an invitation should register before the deadline stated in it. The Examinations Office does not extend deadlines and has declined to do so on every occasion it has been asked.
Examination regulations
§1 Scope
These regulations govern all examinations administered by the Association at all levels.
Where these regulations differ from any statement made by any person at the examination, these regulations prevail.
§2 Admission
A candidate is admitted on production of the invitation and of one document establishing identity.
A candidate who cannot establish identity is not admitted. The fee is not refunded.
Late arrival of more than fifteen minutes is treated as non-attendance.
§3 Conduct
Candidates work independently and in silence.
Candidates do not handle specimens except where directed.
Candidates do not remove anything from the examination room, and do not introduce anything into it beyond what is permitted under §5.
Candidates keep their elbows off the assessment surface.
Remarks concerning the appearance, aroma or presentation of a station are confined to the answer sheet.
The examiner may terminate the examination of any candidate at any time. The examiner is not required to give reasons, and in practice does not.
§4 Components
The examination consists of a written component and a practical component, in that order.
The written component comprises classification questions against the reference illustrations. One type is correct in each case.
The practical component comprises seven stations, presented one at a time. The order of presentation is determined by the examiner and is not the order of the types.
Each station is presented, considered, and cleared before the next is brought out. Candidates do not begin until all candidates have been served.
Between stations, a neutral reference is provided to restore the candidate's judgement. The neutral reference is not assessed and is not to be classified. Candidates who classify it are referred to §6.
Candidates who complete a station early wait. The next station is not brought out until the slowest candidate has finished, however long that takes.
A light lunch is served between the two components. Attendance is not compulsory.
Compliments directed at the preparing facility are neither expected nor forwarded. This provision was introduced in 2016.
White wine is not served at any point of the examination. This provision dates from 1996 and is not explained to candidates.
§5 Aids and materials
Implements are provided and are laid out in the order of use, outermost first. Candidates use those provided.
Electronic devices of any kind are surrendered on admission and returned on departure.
Candidates may not bring reference cards, illustrated material, laminated aids, or specimens of any kind into the examination room. The Reference Set issued to the candidate constitutes study material and confers no entitlement to consult it during the examination.
Protective linen is provided and is worn throughout the practical component. Tucking is permitted.
Dress is otherwise formal. The Association does not define formal and has never needed to.
§6 Irregularities
Consultation of prohibited material is an irregularity and results in exclusion from the session and from the following three sessions.
A candidate who identifies a specimen as belonging to two types simultaneously has not identified it.
A candidate reporting a Type 8 is recorded under this section. No further consequence follows, but the report is retained.
Conduct rendering the continuation of the session impracticable for other candidates is an irregularity. This provision was added in 2003 and has been invoked once.
§7 Results
Results are issued in writing within six weeks. The Examinations Office does not give results by telephone.
A result is a pass or a fail. Scores are not disclosed to candidates.
The Association does not publish pass rates and has declined to state whether it calculates them.
Candidates registered on a joint invitation are examined separately and assessed separately. A result obtained by one candidate has no bearing on the result of the other. The Association makes no exception to this, and has been asked to.
§8 Appeals
An appeal is lodged in writing within twenty-one days of the date on the result letter, on payment of the appeal fee.
An appeal may address the conduct of the examination. It may not address the correctness of a classification, which is determined by the examiner and is final.
The fee is refunded where an appeal succeeds. Two appeals have succeeded.
Remote examination was trialled in 2020 and discontinued before the session concluded. No findings have been published and the Board has resolved that none will be. Enquiries on the subject are acknowledged.