Registration information for the accreditation exam.
Exam registration
The next accreditation exam is in August 2026. 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 next IPEd accreditation exam is in August 2026. The table below sets out key dates relating to registration and cancellation of registration for the exam and will be updated with exact dates in early 2026.
| Event | Date |
| Registrations open | February 2026 |
| Earlybird registrations close | About 10 weeks before the exam |
| All registrations close | One month before the exam |
| * Early cancellation (before registrations close) | Up to and including the registration closing date |
| * Late cancellation (within 2 weeks after registrations close) | Within 2 weeks after registrations close |
| * Emergency cancellation (exam day and 2 weeks before) |
Exam day and 2 weeks before |
| Exam day | August 2026 (exact date to be set) |
| ** Special consideration requests | Up to 1 week after the exam |
* 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 2026 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.
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. 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 2026 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
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
The fees for the 2026 exam have not yet been set. As an indicative guide, the table below shows the fees for the 2024 exam in Australian dollars both with GST (Australian candidates only) and without GST.
| 2024 rate | Fee with GST | Fee ex-GST | Closing date |
| Early-bird full | $675.00 | $613.64 | Sunday 2 June 2024 |
| Early-bird resit | $450.00 | $409.09 | Sunday 2 June 2024 |
| Standard full | $775.00 | $704.55 | Friday 12 July 2024 |
| Standard resit | $550.00 | $500.00 | Friday 12 July 2024 |
| Concession full | $500.00 | $454.55 | Friday 12 July 2024 |
| Concession resit | $350.00 | $318.18 | Friday 12 July 2024 |
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 options
Candidates will have 2 payment options when registering for the exam via IPEd Events:
- “Pay Now” – pay up-front by credit or debit card
- “Pay Later” – receive an invoice to pay at a later date (e.g. by bank transfer).
If you will have difficulty paying the registration fee in one lump sum, please select the “Pay Later” option, and then contact the IPEd finance officer, Erin Rundle, to discuss a feasible payment plan (email: finance@iped-editors.org).
Whichever payment option you choose, payment must be received in full by the final registration closing date (about a month before the exam).
Registration procedure
Registration for the 2026 exam will involve 2 steps:
- Register via IPEd Events. You will then receive an email with a link to the online registration form, as well as a payment receipt (if you chose “Pay Now”) or an invoice (if you chose “Pay Later”).
- Complete the online registration form via Google Forms.
Download a preview PDF of the 2024 registration form.
Please note that your exam registration will not be complete until you have paid the correct fee in full and submitted the online registration form via Google Forms.
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.
Cancellation fees for the 2026 exam have not yet been set. The information below is based on the fees for the 2024 exam and is provided as an indicative guide.
Early cancellation (up to and including the closing date for registrations)
You may cancel your registration at any time up to and including the closing date about a month before the exam and receive a full refund less an administration fee of A$50 (including GST). To cancel, contact the exam administrator: email exam.administration@iped-editors.org.
Late cancellation (within 2 weeks after registrations close)
Cancellations within 2 weeks after registrations close will receive a full refund less an administration fee of A$110 (including GST) to cover the higher administration costs incurred after registrations close. To cancel, contact the exam administrator: email exam.administration@iped-editors.org.
Emergency cancellation or no-show (exam day and 2 weeks before)
Cancellations within 2 weeks up to and including exam day, including no-shows on exam day, will only receive a refund in the event of a medical or other emergency. Requests for a refund must be lodged with the exam administrator (email: exam.administration@iped-editors.org) no later than 1 week after the exam. You will need to state your reasons and provide supporting documentation.
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$260 to cover the administration and per-person costs incurred by IPEd.
Venue iMac computer cancellation fee surcharge (exam day and 2 weeks before)
Exam venue candidates may request an Apple computer (iMac), which Cliftons (the exam venue operator) hires at extra cost per hire to IPEd. In 2024 this cost was A$302.50 including GST. IPEd does not pass this cost on to exam candidates in the registration fee. However, iMac candidates who cancel their registration within 2 weeks before the exam or who do not show up on exam day – that is, once IPEd has committed to hiring an iMac on their behalf – will incur an additional cancellation fee of A$50 (16.5% of the actual iMac hire cost), on top of the emergency cancellation fee of A$260.
All cancellation fees for the 2024 exam are summarised in the table below. The fees for the 2026 exam have not yet been set.
| Category | Applicable dates | Fee (incl. GST)* | Reason for fee |
| Early cancellation (before registrations close) | up to and including the registration closing date |
$50.00 | Admin costs for exam coordinators and IPEd staff |
| Late cancellation (within 2 weeks after registrations close) | within 2 weeks after registrations close | $110.00 | Higher admin costs (e.g. assignment of candidate numbers, emails providing venue/remote details) |
| Emergency cancellation or no-show (with refund application lodged within 1 week after exam) | within 2 weeks before or on exam day | $260.00 | Higher admin costs as above and per-person fees incurred for venue/remote arrangements |
| Emergency cancellation fee surcharge for iMac users (venue candidates only) | within 2 weeks before or on exam day | $50.00 | Nominal amount towards extra cost of iMac hire |
| No-show and no refund application lodged | within 2 weeks before or on exam day | Full exam fee paid | Exam admin and per-person costs incurred and no reason provided 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
 |
 |