Didn’t pass the financial adviser exam? Here’s the resit plan for 4 Mar 2027

You are in good company

At the August 2026 sitting, 220 candidates sat and 149 passed, so about 70 people were in your position (ASIC results release). Across the sittings from March 2025 to August 2026, roughly one candidate in three did not pass on the day. The exam rewards applying the law and ethics to client scenarios under time pressure, and that can be trained. The results by sitting guide has every figure.

First, the facts of a resit

• Book again any time a window is open. Unlimited attempts, no waiting period, A$1,500 each sitting (ASIC FAQs).
• No mark, no appeal. You are told pass or fail. ACER gives general feedback on the areas where you underperformed (ACER results).
• New questions. ASIC changes the questions regularly, so the resit is a different paper with the same format: at least 70 questions in 3 hours 30 min including 15minutes’ reading time.
• Professional year. New entrants must pass before starting the third quarter of their PY. There is no time limit on the PY itself, but a change to your plan must be in writing (ASIC INFO 297). Tell your licensee and supervisor now and agree a sitting.
• Results. Four to five weeks after the exam, pass or fail only. The results guide covers what the statement shows and what to do either way.
• Sittings. Every date and booking window is on our exam schedule, taken from ASIC.

Your resit timeline

Results for the 5 Nov 2026 sitting are expected about 3–10 Dec 2026, four to five weeks after the exam; ASIC gives no exact date. The next sitting you can book is Thursday 4 March 2027 (indicative): booking opens 9 am AEDT Friday 29 January 2027 and closes 5 pm AEDT Friday 19 February 2027. Late bookings are not accepted (ASIC and ACER, checked 1 Nov 2026).

Sources: ASIC Book to sit the exam and ACER, checked 1 Nov 2026. Sydney time. Dates ASIC marks as indicative can change. Results dates are our estimate from ASIC’s “four to five weeks”; ASIC publishes no exact date.

Book as soon as the window opens: late bookings are not accepted. Then schedule your ProctorU session and test your computer. The exam day guide covers the set-up, and how to book walks through ACER registration.

The 4-step resit plan: 16 weeks to 4 Mar 2027

1. 1. Read your feedback against the three areas

   The exam weighs three areas equally: financial advice regulatory and legal obligations; applied ethical and professional reasoning and communication; financial advice construction. Mark each one weak, borderline or fine from ACER’s feedback. Most resitters have one area that cost them the paper.

2. 2. Take a baseline in the first week

   The free 20-question mock (free with an account) takes 30 minutes, marks each question with its topic and names the topic you missed most. It tells you whether the feedback matches where you actually drop marks today.

3. 3. Rebuild the weakest area first

   Read the study notes for that area, then drill its topics until you clear our 70% practice line on questions you haven’t seen. About four in five exam questions sit on client scenarios, so practise scenarios, not definitions. Our 70% is a practice target; ASIC sets the pass mark each sitting and does not publish it.

4. 4. Two or three full mocks under exam conditions

   In the last month, sit full 70-question mocks in 3 hours 30 min with the 15minutes’ reading time, no calculator and no notes. Review every wrong answer against the section of the Corporations Act, the Code of Ethics standard or the regulatory guide it rests on.

How Adviser Exam Prep helps on a resit

• 1,100+ original practice questions across all three areas, most on client scenarios, each with a worked explanation that cites its source. They are our own questions, not past or recalled exam questions.
• Timed 70-question mocks built to the exam’s format, with a score for each area.
• The one-sitting pass (4 months) (A$119) covers the next sitting from any start date. The 12-month pass with resit cover (A$179) adds resit cover. Resit cover: on the 12-month pass, sit the exam while your pass is active and don't pass, and we add 90 days free.

To claim, send us your exam result notice through the feedback form or by email within 30 days of the result. We add 90 days to your pass, free, each time you don't pass a sitting while it is active. Resit cover does not apply to the 1-month or 4-month passes.

Independent; not affiliated with ASIC.

Questions resitters ask

I failed the ASIC financial adviser exam. How many resits do I get, and does that reset my professional year?

As many as you need: ASIC says you can re-sit as many times as it takes to pass, booking in each sitting's window and paying A$1,500 each time. Nothing in the Professional Year Standard or ASIC's guidance restarts your professional year after a fail. The rule is that you cannot start quarter 3 until you pass (Standard s 12(2)), and ASIC's INFO 297 says there is no time limit on the professional year, though a delay may mean varying your plan in writing (checked 28 October 2026).

Can I resit the financial adviser exam straight away?

Yes. There is no limit on attempts and no waiting period between them, but each sitting costs the full A$1,500 (ASIC FAQs). The next sitting you can book is Thursday 4 March 2027 (indicative). Booking through ACER opens at 9 am AEDT on Friday 29 January 2027 and closes at 5 pm AEDT on Friday 19 February 2027.

How do I book an ASIC exam re-sit?

In the sitting's booking window, log in to ACER's booking portal with your existing Application ID and choose Resit, then pay the A$1,500 fee to ASIC by the payment deadline and schedule your ProctorU session (ASIC Book to sit the exam, checked 30 October 2026). Results for the 5 Nov 2026 sitting are expected about 3–10 Dec 2026, four to five weeks after the exam; ASIC gives no exact date. The next sitting you can book is Thursday 4 March 2027 (indicative): booking opens 9 am AEDT Friday 29 January 2027 and closes 5 pm AEDT Friday 19 February 2027. Late bookings are not accepted (ASIC and ACER, checked 1 Nov 2026).

When will I know if I need to resit?

ASIC and ACER say results come four to five weeks after the exam, as a pass or fail statement in your ACER registration account; ACER emails you when it is ready. Neither publishes an exact release date in advance.

Can I appeal or get my mark?

No. ASIC tells candidates pass or fail only, with no mark, and there are no appeals. ACER gives general feedback on the areas where you underperformed, which is the best starting point for a resit plan.

Will the resit have the same questions?

No. ASIC's exam policy says the questions are changed regularly, so a resit is a different set. Remembering questions from your sitting will not help; applying the law and the Code of Ethics to new client scenarios will.

Does failing affect my professional year?

New entrants must pass before starting the third quarter of their professional year (ASIC FAQs; INFO 297, checked 30 October 2026). INFO 297 says there is no time limit on the professional year, and any change to your plan must be agreed in writing, so talk to your licensee and PY supervisor early about what a later sitting means.