Financial Adviser Exam Day: Remote Proctoring Rules and Checklist

6 min read · facts checked 12 Oct 2026

As at 12 October 2026, ACER says the financial adviser exam is sat only by remote proctoring on your own computer, lasts 3.5 hours including 15 minutes' reading time, and needs about 5 hours in total once check-in and admin are included.

Before exam day

• Computer: a personal desktop or laptop. Tablets, phones and work or school computers don't work. You need Windows 10 64-bit (not S mode) or macOS 11 or later; Linux, virtual machines and Boot Camp are not supported.
• Webcam and microphone: both required. Headphones are not allowed without approval.
• Network: no public or workplace networks, mobile hotspots or VPNs. ACER recommends a wired connection.
• Software: install the Guardian Browser and the ProctorU chat app; the exam itself runs in the ACER test app.
• Schedule your session inside your ACER registration (no separate ProctorU login since August 2026). You cannot schedule on exam day, and ProctorU charges extra within 72 hours. For the 5 November 2026 sitting, schedule by 2 November.
• Admission ticket: released about five business days before. Print it or show it on your computer, not a phone.

ID you can use

• A current Australian driver licence, digital or hard copy (learner, probationary or full)
• A current passport with your name in English characters
• A current Australian proof of age card

Check-in

Log in to your ACER registration and follow the prompt to ProctorU 5 minutes before your scheduled session. Check-in can take 30 minutes or more. ASIC's exam policy says to allow at least an hour for booking steps and post-exam admin, and ACER says to allow about 5 hours in all.

During the exam

• Reading time: the first 15 minutes. Answers entered then are not saved.
• Answering time: 3 hours 15 minutes, with no scheduled break.
• Open book, inside the app only: statutory extracts are in the ACER test app. No hardcopy materials and no other browsing.
• No calculator of any kind, including computer-based and online ones.
• Working: a small erasable whiteboard and marker. In 2026 you may use one blank A4 sheet instead. At the end, wipe the board or destroy the sheet and show the proctor.
• Bathroom: ask the proctor first. The timer is not paused.

If something goes wrong

An unexpected equipment failure during the exam is one of the circumstances ASIC's exam policy lists for special consideration, which can let you sit another date without a further exam fee. Keep evidence of what happened. The cost guide has the details.

To rehearse the timing, sit our free mock in one go, at a desk, without a calculator. The format guide covers what the questions look like.