ASIC Releases August 2026 Financial Adviser Exam Results with 67.73% Overall Pass Rate

Key Takeaways

• ASIC published results for the 34th Financial Advisers Exam cycle: 220 candidates sat the exam and 149 (67.73%) passed.
• First-time candidates passed at 72.3% (125 of 173).
• The results matter for compliance teams because they affect adviser onboarding pipelines, supervision capacity, and registration timing under the education and training standards.

Deep Dive

ASIC published results for the 34th Financial Advisers Exam cycle: 220 candidates sat the exam and 149 (67.73%) passed. First-time candidates passed at 72.3% (125 of 173). The results matter for compliance teams because they affect adviser onboarding pipelines, supervision capacity, and registration timing under the education and training standards.

For compliance teams, the main implication concerns workforce planning and adviser registration. New entrants who fail cannot be registered on the Financial Advisers Register on the expected timeline. This can delay client-facing activity, strain supervision arrangements, and affect licensee resourcing. Firms relying on provisional relevant providers or new hires should confirm that individual exam status is tracked and that no one provides personal advice before meeting the applicable requirements.

Key dates: the next exam is on 5 November 2026. The booking period opens 24 September 2026 and closes 16 October 2026. Candidates who failed in August, and any new hires planning to sit in November, need to book within that window. Missing it would push their qualification timeline into a later cycle.

Recommended actions:
- Review the exam pipeline and identify staff who sat the August exam, and those who still need to sit.
- Confirm that failed candidates receive support, such as ACER feedback review and targeted study on advice construction, ethics, and legal requirements.
- Calendar the 24 September and 16 October booking dates.
- Verify that supervision and registration processes align with exam outcomes.
- Update recruitment and onboarding forecasts to reflect the lower pass rate.

Risk implications are moderate and mainly operational. Lower pass rates may create adviser capacity constraints and delay onboarding. They could also increase compliance risk if staff provide advice before meeting the qualification requirements. There is no direct enforcement action, but weak tracking of competency status could lead to regulatory scrutiny of licensee training and supervision controls.

Source: Australian Securities and Investments Commission