The AIMS exam schedule: March and September sittings, application closing dates and payment deadlines

If you want to sit the AIMS exam, the AIMS exam schedule decides your whole year, because the closing dates arrive months before the paper does. The exam is held only twice annually, so missing a date by a day costs you about six months.

This post lays out the March and September pattern, the application closing dates, the payment deadlines, when AIMS notifies candidates, and what happens if you need to defer. It also shows how to plan backwards, since Stage 1 has to be finished before you can apply for the exam at all.

A note on what we cannot tell you: the sources we rely on do not publish specific sitting dates, and we found nothing for later years beyond the March and September pattern. Check the current Australian Institute of Medical and Clinical Scientists (AIMS) pack before you commit to a plan.

What is the AIMS exam schedule each year?

The AIMS Professional Examination is conducted twice a year, in March and September, using online remote proctored software (S1). AIMS repeats the same pattern on its Professional Examinations for Migration page (S5).

That means two sittings per calendar year and no rolling dates. You cannot book an appointment on a convenient Saturday the way you might for a computer-based test.

We do not state exact sitting dates. The sources give the months, and the closing dates below, but not the day of the exam. When AIMS confirms your date, usually through the candidate notification covered later in this post, treat that message as the authority.

You also need to have completed Stage 1 and been assessed as eligible before you can sit (S1, S5). If you are not sure whether you are in that group, read who sits the AIMS Professional Examination first.

When do AIMS applications close?

Applications close at 4pm, by email, on 1 December for the March sitting and on 10 July for the September sitting (S1). These are the dates stated in the current exam pack.

The 4pm cut-off matters. An application sent that evening has missed the sitting, and nothing in the sources suggests flexibility. Send yours well ahead, with every document attached, and keep the sent email.

The closing date for the March sitting falls in the previous calendar year. A candidate aiming for "March next year" has to be application-ready by 1 December, which is earlier than many people assume.

What are the payment deadlines, and when are you notified?

Payment is due 31 January for the March sitting and 8 August for the September sitting. Candidates are then notified in the second week of February or August (S1). AIMS publishes its fees separately, and we do not quote them here because they change.

The gap between closing and payment is short enough to plan around. A December applicant has until 31 January to pay, and a July applicant has until 8 August, which is only about four weeks after the closing date.

The notification arrives roughly a month or more before the March and September papers. Use it as your signal that the sitting is confirmed, and begin your practice test and trial exam steps from that point. Our post on online exam rules explains those steps.

Keep the payment confirmation with your application email. If something goes wrong with the notification, your own record is the quickest way to resolve it with AIMS.

Can you defer your AIMS exam to the next sitting?

Yes, but only before the payment deadline. AIMS states that a deferral must be requested before the payment deadline (S1). After that date, the sources we checked describe no deferral route, so we do not claim one.

If you defer, a new application must arrive within the three-year validity of your Stage 1 letter (S1, S3). That clock starts at the Stage 1 letter, not at your first exam application, so long delays use up the validity.

This is why a deferral decision belongs in the fortnight after you finish a mock and see real numbers, not in the final week. If a full-length practice shows two compulsory sections well under 50%, you still have time to defer cleanly.

We do not state anything about retake limits, waiting periods or resit fees, because none are published in the sources we use. If you are thinking about a second attempt, ask AIMS directly and read our retaker strategy post.

How do you plan backwards from your sitting?

Plan from the closing date, not from the exam month. A candidate who needs Stage 1 first has to allow for AIMS's own timing, which is to complete assessments within 16 weeks of receipt, while document verification may take up to six months (S6).

The table below is our planning template, not an AIMS timeline. Adjust the months to your Stage 1 status.

Our Stage 1 post covers the evidence AIMS looks for, and the 16-week study plan fits the study side into the same calendar.

You can begin free practice in our demo, which has five items in each of the seven disciplines.

A worked example: aiming for the September sitting

Suppose you want the September sitting. The closing date is 10 July, so the real deadline for your documents is early July, not September. Payment follows on 8 August, and the candidate notification arrives in the second week of August (S1).

Working backwards, you would want your Stage 1 letter in hand well before July. If Stage 1 takes the full six months AIMS allows for document verification (S6), you would need to submit it around the turn of the previous year. If it goes faster, you gain study time, but you cannot count on that.

The same logic applies to March: with a 1 December closing date, a Stage 1 submission in the middle of the year is already tight. This example is arithmetic from AIMS's published dates, not an AIMS prediction, and your own Stage 1 timeline may differ.

Does the Special Professional Examination use the same dates?

The Special Professional Examination, a separate written paper for Option 3 applicants, is also held in March and September, with the same closing dates of 1 December and 10 July (S4). It is not the exam this post is about.

If you are unsure which paper applies to you, the quickest check is your assessment option rather than your degree title. Our post on who sits the exam sets the three options out side by side.

Frequently asked questions

When is the next AIMS exam?

The AIMS Professional Examination is held in March and September each year (S1). The sources we use give no exact sitting dates, so check the current exam pack and your candidate notification. Plan around the closing dates of 1 December and 10 July.

When is the AIMS application deadline?

Applications close at 4pm by email on 1 December for the March sitting and on 10 July for the September sitting (S1). Payment is due 31 January and 8 August respectively. Aim to submit well before the closing date.

Can I defer my AIMS exam?

A deferral must be requested before the payment deadline (S1). A new application must then arrive within the three-year validity of your Stage 1 letter (S1, S3). The sources describe no deferral route after payment, so ask AIMS if your situation is unusual.

How long does Stage 1 take before I can apply?

AIMS aims to complete assessments within 16 weeks of receipt, but verification of documents may take up to six months (S6). Because you must finish Stage 1 before sitting (S5), build that range into your plan before choosing a sitting.

Sources

• Medical Laboratory Scientist Professional Examination Pack v8.2 (03/2026) — Australian Institute of Medical and Clinical Scientists
• Professional Examinations for Migration — Australian Institute of Medical and Clinical Scientists
• Special Professional Examination Pack v1.0 (07/2023) — Australian Institute of Medical and Clinical Scientists
• Skills Assessment for Overseas Qualified Professionals — Australian Institute of Medical and Clinical Scientists
• Guidelines for Skills and Qualifications Assessment, MLS and MLT, v18.2 (06/2024) — Australian Institute of Medical and Clinical Scientists