ALS Exam Dates 2026: Testing Windows, Deadlines & Scheduling

How ALS Exam Scheduling Actually Works

Unlike certification programs that publish a fixed calendar of quarterly testing windows, the Andrology Laboratory Scientist credential, ALS(AAB), works differently. The AAB Board of Registry (ABOR) does not push candidates into pre-set testing blocks with hard cutoff dates months in advance. Instead, once your application is reviewed and approved, you coordinate directly with an approved proctor to pick a date and sit for both required examinations. This makes the process more flexible than many licensure-style exams, but it also means the "deadline pressure" candidates feel comes from a different place: your own eligibility documentation, your training hours, and your proctor's availability rather than a registration portal closing on a specific calendar day.

For anyone building a prep plan around this credential, that flexibility is actually an advantage. You are not racing to catch a testing window before it disappears for the season - you are building a study plan backward from a date you choose once you're ready. If you haven't yet mapped what's actually tested, start with the ALS Exam Domains 2026: Complete Guide to All 2 Content Areas before locking in a target date.

The Application Timeline Before You Can Test

Before any exam date can be set, you need an approved application on file with ABOR. That process starts with the $115 initial certification application fee, which is separate from the examination fees themselves. Your application review also confirms you meet eligibility through one of the four recognized education routes and have completed either an approved clinical laboratory training program or at least three months of full-time high-complexity andrology laboratory training or experience within the preceding 10 years.

Because eligibility verification takes time, candidates who wait until they "feel ready" to study before submitting paperwork often lose weeks unnecessarily. A smarter sequence is: confirm eligibility, submit the application, and start structured review while the paperwork is processing. For a full breakdown of what each education and training route requires, see ALS Requirements 2026: Eligibility, Prerequisites & How to Qualify.

Same-Day Testing: Basic Knowledge and Andrology Exam Order

Once approved, most candidates sit for both required examinations on the same testing date: the Basic Knowledge Examination and the Andrology Examination. Each is 70 questions delivered in a 90-minute window, and each requires a 60% score to pass independently - there's no averaging one strong score against a weaker one. A critical scheduling rule to build your plan around: Basic Knowledge must be taken at your first sitting. You cannot postpone it and go straight to the Andrology exam first, even if you feel more confident in the discipline-specific content.

Both exams are closed-book. Calculators and outside notes are prohibited, which matters for how you rehearse calculation-based questions during prep - you need to be comfortable doing arithmetic and unit conversions mentally or on scratch paper, not leaning on a device you won't have in the testing room.

If you want a deeper dive into exactly what's tested inside each domain, the ALS Exam Domains 2026 guide breaks down content emphasis further, and ALS Passing Score 2026: Exactly What You Need to Pass walks through what the 60% threshold means in practice for each exam.

Choosing a Proctor and Testing Location

Your testing date is tied directly to proctor availability, so this decision affects your scheduling window more than almost anything else. You have two general options: an AAB proctor, which carries a flat $35 fee, or a college or university proctor, whose fees are paid separately and set by that institution rather than by ABOR. If you're affiliated with an academic laboratory program, a university proctor might already be built into your training pathway. If not, arranging an AAB proctor is typically the more direct route to locking in a date.

Because proctor scheduling is a coordination process rather than a registration-portal click, it's worth reaching out to your chosen proctor early - ideally as soon as your ABOR application is submitted, not after it's approved. That overlap in timing can shave real weeks off your total path to certification.

Fee Structure and Payment Timing

Understanding when each fee is due helps you avoid scheduling surprises. The $115 application fee comes first and is a prerequisite to everything else. Once approved, the $105 first-discipline exam fee and the $65 second-exam-same-day fee are paid together when you book your testing date, plus the $35 AAB proctor fee if applicable. Combined, that's the $320 same-day total most candidates budget for. If you're using a college or university proctor instead, you'll pay their fee separately according to that institution's own schedule, which is worth confirming before you commit to a testing date so there are no last-minute payment gaps.

For candidates comparing this investment against the broader picture - including renewal costs over time - the ALS Certification Cost 2026: Complete Pricing Breakdown lays out the full financial picture, and Is the ALS Certification Worth It? Complete ROI Analysis 2026 examines whether that investment pays off against the career outcomes it opens up.

Provisional ALS-P Status and Training Deadlines

Not every eligible candidate has finished both the education and training components at the same time. If you've completed the education requirement but haven't yet logged the required clinical laboratory training - whether through an approved training program or the minimum three months of full-time high-complexity andrology laboratory experience within the preceding 10 years - you may qualify for ALS-P(AAB) provisional status.

This matters for scheduling because it changes when you're realistically able to sit for the full exam sequence. Candidates pursuing provisional status should map out their training completion timeline first, then work backward to a realistic exam date, rather than trying to schedule an exam date and hoping training falls into place around it. Review the specific pathways in the ALS Requirements 2026 guide to see which route applies to your background.

Renewal Deadlines and the Three-Year Lapse Rule

Once you've passed both examinations and hold active ALS(AAB) certification, the scheduling conversation doesn't end - it shifts to renewal. Certification renews annually for $115, and notably, ABOR does not impose a continuing-education requirement to renew, which is a meaningfully different maintenance model than many laboratory credentials that require documented CE hours every cycle.

The deadline that does matter, however, is the three-year lapse rule: if you go three years without renewing, your certification file closes. At that point, reinstatement isn't simply a matter of paying a late fee - you'd be looking at re-establishing your credential essentially from the file-closure point forward, which is a far more disruptive outcome than a single missed renewal payment. Mark your renewal date somewhere you'll actually see it, well before the annual deadline arrives.

Building a Study Timeline Around Your Test Date

Because you control your own exam date within ABOR's scheduling process, you can build a study timeline that's realistic instead of reactive. A common approach is to work in focused blocks, treating Basic Knowledge and Andrology content as two distinct study tracks that converge in your final review weeks - since both exams are typically taken the same day, you need both areas sharp simultaneously, not sequentially.

If you're unsure how difficult this exam format actually is compared to your current knowledge base, How Hard Is the ALS Exam? Complete Difficulty Guide 2026 offers an honest assessment, and a structured walkthrough is available in the ALS Study Guide 2026: How to Pass on Your First Attempt. You can also run full timed practice sessions on our practice test platform to get a feel for the 90-minute pacing before your actual test date.

Domain-by-Domain Scheduling Considerations

Because Basic Knowledge must come first and both exams are commonly scheduled the same day, your final week of preparation should treat exam day as a single combined event rather than two separate appointments. Plan for roughly three hours of testing time total (90 minutes per exam), plus buffer time for check-in with your proctor. Bring a valid ID and confirm in advance exactly what materials - if any - your proctor allows on the desk, since calculators and outside notes are prohibited under ABOR rules.

For candidates who want a condensed, exam-morning reference of core facts across both domains, the ALS Cheat Sheet 2026: One-Page Review of Must-Know Facts is designed for exactly that final-review purpose. And if you're still weighing how this credential compares to job market outcomes before committing your exam date and fees, the ALS Salary Guide 2026 and ALS Jobs resources outline where this certification is recognized by employers.

Frequently Asked Questions