What Does ALS Stand For?

What ALS Actually Stands For

ALS stands for Andrology Laboratory Scientist. It is a certification credential - written as ALS(AAB) - awarded to laboratory professionals who work specifically in andrology, the clinical laboratory specialty focused on male reproductive health, semen analysis, sperm function testing, and related fertility diagnostics. If you've landed on this page wondering "what does ALS stand for," the short answer is that it identifies a specific, board-recognized laboratory scientist designation - not a general lab tech title, and not any other credential that happens to share the same three letters.

Because the acronym ALS is used by more than one certifying body across different industries, it's worth being precise: in the context of andrology, clinical laboratories, and fertility diagnostics, ALS always refers to Andrology Laboratory Scientist. For a deeper dive into the terminology itself, see our companion breakdown of the ALS meaning and how the title is used in job postings and lab hierarchies.

Who Administers the ALS Credential

The ALS(AAB) certification is administered by the AAB Board of Registry, commonly abbreviated ABOR. ABOR sets the eligibility routes, writes and scores the examinations, collects fees, and maintains the certification file for each candidate - including the renewal and lapse rules described later in this article. Anyone researching ALS certification should understand that ABOR - not an employer or a university - is the body that ultimately confers and maintains the credential.

If you're still building foundational understanding of the credential before diving into exam mechanics, our overview articles on what ALS is and what ALS certification involves are good starting points before you move into domain-level preparation.

Inside the Two ALS Examinations

Certification requires passing two separate written, multiple-choice examinations. There is no single combined "ALS exam" - candidates must clear both.

Both exams are strictly multiple-choice, closed-book: calculators and outside notes are prohibited during testing. For a section-by-section breakdown of what's tested inside each domain, review the ALS exam domains guide, and if you want a candid assessment of how challenging the combined format is in practice, read how hard the ALS exam actually is.

Eligibility Routes to Sit for ALS

ABOR offers four separate education routes to eligibility, reflecting the reality that andrology laboratory professionals arrive from varied academic backgrounds - medical technology, biology, chemistry, and related science degrees among them. Alongside whichever education route applies, candidates must also satisfy one of the following:

• Completion of 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

This dual requirement - education plus hands-on laboratory exposure - is why ALS is considered a working laboratory scientist credential rather than a purely academic certificate. For the full eligibility matrix and documentation checklist, see the dedicated ALS requirements guide.

Registration, Fees, and Same-Day Testing

ABOR's current fee structure rewards candidates who can complete both required examinations in a single sitting:

Note that college or university proctor fees, when a candidate tests at an academic site instead of using an AAB proctor, are billed separately from this total. For a line-by-line explanation of when each fee applies and how to budget for retakes, see the ALS certification cost breakdown.

Passing Score and Testing Rules

Each of the two exams - Basic Knowledge and Andrology - requires a score of 60% or higher to pass. There is no combined or averaged score across the two exams; each is evaluated independently, and both must individually clear the 60% threshold. Testing rules are strict: calculators and outside reference materials are not permitted in the exam room. A full breakdown of scoring mechanics, including how the questions are structured, is available in the ALS passing score guide. If you're trying to gauge realistic outcomes before committing to a test date, the ALS pass rate article walks through what publicly available data does - and doesn't - tell you.

ALS-P Provisional Status

Not every candidate completes their education and clinical training requirements at the same pace. ABOR accounts for this with a provisional pathway: candidates who satisfy the education requirement before completing the clinical training or experience requirement can be granted ALS-P(AAB) provisional certification. This lets qualified candidates begin working under the provisional designation while finishing the hands-on training component needed for full ALS(AAB) status.

Renewing the Credential

ALS(AAB) certification renews annually for a fee of $115. Unlike many laboratory credentials, ABOR does not impose a continuing-education requirement to maintain ALS status - renewal is fee-based rather than contingent on documented CE hours. However, timing still matters: if a certificate holder goes three full years without renewing, ABOR closes the certification file, which means the credential is no longer active and would need to be re-established rather than simply reinstated.

Who Hires an Andrology Laboratory Scientist

ALS-certified professionals typically work in settings where semen analysis and male fertility diagnostics are performed at a clinical, high-complexity level:

• Fertility clinics and reproductive endocrinology practices
• Hospital-based andrology and reproductive laboratories
• Reference laboratories offering andrology testing panels
• Academic medical centers with andrology or reproductive research components

Employers in these settings generally view ALS(AAB) as evidence that a candidate has demonstrated both general laboratory competency and specialized andrology knowledge through independent, proctored examination. If you're weighing whether pursuing the credential makes sense for your career trajectory, the ROI analysis of ALS certification and the ALS salary guide lay out the practical considerations, and the ALS jobs overview covers common role titles and settings. Structured on-the-job pathways are also discussed in our ALS training resource.

Turning the Acronym Into a Study Plan

Once you understand what ALS stands for and how the two-exam structure works, preparation is really a scheduling problem: you have two distinct content domains, a fixed 90-minute window per exam, and a first-sitting rule that forces Basic Knowledge to be ready before Andrology needs to be. A simple, ALS-specific way to structure the weeks before your test date:

For structured practice sessions built around this exact two-domain format, the ALS Exam Prep practice test platform mirrors the question style and timing you'll encounter on test day. Pairing that repetition with a written reference like the ALS cheat sheet and a full-length walkthrough in the ALS study guide covers both the content review and the logistics side of preparation. When you're ready to lock in a date, the ALS exam dates guide outlines scheduling windows and deadlines to plan around.

Frequently Asked Questions