August 2026, Financial Adviser Exam Analysis
ASIC recently released the dat for he August 2026 sitting of the Financial Adviser Exam. It had 220 candidates. Of those, 149 passed, giving a pass rate of 67.7%.
A closer look at the composition of that group: 173 candidates were sitting for the first time, while 47 candidates (around 21.4% of the field) were sitting for a second time or more. At the end of August, there were 15,124 registered advisers — meaning 6,138 people have passed the exam but are not currently practising as an adviser.
How This Compares to August 2025
Set against the same sitting a year earlier, the August 2026 result was slightly softer:
| Metric | Aug 2025 | Aug 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | 221 | 220 | −1 |
| Passed | 152 | 149 | −3 |
| Pass rate | 68.8% | 67.7% | −1.1 pt |
| First-time sitters | 162 | 173 | +11 |
| Repeat sitters (2nd+) | 59 | 47 | −12 |
| Repeat-sitter share | 26.7% | 21.4% | −5.3 pt |
| Cumulative passes | 20,546 | 21,262 | +716 |
| Registered advisers | 15,387 | 15,124 | −263 |
| Passed but not practising | 5,159 | 6,138 | +979 |
2026 Year-to-Date vs 2025 Year-to-Date
Looking at the three sittings held so far in each year (March, June, August):
| Metric | 2025 YTD | 2026 YTD | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | 699 | 721 | +22 (+3.1%) |
| Passed | 486 | 508 | +22 (+4.5%) |
| Average pass rate | 69.5% | 70.5% | +1.0 pt |
Overall takeaway: August 2026 was a marginally weaker individual sitting than August 2025, fewer passes and a lower pass rate. However, it sits on top of a stronger year so far overall, with more candidates, more passes, and a slightly better average pass rate across the March–August sittings than at the same point in 2025.
A more detailed breakdown by each exam since March 2025 shown below
. With one exam to go for the 2026 year, results are on track to be much the same as 2026
