Formal Assessment

To book a formal assessment test:

IMPORTANT: Please read the following page carefully. Please note that the booking MUST be made by the person who will undertake the test. Another person (e.g. colleague, friend or family member) can not use his or her EATC account to book a test session for the candidate.
  1. You must be registered for the EATC.
  2. Once registered, log on to the EATC using your email address and password and click on the "Formal Assessment" link at the top of the page.
  3. For booking, please click on the "Book your test now!" button on the bottom of this page. 
    Please NOTE: It is highly recommended to complete all self assessment tests (must be logged in) before booking a formal assessment.
  4. Upload a photo ID in either a pdf or a jpeg format; this ID must show your full name and date of birth in addition to your photo (e.g. passport, driver's licence or national ID card).
  5. Select the invigilation centre nearest to you and see what times and dates are available for tests. You can take the formal assessment at the locations below.
    NOTE: if you can't find any of these test centres on the "Invigilator Sessions" page (where you make the booking), contact the EATC team at eatc@pieronline.org stating your preferred test centre and two dates when you are available to take the test. We will then contact the invigilator on your behalf asking them to list sessions for you to book.
    1. In Australia:
      • Brisbane: IES
      • Gold Coast: StudyGoldCoast
      • Sydney: Migration Institute of Australia, EDEX - Education Export Services or Studylink
      • Melbourne: Please contact PIER office at eatc@pieronline.org
      • Adelaide: Education Adelaide
      • Perth: Sterling Business College (WAPETIA)
    2. Overseas:
      • Brazil: Sao Paulo
      • Chile: Santiago
      • China: please contact the PIER team via email for further information
      • Hong Kong: ACE (Academic and Continuing Education) or IDP - Hong Kong
      • India: New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkatta, Chennai, Chandigarh, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad and Bangalore
      • Indonesia: Jakarta
      • Malaysia: Kuala Lumpur
      • Mexico: Mexico City
      • Pakistan: Islamabad
      • Peru: Lima
      • South Korea: Seoul
      • Sri Lanka: Colombo
      • Taiwan: Taipei
      • Thailand: Bangkok
      • UAE: University of Wollongong, Dubai
      • Vietnam: Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City
      • ICEF Worldwide (during ICEF workshops)

    3. If there is no test centre in your area, then please contact the EATC Team at eatc@pieronline.org indicating the city you are located and two preferred dates for your test.

Please be aware that once you click on the 'confirm' button you have booked a formal assessment test; you will receive an email from PIER with the details of your booking (e.g. date/time and invigilation centre). Please note that cancellation fees will apply (see Cancellation Policy) if you choose not to do this test.

Once booked, please wait for the confirmation email from PIER that the Invigilation Centre accepted your booking. Only after this confirmation will you be able to pay for the test (payment can be made by Visa or Mastercard Credit card). The exam fee is AUD$400.00*.  The official invoice and receipt will be avalible for download through the "My course profile" link located at the bottom, right-hand corner of your homepage.

*Please note that EATC formal assessment test fees may change without notice. Candidates will be notified of the test fee upon booking the test session. Please note that bank charges must be paid by the candidate in addition to the exam fee.

Please note that the payment for the test must be finalised before the test as our Invigilation Centres do not accept payments.

IMPORTANT: Please check the Spam folder of your email account as it is possible that our automated email had been redirected by your email server.

You are able to check the current status of your booking anytime by signing into the EATC with your username/password. The link to the details of your booking is located on the top of your homepage.

On the day of the test:

  1. ensure that you arrive on time (this is approximately 5-10 minutes before the scheduled test time). Please be aware that our independent invigilation centres are only available during the scheduled time; if you arrive early you may need to wait, or if you are late, you may need to re-schedule the test (cancellation fee may be applicable).
  2. you need to provide your photo ID to the invigilator. After verifying your details (full name and date of birth) by comparing them to those displayed on the invigilator's page, you will be asked to sign into the EATC and start the test.


    Good luck!

NOTE: If you make an error with your booking, please contact the EATC Team in writing (see contact details), and not the individual test centres as only PIER has full access to the site to deal with such request.

We STRONGLY recommend - regardless of your past experience in being an education agent for Australia - that you spend at least 50 hrs preparation by studying the online materials and submitting all self assessment tests BEFORE you make your booking for Formal Assessment.

The more familiar you are with the online environment, the more success you will have in obtaining the high result you're looking for. We also recommend that you become familiar with the student visa processing of other countries, as some tests may contain questions from assessment levels other than your own country.

The Formal Assessment

The Education Agent Formal Assessment is an 80-minute test, consisting of 50 multiple-choice questions. The test is conducted in English and is online. The pass mark for the Formal Assessment is 40/50 (80%).

The test is open-book, which means that candidates are allowed to use any printed material along with relevant study pages from the EATC online learning centre, as well as relevant online documents (e.g. forms from the DIAC website) and information from relevant websites (e.g. Austrade website). They also can use a dictionary or online translator programs if necessary. Candidates however are not allowed to communicate in any form (e.g. phone, text message, email, instant messenger) with another person during the test.

In order to ensure the security and integrity of the test, individuals need to go to one of our test centres (listed above) to undertake the formal assessment.

Example question

 

Each question assumes a practical situation, which an agent/counsellor may commonly face, in their normal activities.

The following is an example question from one of the self-assessment tests:

A student wants to come and study in Australia. He has an overall IELTS score of 4.5, with a 3 in writing. The student is from an Assessment Level 2 (AL2) country. This means: 

a)       The student will be able to enter into a Bachelor program, as long as his academic grades are at the level required. 

b)       The student will be able to enter into a Masters program, as long as his academic grades are at the level required.

c)       The student will be able to enter into an ELICOS program, as his English proficiency is too low to enter directly into any academic programs.

d)       The student will be able to enter into a PhD program, as his English proficiency is quite high and taking extra ELICOS classes is no use.

The answer to this question is (c).

The student's English is too low to enter into a Bachelor degree (a) or a Masters Degree (b). The minimum English requirement for a Bachelor's degree is an IELTS of 6.0, with Masters usually higher than this. The student will need to undertake further English studies.

 

Qualified Education Agent Counsellor Certificate and the Database

Once an education agent has successfully completed the formal assessment test, they will be awarded a Qualified Education Agent Counsellor Certificate and will be listed on the QEAC website as a "Qualified Education Agent Counsellor" (QEAC Database).

Book your test now