National MRP Exam Dates 2027: What Overseas Radiographers Need to Know

If you are an internationally qualified medical radiation practitioner searching for "2027 exam dates," the good news is that the wait is over: the MRPBA has now published its full 2027 examination schedule — four sittings, each with its registration window. The other thing that matters is which process actually applies to you, because two are constantly confused.

This guide untangles the two separate processes involved, explains how the National exam is scheduled, shows the 2026 pattern so you can estimate, and lists what you can act on now — without stating any 2027 date that the regulator hasn't published.

Two processes — and only one is an exam

These are constantly confused, so start here:

1. ASMIRT Overseas Qualification Assessment — a qualifications and documents assessment run by ASMIRT, used mainly for migration. It is assessed on a rolling, on-demand basis — there is no exam and no sitting dates. Importantly, a successful ASMIRT assessment does not by itself grant registration to practise; it is a separate step.
2. MRPBA registration — the decision to register you to practise, made by the Medical Radiation Practice Board of Australia through Ahpra. As part of this, the Board may require you to sit the National exam for medical radiation practice.

So if you're looking for "exam dates," you're looking at the National MRP exam under process 2 — the only sit-down exam in the whole pathway.

How the National MRP exam is scheduled

The National MRP exam is a fixed-sitting, computer-based exam — not something you book on demand any day of the year. What's stable about it (these are standing rules, not tied to any one year):

• It runs in defined multi-day examination windows, historically up to four times a year on a January / April / July / October pattern.
• Registration for each sitting opens and closes in a fixed window, closing roughly three weeks before the exam.
• It has Part A (common capabilities) and Part B (division-specific capabilities). The pass mark is a minimum of 65% in both parts.
• Candidates get a maximum of three attempts across their lifetime.
• Results are emailed within four weeks of the close of the examination period.

The 2027 schedule — now published

The Board has released all four 2027 sittings. These are the official dates from the MRPBA's National MRP exam page, read on 27 August 2026:

2027 examination window	Registration period
Sat 16 – Sun 24 January 2027	Mon 7 Dec – Thu 24 Dec 2026
Sat 10 – Sun 18 April 2027	Mon 1 – Fri 19 March 2027
Sat 10 – Sun 18 July 2027	Mon 31 May – Fri 18 June 2027
Sat 16 – Sun 24 October 2027	Mon 6 – Fri 24 September 2027

Look hard at that first row. Registration for the January 2027 sitting opens on 7 December and closes on Christmas Eve. It is the worst-timed window of the four, falling straight across the holidays when candidates are least likely to be watching their email. If January is your target, treat 24 December 2026 as a hard deadline and aim to be done well before it.

There is also one 2026 sitting still to come:

2026 examination window	Registration period
Sat 17 – Sun 25 October 2026	Mon 21 Sep – Fri 2 Oct 2026

Registration for it opens in September. If you are ready now, that sitting is three months sooner than waiting for January.

Fees

The MRPBA's schedule of fees is still the one effective 18 September 2025 — no 2027 schedule has been published. Checked against the Board's own page on 27 August 2026:

Item	Fee
Examination sitting fee	$787
Qualification portfolio assessment	$660
Application fee for general registration	$221
Registration fee for general registration	$221 (NSW $174 after a $47 rebate)
Fast track application	$60

One detail that catches people out: the Board's schedule states that both an application fee and a registration fee are payable at the time of application, so general registration costs $442, not $221. The separate ASMIRT overseas assessment carries its own fees, published on the ASMIRT site.

English and registration

English language evidence and the registration decision are handled by Ahpra / the Medical Radiation Practice Board, under the English language skills registration standard — and the minimum scores changed on 23 April 2026. Which set applies to you depends on when you sat the test, not when you apply.

Worth knowing if you are also doing an ASMIRT skills assessment for migration: the two bodies no longer line up. ASMIRT accepts OET grade B (a floor of 350) where Ahpra now wants 360 in reading and speaking, and ASMIRT accepts TOEFL speaking 23 where Ahpra wants 24. Clearing ASMIRT used to mean clearing Ahpra automatically; since 23 April 2026 that is only reliably true for IELTS. Start early either way — it is a common lead-time bottleneck.

What to do now

• Work out which pathway applies to you — a comparable-regulator or recognised-qualification route may not require the National exam at all, while a qualification-assessment route may.
• Get your ASMIRT and/or MRPBA assessment moving — these are prerequisites and take time.
• Sort your English evidence early.
• Watch the MRPBA National MRP exam page and register the moment your sitting's window opens, since registration closes about three weeks before each exam.

What's changed — and what it means for you in 2027

No change to the National MRP exam takes effect in 2027. But the professional standard you are assessed against did change, and it is already in force:

• The 3rd edition Professional capabilities for medical radiation practitioners came into effect on 30 March 2026. In the Board's own summary, the key changes include "expanded obligations around recognising and responding to acute deterioration, which now includes the management of anaphylaxis and the use of adrenaline; strengthened requirements around cultural safety, and new descriptions for digital health and artificial intelligence. A new Domain 6 has also been introduced, covering leadership and care of the health system." If you are preparing against the 2nd edition, you are missing an entire domain.
• Anaphylaxis training. From 30 March 2026 all registered practitioners must have completed, be completing, or be enrolled in anaphylaxis training — a priority if you work somewhere anaphylaxis is a known risk.
• The revised Criminal history registration standard came into effect on 15 July 2026 and applies at the registration-application stage.

Two things people routinely get wrong:

• The 450 hours of practice figure is often described as new, or as part of the March 2026 capabilities change. It is neither — but it is real and it is in force. It comes from the Board's separate Recency of practice registration standard, which has required a minimum of 450 hours of practice within the previous three years (about three months full-time) since 1 December 2016. Do not disregard it. If you cannot meet the hours, that does not automatically bar you from returning to practice — the Board's recency guidelines set out what it considers.
• Ahpra's Expedited Specialist pathway for diagnostic radiology (from 1 July 2026) is administered by the Medical Board and applies to radiologists, who are doctors. It does not apply to diagnostic radiographers, radiation therapists or nuclear medicine technologists, and it has no effect on the National MRP exam.

For reference, the exam baseline is unchanged: computerised multiple choice, up to 200 questions across the two parts, up to three hours of exam time (candidates should be available for four).

Before you rely on any of this

The 2026 and 2027 schedules above are published by the Medical Radiation Practice Board of Australia and were read on 27 August 2026. No 2027 fee schedule has been published — the current fees remain those effective 18 September 2025, so budget against them and expect a review. Dates, fees and requirements are set by the MRPBA/Ahpra and ASMIRT and can change. Confirm the current details on the official MRPBA and ASMIRT websites before making plans you can't easily undo.

For more detail, see our companion guides: the National MRP exam preparation guide, the 12-week study plan, the MRP exam fees breakdown, and the overseas radiographer registration pathway.

Where we fit in

The exam calendar is the Board's to release — your readiness is the part you control. Our National MRP Exam preparation is built around Part A and Part B, with exam-style questions and Australian-context content, so you can register for a 2027 sitting already prepared.

Explore National MRP Exam preparation

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This article summarises publicly available MRPBA, Ahpra and ASMIRT information as at 27 August 2026 and is not affiliated with or endorsed by any of them. Examination dates, fees and requirements are set by those bodies and are subject to change. Always confirm current details on the official MRPBA and ASMIRT websites before making decisions.