FRM® exam dates: which deadline should you act on now?

As of 20 October 2026, GARP lists November 2026 FRM® registration as closed, while appointment scheduling for that window remains open through 24 October 2026. The next published registration opening is 1 December 2026 for the May 2027 exams. Registration, appointment scheduling and sitting the exam are separate steps, with different deadlines. A candidate should first identify which step is actually outstanding in their account, then use GARP’s live exam logistics page before committing to travel or a study timetable.

The dates GARP currently publishes

GARP’s logistics page, opened for this article on 20 October 2026, displays the following windows. The dates are the issuer’s schedule as published at that time; they should be checked again when you act because an exam calendar is operational information. GARP states that the registration and scheduling cut-offs shown on the page occur at 11:59 pm Eastern Time. That time zone detail matters if you are viewing the page from Hong Kong or another location outside the eastern United States.

These are windows, not individual appointments reserved for every registrant. The separate scheduling period is when a paid registrant selects an available place, date and time. GARP’s candidate FAQ explains that registration means entering account details and paying for a specific exam window, whereas scheduling means choosing the actual appointment. Someone can therefore be registered but still lack a confirmed seat. The distinction is the most important practical reading of the table.

If you are already registered for November 2026

Do not mistake a closed registration line for a closed scheduling line. GARP’s October 2026 display has both registration categories closed for November, but it still lists appointment scheduling through 24 October 2026. If your registration is paid and you have not selected a test appointment, sign in to GARP and use the exam setup flow to select an available location, date and time before the scheduling deadline. GARP says seats are first come, first served, so the last permitted day is not a guarantee that your preferred site or session will remain available.

If you already selected an appointment, verify the confirmation details rather than trying to register again. Check the exam part, month, location, date and time shown in your account. Make travel plans against that confirmed appointment, not merely against the broad Part I or Part II testing window. A colleague taking the same part may have a different date because the window contains multiple sessions and centres. GARP’s exam logistics page also says candidates in Hong Kong SAR China, China Mainland and Thailand schedule through ATA, while candidates elsewhere use PSI. The provider route is therefore location-specific.

GARP’s FAQ describes scheduling and certain changes through the account’s “My Programs” area and Exam Setup. That is an issuer instruction, not a shortcut supplied by this article. If your desired centre is unavailable, the live GARP account and its official help materials are the right place to see your actual options. The calendar alone cannot establish whether an individual candidate has completed payment, holds a seat, or can change an appointment under their circumstances.

If you have not registered yet

The November 2026 registration lines are closed on the schedule viewed on 20 October. The next registration period shown is for May 2027, with early registration opening 1 December 2026 and ending 31 January 2027; GARP then lists standard registration from 1 February to 31 March 2027. Appointment scheduling for May is shown from 1 December 2026 through 23 April 2027. Those dates describe different actions. Choosing May as a target does not itself create a registration or a testing appointment.

The August and November 2027 windows are also visible on GARP’s page. That is useful for a working professional deciding how much preparation time is realistic, but the later dates should not be treated as a commitment to any particular seat today. Work backwards from the examination window to a study plan, then separately calendar the registration opening, registration close and scheduling close. The FRM programme page gives programme context; the issuer’s logistics page remains the controlling source for operational dates.

A worked planning scenario

Imagine an illustrative candidate based in Hong Kong who has paid for the November 2026 Part II exam but has not booked a session as of 20 October. This is a fictional planning case, not an actual candidate or a claim about seat availability. The candidate’s urgent task is appointment scheduling by GARP’s listed 24 October cut-off, using the provider route GARP specifies for Hong Kong. The candidate should check the account confirmation after selecting a slot. Starting a fresh May 2027 registration would not solve the missing November appointment.

Now consider a different illustrative candidate who wants to take Part I but has not registered for any window. The November registration status shown by GARP is closed, so this person should examine the May 2027 registration opening and consider whether that preparation horizon suits them. The first candidate and the second candidate read the same calendar but have different next steps. That is why a headline such as “November exam approaching” is less useful than asking whether registration, scheduling or study preparation is the unresolved decision.

The time-zone rule is part of that planning. GARP specifies 11:59 pm Eastern Time for the deadlines displayed in its logistics table. A person in Hong Kong should avoid mentally treating the printed date as a local midnight deadline. The safest operational habit is to act ahead of the stated cut-off and confirm the completed action in the official account. This advice does not convert the deadline to a different zone or assume that an unscheduled candidate has an available seat.

What the published window cannot tell you

The window does not tell you whether a particular centre has seats remaining. GARP explicitly describes availability as first come, first served. That means the deadline is a final opportunity to complete a permitted step, not a reservation held in your name until then. A candidate balancing work shifts should check live appointment choices before requesting a specific day off. If the preferred date is unavailable, the exam-window range by itself does not establish that another suitable appointment exists nearby. The individual account and official scheduling flow are the source for that practical answer.

It also does not tell you whether a candidate needs Part I or Part II, whether payment has cleared, or whether an existing booking was made for the intended month. A planning note should record each of those facts separately. For example, “registered for May” is incomplete if the person has no appointment, while “studying for November” says nothing about registration. When a candidate reports a deadline problem, first ask which transaction has already been completed in the account. That diagnosis avoids spending time on the wrong step and makes any contact with GARP more precise.

Later windows offer flexibility in study planning, but their publication does not erase current obligations. A paid November candidate should resolve the November appointment question under November rules; the availability of May next year is a separate decision. Conversely, someone who has not paid for November should not interpret the still-open scheduling line as an opportunity to register late. These are simple distinctions, yet they are exactly where a calendar table can mislead when its rows are read out of sequence.

How to use the calendar without mixing its stages

• Choose the exact exam part and month. Part I and Part II dates are distinct even when they belong to the same overall exam period.
• Read registration status and dates first. Registration is the programme and exam-window sign-up with payment, according to GARP.
• Read appointment scheduling next. A registered candidate still needs a selected centre, date and time; availability is separate from the published closing date.
• Check the provider by location. GARP names ATA for Hong Kong SAR China, China Mainland and Thailand, and PSI for other locations.
• Retain the account confirmation and recheck GARP’s live calendar before travel or leave arrangements. A dated editorial summary cannot replace the account record.

For study planning, Omni’s methodology can help organise revision around an exam date, but the administrative sequence comes from GARP. The present decision is simple once the stages are separated: if November 2026 is already paid but unscheduled, address scheduling promptly; if no registration exists, review the next published registration window; if an appointment is confirmed, plan against that specific booking and keep watching issuer updates.

Sources

1. FRM Exam Logistics | GARP · garp.org · Retrieved 20 Oct 2026
2. FRM Exam Frequently Asked Questions | GARP · garp.org · Retrieved 20 Oct 2026