Students are not normally permitted to sit the examination until they have been registered for at least 6 months; students should therefore be registered by 30 April for the November examination and by 31 October for the May examination of the following year; Council has discretion to grant permission for earlier sitting in exceptional circumstances; students are strongly recommended not to sit the examination until they have been registered as a student for at least 12 months, as experience has shown that more than 1 year’s study is usually necessary for examination success.