Appeals

APMG makes decisions to issue certificates based upon factual evidence be it examination results or evidence gained during an assessment process. Should you, however, consider that a decision is wrong we operate an appeals process whereby the decision will be independently reviewed. Appeals must be submitted in writing to the Quality Manager together with sufficient information to support the appeal and enable a review to be completed. Without information to support the grounds on which an appeal is being made a review cannot be undertaken. Appeals are dealt with impartially in a non-discriminatory manner and will not affect the appellant's standing with APMG-International.

Appeals will initially be examined and acknowledged by the APMG Quality Manager who will inform you if there are insufficient grounds or information for the appeal to proceed or request that you provide additional information. Valid appeals will be considered by either an appeals panel or, in the case of examinations, initially by the relevant subject Chief Examiner.

Examination appeals must be lodged by the ATO which hosted the exam on behalf of the candidate except that in the case of public exams the candidate may submit an appeal directly. With examinations, it should be remembered that most of APMG-International's exams go through validated automatic marking. Candidates who fail examinations by a small margin should consider this carefully if contemplating an appeal.

The outcome of all appeals will be notified to the appellant.

The appeals process is monitored by the independent APMG-International Ethics and Standards Board to ensure that all appeals decisions are made fairly and equitably. The decisions from the appeals process will be considered as being final.

What is an Appeal?

An Appeal is a formal procedure by which a registered candidate can appeal against an exam result or a decision on certification. In such situations the appellant is required to submit their appeal in writing.

Grounds for Appeal

There are three grounds on which a candidate may appeal:

1. Personal or medical grounds
2. Procedural grounds
3. The decision was biased or discriminatory

All appeals must be made within 12 months of the certification decision being taken. Candidates must be able to provide clear evidence that the decision against which they are appealing meets at least one of the following criteria:

Relevant information of mitigating circumstances received by stated deadlines had not been taken into consideration.

Substantial procedural irregularity.

Evidence to suggest that a decision may have been biased or discriminatory.

It is the responsibility of the candidate to provide APMG with clear evidence that one of the grounds listed above is valid.

Candidates considering an appeal should take note of the following:

Disagreement with the exam result for multiple choice papers does not give grounds for appeal.

Appeals will only be accepted on the grounds listed above and no other grounds will be considered.

When appealing on the grounds of circumstances relating to events prior to the examination, the Invigilator must have been informed in writing prior to the examination.

When appealing on the grounds of circumstances relating to events during the examination, the events must have been brought to the invigilator's attention before leaving the examination room.

Should you wish to register an appeal or find out more about the appeals process, please use the Contact Us form.