- The Official Fee Schedule for Embryology Laboratory Scientist
- Worked Cost Scenarios: From One Exam to Two
- Proctoring and Testing-Site Charges
- Review Materials and Courses: A Separate Budget
- Costs Hidden in the Eligibility Rules
- After You Pass: Annual Renewal and Provisional Status
- Building a Budget Around the Exam Content
- Weighing Cost Against Career Value
- Frequently Asked Questions
- ABOR charges a $115 initial application fee for ELS candidates, plus examination fees paid per sitting.
- The first examination costs $105; each additional examination taken the same day costs $65, with a maximum of three.
- A candidate must pass both Basic Knowledge and Embryology, so most budgets should plan for two exams.
- A $35 per person per day charge applies when an ABOR proctor is used; college testing-center proctor fees are separate.
The Official Fee Schedule for Embryology Laboratory Scientist
Anyone researching the cost of the Embryology Laboratory Scientist (ELS(AAB)) credential should start with the issuer's own fee page. The credential is administered by the AAB Board of Registry (ABOR), and its published application and examination fees explicitly include ELS. Everything below comes from that schedule or from the related ABOR policy pages, not from third-party estimates.
| Fee Item | Amount | When It Applies |
|---|---|---|
| Initial application | $115 | Once, when you apply for candidacy |
| First examination | $105 | The first exam you sit |
| Each additional examination, same day | $65 | Additional exams taken the same day, maximum three examinations |
| ABOR proctor | $35 per person per day | When an ABOR proctor supervises you |
| Annual renewal | $115 | Each year to maintain certification |
These numbers are the exam-side costs only. They do not include study materials, travel, or the cost of documenting your lab experience. The sections below separate those categories so you can build a realistic total rather than relying on a single headline figure. If you are still deciding whether to pursue the credential at all, our overview of what ELS(AAB) certification is gives the background.
Worked Cost Scenarios: From One Exam to Two
The structure of the ELS(AAB) pathway matters for cost. ABOR requires candidates to pass both the Basic Knowledge exam and the Embryology exam. Basic Knowledge is taken at the first examination sitting. A candidate who fails one exam does not need to repeat the other; only the failed exam must be retaken.
Scenario 1: Both exams on the same day
Using the published schedule, the arithmetic is straightforward:
- Initial application: $115
- First examination: $105
- Second examination, same day: $65
- Subtotal: $285, before any proctor charge
Scenario 2: Exams taken on separate occasions
If you sit one exam now and the other later, the discounted same-day rate for the second exam does not apply in the way it does in Scenario 1. The schedule describes the $65 rate for additional examinations taken the same day. A candidate who splits the exams should confirm with ABOR how the later sitting is billed before budgeting.
Scenario 3: A retake
Because only a failed exam needs repeating, a retake cost is tied to the single exam you must sit again rather than to the whole program. Whether a retake carries its own application component is something to verify with ABOR at the time, since the fee page lists the application fee as an initial charge.
Proctoring and Testing-Site Charges
Where you sit the exam changes what you pay on top of the base fees. ABOR provides examination sites in California and Florida. Elsewhere, the stated alternative is an approved college or university testing center.
- ABOR proctor: $35 per person per day. This is the charge when ABOR supplies the proctor.
- College or university testing center: the proctor charge is paid separately to that institution, and the amount is set by the institution, not by ABOR.
For candidates far from California or Florida, the testing-center route can be cheaper than travel, but the proctor fee is an unknown until you contact the site. Build in a margin for that line. The exam itself is described as paper-and-pencil multiple choice, scored by computer, with restrictions on calculators and outside notes, so there is no separate technology fee to anticipate. For timing and registration windows, see our guide to ELS(AAB) exam dates and scheduling.
Review Materials and Courses: A Separate Budget
Review spending is the most variable part of the total and is entirely distinct from exam fees. ABOR's Study Materials page identifies 2025-edition combined Andrology and Embryology review materials containing relevant ELS content, along with the PER Basic Knowledge Manual (2020 edition). AAB also lists Reproductive Biology Laboratory Courses for 2026, whose public subjects line up with the content areas discussed below.
Supervisor- and director-oriented review material also contains relevant ELS content. That does not mean every director-level task is an ELS requirement, so be selective rather than buying everything labeled "embryology." Andrology content that bears on fertilization, embryo development, and pregnancy is relevant, but it should not be treated as a substitute for a different credential's preparation. If you want help sequencing what to buy versus what to skip, our ELS(AAB) study guide walks through how to prioritize.
The reference-book list arrives after approval
The ABOR FAQ states that the examination outline, including approximate topic percentages, and the reference-book list are supplied after candidacy approval. This has a direct budgeting consequence: you cannot know the full required reading list until you have paid the application fee and been approved. Defer large book purchases until you have that official list in hand, unless you are confident a resource is relevant regardless.
Costs Hidden in the Eligibility Rules
The eligibility requirements for Embryology Laboratory Scientist carry real, if indirect, costs. They are worth understanding before you commit, because they affect timing and sometimes require additional coursework or employer support. Our ELS(AAB) requirements guide covers qualification in detail; here is the cost-relevant summary.
Education routes
There are four qualifying education routes. The first is an accredited doctorate, master's, or bachelor's degree (or equivalent) in chemical, physical, biological, or clinical laboratory science or medical technology. Degrees outside clinical laboratory science or medical technology require six semester hours of chemistry, six of biology, and twelve of chemistry, biology, or medical laboratory technology combined. The others are an accredited associate or associate-applied-science degree in CLS or MT; sixty accredited semester hours with a prescribed distribution of medical laboratory technology or science coursework; and technologist qualification under the revised Medicare/CLIA '67 rule at 42 CFR 493.1433. A candidate who is short on prerequisite coursework may need to pay tuition to close the gap.
Experience and documented procedures
All routes require one year of acceptable full-time embryology experience within the ten years before application. The FAQ defines one full-time year as 2,080 clock hours. General Regulations section 15 also requires thirty personally completed human ART procedures in each of six categories:
- Oocyte isolation from follicular aspirations
- Sperm preparation
- ICSI cycles
- Fertilization documentation
- Laboratory preparation for embryo transfer
- Egg and embryo cryopreservation
This is thirty in each category, not thirty total, and the procedures need not involve the same cycles or patients. "Embryo-transfer preparation" means the laboratory portion performed under the lab's standard operating procedures. The cost here is time and access: if your lab does not give you hands-on volume in every category, you may need to rotate or seek additional training, which has a real career cost even when it carries no invoice.
Key Takeaway
The single most overlooked "cost" of ELS(AAB) is not a fee. It is the documented hands-on experience across all six procedure categories. Audit your logbook against the thirty-per-category rule before you pay the $115 application fee.
After You Pass: Annual Renewal and Provisional Status
Renewal cost and validity
Initial certification is valid through December 31 of the award year. Maintaining it requires an annual $115 renewal, and ABOR does not impose a continuing-education requirement for that renewal. Your state may still have separate licensing obligations, which are outside ABOR's fees and rules. Budget the renewal as a recurring line item rather than a one-time cost.
Provisional certification
Candidates who meet the education requirements but lack the required procedures or experience may receive provisional ELS-P(AAB) after passing the exams. Full certification then requires documented qualifying procedures and experience plus board approval, and the experience must fall within the ten years before the request to remove provisional status. For cost planning, provisional status means you may pay exam fees now and complete the experience documentation later, which spreads the effort but does not eliminate it. See our look at whether ELS(AAB) is worth it for how this fits into a longer career plan.
Building a Budget Around the Exam Content
Because the exam outline and topic percentages are released only after approval, and because no combined question count, duration, or passing threshold is published in the sources available for this article, you should plan your review spending around the breadth of the field rather than guesses about weighting. The 21 subject headings in AAB's public course list are a curriculum guide, not an official statement of 21 exam domains and not a weighted blueprint. They show where review dollars are most likely to be useful.
Laboratory Techniques: Highest Hands-On Overlap
These areas map closely to the six procedure categories and to daily bench work, so they are efficient to study while you log experience.
- Gamete Preparation
- Culture Techniques
- Micromanipulation
- Cryopreservation Theory and Practice
- Fertilization and Early Embryonic Development
- Embryo Selection and Contemporary Embryo Transfer Art and Science
Physiology and Infertility Science
Reproductive biology underpins the technique questions and is where textbook-style review pays off most.
- Female Physiology and Reproductive Function
- Ovulation Induction and Female Infertility
- Male Reproductive Function: Development of the Male Genitourinary Tract
- Male Reproductive Function: Spermatogenesis and Male Reproductive Tract Biology
- Male Reproductive Function - Infertility
- Male Contribution to the Embryo and Offspring
- Semen Analysis and Advanced Diagnostics
Genetics, Regulation, and Management
These topics are easy to under-budget because they feel less like "embryology," yet they appear in the curriculum list.
- Preimplantation Genetic Testing and Reproductive Genetics
- CLIA '88
- FDA-HCTP Regulations and Fertility Clinic Success Rate Certification Act
- Laboratory Safety, OSHA, and Disaster Preparedness
- Total Quality Management in the IVF Laboratory
- General Laboratory Management and Financial Laboratory Management and Employment Law
For a closer look at how these areas relate to the exam, see our breakdown of the ELS(AAB) content areas.
A short, cost-conscious sequencing plan
If you are trying to spend review dollars wisely, sequence by overlap with your current bench work, then fill gaps. Here is one way to do it:
Reinforce what you already do
- Review gamete preparation, culture techniques, and cryopreservation against your own SOPs.
- Use materials you already own before buying more.
Fill the physiology and genetics gaps
- Focus on male and female reproductive function and preimplantation genetic testing.
- Buy targeted resources only after receiving the official reference list.
Cover regulation and management
- Study CLIA '88, FDA-HCTP rules, OSHA topics, and quality management.
- Take practice questions to find weak spots before test day.
Independent practice questions are an inexpensive way to locate weak areas. They are independently authored knowledge preparation, not actual issuer questions or an official mock examination, and they do not assess practical embryology competence. You can try them on our ELS(AAB) practice test site.
Weighing Cost Against Career Value
Compared with many professional credentials, the published ABOR fees for Embryology Laboratory Scientist are modest. A same-day, two-exam attempt with the application fee totals $285 before proctoring, and annual renewal is a flat $115 with no continuing-education fees from ABOR. The larger investments are time, documented experience, and any review materials you choose to buy.
The credential is relevant to people working in embryology laboratories, which typically means fertility clinics and IVF programs. Because no verified salary figures are available for this article, we will not quote any; our ELS(AAB) salary guide and jobs overview discuss earnings and employers in more detail. If you want to gauge the effort side of the equation, read how hard the ELS(AAB) exam is, and for scoring details see the passing score article. To compare the total cost against alternatives, our standalone ELS(AAB) certification cost page is the place to start a fresh calculation.
Frequently Asked Questions
The published fees are a $115 initial application, $105 for the first examination, and $65 for each additional examination taken the same day, up to three. Since both Basic Knowledge and Embryology are required, a same-day attempt totals $285 before any proctor charge. ABOR does not publish a bundled package price.
No. Exam fees and review-course prices are separate. Course prices, contact hours, recording lengths, and access windows are learning-product terms, not examination fees or certification terms, so budget for them independently.
Yes, in some cases. When an ABOR proctor is used, the charge is $35 per person per day. If you test at an approved college or university testing center instead, that institution's proctor charge is paid separately and is set by the site.
Renewal is $115 per year, and ABOR does not require continuing education for renewal. Initial certification runs through December 31 of the award year. State licensing obligations, if any, are separate from ABOR's fees.
You must pass both required exams, but only a failed exam needs to be repeated. Confirm with ABOR how the repeated exam is billed, since the same-day discount applies to exams taken the same day.