Last month ETITO said 29 October is the date by which advisers must be registered with ETITO, with examination and assessment reservations made for Standard Sets B and C if advisers are to be authorised by July 1.

One Good Returns reader responded saying the article prompted him to get organised, but then he couldn't find suitable dates in a location nearby.

He looked at the dates available and saw the only date available for the Standard Set B examination on the ETITO Booking System in Palmerston North was on November 3 and the only New Plymouth date he could find was October 29.

"To have the only assessment date just six days after their deadline in Palmerston North seems insane and so I will remain, for now, in the clear majority - those who have not booked," he said.

However Frampton says ETITO's exam system is dynamic and it is able to add capacity at short notice.

"We acknowledge that the capacity loaded in the system for provincial centres may be perceived as insufficient, however we're addressing that issue and advisers who want to book an exam on a date that suits them should contact the help desk."

He says ETITO is carefully monitoring demand for exams and it will adjust the available capacity in the system as necessary.

ETITO manager assessment network Leonie Wallwork also addressed this issue at the Institute of Financial Advisers (IFA) Code Cracker Roadshow asking advisers to get in touch with ETITO as it tries to monitor demand.

Wallwork says she is in daily contact with service providers to see how demand picks up and those that registered for the IFA roadshow were asked to fill out a form with a preferred month and location for study, so ETITO could gauge demand.

At the moment when advisers go to book exams, brackets show the seats available for each session and once they are full the next session time automatically opens up for booking. This is because ETITO does not want to have just one or two people in each session.

Wallwork says if there's a big group in an area and no exam there, to let ETITO know so it can organise something.

Two weeks ago only 178 advisers had made an assessment reservation for a Standard Set B examination and even fewer - just 40 - had registered for assessment against the requirements of Standard Set C.