How the skilled migration points test works

Who it's for

Anyone considering the points-tested visas — subclasses 189, 190, and 491. Understanding how the test behaves in practice, not only what it scores, is essential to planning realistically.

Key requirements

The test applies at the time of invitation. Three things determine your outcome:

• Your score — the sum of the factors below
• The pass mark — 65 points, the legal minimum to be considered
• The round cut-off — the score at which invitations actually issued in your occupation group, which routinely runs 15–25 points above the pass mark for subclass 189

Points/criteria table

Factor	Best case	Notes
Age	30 (ages 25–32)	Falls to 0 at 45, which ends GSM eligibility
English	20 (superior — IELTS 8 each band or equivalent)	Competent scores 0; this is the most movable big factor
Skilled employment overseas	15 (8+ years in last 10)	Only post-qualification skilled work in your nominated occupation counts
Skilled employment in Australia	20 (8+ years)
Qualification	20 (doctorate)	Bachelor and Masters both score 15
Specialist education	10	Research Masters/PhD in STEM from an Australian institution
Australian study requirement	5
Regional Australian study	5
NAATI community language	5
Professional Year	5
Partner factors	10 / 5 / 10	Skilled partner 10; partner with competent English 5; single or partner is an Australian citizen/PR 10
Nomination	0 / 5 / 15	None (189) / state (190) / regional (491)

Process & timeline

The test is applied automatically from your Expression of Interest claims when a round runs. Two consequences worth understanding:

1. Your score can change while you wait — a birthday, an expiring English test, or crossing an experience threshold moves it in either direction
2. Every claim must be provable at application stage. The EOI is unverified; the application is where evidence is tested, and overclaiming discovered there is treated as an integrity problem, not an arithmetic one

Costs

The points test itself costs nothing, but building a score does. The common score-building steps and their indicative costs:

Step	Points at stake	Indicative cost
English test, or a retake for a higher band	up to 20	₹19,000 (IELTS) / ₹18,900 (PTE) per sitting
Skills assessment	prerequisite	ACS ~AUD 550; Engineers Australia ~AUD 900–1,350; VETASSESS ~AUD 900–1,100
NAATI credentialled community language test	5	~AUD 900
Professional Year program (Australia)	5	AUD 9,000–14,000
Partner skills assessment	10	As per the relevant authority's fees above

Sequencing these efficiently — which to spend on, in what order — is part of what the Assessment, Consultation & Pathway service maps. Amounts payable to Australian authorities and assessing bodies are in Australian dollars; costs incurred in India are shown in rupees. Figures are indicative, change periodically, and should be treated as a planning guide rather than a quote. Our advisory fees are separate — see Services & fees.

Common pitfalls

• Counting employment that an assessing authority later discounts — authorities apply their own deeming rules about when your skilled employment "starts"
• Sitting at 65 and waiting, while a 10-point English improvement is available with eight weeks of preparation
• Forgetting the partner factor entirely — a skills assessment for your partner can be worth the same 10 points as years of your own experience
• Reading a strong calculator result as an entitlement — the test ranks you against other candidates; it does not promise anything

FAQ

Is 65 enough? It makes you eligible, not competitive. For 190 and 491 the nomination bonus and state discretion change the arithmetic; for 189, recent rounds have generally invited well above 65 .

Where do I check my own position? Our free self-assessment scores all three pathways indicatively and shows which factors could realistically improve.

Related visas

• Skilled Independent visa (subclass 189)
• Skilled Nominated visa (subclass 190)
• Skilled Work Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 491)