Accepted
From A Wheel of Time Wiki
Accepted are women who have traveled to the White Tower for training as an Aes Sedai, have passed their novice training, but are not yet full Aes Sedai.
[edit] Appearance
Where novices wear plain white, Accepted wear the same dress with seven bands of color at hem and cuffs - the color of the seven Ajahs. They must wear their Great Serpent ring on the third finger of their left hand. They also must pass a special test before they are allowed to become Accepted.
[edit] Testing
In order to become an Accepted in the White Tower, one must first pass a special test using Ter'angreal in the basement of the white tower, which are described only as silver arches.
Candidates enter a ter'angreal where they must face their deepest fears — one each from the past, the present and the future. Some who take the test never return. While inside the arch, it is extremely dangerous to Channel. While trying to initially figure out what the Rings did Aes Sedai were Burned Out by Channeling within. However, walking through the Rings affects the memory, and most women don't remember that they can channel; thus, a warning isn't considered overly important.
They have the right to refuse to enter the ter'angreal, but three refusals result in being sent from the Tower; the chance to be Aes Sedai lost forever.
Also, as evidenced by the testing of Nynaeve al'Meara, these to an extent do show the future, as it referred to Sharina Sedai, who comes as a Novice later in the series after Egwene al'Vere, the Amyrlin Seat of Salidar.
[edit] Privileges as an Accepted
Being Accepted is both better and worse than being a novice. Her room is larger and more comfortable, and she is trusted to channel alone and direct her own studies. However, the Accepted also has a lot more responsibility. Greater demands are made of her own studies, while at the same time she is expected to prepare and teach novice lessons on a wide range of topics (the purpose of doing so is to learn how to manage and control others, and she can expect to be reprimanded if she runs to the Mistress of Novices for every little problem). Being Accepted does not mean a whisker less deference to Aes Sedai, and while she has more freedom - she is allowed to visit the city, for example - if she does break a rule, her punishment will be all the harsher.
By the time she reaches Accepted, a lot of the indoctrination will have taken root. Accepted can talk at meals, but generally don't, or are very quiet. They could use the Power to do their chores, but usually won't, feeling like they've done something wrong if they do. Accepted also start to show the arrogance and haughtiness that characterize Aes Sedai. It has been theorized that the long training period is actually as much for this conditioning as it is for actual learning.
An Accepted must learn much, as the Tower will not permit ignorant Aes Sedai. It is expected that she will be ten years in the banded white before being tested for the Shawl, though again there are exceptions to this. Elaida a'Roihan, Moiraine Damodred, and Siuan Sanche all spent three years as novices and three as Accepted before being raised Aes Sedai.
