FE1 Exam Thread (Read 1st post!) NOTE: YOU MAY SWAP EXAM GRIDS

SKLaw

LS3 wrote: »

I contacted them and the same info was given. They also mentioned that we might not even find out the situation next week if they dont know whats happening and thats very possible

That’s not reassuring at all it’s actually scary how our waiting for next week’s info may be for nothing

Fe1student1234

LS3 wrote: »

I contacted them and the same info was given. They also mentioned that we might not even find out the situation next week if they dont know whats happening and thats very possible

So basically they don’t have an online provider they’re just looking

maggie95

Fe1student1234 wrote: »

So basically they don’t have an online provider they’re just looking

So basically they're in the exact same position they were a month ago...

Not even surprised at this stage, classic Law Society

dobby896

Fe1student1234 wrote: »

So basically they don’t have an online provider they’re just looking

The temptation to just not do this sitting is growing exponentially. I've paid so will continue to power on as best I can but this is not enjoyable whatsoever (not that studying every really is tbf)

Fe1student1234

maggie95 wrote: »

So basically they're in the exact same position they were a month ago...

Not even surprised at this stage, classic Law Society

I know it’s ridiculous

The idea that they will go ahead at all this year is looking further and further away in my mind

Fe1student1234

dobby896 wrote: »

The temptation to just not do this sitting is growing exponentially. I've paid so will continue to power on as best I can but this is not enjoyable whatsoever (not that studying every really is tbf)

I’m the same I’m really struggling with study atm

Just can’t focus at all

dobby896

Fe1student1234 wrote: »

I’m the same I’m really struggling with study atm

Just can’t focus at all

I had such great momentum going in September when it was all far more concrete.

"Feel like sh*t, just want her back"

maggie95

Fe1student1234 wrote: »

I’m the same I’m really struggling with study atm

Just can’t focus at all

Same - staring at my notes but nothing going in, focus entirely gone and has been for last few weeks

LS3

maggie95 wrote: »

Same - staring at my notes but nothing going in, focus entirely gone and has been for last few weeks

I cant even think about study without feeling like i am about to cry. Its even affecting my performance in work.

maggie95

LS3 wrote: »

I cant even think about study without feeling like i am about to cry. Its even affecting my performance in work.

I can imagine and am sorry to hear that. I moved back to Ireland from my favourite city, where Covid was under control and I had a life, to sit these exams, turning down an incredible job offer. Each additional day that I'm here is making me more and more miserable, literally just sitting around waiting for updates from the Law Society.
I hope it's all resolved asap (how naive am I?)

Lawlaw12

LawSocIreland wrote: »

We fully understand that the current pandemic is causing a great deal of stress to candidates.

We had hoped to provide a physical examination in November but the government restrictions announced this week have made this impossible.

We are working to provide an online examination that will preserve the integrity of the examination and will have further information early next week.

In the meantime, we have set up a helpline to deal with any queries. If you wish to avail of this service, please contact Danielle Greene at 01 881 5762.

The Law Society’s handling of the pandemic has cause me far, far more stress than the pandemic itself (and I’m immunocompromised!)

As was stated above, it's time to accept that it will no longer be possible to ‘preserve the integrity of the exam’ and perhaps it’s time you actually proved that you ‘understand’ the stress candidates are under for a multitude of reasons and actually put our mental health first for a change.

Personally, I have one FE1 exam left and I have a law degree. I had two exams postponed on me in March at the very last second, I was left in the dark for five months, studying half-heartedly with no idea when they would be rescheduled. I have had to put my life on hold and I haven’t seen any friends in months even when restrictions were eased as I am more afraid of catching the virus and not being able to sit my exam than I am of catching the virus and getting seriously ill. I ended up having to leave my job due to constantly changing my annual leave and as we were not updated for months after the March exams were postponed I had no idea how much notice we’d get and therefore had to cut my hours and eventually leave to keep studying every week. (Note, this means I am unemployed and am still waiting for a €210 refund for two exams that I was told I had to pay for in case I hadn’t passed in August).

Are you reading the comments on this thread? Candidates are telling you that they cannot sleep at night, that our stress levels are through the roof, this is affecting our jobs, our relationships with our employers, our incomes and it is having a profound effect on our mental health. It is extremely clear from a quick glance at this thread that the treatment of candidates is completely unacceptable and to be quite honest I think the stress and anxiety this has caused me will actually have a lasting impact on my mental health. Something needs to be done about this and it needs to be done before next week. If it is not going to be possible to organise a fair online sitting of the exam and give us the full details of that before Friday then you need to exempt students from this sitting.

And please do not provide us with another helpline if they are not going to answer the phone, it’s actually insulting. I have rang the previous helpline numerous times and also called various direct lines I have for people in the Law School and each time they have not answered or have hung up on me.

ruby1998

Brb just going to cry in the toilets at work my brain can’t handle the lack of clarity I’m going insane!!!!

Hazel774

LawSocIreland wrote: »

We fully understand that the current pandemic is causing a great deal of stress to candidates.

We had hoped to provide a physical examination in November but the government restrictions announced this week have made this impossible.

We are working to provide an online examination that will preserve the integrity of the examination and will have further information early next week.

In the meantime, we have set up a helpline to deal with any queries. If you wish to avail of this service, please contact Danielle Greene at 01 881 5762.

At this stage, given what we have been put through over the last few months since March, I genuinely do think that candidates should be given an exemption for the subjects they registered to sit in November provided that they have passed these exams in college and have previously passed FE1 exams.

And this is not coming from a place of being unprepared to sit the exam. I have done months of preparation, I have paid hundreds for a prep course and have studied day and night for the last month. I have passed all of my other FE1s first time and I am confident I have the knowledge to pass my last one too. I have already passed this exam in college with an A grade.
I feel that I have proven myself by passing all other FE1 exams and getting an A grade in college in the final FE1 subject I have remaining.

I have a training contract that requires me to pass all of my exams by the end of this year. Do you understand the work that goes into obtaining a training contract? I cannot comprehend the fact that I may lose this because of the way the Law Society has been treating its candidates through constant postponements and indefinite delays. At this stage my mental health cannot handle any more delays or uncertainty. We have been put thorough months of uncertainty since March, it is now unacceptable to change the format of the exam only a few weeks out and it is unacceptable to delay again. We need an answer before Friday.

Hazel774

I know it would seem prejudicial to only exempt those of us who have one or two exams left, but I only suggest that because we have already passed 6/7 of these exams and have proven ourselves as being capable. That’s not to say that everyone else isn’t capable of passing, but those of us on our last exam may have more at stake in terms of losing our training contracts over one exam. Particularly when training contracts are already going to be more limited than usual next year, so causing candidates to lose their training contracts for reasons they have absolutely no control over is going to leave the market even more flooded.

But obviously it would be preferable to exempt everyone for the subjects they’ve registered to sit in October as at this stage we have all put in the bulk of the work.

FE12020Law

Is there anything to be said for contacting our local TDs ? The pandemic has been with us for over 6 months and it's absolutely scandalous there was no plan B ready to go for November sittings. I think contacting local TDs and political parties might get this issue brought up in the Dáil?

sarahlawless

This is beyond cruel. I feel physically ill with worry and stress. I just wish so much they would be honest with us or at least push the exams out even a week or something to give us all a fair chance.

lawgirl23

FE12020Law wrote: »

Is there anything to be said for contacting our local TDs ? The pandemic has been with us for over 6 months and it's absolutely scandalous there was no plan B ready to go for November sittings. I think contacting local TDs and political parties might get this issue brought up in the Dáil?

I’ve just this minute finished sending letters by email to all my local TDs!

Hazel774

FE12020Law wrote: »

Is there anything to be said for contacting our local TDs ? The pandemic has been with us for over 6 months and it's absolutely scandalous there was no plan B ready to go for November sittings. I think contacting local TDs and political parties might get this issue brought up in the Dáil?

If people are contacting TDs it may be worth including the fact that the LS held physical exams in August for up to 2000 people, at a point where cases were high enough to justify putting three counties under lockdown. They gave many of us no choice but to travel to Dublin via public transport in the middle of a pandemic, stay in hotels and attend to an exam hall. With the only alternative being to skip the exam and lose our training contracts despite having been studying those subjects for 10 months due to the delay in rescheduling. Just including this to highlight the ongoing unfair treatment of candidates.

HU123

Hazel774 wrote: »

I know it would seem prejudicial to only exempt those of us who have one or two exams left, but I only suggest that because we have already passed 6/7 of these exams and have proven ourselves as being capable. That’s not to say that everyone else isn’t capable of passing, but those of us on our last exam may have more at stake in terms of losing our training contracts over one exam. Particularly when training contracts are already going to be more limited than usual next year, so causing candidates to lose their training contracts for reasons they have absolutely no control over is going to leave the market even more flooded.

But obviously it would be preferable to exempt everyone for the subjects they’ve registered to sit in October as at this stage we have all put in the bulk of the work.

If they were going to give people exemptions it would have to be for everyone. Everyone has put in the work over the last couple of months so it would be only fair for everyone to be treated the same.

LS3

If someone has a template for a letter to send to TDs I would really appreciate it. Just not in the headspace to be able to explain whats going on right now. I emailed different news outlets last night but havent heard anything yet.

Hazel774

HU123 wrote: »

If they were going to give people exemptions it would have to be for everyone. Everyone has put in the work over the last couple of months so it would be only fair for everyone to be treated the same.

Yes, I do agree with that tbf

FE1new

Hazel774 wrote: »

Yes, I do agree with that tbf

I really don't understand why if you passed the subject in a degree over 50% you can't be exempted.

Hazel774

FE1new wrote: »

I really don't understand why if you passed the subject in a degree over 50% you can't be exempted.

That's what they do for the accountancy exams! Makes so much more sense than delaying us a year from entering the profession and excluding those who can't afford to pay for these right out of college

Fe1student1234

FE1new wrote: »

I really don't understand why if you passed the subject in a degree over 50% you can't be exempted.

Fe-1s were introduced to make the system fairer in relation to people wanting to qualify here

I don’t really understand it tbf

Also my college actually doesn’t give percentage grades so it’s possible I or others wouldn’t be able to proof over 50% (although I did in fact get over 50% in all of these subjects)

Actually I’d just have to submit the grade scale if that is the case

shaunadennyham

Fe1student1234 wrote: »

Fe-1s were introduced to make the system fairer in relation to people wanting to qualify here

I don’t really understand it tbf

Also my college actually doesn’t give percentage grades so it’s possible I or others wouldn’t be able to proof over 50% (although I did in fact get over 50% in all of these subjects)

It’s not to make it fairer. It was originally an exemption for people who had done Law degrees from recognised institutions in the Republic. Everyone else had to sit the exams to show a competency in the subjects at hand. Then a shower from the North took an action saying that it was unfair that their degrees from Queens weren’t exempted. Instead of broadening the exemption to include them the Law Society realised they could make a load more money by simply making everyone sit the exams.

Your university would convert your results into percentages if you requested. You could also do it yourself - I had to do the same for my masters application.

ruby1998

All I want atm is a broad timeframe for the proposed online sitting - beginning of November, end of November or the beginning of December. Not a huge request by any means.

maggie95

ruby1998 wrote: »

All I want atm is a broad timeframe for the proposed online sitting - beginning of November, end of November or the beginning of December. Not a huge request by any means.

I think they genuinely don't know themselves, which is even more concerning

legallyginger

ruby1998 wrote: »

All I want atm is a broad timeframe for the proposed online sitting - beginning of November, end of November or the beginning of December. Not a huge request by any means.

Really all I want also, have booked so much time off work dreading having to change it again!

Jenosul

shaunadennyham wrote: »

It’s not to make it fairer. It was originally an exemption for people who had done Law degrees from recognised institutions in the Republic. Everyone else had to sit the exams to show a competency in the subjects at hand. Then a shower from the North took an action saying that it was unfair that their degrees from Queens weren’t exempted. Instead of broadening the exemption to include them the Law Society realised they could make a load more money by simply making everyone sit the exams.

Your university would convert your results into percentages if you requested. You could also do it yourself - I had to do the same for my masters application.

Most successful practicing solicitors did not have to sit them as they did not exist. They are working away just fine! They just completed a degree like in most other professions.

Fe1student1234

shaunadennyham wrote: »

It’s not to make it fairer. It was originally an exemption for people who had done Law degrees from recognised institutions in the Republic. Everyone else had to sit the exams to show a competency in the subjects at hand. Then a shower from the North took an action saying that it was unfair that their degrees from Queens weren’t exempted. Instead of broadening the exemption to include them the Law Society realised they could make a load more money by simply making everyone sit the exams.

Your university would convert your results into percentages if you requested. You could also do it yourself - I had to do the same for my masters application.

I don’t think they would go back to my first and second year results and convert to percentages tbh

I couldn’t do myself but could give them the bracket haha

But I’m sure they’d know by my grade letter anyway tbh