GAMSAT SEPT 2020

leo of cork

Hi guys,
Im sitting the Gamsat this September and they've changed the test to computer based.. anyone have any more information on this? Also if the test is spanned over 2 weeks does this mean they will be all different tests?
Thanks for the help in advance !

Blackboot

Hi, I'm giving it a go in Sept too. I presume we get a date on the 7th and that a certain number of people will do it on that date, depending on capacity with social distancing etc. As I understand it, the exam will be questions taken from a bank of questions and will be different for each date as with the March sitting. Looking at the forums after that one the tests seemed to vary quite lot according to date.

leo of cork

Blackboot wrote: »

Hi, I'm giving it a go in Sept too. I presume we get a date on the 7th and that a certain number of people will do it on that date, depending on capacity with social distancing etc. As I understand it, the exam will be questions taken from a bank of questions and will be different for each date as with the March sitting. Looking at the forums after that one the tests seemed to vary quite lot according to date.

That great thanks! I think we get date and location for the exam on the 3rd, I presume all sections will be on a computer incl the essay in section 2?

haileyr123

Hi guys,
Do people think there is a strong likelihood the exam will be changed to an online format at home, similar to the march/may exam? If it worked for that sitting I find it hard to understand why they wouldn't, especially when things are still up in the air regarding Covid.
Many thanks in advance!

redser1

haileyr123 wrote: »

Hi guys,
Do people think there is a strong likelihood the exam will be changed to an online format at home, similar to the march/may exam? If it worked for that sitting I find it hard to understand why they wouldn't, especially when things are still up in the air regarding Covid.
Many thanks in advance!

It didn't really work though, it was really unstandardised and caused a lot of debate in Australia, here not so much, but it really was crazy how it was undertaken, very very unstandardised

purnimasnow

Is anyone else thinking it could be just held online again?

leo of cork

Its very strange the way they're doing it this time, everyone would have a different exam paper?
I feel like it will go ahead in Dublin unless the county goes into lockdown or numbers surge. But for as long as schools are open they won't do the exam from homes I reckon

purnimasnow

Yeah I sat it in June - it was a bit chaotic, I felt quite hard done by to be honest. Would really like to know what day I have been assigned if it is in a test centre to motivate me to study!!

leo of cork

Blackboot wrote: »

Hi, I'm giving it a go in Sept too. I presume we get a date on the 7th and that a certain number of people will do it on that date, depending on capacity with social distancing etc. As I understand it, the exam will be questions taken from a bank of questions and will be different for each date as with the March sitting. Looking at the forums after that one the tests seemed to vary quite lot according to date.

Since finding out the date of the exam has changed I haven't looked at my notes in 2 weeks! Forcing myself to do some section 1 today, so hard to concentrate when you don't have a deadline.. As per their website we should find out this Thursday, I find the acer messaging service very unhelpful also which is very annoying after paying so much for the exam!

Blackboot

Just been on reddit there. Some of the scores that got rejection notices were insane. People not getting in with a score of 70. I love Ireland.

Cal100

For those sitting the September/ Oct 2020 exam, I just received my admission ticket. 7am 4th of October in Croke Park Hotel, Dublin.

Blackboot

I'm on the 28th at 2PM. The countdown is on now so.

leo of cork

Im the 29th at 2pm, there's no room for change is there?

Blackboot

I doubt it.

purnimasnow

Is anyone else concerned that they may have to postpone GAMSAT again? Or at least put it online like the June sitting?

Cal100

purnimasnow wrote: »

Is anyone else concerned that they may have to postpone GAMSAT again? Or at least put it online like the June sitting?

Quite nervous haha. Absolute worst case scenario would be that they don’t host the Dublin venue at all which would obviously be terrible if they don’t offer the online alternative. That is a super pessimistic outlook but it’s hard to predict what they’ll do since they’re completely disregarding the Australians who can’t legally cross boarders to sit their exams. They’ve been told that it’s not ACER’s problem and they have to defer- no online offering

Blackboot

Some parts of Australia have been in a much more restricted lockdown for a while now and there is no sign of the exam going online. I'd say it'll go ahead.

Blackboot

And we don't really have any borders as such to cross. It's unlikely Dublin will go into total lockdown where everything is gone. I wonder how many will be doing the exam at any one time?

hcoben111

purnimasnow wrote: »

Is anyone else concerned that they may have to postpone GAMSAT again? Or at least put it online like the June sitting?

yes very much so. Dublin will most likely go into level 3 which says no indoor events can take place so who knows what they will do. To be honest if its going to happen (level 3) Id rather they just do it do we will know in advance, nothing worse than stressing about the exam itself and then stressing if its even going ahead and where

Cal100

I don’t think I can post screenshots here but the following is stated on the ACER website:

“Candidates should be aware that, if changes to government restrictions for COVID-19 mean we can no longer permit you to sit at your allocated test centre, your test will have to be delivered through a remote proctoring service. Please familiarise yourself with the GAMSAT Online FAQs relating to remote proctoring so that you are prepared for this possibility.”

hcoben111

Cal100 wrote: »

I don’t think I can post screenshots here but the following is stated on the ACER website:

“Candidates should be aware that, if changes to government restrictions for COVID-19 mean we can no longer permit you to sit at your allocated test centre, your test will have to be delivered through a remote proctoring service. Please familiarise yourself with the GAMSAT Online FAQs relating to remote proctoring so that you are prepared for this possibility.”

Interesting.IMO it will be done through proctoring again and I think thats why they are running it online in centers incase this happened

Blackboot

Radio 1 saying now that Dublin going to be in level 3 tomorrow. Bars and restaurants still open, will Gamsat come under some sort of educational exemption?

coopersock

I think it will go online via remote proctoring for Dublin. I think ACER are making a distinction between situations as below:

1) where test centres can run the exam in person, it will go ahead, even if some people can’t get there due to restrictions in the area they’re travelling from (they have basically said tough luck to people who fall into this category in Aus);

2) where test centres can’t run the exam in person due to restrictions in the area where the test centre is located, all people due to sit the test at that location will have to sit online via proctoring.

That seems consistent with their comment above and their general approach. At least I am hoping that’s what they’ll do. There’ll be uproar about the exam not being standardised as some sitting at home and some in test centres, but it’s the fairest in the circumstances. It would be grossly unfair to deny certain people a chance to sit the exam due to something so completely out of their control... fingers crossed anyway!

Cal100

ACER’s response to my email re lockdown and test in person:

We expect GAMSAT to go ahead in Dublin. Our understanding is that people will be able to travel for essential purposes, education being listed as one of these. We will continue to monitor the situation closely and will advise candidates if anything changes.

At the moment the government advice for tertiary education is: Further, higher and adult education to escalate all appropriate protective measures and limit congregation as far as possible.

We are taking every precaution in the running of the test centres. For Dublin we are running over two socially distanced rooms that meet the minimum Level 3 quota of up to 25 people.

All computers will be disinfected and rooms cleaned between sessions, and we are asking candidates to wear masks/face shields at all times.

Regards
The GAMSAT Team
ACER

coopersock

Cal100 wrote: »

ACER’s response to my email re lockdown and test in person:

We expect GAMSAT to go ahead in Dublin. Our understanding is that people will be able to travel for essential purposes, education being listed as one of these. We will continue to monitor the situation closely and will advise candidates if anything changes.

At the moment the government advice for tertiary education is: Further, higher and adult education to escalate all appropriate protective measures and limit congregation as far as possible.

We are taking every precaution in the running of the test centres. For Dublin we are running over two socially distanced rooms that meet the minimum Level 3 quota of up to 25 people.

All computers will be disinfected and rooms cleaned between sessions, and we are asking candidates to wear masks/face shields at all times.

Regards
The GAMSAT Team
ACER

Great news! We just need certainty really!

Blackboot

This is good to hear.

haileyr123

Hi
I would be thinking they should put the Dublin sitting online for sure with the updated level 3 restrictions but it seems like acer will avoid this if at all possible.
Does anyone know where to find solutions for the Section 1 of the acer practice tests? I can only find detailed solutions for section 3
Many thanks,

Peek1

Hey,

Just in case some don't check the gamsat subreddit.
Couple people saying there that hotels in Dublin have cancellations from ACER.

I don't know anything else, you can check the subreddit if you want to read people speculating more, probably better off waiting for official acer email.

hcoben111

yes ive seen that too and on a FB group.. should get an email in the morning

haileyr123

My email: I am going to be sitting the GAMSAT 2020 in Dublin which has now been elevated to level 3 restrictions as there has been a surge in Covid cases in Dublin. With this in mind I was wondering will the exam be administered remotely?
Many thanks in advance

ACER reply: Thank you for your email. We understand that the restrictions in Ireland have tightened and we are making alternative arrangements for affected candidates. We will notify candidates as soon as we can, regarding what happens next. A breakdown of the online exam can be found in the Candidate Information Booklet

Cal100

haileyr123 wrote: »

My email: I am going to be sitting the GAMSAT 2020 in Dublin which has now been elevated to level 3 restrictions as there has been a surge in Covid cases in Dublin. With this in mind I was wondering will the exam be administered remotely?
Many thanks in advance

ACER reply: Thank you for your email. We understand that the restrictions in Ireland have tightened and we are making alternative arrangements for affected candidates. We will notify candidates as soon as we can, regarding what happens next. A breakdown of the online exam can be found in the Candidate Information Booklet

Hey, I got the exact same response minus the last sentence about the breakdown of the online exam. That would seem to indicate that they plan on going ahead with the online one! I was worried that they might postpone or worst case, cancel so this is great news

haileyr123

Hi, was worried about it being cancelled altogether too! I assume we can take that email as a nod for the exam being put online?

Cal100

haileyr123 wrote: »

Hi, was worried about it being cancelled altogether too! I assume we can take that email as a nod for the exam being put online?

Yeah, if they included that last sentence then I will more or less take that as confirmation. Although I won’t be 100% convinced until they tell us officially! That has put my mind at ease though

Peek1

haileyr123 wrote: »

My email: I am going to be sitting the GAMSAT 2020 in Dublin which has now been elevated to level 3 restrictions as there has been a surge in Covid cases in Dublin. With this in mind I was wondering will the exam be administered remotely?
Many thanks in advance

ACER reply: Thank you for your email. We understand that the restrictions in Ireland have tightened and we are making alternative arrangements for affected candidates. We will notify candidates as soon as we can, regarding what happens next. A breakdown of the online exam can be found in the Candidate Information Booklet

How long did it take them to respond to your email?

purnimasnow

I’m hoping for it to be put online.
Do you think it would still be on the same dates? I think they may have to postpone it.
I haven’t done a tap of work since hearing about all this uncertainty. Constantly refreshing emails!!

Cal100

purnimasnow wrote: »

I’m hoping for it to be put online.
Do you think it would still be on the same dates? I think they may have to postpone it.
I haven’t done a tap of work since hearing about all this uncertainty. Constantly refreshing emails!!

Very true.. they may have to postpone to organise online proctoring unless they have had it on standby already. I’m the exact same! It’s been so hard to focus. It’s 6:30pm in Sydney/ Melb now so I imagine we won’t hear today unfortunately. Hopefully tomorrow

hcoben111

To be fair though they could have sent an email saying it’s cancelled and they’ll be in touch so we could cancels hotels etc

haileyr123

I emailed them about 3 days ago and I just got that email this morning

Cal100

haileyr123 wrote: »

My email: I am going to be sitting the GAMSAT 2020 in Dublin which has now been elevated to level 3 restrictions as there has been a surge in Covid cases in Dublin. With this in mind I was wondering will the exam be administered remotely?
Many thanks in advance

ACER reply: Thank you for your email. We understand that the restrictions in Ireland have tightened and we are making alternative arrangements for affected candidates. We will notify candidates as soon as we can, regarding what happens next. A breakdown of the online exam can be found in the Candidate Information Booklet

After giving it some thought, I think that they might possibly just be referencing the format of the online exam (being done on computers) rather than an indication that it will be online from home.. I may have misinterpreted that

haileyr123

Yes, was wondering the same myself as nothing has been announced, however I did ring the hotel today and they said ACER have cancelled their booking with them. I am hoping in conjunction with that, the exam will be administered remotely. Also on the ACER website they outline that if Covid 19 guidelines change that the test would be delivered remotely. Then again, nothing official was come out which I think is massively unfair and disappointing by ACER

Cal100

haileyr123 wrote: »

Yes, was wondering the same myself as nothing has been announced, however I did ring the hotel today and they said ACER have cancelled their booking with them. I am hoping in conjunction with that, the exam will be administered remotely. Also on the ACER website they outline that if Covid 19 guidelines change that the test would be delivered remotely. Then again, nothing official was come out which I think is massively unfair and disappointing by ACER

Yes completely. I hope and expect that they will do it remotely. However, I wouldn’t put it past them to try and hold the exam in a hotel in another county that is not under the same restrictions.. Assuming that they won’t but I wouldn’t put it past them.

Cal100

As I'm sure you all know by now, we received the email this morning from ACER confirming that the Dublin exam will be held remotely. Have you decided if you will sit both sessions on the 1 day or over 2 days?

coopersock

Cal100 wrote: »

As I'm sure you all know by now, we received the email this morning from ACER confirming that the Dublin exam will be held remotely. Have you decided if you will sit both sessions on the 1 day or over 2 days?

I mean two days sounds better in theory but I would like to just get it over to be honest so might just do one day! Also have been messing work around so having to take 1 more day annual leave is better than 2.

Im also slightly worried that the candidates who aren’t sitting online and have to do the exam in the one day will argue that sitting over 2 days is an advantage...

Cal100

coopersock wrote: »

I mean two days sounds better in theory but I would like to just get it over to be honest so might just do one day! Also have been messing work around so having to take 1 more day annual leave is better than 2.

Im also slightly worried that the candidates who aren’t sitting online and have to do the exam in the one day will argue that sitting over 2 days is an advantage...

Yeah I see your point completely.. Thinking the same myself. Actually just got the first invitation there to schedule session 1. Booked for the 8th.

Yeah but they'll standardise as best they can I'm sure. Plus, the number of people sitting in Dublin will be very small compared to the number sitting the test worldwide. I imagine there might also be further lockdowns to come in certain areas in the UK where the virus is not being contained, so we might not be the only ones sitting remotely

AoifeK1995

Hey everyone. I just received an invitation from ProctorU to book my section 3 test remotely. I didn't receive an email from Acer saying the test has moved online, so I'm a bit confused. Has anyone received an invitation for section 1 and 2 yet? This is my first time sitting the test, so my nerves were already running fairly high! Thanks for any help in advance.

Cal100

AoifeK1995 wrote: »

Hey everyone. I just received an invitation from ProctorU to book my section 3 test remotely. I didn't receive an email from Acer saying the test has moved online, so I'm a bit confused. Has anyone received an invitation for section 1 and 2 yet? This is my first time sitting the test, so my nerves were already running fairly high! Thanks for any help in advance.

It seems like a number of people did not receive an email from ACER, only from ProctorU. I imagine that the email will come through, bu if it doesn't in the next hour or 2 I would email ACER to make sure.

The email basically said that it for dublin candidates it will have to be conducted online, or you have the option to defer or get a refund. The tests are taking place online over the 8th and 9th of Oct and you have to book testing slots through ProctorU

noddy78779

This is probably a stupid question but just getting home from a 24 hour shift so brain is a bit slow right now. Is IST the local time for the booking as I'm not getting a GMT listing or do I need to convert it to Indian Standard Time? I know this likely isn't the case but just want to see what others are doing.

roseggalway

I think IST is Irish Standard Time (GMT+1)

Cal100

noddy78779 wrote: »

This is probably a stupid question but just getting home from a 24 hour shift so brain is a bit slow right now. Is IST the local time for the booking as I'm not getting a GMT listing or do I need to convert it to Indian Standard Time? I know this likely isn't the case but just want to see what others are doing.

Haha no worries. I picked GMT-0 GB Eire i think

noddy78779

roseggalway wrote: »

I think IST is Irish Standard Time (GMT+1)

That makes sense all of a sudden :pac:. Thanks!

coopersock

In case anyone else in the same boat - I chose BST, which is the same as GMT+1. I didn’t seem to have any other option that made sense.