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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Invigilator ended test five minutes early

181 replies

NameChange2745637 · 18/04/2021 13:47

I had a test yesterday that was meant to be 1 hour long. I was nearly finished and had four questions to go but was told by the invigilator that the test was finished and to stop what we were doing (there were only two other people left doing their exam at this point). I was a bit surprised because I thought you were normally given about 5 minutes notice, so I said "We're finished" which he replied "Erm yes". This was a computer based exam so I was told there and then that I failed.

I have just signed into my account to see what areas need improving and it said that the duration of the test was only 55 minutes. AIBU here? Should I complain? I didn't notice at the time because I was concentrating.

OP posts:
Butwasitherdriveway · 18/04/2021 14:20

Also, if it says 55 mins on the thing, the invigilator has done nothing wrong.

Why did you believe it was an hour in the first place?

CirclesWithinCircles · 18/04/2021 14:22

Thats completely unfair, and the only equitable solution is to let you resit the test at no inconvenience to yourself.

If the duration is recorded, then I don't see how that can be disputed. Presumably the invigilator made a mistake.

Is it the sort of test where you could have gone over your answers and possibly changed them in the last 5 minutes?

Original poster
NameChange2745637 · 18/04/2021 14:22

@Butwasitherdriveway

Also, if it says 55 mins on the thing, the invigilator has done nothing wrong.

Why did you believe it was an hour in the first place?

He said to stop what I was doing at 55 minutes when it should have been 60 minutes. Do you not see how that's wrong? I didn't notice because I was in the middle of an exam and was concentrating on what I was doing.
OP posts:
UrAWizHarry · 18/04/2021 14:22

If the test was supposed to be an hour long, that's how much time you should have. Absolutely complain.

Butwasitherdriveway · 18/04/2021 14:24

But the test thing said 55.

Maybe it always was 55 and whoever organised it just said an hour?

It's very odd to just stop something and not give warning though.

Original poster
NameChange2745637 · 18/04/2021 14:24

@CirclesWithinCircles

Thats completely unfair, and the only equitable solution is to let you resit the test at no inconvenience to yourself.

If the duration is recorded, then I don't see how that can be disputed. Presumably the invigilator made a mistake.

Is it the sort of test where you could have gone over your answers and possibly changed them in the last 5 minutes?

Yes you can flag up any questions that were skipped so you could go back over them at the end.
OP posts:
UhtredRagnarson · 18/04/2021 14:24

Definitely complain OP. If the test was supposed to last 60 minutes and was ended after 55 minutes then everyone who took it should have their results cancelled and retake the test.

Original poster
NameChange2745637 · 18/04/2021 14:25

@Butwasitherdriveway

But the test thing said 55.

Maybe it always was 55 and whoever organised it just said an hour?

It's very odd to just stop something and not give warning though.

The test was 100% meant to be 60 minutes, it said I stopped the test at 55 minutes. Sorry, I don't think I made that very clear.
OP posts:
Merryoldgoat · 18/04/2021 14:26

@SteveyFluff

With 22 questions, 13 correct would give you 59% and 14 correct would give you 63%. So not sure how you scored 60%?

Anyway, you’d need 17 correct questions to score over 75%. So you’d need to correctly answer at least 3 more questions in 5 minutes. That seems unlikely when the previous questions had taken you over 3 minutes per question. I’d still complain of course.

Because it’s quite likely each question is worth a different number of marks - unlikely one mark per question.
Butwasitherdriveway · 18/04/2021 14:26

Ahhhh sorry OP! I'm talking nonsense them! toomuchsun yes, complain!

FTEngineerM · 18/04/2021 14:28

It’s definitely clear the test should have been 60 minutes from your descriptions but as @SteveyFluff said, you would have failed regardless (probably).

You can try and get a retest BUT swat up a little more to nudge you over the 75% mark

UrAWizHarry · 18/04/2021 14:29

@UhtredRagnarson

Definitely complain OP. If the test was supposed to last 60 minutes and was ended after 55 minutes then everyone who took it should have their results cancelled and retake the test.
Er, no, not everyone.... why should people who had passed have to resit?

What will happen is that the op and anyone potentially effected will get a free resit.

UrAWizHarry · 18/04/2021 14:30

@FTEngineerM

It’s definitely clear the test should have been 60 minutes from your descriptions but as *@SteveyFluff* said, you would have failed regardless (probably).

You can try and get a retest BUT swat up a little more to nudge you over the 75% mark

Whether the op would have passed or failed is completely beside the point. An hour long exam should last an hour.
UhtredRagnarson · 18/04/2021 14:31

Er, no, not everyone.... why should people who had passed have to resit?

Because the test wasn’t carried out properly for anyone.

Butwasitherdriveway · 18/04/2021 14:32

Eh, because how would they detect who was affected?

CuriousaboutSamphire · 18/04/2021 14:32

Or the board will pro rata / apply correction to the results.

But mostly the invigilators will be reminded how important it is that they get timings right.

I used to spend countless thankless hours doing invigilator training in an FE College. Some never quite get the hang of it and need to be removed from the process.

UrAWizHarry · 18/04/2021 14:35

@UhtredRagnarson

Er, no, not everyone.... why should people who had passed have to resit?

Because the test wasn’t carried out properly for anyone.

It was just cut short. If I sat the test, finished and passed it in 50 minutes there is no fucking way I would accept having it cancelled. That's absurd.
Gatehouse77 · 18/04/2021 14:38

If it was under JCQ conditions they are not allowed to state how much time you had left. But if you didn’t get the fully allocated time, I would complain.

Merryoldgoat · 18/04/2021 14:40

It would be easy to work out who was affected.

Those who passed wouldn’t have failed with extra time so you could disregard them.

The ones who failed would have their ex and analysed to see how many marks had been attempted, average marks achieved per minute etc and see if an extra 5 would have had an impact.

I’d be annoyed OP, but if you needed another 15% to pass it would’ve been tight - the average marks attempted should be around 1.7% per minute so whilst not impossible passing would be unlikely I think.

UhtredRagnarson · 18/04/2021 14:40

It was just cut short.

Exactly- so it wasn’t carried out properly. No-one had the full 60 minutes allocated for the test.

If I sat the test, finished and passed it in 50 minutes there is no fucking way I would accept having it cancelled. That's absurd.

You mightn’t have the choice if that’s was what is decided by the exam board.

EstuaryBird · 18/04/2021 14:41

Was it an online test? I Invigilate a lot of online tests and timing them is not an issue as they automatically end after the allotted time.

Regarding the 5 minute warning - this is now at the Centre’s discretion.

A five minute warning to candidates before the end of the examination is permitted. However, this is at the centre’s discretion. Where candidates have different finishing times, the centre must consider the impact of giving a warning.

From JCQ Instructions for Conducting Examinations

It would be unusual to give a 5 minute warning for an online test .

If it was a manually times exam then the Invigilator has made an error and you should take this up with the Exam Officer (or equivalent).

Butwasitherdriveway · 18/04/2021 14:41

@UhtredRagnarson

It was just cut short.

Exactly- so it wasn’t carried out properly. No-one had the full 60 minutes allocated for the test.

If I sat the test, finished and passed it in 50 minutes there is no fucking way I would accept having it cancelled. That's absurd.

You mightn’t have the choice if that’s was what is decided by the exam board.

No decent exam board would ever allow that , as it would be a total farce.
UhtredRagnarson · 18/04/2021 14:42

No decent exam board would ever allow that , as it would be a total farce.

It does indeed happen.

tigger1001 · 18/04/2021 14:43

If the exam is 60 minute then that's the time you get. If your results show you only had 55 minutes then I would complain.

It wouldn't make the exam as a whole invalid as other invigilators may have given the correct time, it would only affect anyone in that particular exam room who subsequently didn't have enough time.

margotsdevil · 18/04/2021 14:43

If the test should have been allocated an hour and you were only allowed 55 minutes then that is definitely an issue which should be flagged.

However - judging by what you've said, you weren't working quickly enough to have finished in the allocated hour - working on an average time per question it would be roughly 10 mins from where you were to finish, and possibly longer given your pace that far into the assessment. If/when you get the opportunity to retake the assessment try to pay attention to the time lapsed as well - I know you say you were concentrating and weren't aware but actually an important part of exam technique is to manage time effectively.