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AIBU?

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:

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suggestionsplease1 · 18/04/2021 15:06

There's no chance you accessed the test 5-minutes after everybody else started it? I know some tests have windows of availability and if they
are started too late you wouldn't get the entire duration. Sounds less likely if it was manually invigilated though.

I would definitely raise my concern if this wasn't the case.

NameChange2745637 · 18/04/2021 15:07

@suggestionsplease1

There's no chance you accessed the test 5-minutes after everybody else started it? I know some tests have windows of availability and if they
are started too late you wouldn't get the entire duration. Sounds less likely if it was manually invigilated though.

I would definitely raise my concern if this wasn't the case.

No, we all started at the same time.

OP posts:

UrAWizHarry · 18/04/2021 15:08

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

UhtredRagnarson · 18/04/2021 15:08

In what way was it not carried out right for the ones who had left?

If they had left the actual room. Fine but the test was not carried out properly.

DGRossetti · 18/04/2021 15:08

Not quite sure why there was a need for an invigilator to stop the exam when it's a matter of one line of code to ensure the actual exam software only works for 60 minutes.

Personally I would have found the need for a human to do the timing unacceptable in 1991, let alone 2021.

I'd be curious to know whose supplied such shit software so as to avoid them in future.

OP is NBU.

UhtredRagnarson · 18/04/2021 15:08

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn as it quotes a deleted post.

Dcadmam001 · 18/04/2021 15:13

What exam was this? Was it a formal exam. If so they’re heavily regulated and this is malpractice which needs to be reported to the examining board. Very clear rules on timekeeping

Thisgirlcando · 18/04/2021 15:16

I think you should get a retake at no extra cost. Every minute counts in an exam, 5 minutes is a 12th of the exam, when it’s only an hour it’s a large chunk. Especially if you are stronger on some units than others, all your weaker ones could have come first! Good luck in future retakes.

NameChange2745637 · 18/04/2021 15:18

@UrAWizHarry

If this fantasy exam cancellation does happen, then you can bet at least one parent would be straight onto the daily mail for a sadface story, and yet none seem to exist.

So in the absence of any evidence I'm calling bullshit on this one.

It's not bullshit and I'm not a troll. It was a BCS accredited level 3 advanced word processing course at an adult education college. Didn't want to say as I didn't want it to be outing but I don't really give a fuck now.

OP posts:

steff13 · 18/04/2021 15:20

The exam was cut short for everyone. It is irrelevant if some weren’t negatively impacted by that. The exams wasn’t carried out properly foranyof them.

But it wasn't cut short for everyone, it was only cut short for the two people who were still there at 55 minutes in. The error didn't happen until then, so why should people who were already done when the error happened have their tests nullified? That's insane.

UhtredRagnarson · 18/04/2021 15:26

so why should people who were already done when the error happened have their tests nullified?

Because the people left in the room will have to resit the exam. Would you think it was fair if you were someone who took the exam the first time, that others who were possibly going to fail it anyway got to take another shot and have more time to revise? It has to be fair for everyone.

EstuaryBird · 18/04/2021 15:28

OP, you need to ask your Exam Officer (or person responsible) to apply for a Special Consideration, but be aware that this will not necessarily result in a Pass.
Good luck.

GreyhoundG1rl · 18/04/2021 15:30

@UhtredRagnarson

so why should people who were already done when the error happened have their tests nullified?

Because the people left in the room will have to resit the exam. Would you think it was fair if you were someone who took the exam the first time, that others who were possibly going to fail it anyway got to take another shot and have more time to revise? It has to be fair for everyone.

If op was allowed to retake it would seem fair to allow others the same option. Insisting they had to retake it because their results had been nullified would be an outrage.

Mmn654123 · 18/04/2021 15:32

[quote NameChange2745637]@howmanyhats I think so. The pass rate was 75% I got 60% and there was only 22 questions[/quote]
If you answered 18 questions in 55 minutes, it was taking you 3 minutes per question so you only had time to answer one more.

One more question would not have taken you from 60% to 75%.

Study more and re-book the test. You weren’t ready.

mushroom3 · 18/04/2021 15:32

My DD was not given 25% extra time for a GCSE exam that she should have had, all those who should have hadextra time for that paper didn't get it. The school appealed her result and a % was added on to that paper (I'm assuming the same happened to all the others who were supposed to have extra time). In her case it pushed her up a grade, for most people it wouldn't have made a difference. I would suspect that everyone would have eg an extra 6% added onto their result, it won't affect you but it could affect those who failed by a smail margin ie by one or two marks.

UrAWizHarry · 18/04/2021 15:33

@NameChange2745637 very sorry, I'm not calling bullshit on you, I'm calling bullshit on @UhtredRagnarson's claims about exams being cancelled for everyone because of minor timing issues. Still waiting for evidence for that one.

In your case you have every right to be annoyed and I would absolutely be complaining.

CrazyCatLazy · 18/04/2021 15:34

I would absolutely challenge this, regardless of if you would have passed with the last 4 questions. You may have sped through those in 3mins and gone back to read through/check flagged questions for the last 2mins that would have taken you over the pass rate.
Regardless, you and your peers were not given the allotted time that was recommended by the exam board.
Hope you get sorted OP

Pogmaasal · 18/04/2021 15:34

I'm not angry at all. It's not my fault if you can't take being pulled up on your mistakes without thinking the person is cross @FTEngineerM

peak2021 · 18/04/2021 15:34

I think you should complain. It may be a genuine mistake but if you were told 60 minutes, it should be 60 minutes.

Though if it had taken place at Old Trafford football ground, you would have probably been given 63 or 64 minutes.

UrAWizHarry · 18/04/2021 15:36

"One more question would not have taken you from 60% to 75%"

Assuming all questions are worth the same, or that the OP hadn't taken the approach of tackling the harder questions at the start and leaving 5 minutes at the end just to polish off the ones they were able answer.

5 minutes in a 1 hour exam is a significant chunk of time.

Mmn654123 · 18/04/2021 15:37

@NameChange2745637

I'm not sure if I would have passed but I would have had a much better chance with the extra 5 minutes

No you wouldn’t. You would likely have answered one additional question, possibly correctly, based on you taking 3 minutes per question. You only got 13 of the 18 questions you answered correct. One more correct answer would not have impacted your result. You would have had to answer all 4 in the remaining five minutes and get them all correct. But based on your performance earlier in the test that would have been miraculous.

Mmn654123 · 18/04/2021 15:39

@UrAWizHarry

"One more question would not have taken you from 60% to 75%"

Assuming all questions are worth the same, or that the OP hadn't taken the approach of tackling the harder questions at the start and leaving 5 minutes at the end just to polish off the ones they were able answer.

5 minutes in a 1 hour exam is a significant chunk of time.

There are 22 questions and I’d guess they are multi choice given most of the cohort had finished and left rather than polish their answers as you might do with essay style questions.

Op failed, fair and square.

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Mmn654123 · 18/04/2021 15:40

@UrAWizHarry

"One more question would not have taken you from 60% to 75%"

Assuming all questions are worth the same, or that the OP hadn't taken the approach of tackling the harder questions at the start and leaving 5 minutes at the end just to polish off the ones they were able answer.

5 minutes in a 1 hour exam is a significant chunk of time.

And that would be a dumb strategy anyway - everyone knows you bank the easy point early in any exam.

Themsmedaps · 18/04/2021 15:41

It sounds like the invigilator made an error, you should complain to the Exam Officer at the college and ask them to put in for special consideration.

UrAWizHarry · 18/04/2021 15:42

If it was multichoice 5 minutes may well have been enough to have a stab at the remaining 4 questions and maybe go back and check a few others.

All of which is still utterly beside the point of course. An exam should last the amount of time specified. That's indisputable.

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