Mocks. Is this not a bit too much?? Or am I being PFB??

[SmallDucks]

DS had 4 exams today,
3 exams in the hall which were between 1-1.5 hours long and then from 3.30-5pm a basket ball assessment (GCSE PE).

From 08.30am -5pm either in an exam or physically being assessed.

Tomorrow he has 1 exam but they felt today the basketball assessment was appropriate.

AIBU?

I think they will be rushing them through on purpose. While the exams are on the hall will be out of use and potentially a lot of TAs, so they will want them over with so they can get back to normal quicker

I recall that was pretty normal? Pretty sure I sat 2x 3hr exams per day for GCSEs and A level

If a student misses their exam for any reason they resit later in the year- usually around November if I remember rightly. Even SEND students would have to resit. Unless it's not a core subject and they choose not to resit.

Not really. There are plenty of posters on here who don't seem to have a clue, despite having exam aged teenagers, that their dearest is one of hundreds. Please tell me you aren't one of them?

Seems totally normal - 8.30-3.30 is 7 hours so clearly there were breaks in between.

Dd Year 7 end of year exams were 8.30-10, 10.30-12, 1.30-3 and then either into lessons to 4.30 or oral/practical exam over 4 days.

Preferable to lengthening it out over days to make it a short, sharp burst.

Think you're being PFB. It's just mocks so won't have any effect on the final grade. And 3 exams in a day is not a major hardship in any other way. In fact a pretty easy day compared to lessons all day o would have thought.

Getting the opportunity to write or type more than three words without an interruption with constant noise and the prospect of each one being an emergency?

Sounds like heaven to me. I'd even have the energy for a game of basketball afterwards, rather than just hauling myself round the resistance machines for an hour before waddling home for tea.

It sounds like it was just bad luck. No Y11 at my school has had more than 2 exams a day in the current exam period and they've tended to be first thing then straight after lunch so usually at least 2 hours in between unless they have extra time.

YANBU

We had longer papers with O levels. A level papers were long too. I think one am and one pm. It was just accepted as the norm. I don't think I would of liked 3 different subjects in one morning,even if they are much shorter papers. More difficult to be "in the zone" , I imagine. Also, I'm a crammer, which would be difficult too. I felt cross about the pressure put on my Yr 6 doing his SAT's, this year. We had exams in junior school, but there was no build up - you just did them.

Absolute madness. How have we got to the point where we consider this level of stress OK?

I agree OP.

We have exam fortnight. And then they squish it into 6 days by doing 3 a day! Why?!?

It does feel a bit unreasonable - ideally you’d want things spaced out a bit more. I remember I has 3 a levels scheduled on the same day and was horrified when the school said I might need to stay at a teachers house. I remember being so worried about it. In the end my parents signed something to say I wouldn’t go on the internet and I sat it the next day. I can’t imagine many teachers would want to take the risk of having a 16-18 year old staying at their house.

Well it would've been completely normal when I was at school (not exactly the dark ages), so I'd say you're being PFB. That's not to say it's not a long day, but it's hardly a big deal, especially as they're just mocks.

maybe switch the narrative, OP. Instead of worrying that this will damage him, consider the huge benefits of doing a proper exam season in Year10. The current Y11 didn’t get that in Y10 due to Covid restrictions, and found GCSE so much tougher and more stressful as a result. Your son and his peers will have this intense experience to draw on in a year’s time when their day of GCSE reckoning comes. We can’t expect teenagers to shine if we don’t give them the right experiences in preparation.

I asked if it was a bit much.
You must be getting my posts confused with someone else's.

I didn't, and don't, think it is damaging to my son.

Please read my posts.

@SmallDucks it sounds really intense, and a bit much if there wasn’t ample time to eat and use the loo in between.
In public exams there are two exam sessions at 9am and 1.30pm. So four exams in a day would not be possible.
Public exams are easier for the students in this respect than school exams.

Funny though!

If he is okay, then no, it’s not too much.