Urgent help Cambridge exam missed today

[cartreffi]

Posting for traffic. 'My son turned up for his Cambridge ESAT exam today to find out he hadn't booked on properly, despite having a screenshot showing the booking. Is that it? All that hard work and preparation gone? I phoned the test centre and they have 'raised a ticket' but as far as they're concerned he didn't book on to the exam. Is there anything we can do to get him in the exam tomorrow? There are 2 dates for the exam 15th and 16th October and he had picked today

Call the college he's applied to and whoever administers the exam relentlessly - politely but firmly. Does he have a screenshot showing his booking? If he's from a comprehensive school with limited Oxbridge support, tell them that and say that you don't want him to get any special treatment, just the chance to take the exam. Get the school involved in lobbying them if at all possible. Good luck!

Seconding @Toomanyemails advice: phone the college admissions office and explain; they will know what to do. This won't be the first time something like this has happened, and they certainly won't want to lose good candidates to an administrative error! I hope you get it sorted without too much worry; and good luck to your boy.

I'm coming at this from a different angle..... is it possible that this was done on purpose as he feels pressured to apply for Cambridge but would prefer a different option?

Not every young person feels able to tell school and parents that this isn't what they want (especially if they are being " strongly encouraged" or rewarded for applying to
Oxbridge).

You know your son, but maybe a gentle chat may help him open up if needs be.

If this isn't the case, can he get on to one of the later test dates - PP's have given some good advice

phone Pearson repeatedly the confirmation is good enough - why did you leave the venue? Booking confirmation should be enough

Did he register for the test via the Pearson VUE portal? If so, he should have recieved an email and a candidate number as proof of entry. There's also a cost involved, so he should have a proof of payment somewhere. If he has all these things, then the problem is clearly with the test centre.

I'd also get his school/sixth-form college involved. They may have previous experience of this.

Can anyone link a phone number? I can only find an email. Thank you so much for your help everyone

Get him to call the college - don’t be mummy calling for him!

Helpful, thanks

Maybe op planned to once she’d got the number

I’m sorry if that came across abruptly - I know how easy it is to get caught up in fixing things for our children - but also how much better they look to the world if they, at least appear, to be leading their own charge

Maybe this is part of the test.

There are contact telephone numbers at the bottom of this page:
https://www.pearsonvue.com/us/en/uatuk.html?tab=europe%252C-middle-east%252C-africa-%28emea%29-region

It also has the following information:
After you schedule your test, Pearson VUE will send a confirmation letter listing your test date, your testing time, the address and phone number of the test centre, and directions to the test centre.

Did your son receive this?

We have a confirmation booking email. Do you have one?

Nothing wrong with a parent calling to sort this out. I work in a college and it’s absolutely normal for a parent to get involved with something like this. Even the most level headed teenager could find themselves in a flap and need a bit of help. Weird to insist you wouldn’t, really.

Thanks everyone for your help today. He didn't get a confirmation email as he didn't realise he needed one. The screenshot looked like confirmation to me so I didn't question it. A hard lesson to learn,

@cartreffi , try posting in Higher Education section and also on the Facebook page WIWIKAU as they have people on there who have links to Pearson.

well he didn't book it correctly then. surely you would i've realised that money hadn't left account?

Maybe this is part of the test.

^

Yup!!

Can he still register for tomorrow?

Any chance for tomorrow?

No, not allowed. It's a pretty harsh system. He did the booking himself and the screenshot he sent me looked like it was booked. I think what's happened is he hasn't then gone on to the next page. I'm obviously kicking myself I didn't check it was done properly but it looked like it was booked with all details on the screen (he was at his dad's when he booked it) there was also an assumption on my part that his dad was helping. He'll either have to do a gap year and reapply in 2026 or accept Cambridge isn't going to happen and get excited about one of his other choices.

@cartreffi , it sounded very tough today, there is feedback on WIWIKAU if you search ESAT.

Thank you. I'll take a look