Test Incident

Please refer to the information under Test Day Problems which covers the steps you should take if there is a problem during your test. 

Stage 1: Test incident

Candidates are required to read the UCAT ANZ Examination Rules prior to testing, which advise them that any problems during testing must be reported to the invigilator immediately.

A Test Incident is defined as:

  • a problem that occurred during testing which the candidate feels adversely affected their test performance; and
  • which they reported during their test; and
  • which was recorded by a member of test centre staff

Stage 2: Incident Investigation Requests

If a candidate experienced a Test Incident (as defined above) that they believe has not been satisfactorily resolved at the test centre, they may request an incident investigation.

Requests must be submitted within 1 day of the test sitting using the Test Incident Investigation Request Form (available during testing window). 

The reporting of an issue at the test centre does not automatically result in any action being taken unless the candidate requests an incident investigation according to the timeline. 

Incident investigation requests that will be considered.
  • A technical problem with the computer (hardware or software) or problems with equipment.
  • A significant disruption during the test.
  • Unscheduled interruptions to the test such as a fire alarm.

The incident must have been reported at the test centre at the time of sitting the test; Pearson will not investigate incidents raised after the test date.

Incident investigation requests that will not be considered. 
  • Incidents that were not reported during testing.
  • Requests submitted more than 1 day after the test date.
  • Access refused due to late arrival or issues with ID.
  • Noise due to normal test centre conditions (for example keyboard noise or other people entering or leaving the test room).
  • Noise from test centre staff going about their normal business, including giving assistance to other candidates in the test room.
  • Lack of access arrangements, if you have not arranged these in accordance with the Access Arrangements process and deadlines.
  • Appeals against test scores or requests for re-scoring. The UCAT ANZ is a computer-based test and is marked automatically. Errors are extremely unlikely as the marking and scoring system is subject to rigorous testing before each test cycle.


Making an Incident Investigation Request

Incident investigation requests must be submitted using the online form (available during testing).

When making the request, candidates are required to provide a brief explanation of the incident which makes clear:

  • in which subtest(s) the incident occurred;
  • any action taken by the candidate or test centre staff;
  • an estimate of any test time lost (if relevant). 

Incident Requests must be submitted within 1 day of your test sitting or they will not be investigated. 


Processing Incident Investigation Requests

Once a request has been submitted, the case will be investigated by Pearson and the findings reported to the candidate by email within 7 business days. (Business days are Monday to Friday). In some cases, an incident may take longer to investigate.

Pearson will report the findings to the candidate and will then close the incident. If the candidate wants to take the matter further they may request a Review by the UCAT ANZ Office within 2 days of receipt of the Pearson email (see below).


Stage 3: UCAT ANZ Office Review

After receiving the findings from Pearson, if the candidate wants to have the incident reviewed further they may request a Review by the UCAT ANZ Office within 2 days of receipt of the Pearson email. 

The request should be emailed to the UCAT ANZ Office with the subject line "UCAT ANZ Review Request". Only requests received according to the timeline will be reviewed.

Once the request for a UCAT ANZ Review has been received, the UCAT ANZ Office will review the Pearson findings (made at Stage 2) and will liaise with Pearson to review the relevant evidence related to the incident. 

Following the review the UCAT ANZ Office will provide one of the following outcomes to the candidate by email in approximately 7 business days:

  • No action to be taken
    The candidate has not followed the correct incident process, or the incident is considered to be of a minor nature or no evidence of an incident has been found. 

  • Annotation
    The candidate's result may be annotated with a factual statement in order that the Medical and Dental Schools are aware of the circumstances which may have affected their test result. 

  • Retest opportunity
    In exceptional circumstances, a small number of candidates are offered the opportunity to re-sit the test. The whole test must be taken again; re-sitting just the subtest(s) affected is not possible. The original attempt result is made void and only the result of the final test in that test cycle (regardless of the result) will be made available to universities. 

Please note: The UCAT ANZ Consortium never makes an adjustment to a candidate’s scores to reflect an incident during their test.

If a candidate is not satisfied with the outcome of the UCAT ANZ Office Review of their case, please refer to the UCAT ANZ Consortium Appeals Policy.

UCAT ANZ does not deal with complaints about admissions decisions, which should be addressed to the individual university concerned.


Overview of the Test Incident Process
STAGES IN PROCESS ACTION REQUIRED OUTCOME
STAGE 1
Test centre incident		 Technical or equipment issue, or significant disruption, (the 'incident') occurs during the test.

Candidate reports the incident to the invigilator immediately.		 Invigilator resolves issues.

If the candidate is satisfied with the resolution, the incident is closed and no further action is taken.

If the candidate wants the incident to be investigated - refer to Stage 2.
STAGE 2
Request Pearson investigation of incident		 Candidate wants the incident to be investigated.

Candidate submits an Incident Investigation Request to Pearson (via Incident Request Form on the UCAT ANZ website) within 1 day of their test sitting.		 Pearson investigates the incident and reports the findings by email to the candidate within 7 business days. The incident is closed by Pearson.

If the candidate wants to take the matter further - refer to Stage 3. 
STAGE 3
Request UCAT ANZ Office Review		 Candidate receives incident findings from Pearson and wants the incident reviewed further.

Candidate requests a review by the UCAT ANZ Office within 2 days of receipt of the Pearson email.		 UCAT ANZ Office reviews the incident and provides an outcome to the candidate by email within 7 business days.

The incident is closed.