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. 

If you reported a problem during testing that was not satisfactorily resolved you may request an incident investigation.

Test Incident process

Raising an issue during your test

Candidates are provided with a copy of the UCAT ANZ Examination Rules to read prior to testing. This document advises that if you experience issues that affect your test, you must notify the invigilator immediately by raising your hand so the matter can be addressed. 

If you raised an issue during testing that was not satisfactorily resolved you may request an incident investigation from Pearson VUE. The reporting of an incident at the test centre does not automatically result in any follow up action being taken unless a candidate requests an incident investigation within 1 day of their test sitting.

Incidents that were not reported at the test centre will not be investigated.

What incident investigation requests will be considered?

  • A technical problem with the computer (hardware or software) or issues with equipment.
  • A significant disruption during the test.
  • Interruptions to the test such as a fire alarm.

Pearson VUE will not investigate incidents raised after the test date; the incident must have been reported at the test centre.

What incident investigation requests are excluded?

  • Incidents that were not reported during testing.
  • Requests submitted more than 1 day after your test date.
  • Access refused due to late arrival or issues with ID.
  • Circumstances relating to illness, injury or other personal circumstances affecting performance (refer to the ‘Fit to Test’ policy).
  • Noise due to normal test centre conditions such as keyboard noise or other people leaving and entering the test room.
  • Noise from test centre staff going about their normal business, including giving assistance to other candidates in the testing room.
  • Lack of access arrangements, if you have not arranged these in advance of your test (in accordance with the Access Arrangements process).
  • Appeals against test scores. 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.


How to request an Incident Investigation by Pearson VUE

An incident investigation must be requested within 1 day of your test sitting via the Test Incident Investigation Request Form below. 

When making your request you will need to provide:

  • a brief explanation of the incident which makes clear:
    • in which subtest(s) the incident occurred;
    • any action taken by you 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. 

The Incident Request Form is available during the testing window. 

Pearson VUE Incident Investigation

Once your request has been submitted, Pearson VUE will investigate the incident and report their findings to you by email within 7 business days. The incident is then closed by Pearson VUE.

If you have not received the findings after 7 business days, please contact Pearson VUE Customer Services to request an update on an investigation. In some cases, an incident may take longer to investigate.

After receiving the findings from Pearson VUE, if wish to take the matter further you may request a review by UCAT ANZ within 2 days of receipt of the Pearson VUE 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.


UCAT ANZ Review

Once your request for a UCAT ANZ Review has been received, the UCAT ANZ Office will review the incident and provide one of the following outcomes to you 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
    Your 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 your 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 you are not satisfied with the outcome of the UCAT ANZ Office review of your 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 VUE investigation of incident		 Candidate wants the incident to be investigated.

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

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

If the candidate wants to take the matter further - refer to Stage 3. 
STAGE 3
Request subsequent review by UCAT ANZ		 Candidate receives incident findings from Pearson VUE and wants to take the matter further.

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

The incident is closed.