GAT is a testing time
Kyabram Year 12 students finally sat the General Achievement Test last week after the three-hour exam had been rescheduled on three occasions due to Victoria’s ongoing COVID outbreak.
The GAT is a general knowledge test used to check that a students’ Victorian Certificate of Education assessment has been accurately assessed and is notorious for being a difficult examination to prepare for.
Among the contingent of students taking the GAT in 2021 were local Kyabram P-12 College students Jack Norris and Mary Nankivell, who like all other Year 12s have had to deal with the pressures of learning from home as they complete the VCE.
Also serving as college captain for 2021, Jack detailed how he felt the test went.
“Certainly the preparation and the lead-up to the GAT wasn’t perfect after three cancellations, but we finally got there and it was great that we were able to come in on Tuesday, sit the GAT and get it out of the way before our other exams kick off in a couple of weeks,” he said.
“Sitting the GAT twice previously before this year it is gaining that writing and critical thinking time that really helped me put in my best effort this time around.”
Mary, who previously sat the test last year, said she found it much easier a second time around.
“The test was good, the writing pieces were quite self-explanatory and the multiple choices were pretty good, so I am pretty happy,” she said.
“Walking out I feel a lot better than I did last year, having that prior experience I definitely felt a lot more confident and like I wasn’t going in blind.”
With the date of the test constantly changing over the past few months, Jack said it had been frustrating for students as they tried to plan their preparation for the upcoming exam period.
“When the exam timetable is brought out at the middle of the year the GAT is always the first one you look at in terms of knowing when it is so you can get it out of the way and focus on your other exams,” he said.
“There isn’t much we can do about it though and having experienced the test twice before, I leant on that to help me through.”
Completing Year 12 in 2021 has been nothing short of a battle for this current crop, as Mary explained some of the biggest challenges associated with studying off campus.
“It (remote learning) has definitely been a challenge, it has been really hard stay motivated, to complete the work on time and do that extra work to consolidate the information because we haven’t had that chance at school,” she said.
“It has definitely been hard to plan going in and out of the lockdowns, and hard to be sure that you will be doing this or that on a certain day.”
This is where the school had become so important, as Jack praised the lengths Kyabram P-12 had gone to ensure all students had the tools needed to succeed.
“Obviously the past three months have had highs and lows and been one hell of a bumpy roller-coaster ride,” he said.
“The assistance, support and care the school has provided along the way has been vital and kept us up to date with the important information of what school looks like, the processes around remote learning and how to best keep things normal.
“Everything has been top notch and we cannot be more thankful of what the college and senior management team have done in providing the support and assistance needed to keep us going.”