General Achievement Test

rdf:langString General Achievement Test

rdf:langString The General Achievement Test (GAT) is an Australian test of general knowledge and skills including communication, mathematics, science and technology, the arts, humanities and social sciences. From 2022, the GAT is delivered in two sections, held as two separate tests on the same day. Section A assesses literacy and numeracy. Section B assesses mathematics, science, technology, the arts and humanities. All senior secondary students in Victoria, including Senior VCAL students, sit Section A. All students enrolled in one or more VCE Unit 3–4 subject (including scored VCE VET) sit Sections A and B. Section A is a two hour Literacy and Numeracy test with 15 minutes reading time. It includes 100 multiple choice questions (50 for Literacy and 50 for Numeracy), and two Literacy writing tasks. Section B is a 1.5 hour General Knowledge and Skills test with 15 minutes reading time. It includes 50 multiple choice questions and one writing task. Although the GAT is not a part of the graduation requirements and does not count towards a student's final VCE results or ATAR, the GAT plays an important role in checking that a school's assessments and examinations have been accurately assessed. Year 12 Western Australian students sat the GAT for a short period. This test was introduced into Western Australia as a trial to provide schools with feedback on the standard of assessment used for the new WACE courses. The GAT in Western Australia was however abandoned after the trial period and is no longer used. In 2007, Monash University began taking the GAT into consideration for middle band students. It was initially for Victorian students who missed out on courses because their ATAR score was just below the cut-off score. Currently, it is only considered if two students have the same ATAR, prerequisite study scores and are trying to get into the same course. Their GAT score can then be used to differentiate between one getting in and the other not.