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Hi,
I have attended the SBL exam today remotely.
After 2 hours I have tried to contact the invigilators for over one hour through the chat button but I got no response. After one hour of discomfort and pain in my bladder I have eventually giving up and wet myself to lose the exam.
As this wasn’t enough during the last 15 minutes of the exam app froze and again I wasn’t able to get in touch with anyone so I had no chance to write anything else during the last 15 minutes.
I am fuming, this is just not acceptable.
Still by experience I can tell the ACCA do not care about mitigating circumstances but this time I have the feeling that they really have crossed the line by denying a toilet break in a 4 hours exam. Any advice in how to handle the mitigating circumstances/complaint?See here https://www.accaglobal.com/gb/en/help/remote.html:
Can I take a bathroom break during the exam?
Yes.
You can take one bathroom break of up to 5 minutes during the exam. If you require a comfort break you should:
1) Request a chat with your invigilator by clicking the speech bubble at the top of your screen.
2) Once the invigilator has opened up the chatbox, you should tell them that you are leaving your desk to use the bathroom. You do not need to wait for their response before leaving your desk.
3) Once you’ve returned use the chat function again to let the invigilator know you have returned. They may wish to verify your ID once you return.If you were not provided with the chatbox (2) you certainly have grounds to claim mitigating circumstance – be factual rather than emotional and remain courteous. (You should not say “toilet break denied” as there was no refusal to a request.)
This is a technical issue https://www.accaglobal.com/pk/en/student/exam-entry-and-administration/exam-results/mitigating-circumstances.html for which you will not need to upload evidence, because your request for chat should be logged by the RI software.You also have ground to claim for the technical issue in the last 15 minutes.
Hi Kim,
Thanks for you quick reply.
You are right: it was not denied but I wasn’t provided with the chatbox so I was afraid to be disqualified if I just left the desk without letting them know.Hi Laurelin
I just wanted to message to say that I experienced the same difficulty with the chat function not working to contact an invigilator. Just thought it might be some reassurance that you were not alone.
I tried at least 4-5 times over a half hour period and eventually had no choice but to leave for my 5 minute break but was very anxious to do so!
Sounds like there has been an issue here. I have submitted mitigating circumstances too.
Laura
I had the same experience, clicked on the chat function. Message says someone will be with you but they never were.
Very frustrating during the exam.
Hi Laura,
Unfortunately, I had a similar experience today during my FR exam for the last 30 minutes I needed to have a toilet break. I clicked on the chat function several times and got more and more noticeably frustrated and even vocal towards the end of that time. Strangely my invigilator did not notice this, it’s a wonder, do they actually exist? It is a massive distraction especially in these time pressured exams. I too submitted a mitigating circumstances claim however I’m not too sure on how successful the outcome will be.
It is unacceptable and even more unacceptable in your case! It surely must have been a technical issue across the board if it happened to multiple people.
C
Hey, I hope it is okay to bump up this thread. I sat my AA exam this morning and a similar incident happened to me after requesting chat three times and waiting over thirty minutes, I got up and went to the bathroom (2 mins max) but then i contacted ACCA after to explain the situation and they aid i would need to raise a case of mitigating circumstances.
I really don’t want my exam cancelled because of this. I waited quite a long time and really had to go and felt i had no other choice!
@christinalavin – if you weren’t given the chat box see my post of June 7, 2022 at 4:52 pm above.
Your being told to claim mitigating circumstances is not threatening you with cancellation – your exam will not be cancelled because of this.
Has anybody been successful in claiming mitigation in this situation? Same happened to me today, I’ve submitted mitigating circumstances as I was made to wait a good 40-45 mins, it really threw off my concentration!
Anyone reading this thread please see my post above from 7 June 2022. The technical error for a mitigating circumstances claim is that the chatbox doesn’t appear. Candidates do NOT have to wait for any permission when a break has been requested because the system will record them leaving their desk and notifying their return.
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