Anyone still waiting results of Skills Tests from distance provider

pirate

Hi there,

Am still waiting the results of my skills tests submitted the 15th April. (This is when they received it), this is now the 7th week.

I have contacted them as they told me around 4 weeks but they say they cant tell me and I will be contacted when its completed.

what are others experiences at the moment, just wondering if it because they are backed up, they are telling me that this is not the case.

Also presumably they contact me to let me know or does it go to the AAT first.

I'm with premier training

columbia

Hiya

I'm still waiting too,mine was received by Premier on 26th April. They informed me that they are taking around 6 weeks to mark and send back.

zhulme

kaplan

Hi yes i had the same problem with Kaplan mine was submitted the week before and i had the results 10 days ago. but they were majorly backed up for weeks i was told they didnt have it, it had been lost etc etc but it finally turned up, it does take a while but if you get on their case and manage to speak to someone with at least half a brain cell then you should get somewhere! they have only verbally told me ive passed but ive received no letter at all stating this which is rather worrying!

columbia

Hi Zhulme

Congrats on the pass. Have you looked at your record of achievement to see if the skills test has been added to it??

coojee

It never ceases to amaze me that students still use the likes of Premier, Kaplan, BPP etc given the posts on here about work getting lost, taking ages to be marked etc. There are clear guidelines that are a condition of their registration with the AAT that work MUST be marked within 2 weeks of assessment date (or date of receipt for distance learners). If they're this far over the 2 week deadline you should be reporting them to the AAT as they're in breach of their registration conditions.

pirate

Hi Coojee

Interesting, I did check with the AAT regarding the fact that Premier imposed a deadline of 30th April this year for these assessement and was told that in fact they have until December 2011 to mark them but we have until 30th June to get them in.

To be fair premier have usually been really good and have never lost any of my work and are reasonably quick in coming back with assignments. They are even better now under the new guidelines and come back really quickly, according to my friends studying with them. Its been recently that this has happened and I heard that 1000 skills tests were sent to them by 30th April. I did get mine in before this so that they could be marked but I found out that assignments and so on are booked and assigned to markers on a friday so if your assessement arrives on a friday or on a monday it wont get assigned until the following friday then it will be marked so in those circumstances its been 2 weeks but if I get it in on the thursday I have it back within a week.
I have been really happy with them and if I need any extra help they have been great.

I will however bear these timescales in mind, I just find it amazing that it could take so long but then they have a lot and it does take a while to mark exams papers.

K

zhulme

thank columbia

no it hasn't been updated yet but im not worried more worried about the personal tax exam ive got tomorrow and all the negative feedback ive heard about it!

columbia

Good luck for tomorrow!

uknitty

3 out of the last 4 skills test papers that Premier Training have sent me have been "lost in the post" and taken between 2 - 3 weeks from me requesting them to actually receiving them.

I was told outright by my tutor that the reason for the April deadline was because all results had to be reported to AAT no later than the end of June, so the April deadline was to allow time for verbal questioning.

I received an email from Kaplan today stating their students have until the end of June to get work submitted, and that questioning will take place in July, with assurance being carried out in August. I've emailed Premier to ask why it it that Kaplan are afforded extra time and that Kaplan students can submit to the end of June, but Premier Training students have to submit by the end of April ?

Maybe Premier Training have given me incorrect information all along ? Makes me sad because the staff have always been really nice, now I am not so sure I can trust the information they give me

coojee

uknitty wrote: »

3 out of the last 4 skills test papers that Premier Training have sent me have been "lost in the post" and taken between 2 - 3 weeks from me requesting them to actually receiving them.

I was told outright by my tutor that the reason for the April deadline was because all results had to be reported to AAT no later than the end of June, so the April deadline was to allow time for verbal questioning.

I received an email from Kaplan today stating their students have until the end of June to get work submitted, and that questioning will take place in July, with assurance being carried out in August. I've emailed Premier to ask why it it that Kaplan are afforded extra time and that Kaplan students can submit to the end of June, but Premier Training students have to submit by the end of April ?

Maybe Premier Training have given me incorrect information all along ? Makes me sad because the staff have always been really nice, now I am not so sure I can trust the information they give me

You must sit the assessment before the end of June but providers have until December to report the results so Premier are telling you porkies. I know why they've done it because they just want them all done and dusted by the end of June but it's not really fair to leave students high and dry when there's no need for it.

Rinske

Considering that there are now so many complaints about Kaplan not managing to stay within timelimits as they got too much work in, I wouldn't be too negative about Premier Training just yet.

It might be that Premier training recognised how much was oustanding and expected still from students and therefore figured that if they got it all in at the end of June, they would run into time or staffing issues, and therefore set the deadlines earlier for students, to make sure they can actually spread out the work more.

uknitty

Thing is because of Premier giving me incorrect information about *having* to submit the skills test by April I've put myself under so much pressure and stress.

About 2 weeks after signing up for my advanced certificate I found out I was pregnant ( a planned surprise in that I'd been trying for 3 years with no joy). Then just a month or so after that the announcment came about the change in standards and the June deadline. I worked up until 8 months pg whilst continuing to study, and then had my little girl. It has been incredibly stressful not being able to take even a short break from AAT because of the "April" deadline.

The upshot of their "porkie" about the deadline is I ended up taking a skills test I wasn't fully prepared for because of the pressure of the April deadline. (I figured if it had to be done by that date I'd best put something in on time, and if I failed then I failed but at least I had tried.) With another month I could have submitted a paper that I would be confident of passing.

They may well be doing the "responsible" thing by ensuring the work is in early enough for their team to mark it, but I would suggest that if they have that many students paying for courses then they have enough funds to hire extra examiners. If they don't have enough staff to mark people's work then they shouldn't take their money.

If I had even been told the truth about why they April deadline had been imposed ( not enough staff to mark papers) that would be one thing, but I am actually really offended that I have been deliberately been given false information with a view of making the Tutor's lifes more managable whilst making mine incredibly difficult.

pirate

Hi uknitty,

The first I heard from Premier about the 30th April deadline was on the 11 March in a reminder email, I'd never received anything before that.
I also went into a bit of a panic as I had believed that, having spoken to the AAT, I had until the 30th June to take the assessments.
I had set myself a deadline to get them all done by Easter, anyway. even so it was still a bit of a panic.

However what I hadn't counted on was the length of time it takes to actually have an assessement marked and then the turnaround for getting the skills test out. So if I submitted my assessement and they got it on friday, it would not be allocated until the following friday. Then it was at least another week before I got it marked. Then I had to order the skills test, which usually they had run out of so another week. Becuase of this I had to do my last one in the middle of my easter holiday, coming back early and leaving my family in order to do the test and then join them again.

I asked premier training why, when we had until the 30th June, they were imposing a 30th April deadline and I was told that it was so they could get everything marked by the end of June to give themselves time, ie the full 8 weeks, as they had 1000 possible skills test from students on the old standards.(which may or may not be requested). When I asked about the December deadline which I was told by the AAT they seemed to be a bit blank and said no its the end of June. I have repeatedly asked this question. When I sent an email this is the reponse I got

"If you do submit after the 30th (April) we will obviously try our very best to have it assessed and signed off by the AAT deadline which I am sure we will manage but all we are saying is that we can not guarantee anything just in case." The AAT deadline in this case is the 30th June and not the 30th December.

They still dont seem to understand that they have until the 30th December to mark it.

They are also under the impression that if students haven't had their assessements back by the 30th June they are automatically moved by the AAT to the new standards which of course means new exams, and extra modules.
I have had this confirmed on here and from the AAT that you are not automatically moved.

I think that Premier truely believe that they only have until 30th June to get it all marked. I have explained it to 4 different people, there, but then I am only a student and not from AAT so perhaps they dont believe me.
I have 2 outstanding skills tests which have been with them now for over 6 or 7 weeks and when I rang yesterday they told me that hadn't even started to be marked. Another test, the one I had to come back from my Easter holiday todo, due to the post, only arrived with them on the 6th May despite being posted on the 27th April.

Anyway if anyone can explain to Premier these deadlines I would love to hear what Premier have to say