The  GAT

This year the General Achievement Test (GAT) will be held on Wednesday, September 7th. For the first time, all senior, VCE and VCAL students will sit the GAT.

This is part of a transition to a new integrated senior secondary certificate in 2023. As part of the reform of the VCE and VCAL system, Victorian senior secondary students will this year have their literacy and numeracy skills measured against new standards in a reformed General Achievement Test (GAT). The slightly later test date, Wednesday September 7th, provides the time required to ensure the revised GAT is valid and reliable and for teachers and students to understand the changes – with the test expected to return to its traditional June date from 2023.

The GAT will measure the literacy and numeracy skills of participating students, as well as continuing to support existing purposes including quality assurance for VCE assessments. The new standards will indicate whether students have demonstrated the literacy and numeracy skills typically expected of someone completing their secondary schooling – giving another indication of their readiness to move onto further education, training or employment.

As in all previous years, no special study will be required for the GAT. While the GAT is important, it does not directly count towards a student’s final VCE results except in circumstances where a Derived Examination Score is used.

The GAT will be split into two sections – Sections A and B – to be conducted in separate sessions on the same day:

• Section A will enable students to demonstrate their achievement against new standards of literacy and numeracy and will be administered in the morning session
• Section B will assess students’ skills, including English, mathematics, science, technology, the arts and humanities, and will be administered in the afternoon session

Further details relating to each section, including session start and end times, will be communicated by VCAA during Term 1.

All students enrolled in one or more VCE or scored VCE VET Unit 3–4 sequence are expected to sit both Sections A and B of the GAT.

Senior VCAL students are expected to sit Section A of the GAT.

Students who complete Section A will receive a statement indicating if they have met the literacy and numeracy standards.

Sharon Eppingstall 

Assistant Principal – Learning & Years 11-12