General Achievement Test

School examination in Victoria, Australia

The General Achievement Test (often abbreviated GAT) is a test of general knowledge and skills including communication, mathematics, science and technology, the arts, humanities and social sciences in the Australian state of Victoria. 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.

The General Achievement Test was introduced as a pilot program in 1987, designed to test the feasibility and effectiveness of a general test that assesses skills and knowledge that was not specific to any VCE subjects. After the successful pilot program, the GAT was fully implemented as a compulsory test for all Year 12 students studying for the Victorian Certificate of Education in 1992. The GAT has since then been conducted annually and remains an important part of the VCE assessment process. From 2006 to 2007, 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. However, the results of the trial were inconclusive due to the test not being taken seriously by a large number of students, and a more sophisticated analysis than the initially suggested regression analysis was found to be required. Also, the renewed primacy of marks in scaling scores for WACE meant the original purpose for the GAT no longer existed. Therefore, in 2007 the Curriculum Council of Western Australia decided to discontinue the test after an independent review. 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. In 2020, the GAT was rescheduled from June to October due to the COVID 19 pandemic, with masks being mandatory for all students undergoing the test. These issues continued into 2021, with the GAT being rescheduled four separate times due to COVID lockdowns. In the lead up, Victorian Education Minister James Merlino encouraged students in hotspot areas to receive COVID tests before sitting the GAT, uncovering 33 cases. After the exam was conducted, at least four positive cases were linked to students that attended. Since 2022, the GAT had been split into two sections, and the total exam time was increased from 3 hours and 15 minutes to 4 hours. It also started explicitly reporting a student's literacy and numeracy skills against the new standards in addition to its original role in quality assuring VCE assessments, bringing it in line with similar tests in other states and territories.

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, arts, and humanities. All senior secondary students in Victoria, including Senior VCAL students, sit in Section A. All students enrolled in one or more VCE Unit 3/4 subjects (including scored VCE VET) sit both Sections A and B. Both sections of the GAT are done with pen and paper, with separate question booklets and answer booklets. After the examination, students are allowed to bring the question booklet home. No prior study is needed, as past studies in English, mathematics, science and history already prepare students for the test by building their knowledge and skills in writing, numeracy, and reasoning.