Some quick questions about the LC

Fiske

Hi there. There's a couple of questions I have about the LC that I'm having trouble getting a clear answer on, so I was hoping to get some help here.

1. How long after doing a Leaving can you apply to colleges using those results? Basically, how long do results stay valid?

2. If you're planning on doing the LC by yourself, outside of any school, how do you go about registering for it and getting an exam center?

3. If you want to combine results from different LCs, when and how do you do that?

Thanks a lot in advance.

spurious

Fiske wrote: »

Hi there. There's a couple of questions I have about the LC that I'm having trouble getting a clear answer on, so I was hoping to get some help here.

1. How long after doing a Leaving can you apply to colleges using those results? Basically, how long do results stay valid?

Forever. Course cut-off points change year to year though, so what might have got you onto a course in 2012, might not in 2016.

Fiske wrote: »

2. If you're planning on doing the LC by yourself, outside of any school, how do you go about registering for it and getting an exam center?

You register on http://www.examinations.ie as an external candidate in January of the year in which you intend to sit the exam. You can sit the exams in a centre local to you (usually a school), or large SEC run centres.

Fiske wrote: »

3. If you want to combine results from different LCs, when and how do you do that?

Not sure about that, will let others who know more answer that.

Fiske

spurious wrote: »

Forever. Course cut-off points change year to year though, so what might have got you onto a course in 2012, might not in 2016.



You register on http://www.examinations.ie as an external candidate in January of the year in which you intend to sit the exam. You can sit the exams in a centre local to you (usually a school), or large SEC run centres.

Thanks so much, that makes sense. Your first answer reminded me: does the LC you use for the points when applying have to be your most recent one?

spurious

Again, someone else who knows more about the CAO ins and outs should answer that.

rainbowtrout

Fiske wrote: »

Thanks so much, that makes sense. Your first answer reminded me: does the LC you use for the points when applying have to be your most recent one?

The CAO will use whichever LC gave you the highest points. The points will come from one sitting of the LC. You cannot say combine your A1s in English, Irish and French from 2014 with your A1s from Engineering, History and Business from 2015 to get 600 points.


But if 2014 you got A1 English /D1 Irish /A1 Maths/B1 History /B1 Business and D1 in French = 480

and in 2015 you got A1 = English/A1 = Maths/A1 DCG/A2 History /B1 = Geography/B1 Business = 560


They would take the 560 as your highest points total, but your subject requirements can come from any year. So typically university courses require you to pass your English and Irish, and some a foreign language. So taking the example above, in 2014 you passed your English, Irish and French. You're not so good at languages so you decide to drop Irish and French and take two new subjects in their place on the repeat year. You have met the requirements for college entry for your specific course by passing them at least once. It doesn't matter what year you pass them in. So after that it's the highest points total you have managed in one year.

The one exception to this is Medicine. You must present all the course requirments in one sitting of the LC. So if you repeat for Medicine you still have to do English, Irish, Maths, foreign language, science subject (or two in some cases) in the repeat sitting.



Leaving Cert results can be used forever. I sat mine in 1996 and I could still apply to the CAO. On the other side of that if I decided to give up my teaching job and return to college through the points system and the course I required was higher than what I originally got, I could repeat taking subjects to my advantage having passed Irish, English etc the first time round.

Fiske

rainbowtrout wrote: »

The CAO will use whichever LC gave you the highest points. The points will come from one sitting of the LC. You cannot say combine your A1s in English, Irish and French from 2014 with your A1s from Engineering, History and Business from 2015 to get 600 points.


But if 2014 you got A1 English /D1 Irish /A1 Maths/B1 History /B1 Business and D1 in French = 480

and in 2015 you got A1 = English/A1 = Maths/A1 DCG/A2 History /B1 = Geography/B1 Business = 560


They would take the 560 as your highest points total, but your subject requirements can come from any year. So typically university courses require you to pass your English and Irish, and some a foreign language. So taking the example above, in 2014 you passed your English, Irish and French. You're not so good at languages so you decide to drop Irish and French and take two new subjects in their place on the repeat year. You have met the requirements for college entry for your specific course by passing them at least once. It doesn't matter what year you pass them in. So after that it's the highest points total you have managed in one year.

The one exception to this is Medicine. You must present all the course requirments in one sitting of the LC. So if you repeat for Medicine you still have to do English, Irish, Maths, foreign language, science subject (or two in some cases) in the repeat sitting.



Leaving Cert results can be used forever. I sat mine in 1996 and I could still apply to the CAO. On the other side of that if I decided to give up my teaching job and return to college through the points system and the course I required was higher than what I originally got, I could repeat taking subjects to my advantage having passed Irish, English etc the first time round.

Thanks, this was really helpful. Fortunately I passed every subject in my last LC, so I'm planning to drop three of my old subjects and take a couple of new ones. I didn't know that about Medicine at all, though - luckily it's dentistry I'm interested in! Do you know specifically how you combine results when you apply? Is it done through the CAO website?

rainbowtrout

Fiske wrote: »

Thanks, this was really helpful. I have the matriculation requirements from my last LC, so I'm planning to drop three of my old subjects and take a couple of new ones. I didn't know that about Medicine at all, though - luckily it's dentistry I'm interested in! Do you know specifically how you combine results when you apply? Is it done through the CAO website?

There's a tick box or equivalent on the CAO application and it asks you if you have sat the LC previously. I presume if you tick it, it'll then ask what year and what your examination number was. I don't know exactly, but that's the info they look for I think. They don't need the list of results, they can get them once they have the year and exam number, and link them to your overall profile presumably.

Fiske

rainbowtrout wrote: »

There's a tick box or equivalent on the CAO application and it asks you if you have sat the LC previously. I presume if you tick it, it'll then ask what year and what your examination number was. I don't know exactly, but that's the info they look for I think. They don't need the list of results, they can get them once they have the year and exam number, and link them to your overall profile presumably.

Okay, I see. Thanks so much for all your help!