Mary Lucey.Mary Lucey of Career Ahead addresses some concerns that Leaving Cert students and parents may have around the CAO Change Date…
1. Can any changes be made around course choices after the deadline of 5pm on 1st July?
The answer is no—the Change of Mind deadline is final. Once this date passes, the CAO uses the last saved list for making offers.
2. Should a student change their choices based on how they think the Leaving Cert exams went?
Students are repeatedly advised not to do this. They should rank courses in genuine order of preference, not according to guessed points. Noone can really predict the points to any degree of certainty.
Continued below…
3. Can a student add a completely new course or list of courses?
Yes, in most cases applicants can add, remove, or re-order courses during Change of Mind. However, restricted courses (those requiring portfolios, auditions, interviews, etc.) generally cannot be introduced at this stage if they were not already included earlier.
4. Can a student change their mind more than once?
Yes. Applicants can make multiple changes once they are made before the deadline. The last saved version is the one that counts from the perspective of CAO offers.
5. Does a student need to fill all 10 Level 8 and 10 Level 7/6 choices?
While students do not have to complete all 20 options, they should fill out as many genuine options as possible to maximise opportunities. It is important that they realise the level 8 and level 6/7 are two separate lists of 10 choices each, and they should rank courses on each list in their genuine order of preference. They will then get one offer from each list. They can only accept ONE of the offers, once one is accepted it cancels out the other course offered.
6. Can a student move courses between the Level 8 and Level 7/6 lists?
No, the lists operate independently, and an applicant can receive offers from both categories. They can only accept ONE however.
7. Can a student add a course if they forgot to include it originally?
This appears regularly on student forums every year. If the course is non-restricted, it can usually be added during Change of Mind. If it is restricted (those requiring portfolios, auditions, interviews, etc.) the answer is generally no.
8. How does a student know that their changes were saved?
Parents are often anxious about technical mistakes being made which may cause their students to lose out on an offer. CAO advises applicants to ensure they save their updates, and to check the acknowledgement email and verify their final course list after making changes.
9. Should a student remove a ‘dream course’ if they might not get the points?
This is another recurring question. The standard advice is to leave courses in genuine preference order. Having a high-points course above a lower-points course does not reduce the chance of receiving the lower course if the points are not achieved.
10. Is there somewhere parents and students can get help with the process?
The CAO website has very helpful video demonstrations around completing the Change of Mind process. Cao.ie
• Contact Mary Lucey of Career Ahead at marylucey@careerahead.ie 087-9338941 or visit https://www.careerahead.ie/
