YOU haven't got an offer, but you feel you should have: Christina Murphy suggests you check the following:

1. Points: Are you sure you have the required points? Check the 1996 points on page 8 of this supplement, and make sure you are reading them correctly. In the unlikely event of a mistake being made in calculating your points, don't worry, if the mistake is the CAO's they will rectify it and you will get your rightful place on Round 2. Contact the helpline of the college in question and they will sort it out for you.

2. Calculating points:

Are you certain you are calculating them properly? Only six subjects may be counted, and they must all be from the one sitting of the exam, You cannot combine results from two different exams for points. Bonus points for higher maths apply only to UL and UCD, with some additional points in the case of FT221 an engineering degree in the DIT.

3. Subject requirements:

The most common reason for not getting an offer if you have the points, is because you do not meet some minimum subject or grade requirement for the particular course For example, you cannot get Trinity medicine without a higher B and a higher C in science subjects; UCD commerce without a B in ordinary maths, or the computer applications degree in RTC Cork without an A in ordinary maths.

There are many more such specific subject requirements. They were all listed in the Masterchart of Essential Subjects in the Going to College supplement in The Irish Times last Thursday. Check this out, or refer to the college brochures. No matter what your points are, you cannot get a place if you do not meet this subject and grade requirements.

4. Matriculation or registration requirements: In addition to subject and grade requirements for particular courses, each college has minimum matriculation or registration requirements without which no student can be enrolled in the college at all. Thus you must have English, Irish and another language for all the NUI colleges English, maths or Latin and another language for Trinity, maths English and another language for UL and heaths and English (or Irish in some cases) for most RTCs. Check these in the Going to College supplement or in the college brochures.

5. CAO/CAS Form:

Are you sure you listed all the exams you sat on your CAO application form? Did you tell them you did the Leaving twice if you are a repeat? If you have A Levels or PLC points to be taken into account, are you sure you listed them? Failing to give full information on the application form is a common reason for not getting an expected offer.

Check the CAO statement sent out to you in May: is all the relevant and accurate information about your exams there? If there is a mistake you are supposed to have spotted it in May when they sent it out. If the mistake is theirs they will rectify it speedily, and you will get your place on Round 2. If it is yours, they will deal with it more slowly but you will probably get your place eventually.

You can ring the relevant college's helpline, call into the college's admissions office, or phone the CAO.

6. Which course?

Are you sure you applied for what you think you applied for? Or are you sure of the order you put your choices in? It is easy to get confused particularly if you have made a change of mind. If you made a record or copy of your application, look it up or check the statement the CAO sent out in May.

7. Random Selection:

You are certain you have the points and the subject requirements, but you still haven't got an offer. Check if there is an asterisk beside the points listing for the course on page 10 of this supplement. If there is, it means that random selection has operated a form of computerised lottery in effect. This means that not everyone on the particular points level got an offer, as they had more applicants on this points level than places left to allocate. You have to wait for Round 2, and hope that you will be luckier in the lottery then.

8. How reliable is your post?

An Post has pulled out all the stops on this one so your offer would have arrived in the post by now and if not, a letter saying that you do not have an offer on Round 1. But if you got no letter at all, then maybe it has got held up in the post. Ring the CAO and quote your CAO application number. If you only got a cert/diploma offer in the post when you believe you should have got a degree offer as well, then maybe the degree envelope got held up in the post they come separately.

9. You're totally confused:

There is a veritable army out there just waiting to help and advise you. All colleges operate a student advisory service on the telephone - see front page of this supplement for details. It is also possible to call into the relevant college's admissions office. The CAO office in Galway is also open and you can call in there. The CAO has an answering machine on its phone but they take the tape off every half hour and answer the questions very speedily. Rehearse what you want to say in your mind before you ring, then give your name, CAO application number and telephone number; give a brief outline of your problem and hang up. At the Points Race helpline in The Irish Times, we'll do our best to help students and will keep updating information in the Points Race column each day in the paper.

10. You definitely do not have an offer: It's not the end of the world by any means. There are still options available on some excellent PLC courses as well as in private colleges and in Northern Irish and /British universities. Some 10,000 students repeat the Leaving Cert which is a valid option in itself.