 | This is an information page. It is not an encyclopedic article, nor one of Wikipedia's policies or guidelines; rather, its purpose is to explain certain aspects of Wikipedia's norms, customs, technicalities, or practices. It may reflect differing levels of consensus and vetting. |
 | This page in a nutshell: Sometimes a Request for adminship stands no chance of succeeding. On these occasions, experienced editors may close it before the scheduled end time, after respectfully notifying the candidate. If that has happened to you, please remember this does not mean we don't want you in Wikipedia, just that we have high standards for adminship and the community does not think you are ready yet. Many highly respected admins passed the second or later time around, and you are welcome to apply again in the future, provided you have addressed the concerns raised. |
Administrators, commonly known as admins or sysops (system operators), are Wikipedians who have certain extra tools. These can only be acquired through a Request for adminship (known by the initialism "RfA").
RfAs run for up to seven days after being transcluded onto the main RfA page. However, if an RfA application is clearly not going to succeed, it will likely be closed early. If you are reading this page, it is possible that this has happened to your RfA. Alternatively, you may have been sent here by another Wikipedian, whom you approached because you wish to become an administrator. In either circumstance, you have been directed here to find out why both newcomers and those with only limited experience are extremely unlikely to pass an RfA and become administrators.