The open book examinations (OBE) have been with us for a while now. And I think it is safe to say that the ideas that this is an “easy pass” have been well and truly blown out of the water!
Like any examination or assessment, whether it is your driving test, a ballet exam, a school maths paper or a NEBOSH examination, a good assessment won’t result in everyone passing. As sad as it is to acknowledge this, if everyone passed regardless of effort or ability it would be worthless as an assessment and as a result the qualification would be devalued. A good assessment will equally allow some candidates to shine and score highly and receive that coveted “credit” or “distinction. So how do we aim high and approach the scenarios with confidence?
A tried and tested method of assessment
First of all I have to say I’m a NEBOSH diplomate from the dark ages of the Dip1 and Dip2 days. And I’m so old that my certificate was in 3 parts back in 1997. However, whilst it may seem that scenario questions are all new, they are in fact a tried and tested method of assessment that NEBOSH have used for years. Back at the turn of the millennium we had “case study” papers which were an exam based on a hefty scenario. And we have always seen certificate and diploma questions based on hypothetical, real world situations which are in essence “mini scenarios”.
So how can we approach the ND1/ID1/NG1 scenario questions?
Well if I’m honest we all study and approach questions slightly differently. I can tell you how I have always tackled them. And how I would approach the new OBE case studies and perhaps some of the ideas may help you.
Firstly, I apologise profusely but the paperless office has yet to reach me so I would start by hitting print and grabbing a coffee and a packet of highlighters. I would then read the scenario carefully, taking in all of the dramas, hazards, rantings by managers and legal breaches that NEBOSH have laid out for me. I work on the idea that NEBOSH don’t waste too many words. If they tell you that the managing director has refused to allow the HSE on site I would be amazed if that wasn’t needed somewhere in an answer. I could be wrong, but I tend to go through the paper with a highlighter and pick up key points and make notes in the margins to help me find them again later.
Paying attention on technical point
NEBOSH may provide a word count. This is not always the case but if it’s there, use it! The guidance for learners suggests + or – 10% is OK. If you use significantly less than the word count you run the risk of simply not saying enough to get the marks. For a mark you need to make a “technical point”. So if there is a 10 mark question you could logically expect to need to make 10 technical points or you will fall short. Don’t expect there to be a “bonus ball” point that is worth 5 marks, 1 technical point per mark is a reasonable assumption.
Expanding on that word count idea
If the word count for the certificate paper is 3000 words, and there are 100 marks available for the paper even if there is no word count per question you could get an idea on the amount of information needed by saying 3000/100 = about 30 words per mark. This is in no way official, but I find it keeps me focused and stops me giving 2000 words for a 10 mark question and blowing the word budget on a question I like and get carried away on. So a 10 mark question in my mind is about 300 words. I say about because I use it as a guideline not an absolute.
Referencing is important!
You have to provide details of the references that you use. So when you look at a website or a guidance note keep that information safe! You don’t have to use Harvard or academic referencing. You simply have to provide details of the documents and websites in the reference section in the answer. So keep that list as you go! This is really important to avoid being flagged for plagiarism.
Applying knowledge of the topic back to the scenario
The question paper will tell you to “give examples from the scenario” or “using the scenario only, explain why…” – this is mission critical! In an open book assessment the examiner isn’t testing your ability to recall the content of the course, that is in the text books, but you are assessed on your ability to apply it! Referencing the scenario is therefore essential as that demonstrates that you aren’t just stating what you know, but you are showing that you can apply knowledge of the topic and apply it to a workplace. If you don’t link your answer back to the scenario it is unlikely you will get the marks. So support your answers with evidence wherever you can.
So let’s have a look at a made up “mini scenario”
“During a safety tour you notice that the machine is protected by an interlocked guard which has been defeated. When you ask an operator why they are using the machine with the interlock overridden, they state that they said that they were worried that it was unsafe but that the production manager had told them to do this as that this is the only way to hit the production targets. You talk to the production manager who says that they don’t think the machines need to be guarded. The operators are competent and that she has risk assessed it. And the machines were fine before all of this new health and safety nonsense! You also notice that hearing protection was not being worn when its use was mandatory in the area. When you ask the production manager to attend a safety team meeting to discuss the issues that you have noticed, they laugh and state that they are far too busy for any more safety meetings as they had one in the previous month. You look for the minutes of the meeting and there are none available, the meeting was in fact cancelled due to operational demands and a customer visit.”
With reference to the scenario only, give indicators of safety culture within the organisation.
Ok so first of all, it asks for “culture” – not negative or positive culture, but simply culture and for me that leaves the door open to find positives (if they exist).
Indicators of negative safety culture:
The negatives are perhaps easier to find. The manager has a clear disregard for safety. This is shown by their willingness to defeat the safety systems in order to maximise production. They also refer to health and safety as “nonsense”.
The organisation has prioritised production over safety. Hitting targets is more important than the safety of the employees.
The employees are violating safety rules. PPE which should be mandatory is not being worn which again indicates a lack of emphasis placed on safety, and this is permitted by the manager.
When asked for a meeting the production manager refused the meeting request and dismissed the issues.
The last scheduled safety meeting was cancelled and wasn’t rescheduled so clearly safety is not a high priority for the business.
Indicators of positive safety culture:
Are there any positives? Well if you rummage around (and you are charitable) the fact that the employees voiced concern over the safety of using the unguarded machine, shows that they are willing to engage in safety. There is also a safety forum of some sort. There is a system to hold safety meetings, so at least they have been placed on the agenda and there is a team!
A series of mini paragraphs
As you can see, I also present my answers as a series of mini paragraphs. What I try to give the examiner is “here is my first idea”, now “here is my second” and so on. I find that a page of text with no breaks is hard to read and my aim is to make ideas jump off the page to the examiner. Why make it hard for them if you can make it easier?
Difficult question
As you go through the assessment don’t be phased by a question that initially you find difficult. Park it and come back to it later. Make sure you highlight this and don’t forget to try again, but sometimes moving on will trigger an idea later that helps you. And make sure you save your work!
Plan your time
Plan your time carefully too, even on the ND1/ID1 papers it is possible to run out of time if you have lots of life events happening in the submission window. So if you have a family holiday, a wedding and a house move perhaps consider taking the assessment at an alternative sitting. RRC exams team will be able to help here.
NEBOSH guidance
Finally read the NEBOSH guidance! There is a syllabus for learners which is useful, but I much prefer the syllabus for learning partners! That contains more details of the course content and often provides a useful framework for your answers, but only if you use it! You can find the syllabus on the relevant section of the NEBOSH website for your course www.nebosh.org.uk under “qualifications”. There is also guidance on the open book examination itself and how to complete the exam, the word count allowances, malpractice and the closing interview on the website too.
Final note
The open book examinations are not “easier” and I personally won’t entertain the nonsense that “it was harder in my day”. NEBOSH have moved with the times and are testing application of knowledge, and that is excellent. However, as I have discussed in previous blogs there are always people keen to try to cheat the system. And NEBOSH as a result have implemented processes to check for malpractice. So when you achieve your NEBOSH qualifications do so with pride knowing it has been hard earned.
Good luck!
Zoe Neasham
RRC Lead Tutor