What is risk and why do we assess it – subjects that sit at the very heart of the NEBOSH General Certificate, and the health and safety sphere in general. Risk is the likelihood (the ‘chance’, the ‘probability’) that harm will occur – TOGETHER with the consequences (the ‘severity’ or ‘outcome’) of it if it does. But you knew that, right? Risk assessment is done so we don’t break the law, isn’t it? No! Risk assessment is done to keep directors and business-owners out of jail! Well, I guess they are one and the same thing, and these are the main objectives of some. . .
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It is Not What You’re Asked, it’s The Way That You’re Asked it
It is Not What You’re Asked, it’s The Way That You’re Asked it When did you last sit an exam? For many of us it was years ago – perhaps at school, or university. How did you get on? What did you think of the questions? Too technical? Too long? Wanted too much detail? You thought you knew the subject pretty well, but were stumped by some of the things being asked? It’s pretty scary even remembering it, isn’t it? And you may experience it all over again when you face your NEBOSH General Certificate exams. It doesn’t really matter where we are exposed (there’s a good health and safety…
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The NEBOSH Unit D Assignment
The NEBOSH Diploma Unit D Assignment Personally, I feel that this is one of the most important parts of the diploma assessment. Whereas the exams test knowledge of the theory, Unit D checks that you can put that theory into practice. Unit D is intended as a formative assignment, so should be completed alongside the other units. Therefore, it is essential that you engage with your tutor at an early stage to ensure that your work is heading in the right direction. In my experience, those who contact their tutor several times as their report develops normally do well, whereas those who don’t bother, or leave it close to the…
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The Diploma Exams
The NEBOSH Diploma Exams ‘Three hours of mental torture’ – this is how one of my students once described the diploma exams. She was wrong – its actually NINE hours! This post gives some advice to help you avoid feeling the same way and dispels some common myths. Those who may have read my previous posts will not be surprised when I say that preparation is the key. Not only must you revise well (see my third post in this series) but you should know basic things like how many questions you need to answer (believe me, some don’t); you can then start to develop your plan of attack. Settling…
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The NEBOSH Certificate Practical Assessment
The NEBOSH Certificate Practical Assessment The final element of the certificate assessment requires the candidate to carry out a workplace inspection and write a short report to management. This is to test that the knowledge gained during the course can be applied in practice. Candidates don’t normally fail this part through want of knowledge; the reason candidates fail is often because they haven’t read the guidance, leading to silly, avoidable errors. RRC has produced comprehensive guidance on how to complete the practical assessment. This is really helpful for distance learners, who do not have the benefit of being able to discuss things with a tutor face-to-face. However, experience has shown…
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NEBOSH Certificate Exams
NEBOSH Certificate Exams In the previous post, I focused on general revision techniques and gave tips on revision. This post is about how to tackle the exams themselves. The first thing to realise about the certificate exams is that they test a breath of knowledge across the syllabus without going into too much depth. The material in your course books will therefore be more than enough to enable you to pass well; failures usually arise through poor preparation and poor exam technique. Let’s start with the basics. The exams are both two hours long. You must answer all 11 questions on each paper. Question 1 is worth 20 marks; the…
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Is There Such a Thing as ‘NEBOSH Speak’?
Is There Such a Thing as ‘NEBOSH Speak’? NEBOSH have a special language – there I’ve said it; that language is English! Of course the exams are translated into other languages as well. But in all cases, the use of language has to be clear and precise so everyone can understand what the question is asking. Try writing a question that is clear and unambiguous and you will see just how difficult the task really is! So, how do you understand exactly what the question is asking and how do you know how much to write? The obvious answer is to be well-prepared and to know all the material on the…
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NEBOSH Exams – How They Work
Taking NEBOSH exams, whether at Certificate or Diploma level, can be a daunting task. It is true that NEBOSH have clear, often high, standards but the anxiety felt by many candidates is often increased by a wealth of misinformation (e.g. the ridiculous claim that NEBOSH operate a quota system that only allows a fixed percentage of entrants to pass). This blog (the first in a series), aims to help set the record straight and provide a useful insight into the world of the NEBOSH examiner. First of all, what don’t the NEBOSH examiners expect from you? Well, they don’t expect you to memorise the entirety of your course notes and simply regurgitate them…
