PASSING NEBOSH DIPLOMA EXAMS

Introduction
There is a certain degree of stigma attached to NEBOSH exams, which is certainly not helped by the notoriously low pass rates It cannot be denied that they are !ery demanding, but would the "ualifications be worth obtaining if assessment were !ia a simple multiple#choice exam$ %hate!er the merits of other health & safety "ualifications, it cannot be argued that NEBOSH awards are still the number one choice of most prospecti!e employers 'espite what some say, it is not possible to learn the course material parrot fashion for the final exam Howe!er, with hard wor( and an understanding of (ey concepts and basic principles, there is no need for any exam paper to be the cause of nightmares E!eryone studies in their own way, but the following are some general guidelines that )ust may ma(e the difference between a referral and a pass with flying colours

The *Blue Boo(+ ,-uide to the NEBOSH 'iploma.

The *Blue Boo(+ is !itally important as it details the syllabus of the NEBOSH 'iploma It should be used to guide your studies AND re!ision /our ultimate aim should be to be able to tal( a little about every section of the contents Note that we said *tal( about+, not write an essay on0 Exam "uestions are based on the expected learning outcomes detailed in the blue boo(, so if it1s in the boo(, it could be in the exam

2a(ing Notes
%hen wor(ing through the course notes, you should ideally ,time permitting. be ma(ing your own notes as well 'o not rewrite the course notes in full0 This ma(es your studies become a chore to be dreaded and page after page of unbro(en text will be next to useless as a re!ision tool Try and ma(e your notes light#hearted, easy to read and brief # use as many diagrams, pictures and real life examples as you can thin( of /ou should be using the blue boo( as a guide to note ma(ing 3 remember it details what you are expected to learn from each study unit

4e!ision
If you ha!e made good "uality notes when wor(ing through the course notes, they will be in!aluable when you are re!ising for your exams 'on1t worry if the notes you made are too brief 3 if there1s a section you don1t understand, )ust reach for the course notes and re#read the rele!ant parts It will help things sin( in if you do some *acti!e+ studying rather than )ust reading Try tal(ing things through with colleagues, ma(ing 5owerpoint presentations ,see picture. or ma(ing your own databases e g case law, disasters or legislation

Protecting Pedestrians & Operators

Segregate

pedestrians and vehicles

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Identifying %ea(nesses
6lthough it may be a painful exercise, wor( your way through the blue boo( and try to identify all your wea( areas If you (now a sub)ect well, you will still (now it when the exams come %hen you (now what you1re wea( areas are, you can start wor(ing on impro!ing them, so should the worst happen and an exam "uestion appears, you1ll at least be confident enough to ha!e a go

Exam 7uestion 5ractice

The best way of preparing for what you will ha!e to face on exam day is by practising exam "uestions /ou can wor( under exam conditions if you wish, but it will be of great help to )ust get to (now what the examiners are loo(ing for and how to go about structuring your exam "uestions NEBOSH produce examiners reports for many exam sittings, which detail exam "uestions, expected answers and where many candidates went wrong It is fair to say that certain "uestions ,and types of "uestion. often reappear in exams 3 good preparation may gi!e you a !ital head start If you want to ha!e a go at some exam "uestions, but don1t ha!e suggested answers, many tutors will be prepared to ha!e a loo( at them and gi!e you some feedbac( 3 contact your tutor for ad!ice 6 word of warning 3 dont let exam day be the first time you attempt an exam "uestion0

Exam Techni"ue
8inally, onto exam techni"ues itself 6ll NEBOSH "uestions ha!e an *action !erb+ and this pro!ides a tip to how much detail should be included in the answer9

7uestions starting with *Outline+, *Identify+ or *:ist+ indicate that little depth is re"uired E!en so, there is a difference between the instructions If you pro!ide a simple list when an outline was as(ed for, you will be unable to pic( up maximum mar(s 7uestions starting with *'escribe+ or *Explain+ re"uire much greater depth 3 a *bullet#point+ answer will probably not be detailed enough to gain full mar(s Occasionally, exam "uestions will gi!e you a specific instruction e g draft a management brief In this case, mar(s would be a!ailable for explaining and )ustifying your arguments so that a person unfamiliar with health & safety would be able to understand

8or the longer "uestions ,;< mar(s and abo!e., it is important to start your answer with some sort of plan 3 this might be a table, flow chart, mind#map etc It will help you ma(e sure you co!er all the points in your answer %hen you are ready to start your answer, )ust draw a line under your plan and carry on 'on1t cross the plan out 3 you may get some mar(s for it if you miss something out of your answer 'epending on the exam you are ta(ing, you will be allowed a certain time limit Before you sit the exam, wor( out how much time this allows you for each "uestion and STI=> TO IT 'on1t be tempted to (eep writing and writing because you (now a sub)ect well 3 there are no mar(s for *star "uality+, li(e (nowing when :ord 4obens1 birthday is The ma)ority of the mar(s you pic( up will be in the first few sentences Similarly, if you don1t (now a "uestion, don1t lea!e it blan( -i!e yourself the time you ha!e allowed, thin( through it and try to structure an attempt at an answer 3 those ; or ? mar(s you manage to grab here might )ust ma(e the difference

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