How I passed my NEBOSH exam using these top tipsOctober 15, 2012 by Rob Burgon, CMIOSH, DipNEBOSH, MIIRSM

(hp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c3gRbSGwaGY&list=UUYefE0V7eotTm48YiuliAxw&index=7&feature=plcp)Are you currentlyworking towards a NEBOSH exam? If so, heres some top tips from from myteam of RoSPA trainers (who also have experience marking NEBOSH exams)and recent RoSPA delegate, Roxanne. They helped her to pass her NEBOSH

exam with disctintion no less so hopefully theyll help you too! 1.) Keep your eye on the prizeYes, its a lot of work, and yes its usually on-top of all your work work, but the reality is that thesedays, and in this economic climate, the right qualications are more important than ever.In the latest poll, 88% of RoSPA Members (hp://www.rospa.com/joinrospa/default.aspx) agreedthat a nationally recognised health and safety qualication helps career progression, and you onlyneed to spend a few minutes scouring the Institute of Safety and Healths jobs pages(hp://www.shp4jobs.co.uk/) to be reassured that a NEBOSH qualication (hp://www.rospa.com/occupationalsafety/training/nebosh/default.aspx) really will help open doors.

(hp://rospaworkplacesafety.les.wordpress.com/2012/10/nebosh-certicate-eye-on-the-prize.jpg)With this in mind, focus on the task in hand and prioritise accordingly. Far beer to pass rst timethan to waste time re-siing.2.) Know what youre geing yourself in to!The National General Certicate (hp://www.rospa.com/occupationalsafety/training/nebosh/national-general-certicate.aspx) is divided into 3 units, the rst two of which, NGC1 and NGC2 are assessedby wrien exam. In order to maximise your point earning potential you need to understand howscores are generated. Remember:

Each exam lasts two hoursEach consists of 10 short answer questions and 1 long answer questionThe short answer questions are each worth 8 marks, and the long answer question is worth 20

How I passed my NEBOSH exam using these top tips | Workplace Saf... http://rospaworkplacesafety.com/2012/10/15/how-to-pass-your-nebosh-...

1 of 5 5/21/2015 9:00 AM

marksTime wise, this means that you should give yourself 8-10 minutes for the short answerquestions and 20 minutes for the long answer question. Our delegates te ll us they nd it usefulto take their own watch into the exam, and have it visible on their desk, it helps them keep totimeAll questions are compulsory.

(hp://rospaworkplacesafety.les.wordpress.com/2012/10/nebosh-certicate-exam-keep-your-eye-on-the-time.jpg)3.) Remember that the examiner is looking to give you pointsThe NEBOSH Certicate exam (hp://www.rospa.com/occupationalsafety/training/nebosh/national-general-certicate-occupational-health-safety-exams.aspx) is positively marked, with points awardedfor the correct application of knowledge, rather than deducted for incorrect answers. Therefore, ifin doubt, have a go! You really dont have anything to lose.This marking system means that its your job to make it as easy as possible for the examiner tond places to award you marks. This means legible writing; clearly numbered answers (if aquestion consists of dierent sub-sections make sure you number each sub section and address itseparately within your answer, e .g. 1a, b and c.); and an answer for every question (though youmay warm up by starting with those that you feel most condent about rather than workingchronologically through the paper).4.) Aend a NEBOSH Certicate Revision courseIf at all possible we strongly recommend candidates aend a revision course. By puing you in anenvironment where youre face to face with both an expert tutor and your peers, a revision courseallows you to practice exam questions; get feedback on your performance and to ask anyoutstanding questions. Tutors expect there to be things that youre still unsure of, so if in doubt,just ask. Many organisations, including RoSPA, will accept candidates on their NEBOSH Certicaterevision courses (hp://www.rospa.com/occupationalsafety/training/nebosh/national-general-certicate-occupational-health-safety-revision.aspx) even if they studied elsewhere and, for thereasons outlined here, aendance is something that we cant emphasise enough.5.) Answer the question that has been set, not a question that youd like to answerA quick look through NEBOSHs Examiners Reports (hp://www.nebosh.org.uk/shop/product.asp?strParents=&CAT_ID=72&P_ID=171) reveals that it is frustratingly not

How I passed my NEBOSH exam using these top tips | Workplace Saf... http://rospaworkplacesafety.com/2012/10/15/how-to-pass-your-nebosh-...

2 of 5 5/21/2015 9:00 AM

uncommon for candidates to miss marks simply by failing to answer the question as set.Comments such as: Some candidates fail to answer the question set and instead provide information thatmay be relevant to the topic but is irrelevant to the question and cannot therefore be awarded marks, orvariations thereof, regularly feature in the Common pitfalls section. A good Revision Coursewillagain help you with this, as indeed will a few deep breaths to calm yourself before reading eachquestion twice.(hp://rospaworkplacesafety.les.wordpress.com/2012/10/nebosh-certicate-answer-the-question.jpg)6.) Apply the command words!Another common pitfall is failure to apply the command words, or action verbs, when answering aquestion. Taken from RoSPAs National Certicate Revision Course, the following guide shouldhelp you steer clear of this.RoSPAs Guide to NEBOSH National Certicate Command Words:

Dene Provide a generally accepted denitionDescribe Give a detailed word pictureExplain Give a clear account of, or reasons forGive Provide without explanation (normally used with the instruction to give an example, orexamples of)Identify Select and nameOutline Give the most important features (less depth than either explain or describe butmore depth than list)State A less demanding form of dene or where there is no generally accepted denition.

7.) Condense your notes as the date approachesTheres a time for reading through reams of notes with a highlighter in hand but the daysimmediately prior to the exam are not this time. As the date approaches you should concentrateon condensed excerpts that you can actually commit to memory. Use your own revision cards tocreate these, or purchase Ed Ferres revision cards (hp://www.amazon.co.uk/Introduction-Health-Safety-Revision-Cards/dp/1856177025) to augment your course notes. Remember, minutes ofconcentrated learning will prove more valuable than hours of reading that you cant later recall.8.) Revise the subjects that you like leastThat says it all really, but suce to say that although its tempting to delve further into the topicsthat you enjoy and understand, when it comes to revision its the areas that you dont like, or evenunderstand, that really deserve your aention.9.) Always be preparedTake the pressure o yourself by alleviating the potential for niggling anxieties. Make sure youreequipped with pens and a watch and that youve double checked the exam date, time and locationand are fully au fait with travel arrangements. Do this thoroughly, and then put it out of mind, sothat you can beer concentrate on the substance of the exam.(hp://rospaworkplacesafety.les.wordpress.com/2012/10/nebosh-certicate-be-prepared-calendar.jpg)10.) Use past papers to practice your exam techniqueI recommend that you take a look at our recent post on how to cra killer answers in NEBOSHexams (hp://rospaworkplacesafety.com/2012/10/26/nebosh-past-exam-papers-question-

How I passed my NEBOSH exam using these top tips | Workplace Saf... http://rospaworkplacesafety.com/2012/10/15/how-to-pass-your-nebosh-...

3 of 5 5/21/2015 9:00 AM

and-answer/)as this should really help. You will also look at past papers as part of RoSPAs NEBOSHCerticate course. These are obviously the best way to assess the type of questions that you willface. Moreover, by practicing answers and submiing them to your tutor youll be able to gaugethe depth of response required. We also recommend that you take the opportunity to sit a mockexam in its entirety prior to the actual exam as this will help you understand how much time youhave per question, as well as to allow you to practice writing for that length of time!

(hp://rospaworkplacesafety.les.wordpress.com/2012/10/nebosh-certicate-exam-technique-chess-image.jpg)11.) Keep up-to-dateTry to keep abreast of developments within the safety community, as doing so will mean you canstand out from the crowd by including topical examples and pertinent issues into your examanswers. Free news e-bulletins, such as SafetyMaers (hp://www.rospa.com/safetymaers/safetymaers.html) (RoSPAs free fortnightly e-newsleer) are useful for this.Thank you for taking the time to read our top-tips. I wish you the best of luck in your NEBOSHexams, and for your continued journey as a safety professional. If at any point myself, or member ofmy training team can be of assistance please dont hesitate to get it touch.Finally, if youve found this useful please remember to like and recommend it using the buonsprovided so that its easier for other candidates to nd in future.Also, be sure to follow our Twier feed (hp://bit.ly/12yrw9A) @RoSPAWorkplace for all the latestNEBOSH revision guides, hints and tips!

What Next?RoSPA have produced a FREE NEBOSH ebook providing tips and advice for maximum success! Signup to SafetyMaers (hp://www.rospa.com/safetymaers/safetymaers.htmlhp://www.rospa.com/safetymaers/safetymaers.html%20thp://www.rospa.com/safetymaers/safetymaers.html) newsleer to receive your copy.

How I passed my NEBOSH exam using these top tips | Workplace Saf... http://rospaworkplacesafety.com/2012/10/15/how-to-pass-your-nebosh-...

4 of 5 5/21/2015 9:00 AM