Earlier I took the Unit B exam for the NEBOSH National Diploma. I knew exactly what to expect as I had already completed the Unit A exam and the format was the same; six short answer questions in section A and answer three of five essay style questions in Section B.
Just like the previous exam some of the candidates expressed how nervous they were before we went into the exam room. I asked if they had prepared and they said yes, I tried to reassure them that there was nothing else they could do except use the knowledge they had gained from the trainers and their revision to answer the questions.
The NEBOSH National Diploma is a recognised qualification and it is an important stepping stone for many in the health and safety industry. I think this is why a lot of the other candidates were nervous, because they wanted to do their best.
When we entered the exam room we signed our entry confirmation in front of the invigilator, just like last time. I knew I had prepared as much as I could with the use of the online learning material but I wore the same watch and took the same pens just in case they were lucky. You never know!
Then we had 10 minutes reading time to look through the questions. I focused this time on thoroughly understanding the questions in section B as I wanted to make sure I picked the three best questions from the five options.
The invigilator then told us we were to begin and I immediately wrote down my expected finish times next to each question. This had enabled me to keep to time before and I wanted to use the same technique again.
Just like the Unit A exam, time passed really quickly. I had a lot to say on the topics and I wanted to get it all down but I found it hard to write succinctly. I did try to stick to my answer plan but I may have said too much in parts.
I made sure I had enough time at the end to review my answers. I think this is one of the most important things to do, especially because my writing can become a bit of a scrawl and it is good to make sure everything is legible.
I was pleased to put down my pen at the end of the time, three hours goes by so quickly but writing for that long does make your hand start to ache. When we left the exam room one of my course friends asked me how I had got on. I told her I thought it went really well and that I was happy with my performance. She agreed saying she had managed to keep to time better than the Unit A exam.
Check back for the next instalment of Jo’s journey through the NEBOSH National Diploma.
Missed Jo’s instalment when she took the Unit A exam? Click here to read how she got on.