Today I took the Unit A exam for the NEBOSH National Diploma. I knew I had prepared the best I could, going through practice questions and completing the background reading, but I was still a little bit apprehensive about the day ahead.
When I registered for the exam I received an exam voucher which explained the examination regulations and included my examination entry confirmation. On this confirmation document we were told to arrive at least 10 minutes before the exam start time but I arrived at the exam venue in plenty of time because I didn’t want to risk being late. The familiar surroundings of Santia House made me feel more at ease but naturally I still felt a bit nervous.
I saw some faces I recognised when I arrived and started chatting with the other students. Some people seemed a lot more anxious than I was but I tried not to let it affect me. I wanted to go into the exam feeling confident and calm.
When we went into the exam room and sat at the desks we were asked to sign our entry confirmation in front of the invigilator. We were also asked to bring photographic ID with us to ensure we were the genuine candidates. Once we had signed our entry confirmation we were told it must be displayed on our desk throughout the exam.
We weren’t allowed to bring any notes into the room so our stationary needed to be in a clear plastic bag so the invigilator could see all the contents. Each student was provided with a personalised notebook to record their answers and we were told to check the student number on our book matched the number on our entry confirmation.
All mobile phones and other electronic equipment had to be switched off and placed out of reach during the exam and we had to remain silent until the examination papers had been collected at the end.
The invigilator explained the exam would run for three hours and that we wouldn’t be able to leave the examination room during the first hour or last half an hour. The invigilator also explained that we were allowed 10 minutes reading time before the exam started, but this was under exam conditions and we were not allowed to write anything during this reading time.
Ten minutes before the exam was due to start, the invigilator gave out the exam papers and I began to read through the questions and collect my thoughts. I was glad of this reading time as it gave me chance to think about the questions and get my thoughts in order. It also helped me to relax a little.
After the 10 minutes reading time had passed the invigilator told us we could start answering the exam questions. I planned to allocate 15 minutes to each of the questions in section A so I wrote down my expected finish time for this question as a reminder. I had also worn a watch specifically to help me keep to the time I had allowed.
The first six questions were relatively straightforward. I had revised hard and was prepared for the topics that came up. Section B of the exam was a lot more complex as I had a choice of answering three questions from a possible five.
I skimmed the five topics in section B and immediately picked one I was sure about. I started a new page of my answer book and wrote down the question number in the box at the top of the page. I spent five minutes reading through the question thoroughly and jotting down the key points I wanted to include. I reviewed these key points and ordered them on my plan. I had my answer structure all ready and all that was left to do was write.
During the exam time flew by as I was in full flow answering one question after another. The final question was the hardest as I was struggling to decide which of the choices I could answer best. I tried not to waste too much time and picked one of the remaining options. After I concluded my final question I looked at the clock and I had five minutes left. Instead of wasting this time I used it to go back through my answer book checking for mistakes.
Everyone seemed relieved when the invigilator announced the time was up and that we needed to put down our pens. There was nothing else we could do except wait for our results. As we left the room everyone was chatting about how they thought it went and most people were pretty positive, although a few people said they had struggled to keep in time.
After the exam I felt really pleased with myself. I knew I had answered each question to the best of my ability and by writing down the allocated time on each question I was able to finish my answers with a little bit of time left over to check everything through.
Check back for the next instalment of Jo’s journey through the NEBOSH National Diploma.