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#1 Posted : 07 October 2002 13:48:00(UTC)
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Posted By Steve D. Clarke
I've recently failed my Dip 2 exams and intend to re-sit in December 2002. I would like some sort of feedback on the June 2002 exams but it appears none is forthcoming. The only examiners' report available is for June 2000. I can have information on my total % for each exam, but it will cost me £10 (two % figures, an envelope, stamp, letter - £10!!!).

I've been told by NEBOSH to contact my tutor RRC, but RRC tell me that the only information NEBOSH will give them is about the overall performance of RRC students.

So I pay £155 to re-sit in December and maybe in 2 years the examiners' report might be published.
Isn't this situation an utter disgrace?
What do others think?
Come on NEBOSH get your act together.

Steve D. Clarke
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#2 Posted : 07 October 2002 15:33:00(UTC)
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Posted By Jane Blunt
Dear Steve
Sorry to hear you failed. However, I imagine it will be difficult, if not impossible, to get individual feedback about where you yourself needed to improve to get extra marks.

Although I have never seen a NEBOSH examiner's report, the reports from the national examination boards (GCSEs etc) are very general, highlighting only areas where a great number of students went astray, and are intended to give education providers an idea of their major weaknesses. I am guessing that the NEBOSH reports are similar. In the national examinations as well, individuals cannot normally expect to get feedback on their own papers.

In your situation perhaps the best way forward is to examine the written assignments that you sent to your tutor(s) and see what recommendations they gave you for improvement. Next, examine the syllabus, and check that you really had covered everything in it.

Third look at exam technique. Two things are major causes of failure in all types of exams (I am an Open University tutor, so have a lot of experience). One is not managing time, so that too much time is spent on a few questions, at the expense of others. Give equal time to each question, if they are all worth the same number of marks (and make sure you answer the right number of questions as well!!).

The second is not answering the question that was set - but giving the examiner everything you know about the subject instead. Closely related to this is the problem of students not thinking about the answer and making it broad enough, but ploughing straight in and only covering a fraction of the subject area. A little time spent jotting down keywords in the margin of the exam paper can help to bring in ideas and help you form an answer.

I hope this helps, and better luck next time!

Jane

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#3 Posted : 08 October 2002 12:56:00(UTC)
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Posted By Simon Wright
I think you've got to accept that you're not going to get an in depth breakdown of where you might have gone wrong in the exams.

You're right that it takes far too long for NEBOSH to publish examiner's reports. I've read through a few and they are, on the whole, useful but do also contain some pointless comments e.g. how many candidates misspelt certain words - who needs to know that?

I agree with Jane's comments concerning exam techniques. I collected as many previous exam papers as possible - I didn't do full timed answers for them but tried to scribble down answer plans (bullet points)for them - it helped to highlight areas where I was lacking knowledge.

Time management is always important - I was told that you need to work out how many minutes you've got per question and write for that amount of time ONLY, then move on - you will have got most of the marks you are going to get in the first few minutes, leave a space and come back to it if you have time at the end. I'm sure an examiner takes an overall look at you paper and is going to be more impressed by you answering all the questions adequately rather than 50% excellently, 25% badly and no answer for 25%.

A lot of the training providers run 2 or 3 day revision courses about 4- 6 weeks before the exams - more money, but a really good time to see how the questions should be answered and how other people interpret and approach them.

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#4 Posted : 09 October 2002 14:42:00(UTC)
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Posted By Nick Higginson
I have to say I'm particularly disappointed with NEBOSH about Part 2 Examiners Reports.
I found them invaluable for Part One, and yet there is only one available for Part 2.

I have been told by NEBOSH that they will publish them when they get round to it.

If they are genuinely interested in increasing the Part 2 pass rate, perhaps this should become a greater priority?

Nick
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