Compex Units 01-04

Discuss Compex Units 01-04 in the Electrical Wiring, Theories and Regulations area at ElectriciansForums.net

M

martin2000

Hi All

I am new to this forum so here goes...

I am booked up to do my compex course units 01-04. I have heard it is a very difficult course with numbers like only a quarter of people in classes passing?
I was looking for anybody on here who has any advice on material to read up on in advance, whats the practical part like? If anybody had some course notes that I could have, that would be great.:wink5: I feel capable and looked well into course before booking. Just looking for some advice and presective

Thanks in advance :redface:

Martin
 
Hi,
Having done this course many times , I can tell you if you are a competent Electrician you won't have any problems. If it follows the same syllabus as the ones I have been on , you'll have three days of theory and two days of practicals.
EX01-02 covers Electrical And EX03-04 Instrumentation. There are plenty of good sites on the net to brush up on the theory, zoning, temperatures, selection of equipment etc. When you get to the practicals, you need to be switched on as they are all against the clock; all I can say is check and check again. When you do the maintenance part, don't think, Oh that gland looks OK, strip them down and check everything.
Check the zoning, read the labels on the equipment, if you don't you'll miss something. Be very methodical in your approach.

Regards.
 
Two guys in my work took it at forth valley college recently.. One passed , one failed. Both said it was quite intense. They studied ever night during it to brush up on the stuff that they had been told.
 
They have also introduced EPLs which guys seem to have difficulty with. When IEC 60079-0 was updated in 2007 then Atex introduced Categories and IEC introduced EPLs which mirror categories.
 
martin2000 said:
Hi All

I am new to this forum so here goes...

I am booked up to do my compex course units 01-04. I have heard it is a very difficult course with numbers like only a quarter of people in classes passing?
I was looking for anybody on here who has any advice on material to read up on in advance, whats the practical part like? If anybody had some course notes that I could have, that would be great.:wink5: I feel capable and looked well into course before booking. Just looking for some advice and presective

Thanks in advance :redface:

Martin
Click to expand...

The theory side is intense and at times may seem like numbers and codes are just being thrown at you. However, the exam itself is not too bad, the guy taking the course is simply delivering what he has to, regardless of what the exam content is. No worries there.
The practical side- split two days. One half will take on ex 1+2 the other half 3+4, then vice versa the next day. Pretty simple stuff you don't need half the time they allow think we were packed up and gone by 1 o'clock both days. However concentration definitely needed but nothing to worry about. Very interesting course!
 
Thanks all, Put my mind at rest a little, just hope the practical is stuff I do alot at work, Fear of the unknown I suppose, Thanks again everybody.
 
Hi guys have my compex booked for next month pretty confident on the practical but would like to study the theory first. Could anyone help me out with some study notes or any links to download the theory please it would be appreciated , cheers
 
scottishjohn said:
Hi guys have my compex booked for next month pretty confident on the practical but would like to study the theory first. Could anyone help me out with some study notes or any links to download the theory please it would be appreciated , cheers
Click to expand...

Send me your email mate,I have a PDF of the course notes.
 
Hi lads,just completed the course last week.
id say the comments made above are spot on.
i did mine at aset Aberdeen and was very impressed with the instructor,George Sinclair,a great guy who's very knowledgable.

One thing id say on the practical though is don't be TOO fussy with your work,like I turned all the numbers in to be in perfect line with each other,cables dressed nicely etc,which basically all got cut off about 10 mins after I finished!!!!

i was a bit tight for time on the is installation which effectively was down to being too fussy and making a mistake (which I spotted and sorted) but on the power one which is supposedly more time consuming,I finished well within time.

if your regularly doing installation work it will be a breeze,I don't and it wasn't for me,I finished 4th




out of 5!!!!

I found the 5 visual,5 detailed and 5 close faults but pretty easy,on the Is installation the close faults were near enough all in the drawings (another element is reading through technical drawings).

the instructors are fair,but it is easy to fail the practical by simply not locking off effectively,failing to ask for a gas test cert verification,removing covers when not isolated etc so it does require a bit of thought.

the theory is a tough slog,I've done a bit of this offshore but it wasn't a huge help,you really need to go in with a fresh mind so no boozing at night unless your very good at revising!!!!

also unless you do barrier glands regularly I suggest you practice on a few first,its not rocket science but mess it up and you could fail,the nature of the new ones is that the plastic sleeve can be removed for inspection hence that's what the instructor does to check everything's spot on.

good luck to anyone doing it and do as much research first as you can.
 
Hello all. Done my compex start of June, I had a lucky number as I had the compex toolbox guide to study before I went on the course so I had a good idea about zoning, protection methods, gas groups, t ratings etc. I've never seen any this stuff before in my life, and I found the theory pretty easy if you study a bit before going up and the practical isn't all that hard just pernickety. Done mine in epit aberdeen, fantastic experience there. Good luck all
 
I have somewhere tichy,ill see if I can send them over.
john90,good stuff mate.
yep once you got your head round gas groups and EPL's it wasn't that bad.
what I found was though if you switched off for a bit it was hard to catch up again.
for revision I learnt all the tables etc,then tried as many past papers as I could and I also wrote down everything that he asked us to highlight/make notes on a couple of sheets of a4 and just read through that over and over.
worked out well as two questions came about directly from my notes that I'd made but hadn't really read properly until about an hour before the exam.
hope I passed it,I answered every question and only really got stuck on 3 or 4 that needed re reading a few times.
did guess two of them!!!!
good thing is once done that's it for 5 years plus if you only fail one module you only resit that one not the full test.
lets hope that's not needed eh?
 
I done it at aset 2 week ago found it a sound course but about 10 lads out of 17 were struggling big time ..5 lads had never made a gland off and spent near £1000 for the course (********s) most of thay lads will defo be back a few times thay simply never knew what hit them and were ready to walk out of classes it was that bad the amazing this was a lot of the house bashers on the course had been promised offshore work lol I fear the worst for u offshore lads if that is the dross being accepted on a rig guy that have never worked on owt but re wires and houses lol !!!!
 
w.b spark said:
I done it at aset 2 week ago found it a sound course but about 10 lads out of 17 were struggling big time ..5 lads had never made a gland off and spent near £1000 for the course (********s) most of thay lads will defo be back a few times thay simply never knew what hit them and were ready to walk out of classes it was that bad the amazing this was a lot of the house bashers on the course had been promised offshore work lol I fear the worst for u offshore lads if that is the dross being accepted on a rig guy that have never worked on owt but re wires and houses lol !!!!
Click to expand...

Yeah there were a load on our course but I will say they were pretty good at the practical element so not full on house mouses!!!!

surprising how many you do see offshore though,surprisingly few from a commercial/industrial background.
Even less from a fault finding based background which really shocked me.
I've found so far that these boys get pushed on quicker as well because 90% of the time the folk in charge came from that sort of background as well,which gets very frustrating when your being passed over against someone who has never seen a drive or plc let alone repaired or re programmed one!!!
 
Hi I'm new to this forum.
i know this was a while ago, but I'm hoping someone can help me out. I've got a compex refresher tomorrow and can't find me course note ( just moved house ) .
Thanks in advance for anyone's help.

kind regards

Tommy
 
For the refresher I would say brush up on your temp class and gas groups. Also IP codes and the need for an IP washer as you will loose marks if you fit one where it is not required. I have heard lads say that they would rather take the 5 day course again instead of the refresher :6: PM your email addy and I will send you some course notes.
 
vaughant said:
I have somewhere tichy,ill see if I can send them over.
john90,good stuff mate.
yep once you got your head round gas groups and EPL's it wasn't that bad.
what I found was though if you switched off for a bit it was hard to catch up again.
for revision I learnt all the tables etc,then tried as many past papers as I could and I also wrote down everything that he asked us to highlight/make notes on a couple of sheets of a4 and just read through that over and over.
worked out well as two questions came about directly from my notes that I'd made but hadn't really read properly until about an hour before the exam.
hope I passed it,I answered every question and only really got stuck on 3 or 4 that needed re reading a few times.
did guess two of them!!!!
good thing is once done that's it for 5 years plus if you only fail one module you only resit that one not the full test.
lets hope that's not needed eh?
Click to expand...

Where did you manage to get the past papers from ?
 
Hi how are things? I'm going to attend the compEx course in a few weeks and need all the help I can get I see u have notes in a PDF would there be any chance you could email them to me please I would grately appreciate it?
 
Hi, I attended CompEx course at ASET in Aberdeen in August.
The classroom part of the course is certainly very intense and fast moving with practice tests at the end of each module. If you take the notes and practice tests back with you at night and spend some time revising you'll be fine.
We were told the final exam was closed book so that focused the mind and restricted any boozing at night! In reality we were permitted to refer to the CompEx Toolbox Guide if required in the final exam. However I only referred to it once in the exam as all the questions were covered by the practice tests and it was all fresh in my mind.
On your first day you will get a cd with course notes and Toolbox Guide which you keep and a A4 folder with course notes.
The practical part should not be a problem for any practising spark but as others have said make sure you ask for a Permit to Work and Gas Test Cert where required. Also ensure correct isolation procedures are observed or that could lead to a fail!
Would have to say I really enjoyed the course and the fact that you have to work for it makes it that bit more valuable.
I have the practice papers at home and would be happy to send them to you if you send me a PM.
BTW found out this week that I passed:)
 
Hi lads great information on this forum i am looking at booking myself on this course so would appreciate some course notes and past papers. As i am mainly from a commercial background i could do with some practise on the practical side do they allow for this on the course.
Thanks
 
Hi Chalky,
Time is at a premium on this course so they are unlikely to have time for practicing for the exercises but if you are a qualified electrician this should not be a problem for you.
Training centre will ask for proof of your qualifications at the start of the course, a SJIB/JIB grading card will suffice otherwise you'll need to take your C&G certs.
They allow plenty of time for the practical exercises.
EX01 involves safe isolation, installation of 3 cables on a lighting circuit incorporating Ex d, e & n equipment, testing & re-energizing.
EX03 involves installation of cables to complete a Ex i fire alarm system, correct connection of barriers in the non-hazardous area & testing.
Happy to help you if I can with any additional info, just send me a message.
Dave
 
It makes a change to hear that a such an important area of working has a challenging qualification process. Wouldn't be much point to them, if it was fluffed down to allow the incompetent to gain these specialised certificates...
 
It is difficult to find the sample multiple choice question of the compEX in order to study in my country. How can I get the examples ? I don't understand why it is not opened.
 
Engineer54 said:
It makes a change to hear that a such an important area of working has a challenging qualification process. Wouldn't be much point to them, if it was fluffed down to allow the incompetent to gain these specialised certificates...
Click to expand...

Yep i agree entirely:hurray::hurray::hurray:
 
Hi I have the course booked for the end of January so if anyone has a copy of the PDF for the course notes and could forward it to me it would be appreciated. My email is **email address removed please use the forum PM system**

thanks
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Hi Phouston, I've removed your email address to prevent it getting harvested by spammers. You can just use the forum PM system to send and receive messages.
 
Hi stumbled across this compEx post and was wondering if anyone still had some course notes. I am very interested in booking this course in the next few weeks and was looking for as much info as possible on the course. And a wondering if anyone has been on the course at grangemouth? Thanks.
 
mcgart said:
Hi stumbled across this compEx post and was wondering if anyone still had some course notes. I am very interested in booking this course in the next few weeks and was looking for as much info as possible on the course. And a wondering if anyone has been on the course at grangemouth? Thanks.
Click to expand...


Compex accreditation is always a good qualification to have under your belt and can open doors and opportunities that are closed shut to most journeyman electricians. Good luck to you....
 
i did the course in hull at HOTA, its not difficult if you work in this area. just make sure you know what the ATEX codes EXd,p,q,n,o,m mean.
 
I have held CompEX since 1994.

I went to Roxby in Stallingthorpe, Immingham, last week and the Refresher course is 'murder'. It never used to be like this and have always paassed comfortably. But they have introduced this 'generating work order' to do repairs to faults and the whole strucure of the format is horrendous. Not least the time allotted to do it. I know I have failed this part of the course. What annoys me is that we got no course notes except for the usual Toolbox Guide. What I could have done with is the slides that were on the overhead projector. If anyone has these I would be grateful. And if that wasn't bad enough, the whole CompEX refresher was based on photographs and NOT real hazardous area equipment in booths/bays etc. like I always knew.
I have always gone to HOTA in Hull to do the course refresher, but now, they do NOT offer the refresher course, only the full 5-day course.
I have 24 years working offshore and in the harzardous area industry. This could spell the end for me.
Again, if anyone has any course notes and examples on how to make out work orders for carry out repairs of particular faults, I would be extremely grateful. Of course I know how to do this, but its WHAT to put WHERE in the boxes in the fields as below.
The format of the repair list had the following:
Problem: (the report from a visual, close or detailed inspection)
Requirment:
Issues to Consider:
Preperation:
Proposed Repair:
Completion:
 
MEWCO said:
I have held CompEX since 1994.

I went to Roxby in Stallingthorpe, Immingham, last week and the Refresher course is 'murder'. It never used to be like this and have always paassed comfortably. But they have introduced this 'generating work order' to do repairs to faults and the whole strucure of the format is horrendous. Not least the time allotted to do it. I know I have failed this part of the course. What annoys me is that we got no course notes except for the usual Toolbox Guide. What I could have done with is the slides that were on the overhead projector. If anyone has these I would be grateful. And if that wasn't bad enough, the whole CompEX refresher was based on photographs and NOT real hazardous area equipment in booths/bays etc. like I always knew.
I have always gone to HOTA in Hull to do the course refresher, but now, they do NOT offer the refresher course, only the full 5-day course.
I have 24 years working offshore and in the harzardous area industry. This could spell the end for me.
Again, if anyone has any course notes and examples on how to make out work orders for carry out repairs of particular faults, I would be extremely grateful. Of course I know how to do this, but its WHAT to put WHERE in the boxes in the fields as below.
The format of the repair list had the following:
Problem: (the report from a visual, close or detailed inspection)
Requirment:
Issues to Consider:
Preperation:
Proposed Repair:
Completion:
Click to expand...

I have heard that the refresher is murder.

When mine is up for renewal I will be doing the full 5 days again lol

Won't be me paying for it anyway.
 
timbobelfast said:
I have heard that the refresher is murder.

When mine is up for renewal I will be doing the full 5 days again lol

Won't be me paying for it anyway.
Click to expand...

I was advised to do the full 5 again too. As the refresher was harder due to the fact that you are expected to have worked in the COMPEX sector full time since the course. And are expected to still be fluent in it.
 
sounds like a badly run refresher course, if you need this for your job then id go to hota at hull and do the full 5 day one. dont expect to see carl the lecturer though think hes been sacked.
 
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