BS7671 Examination

[SYKRAPS]

Good Evening,

What do you guys think about the format of the BS7671 examination.

I feel that it far to easy to obtain the required pass rate!!

The format does not test us enough IMO, I think that it should be an open book exam with written answers and not multiple choice or multiple guess in many cases.

The way that the 2391 course is set up makes us think more and to pass it makes us have a better understanding of the content once again IMO. The pass rate speaks for its self.

What do you guys feel about this?

Tin hat at the ready :army:

 

[telectrix]

if you are referring to the 2382, then it's just a test to see if you know your way round the regs. and are up to date with latest rip-off (sorry, edition)

 

[malcolmsanford]

It is a good question that sky but I would like to come at it a different way, why should just having the 17th edition be enough in some cases to getting you accepted for a Part P scheme.

There are a lot of guys who unlike us are not on the coal face as practicing electricians that need a working knowledge of the 17th edition. Service managers, project managers, contract managers, other trades etc etc, and so I think the format is pretty much ok with me.

What I would like to see though is perhaps making the existing qualification a level 2, and perhaps introduce a more stringent Level 3 one for sparks. That not only indicates that you can read a book, but you can actually understand it and apply the regulations, and more importantly make you think about them and interpret them.

I know the Lads will say it would be another way to get money out of us, yet another course, but as a practicing electrician you would not need to do the Level 2 course. We should all if we are competent be able to complete a more stringent one

 

[SYKRAPS]

It is a good question that sky but I would like to come at it a different way, why should just having the 17th edition be enough in some cases to getting you accepted for a Part P scheme.

There are a lot of guys who unlike us are not on the coal face as practicing electricians that need a working knowledge of the 17th edition. Service managers, project managers, contract managers, other trades etc etc, and so I think the format is pretty much ok with me.

What I would like to see though is perhaps making the existing qualification a level 2, and perhaps introduce a more stringent Level 3 one for sparks. That not only indicates that you can read a book, but you can actually understand it and apply the regulations, and more importantly make you think about them and interpret them.

I know the Lads will say it would be another way to get money out of us, yet another course, but as a practicing electrician you would not need to do the Level 2 course. We should all if we are competent be able to complete a more stringent one

I like this angle of attack, I just disagree that we are given the answer and that we should be made to find it without assistance.

2 levels is a good idea for practicing and a working knowledge, I remember sitting mine I think it was one of the first courses that was run in our area (so no OSG as it was not published in time lol) and us guys who already practiced in accordance with BS7671 were actually helping the tutor as we had a class full of novices otherwisewe we would not have covered the required topics. Surely this is WRONG.

 

[malcolmsanford]

I honestly feel if the NICEIC/ELECSA are genuine about their merger "to bring up the standards" then training and education is a huge part of this.

We know on here by some of the questions that are asked by "competent" persons that there is an appalling lack of understanding with regards to the regs, I would go as far to say that some of today's "competent" persons knows less about the regulations that at any other time in my career.

Why is that, well it can't be the course, I had to take the same course as all the other guys, the course is designed to (1) Bring guys up to speed on new regulations (2) To give someone working knowledge of them.

So it must be something else. It is the under pinning knowledge before such courses that is wrong. Unfortunately whatever stance we take on these short course, training courses, whatever you want to call them, I feel they are designed to get someone to pass an exam, and not to teach someone about the industry.

That is why I think we should have a 2 tier regs course, we have a 2 tier testing and inspection course, why not the same for the regs?

I don't think a course designed for "competent" persons should be a closed book, after all the regs is over 450 pages and no one can be expected to know them all, but for me it should not be a multiple choice format. There should be a set of questions giving scenarios and what regs are associated to these scenarios and how you apply them.

The multiple choice one, for non practicing electricians could be kept as is.

Will this happen, not a snowballs chance. Once you start to differentiate and make standards and training better, in plain English harder, you will deprive the schemes of their cash cows and that is not good business

 

[Clive P]

I agree, I have a friend who has sat and passed the 17th with no electrical experience and he now tells me he is an Electrician!!!!

Mind you i know people who have passed the 2391, who hadn't done a days testing until they did the course and exam, and passed first time!

Regards.

 

[Knobhead]

Will this happen, not a snowballs chance. Once you start to differentiate and make standards and training better, in plain English harder, you will deprive the schemes of their cash cows and that is not good business

It’s a sad state of affairs the industry finds its self in now.

Lower the standard to raise the income of the supposed guardians!

Money and academic standards will never go together.

The sooner this is wrested away from the fat cats the better.