How do I speed up on site?

[Mr Curnow]

I am really slow when it comes to practical, if I try to go fast I make more mistakes but if I go at my normal pace I'm behind everyone else.

I have an the 2330 level 2 practical exam soon, they said that slow people will might not finish in time. I really don't want to resit a very expensive exam (I heard it cost around £100 to resit).

So can anyone give me some tips to speed up, Half the time I don't know what I'm doing, I have to ask my friends. Also the teacher isn't very helpful, whenever I do something wrong he just rolls back his eyes like I'm a dinlo. I am quite clever at theory though.

 

[Jazza]

I thought slow and steady wins the race...... most important is too make sure you dont make mistakes. better to be slow and make no mistakes, speed comes with time and experience. so practice practice practice. thats how you will get fast.

 

[Adam W]

As regards the exam you'll have a good idea of what you'll have to do so you can plan ahead to a certain extent.
Are you at Poole college? Who's your teacher?

 

[johnboy6083]

try talking yourself through the job first. measure up and fit your equipment. then fit your containment to your equipment. a lot of the time its possible to fit containment by eye, without using a tape measure. you dont need to predrill plastic trunking, you can screw or drill straight through it.

 

[Mr Curnow]

Yes I am at Poole college, my teacher for practical is bill if you know who he is.

 

[1shortcircuit]

Are you just slow or disorganised? I too am not the quickest when it comes to completing tasks but I know my work will be neat, tidy and correct at the end

In order to help myself I have tried using the same procedure each time so that eventually each task SHOULD require less and less time.

As for the teacher, don't be afraid to approach them. At the end of the day YOU are entitled to assistance and if you are not getting it then address the situation (I prefer the more abrupt approach in these occasions if I feel that someone is extracting the urine)

Try to blank out the other classmates too. If you rely on their assistance then you will not learn, half the time you'll probably get a completely different explanation to the last one you got which just adds to the confusion. When you get stuck, hit the books. All the answers are there and the more you use them the more familiar you will become with where to find relevant information.

*Please Note* I am training too and this is what helps me, I'm not saying it is THE route to take :thumbsup

 

[TheBrick]

Not yet fully qualified either but have worked in the workshop environment and on site doing with other jobs so feel valid to comment on this subject.

Speed comes with practice. Do it right first then get faster. A college at a workshop I worked at told me that when I started as I was stressed that I was slow. In less than a year I was as quick or quicker at a full strip-down and rebuild than most of the other staff.

Quality of work first. Speed comes with time. Better to be remember for quality of work than fast but slapdash.

 

[Voltimax]

Speed and quality do not go hand in hand. Speed doesn't just come with time, speed comes with both time AND confidence. Carry on as you are, your speed will increase in proportion with your confidence. Most important thing is, don't focus on how fast or slow you are. That's years of martial arts training and philosophy for you there too

 

[pushrod]

Remember that they want you to pass for their own targets etc. Slower is better than stupid mistakes and having to ask when it comes to the testing. There are no points for finishing first

 

[Phil]

best thing I can suggest for you to speed up is to knock a board up and practice away at home. the more you do it the less time it will take you. if your not doing it day in day out it will take you longer.

 

[Electricalserv]

Short and simple...Organise yourself. Loseing concentration messes you up big time...like lost tools etc

Get all the equipment you need sorted and handy. Keep all tools in sight, but out of your way...A work belt is a huge must in this game. Don't think too far ahead. Concentrate on whats happening in the present.

 

[Mr Curnow]

I am not just slow I am the slowest, it's horrible. It's not a good thing to be too fast either, a kid is very fast in my class, he is also very cocky, the only bad thing is he makes bad mistakes like he didn't even test the equipment - he blew the fuse.

 

[SirKit Breaker]

I thought slow and steady wins the race...... most important is too make sure you dont make mistakes. better to be slow and make no mistakes, speed comes with time and experience. so practice practice practice. thats how you will get fast.

That just about sums it up really. I always say more haste and less speed. If you try to rush a job, you will put yourself under pressure and this will lead to more problems.

Cheers........Howard

 

[pushrod]

Short and simple...Organise yourself. Loseing concentration messes you up big time...like lost tools etc

Get all the equipment you need sorted and handy. Keep all tools in sight, but out of your way...A work belt is a huge must in this game. Don't think too far ahead. Concentrate on whats happening in the present.

Good point - can end up saving you loads of time bending over and looking for where you put something.

 

[BOROROBBO]

in my opinion it seems you lack confidence. for example telling yourself that "I am not just slow I am the slowest, it's horrible."

Being slow means you take your time and make sure the work is right. when i did my AM2 im sure people were allowed to go over the 8 hours and eat into the 1 and a half hour testing time if needs be.

in the real world unfortunatley being slow makes you no money and lets be honest theres only 1 reason you get up in the morning and go to work and thats for the money.

my advice to you though before i babble on any more is not to worry about been slow. concentrate on the job in hand. dont stop to think about the work, you should be thinking about what your doing next while you work. dont stop and talk to people for whatever reason as we know that few minutes chatting to someone soon turns into half an hour. i still think it sounds more of a confidence issue and your teacher seems like a dick rolling his eyes at you when all you want to do is learn.

hope it all goes well for you and good luck!

 

[Southern Spark]

I had bill when I passed a few years ago, nice guy, but I can honestly say I can't remember him teaching me a single thing. It sounds to me like you are in the same boat as I was, fine with theory, but slow on the tools. I have done site work for three years and the speed does come eventually. As has been said on here already, it is organisation and confidence that will speed you up. Confidence will come with practice, organisation will come with a tool belt!!! Get down screw fix and get one. I live in southbourne, if you need me to run over a few things with you, pm me. I can't promise anything but if I have the time I will show you anything you are not sure of, or practice making off armour etc. Out of interest, who do you have for theory?? I had Marcus and alan touselle (sp???)

 

[gutterball]

take time at the start to look at the job. then you can see a plan of action. it helps if you can see the flow ie a leads to, b leads to c etc.

 

[topquark]

How do you go about making up your board? Do you divide the work up into first fix/second fix or do you do each circuit at a time. Generally I would layout all of the accessories on the board, then cable and clip. That stage you should be able to do fairly quickly, you can then take your time being neat and tidy with the terminations and take your time to inspect/test. That's also the way you'll tend to work on site later.

 

[Adam W]

I think it was Simon (who from what I've heard has now retired) who used to say if you've ever worked on site you'll probably know more than Bill; nice guy but I remember someone asking him if there was a cut and dried method of doing steel conduit to which he said something about it not being a very precise art, which seemed to be his excuse for messing up all his demos. Chances are he rolls his eyes when you ask for help because he doesn't know how to do it himself, never mind teach it.
If you've got any concerns about the practical side of things it might be best to speak to your course tutor (Andy?) - that's what he's there for, or Brian in the workshop might be able to give you some extra guidance.

 

[slelectricalhud]

definately get yourself a tool belt, and organise it properly and always keep things in the same place so you can always grab what you need without looking.

 

[ian]

Your speed will increase with experience and confidence, beingmethodical and tidy helps too.

 

[mart8235]

sounds daft, but do one thing at a time.
I work with a guy who tries to do and think about everything in one go - can't see the woods for the trees!
do the easy stuff first, don't think about the harder stuff until your ready to do them and you'll find your steadily plodding along at a better rate.
always try to keep doing something. the more time you spend thinking about something your not ready to do, the slower you work.
it's a middle ground between crashing through like a loon, and standing looking and thinking..... how am I going to do this? neither of which are advisable!!!!!

but don't stress cos your still learning and speed with quality takes time, knowledge and experience......

 

[robsparky1975]

You may think your slow but i bet you are still quicker than when i done my rig several years ago,its all in the mind,and theres no one better at winding yourself up then well...yourself,i know this out of experience,remember that it can be done,and you will do it,take as much time as you need,you have the beauty of this site and all the good sparks handing out great advice,back then i didnt,i nearly threw in the towel,but had some good blokes around me pursuading me otherwise,dont think your the only one who gets a bit of a panick on,lifes a big challange,rise to the challange,you CAN do it,just stop putting yourself down,i didnt give up,as the going says,slowly,slowly catchy monkey,if i can do it so can YOU.good luck

 

[rocker]

Nothing wrong with being slow, rather see someone working slow but doing things right, nice neat cabling and clipping, nice sexy bends and straight straight bits.
Come on fella you said it yourself the fastest in the class ended up blowing the fuse because he is too coc -sure, do you think he will pass the exam if he does that?

If you aren't sure what you are doing without help then you aren't going to get through the exam. The good news is, you probably know EXACTLY what you're doing if you think about it, but you're getting yourself flustered worrying about it and it's always so easy to ask someone else. So try and concentrate on doing things for yourself from now on, not asking others for help.

SO look at what you have to do, have a deep breath, relax your shoulders aned make a little plan in your head. Then do it one step at a time. It's all logical, it's only a few wires after all! What you need to do is have a system, a routine that you go through, as has been mentioned already. And also the tool belt thing is a must, the last thing you want are vanishing tools which is what happens to tools on the floor or in a box when you're stressed.

I'm quite slow even now, but it's a very rare day that I'm called back out to a job because of faults.

 

[Geordie Spark]

take time at the start to look at the job. then you can see a plan of action. it helps if you can see the flow ie a leads to, b leads to c etc.

I used to work for a builder & he was always "having a go" at me because I liked to stand & look at a job thoroughly before I opened the tool box. He'd make comments such as "Why is it every time I see you you're staring into space?"

The interesting thing was that I could usually do my work right first time. He on the other hand would jump straight in & often had to have 2 or 3 attempts before he got his job right.

 

[Adam W]

I used to work for a builder & he was always "having a go" at me because I liked to stand & look at a job thoroughly before I opened the tool box. He'd make comments such as "Why is it every time I see you you're staring into space?"

The interesting thing was that I could usually do my work right first time. He on the other hand would jump straight in & often had to have 2 or 3 attempts before he got his job right.

That's how I prefer to work - have a good look at the job first and size up any obstacles, then if they look to be too much of a problem you can find another way around without wasting materials and/or having to make too many compromises.
Unfortunately a lot of people would rather see movement than rational thinking, which at first glance looks like "standing around and staring into space".

 

[SMB]

I used to work for a builder & he was always "having a go" at me because I liked to stand & look at a job thoroughly before I opened the tool box. He'd make comments such as "Why is it every time I see you you're staring into space?"

The interesting thing was that I could usually do my work right first time. He on the other hand would jump straight in & often had to have 2 or 3 attempts before he got his job right.

That sounds familiar.......

Were the builders hands covered in blood-blisters and his nails all black?

Did he use screwdrivers as chistles?



Speed comes with experience. Plod along mate.
You should never be in a position where you don't know what your doing. What I mean by this is you are still learning and you should have support in what your doing. Hopefully you will end up working with someone who will take the time to explain things when you need help. As an apprentice you are only as good as the people who are teaching you. Confidence will come with time.

Your college tutor sounds like he would be better suited to flipping burgers as a job. What an uninterested fool he must be. You should write down your experiences about him and send your observations to the people that matter....ie....his line manager.

I wish you well.

 

[KFH]

As everyone has said speed comes with practice and confidence.

For your exam and pratical work, read and understand the task, work out what you have to put up/do, lay out the items you need to erect on the board, use a level to make sure the connections from the equipment will line up, draw in the connections using the level and a pencil, start fitting conduit/wiring using the level. Your tutor should be able to give you an idea of what you are going to be asked to do to enable you to plan the sort of things you will need to do. Practice developing a mental plan for different types of installation and draw up the wiring for the most common ones so you will not have to think too much during the exam.

Don't stop to talk, don't allow yourself to be distracted, make sure you are doing something all the time, after fitting each item stand back for a FEW seconds and check that it meets the requirements of the task, is fitted properlyand then start on the next item.

You will soon have finished.

Follow the advice about a tool belt and try to make sure you have a chair/platform nearby to put your notes / papers on so you can stay by the board.

Good luck

 

[simpson93]

hiya mate i would say dont worry about it at all you wont fail easily, you get like 9 hours to do 2 circuits and abit of swa?
just set your time out for each bit and 1-2hours just incase of mistakes
+i think you get the 1st resit free.
good luck

 

[Paul.M]

I am not just slow I am the slowest, it's horrible. It's not a good thing to be too fast either, a kid is very fast in my class, he is also very cocky, the only bad thing is he makes bad mistakes like he didn't even test the equipment - he blew the fuse.

I know who I would choose out of you two to work with or rewire my house,,,,, YOU!

Loads of brilliant advise that all students doing their practical exams should read. The only thing I can add that hasn't already been said is to take a pen and paper with you. At the beginning take a few minutes and write down in order what tasks they want you to do and tick them off one by one. This way you have a clean plan, you can make sure that you haven't missed anything and you also get a bit of confidance in yourself knowing that you've completed each stage.

 

[Mr Curnow]

I know who I would choose out of you two to work with or rewire my house,,,,, YOU!

Loads of brilliant advise that all students doing their practical exams should read. The only thing I can add that hasn't already been said is to take a pen and paper with you. At the beginning take a few minutes and write down in order what tasks they want you to do and tick them off one by one. This way you have a clean plan, you can make sure that you haven't missed anything and you also get a bit of confidance in yourself knowing that you've completed each stage.

Yeah that is a good tip but next week is my last, I have my exam on the first week of next month.

 

[Geordie Spark]

That sounds familiar.......

Were the builders hands covered in blood-blisters and his nails all black?

Did he use screwdrivers as chistles?



Speed comes with experience. Plod along mate.
You should never be in a position where you don't know what your doing. What I mean by this is you are still learning and you should have support in what your doing. Hopefully you will end up working with someone who will take the time to explain things when you need help. As an apprentice you are only as good as the people who are teaching you. Confidence will come with time.

Your college tutor sounds like he would be better suited to flipping burgers as a job. What an uninterested fool he must be. You should write down your experiences about him and send your observations to the people that matter....ie....his line manager.

I wish you well.

How did you guess ??!!

He also had a nasty scar across the palm of his left hand which was the result of an argument he had with an electric jigsaw.

 

[1shortcircuit]

Don't ever let anyone rush you, I did once and it could have ended up being a VERY lethal mistake.

I'm not proud of what happened but it has taught me that I am the one in control of the pace I work at and the quality of my work. If this is not good enough then it's tools down I'm afraid.

Working outside of your comfort zone is not healthy for you and YOU WILL make mistakes.

 

[Mr Curnow]

Well I have bought a work belt so I should go a bit faster shouldn't I? Has anyone else got any more tips? The more we post the more we learn.