Practical/Lab Skills and Project Work
This section covers Practical/Lab Skills and Project Work. The exam checks safe lab behaviour, correct handling of equipment, systematic troubleshooting, clear documentation, and honest project presentation.
Core rules and concepts
- Follow lab safety: no food or drink near equipment, dry hands, correct power-off procedure, and no opening a power supply case.
- Use ergonomics: straight back, feet supported, screen at eye level, wrists neutral, and regular breaks.
- Connect and disconnect peripherals carefully. Use the correct port and avoid force. Shut down the system properly before moving hardware.
- Troubleshooting should be systematic: check power, cable, switch, then observe symptoms, form one hypothesis, test it, and record the result.
- Project work needs a clear aim, method, data or evidence, results, conclusion, and references. Keep backups and do not plagiarise.
- In a viva, explain what you did and why, not just what the final file contains.
Worked example
A desktop does not start. Describe a systematic check.
Reasoning: First check the power source, cable, and switch. Then listen for fans or beeps. If the power-on self-test beeps, look up the beep pattern; reseat RAM only if instructed and after power-off. Test with a known working monitor or cable. Record each step. This avoids replacing parts without evidence.
Traps that cost marks
Do not jump to “the motherboard is dead” before checking power. Do not open a power supply. Do not work without saving and backing up. Do not copy a project from the internet. Do not leave cables strained or ports forced.