Morocco Equipment Technician common mistakes
Morocco Equipment Technician · Understand the traps and how to avoid them.
Treating every tripping circuit breaker as a fault in the load and resetting it repeatedly without measuring insulation resistance or verifying protective device coordination, so a genuine earth fault is masked and the candidate answers 'replace the breaker' instead of diagnosing the fault.
Candidates memorize breaker ratings and trip curves as isolated facts but never link them to the sequence of measurement (dead test, insulation test, then live test), so under exam pressure they jump to the component they can name rather than the diagnostic path.
What to do instead
Before answering, write the diagnostic order explicitly: isolate and lock off, prove dead, measure insulation resistance phase-to-phase and phase-to-earth, check protective device rating against cable current-carrying capacity, then reason about discrimination. Answer the question about the cause, not the component.
Calculating three-phase power with the single-phase formula (P = U·I·cos φ) or forgetting √3, and mixing line and phase values in star and delta configurations.
Candidates learn the single-phase relationship first and reuse it mechanically; the star/delta distinction is abstract until they draw the phasor diagram, and exam questions often supply phase voltage while asking for line current.
What to do instead
Always sketch the star or delta connection and label which quantity is line and which is phase before substituting numbers. Use P = √3·U_L·I_L·cos φ for balanced three-phase and state the relationship U_L = √3·U_ph for star. Check the answer's order of magnitude against the supply voltage.
Diagnosing a hydraulic fault by replacing the pump when the real cause is a clogged suction strainer, aerated oil, or a relief valve set too low, without first checking flow, pressure at the gauge port, and oil condition.
The pump is the most visible and expensive component, so candidates anchor on it; they also confuse pressure with flow and do not know that cavitation noise and slow actuation point to the inlet side.
What to do instead
Follow a fixed hydraulic sequence: oil level and condition, suction strainer and inlet leaks, pump delivery at the test port, relief valve setting, directional valve operation, then cylinder seals. Justify each step by the symptom (noise, heat, slow movement, drift) rather than by component cost.
Answering pneumatic questions by ignoring air preparation - assuming a solenoid valve or cylinder is faulty when the filter-regulator is saturated, the lubricator is dry, or line pressure is below the pilot threshold.
Pneumatic circuits are drawn as logic diagrams and candidates focus on the valve symbols; air treatment is a small block on the drawing and its effect on pilot pressure and seal wear is under-taught.
What to do instead
Make 'check air quality and pressure at the FRL unit and at the actuator' the first step in every pneumatic fault answer. Learn the function of each FRL element and the typical pilot pressure threshold, and connect water/oil contamination to seal swelling and spool sticking.
Skipping the alignment check after installation: coupling the motor to the pump and tightening foundation bolts without a soft-foot check, without a dial indicator or laser reading, and without re-checking after pipe connection and thermal growth.
Candidates treat alignment as a single act rather than a sequence, and they underestimate how pipe strain and hot alignment change the cold reading; exam scenarios often hide the soft-foot clue in a sentence about vibration.
What to do instead
State the full sequence: baseplate and grout check, soft-foot elimination, rough then precision alignment within the manufacturer's tolerance, pipe connection without strain, run-in, then hot alignment check. Quote the tolerance source and note that misalignment shows as 2× running speed vibration.
Building a preventive maintenance plan from a generic calendar (monthly, quarterly) instead of from manufacturer intervals, duty cycle, and condition-monitoring data, and omitting the acceptance criteria and record fields for each task.
Candidates equate PM with 'regular checks' and have not seen a real maintenance plan format; they also forget that a task without a measurable acceptance criterion cannot be closed out or audited.
What to do instead
For each PM task write: component, interval and its source, the check method, the acceptance limit with units, the action if out of limit, and the record to be kept. Justify intervals by duty, environment, and criticality, and distinguish time-based from condition-based tasks.
Describing lockout/tagout as 'switch off and put a sign' - omitting identification of all energy sources (including stored hydraulic pressure, capacitors, springs, gravity), the isolation verification, the personal lock and key, and the group lockbox procedure.
Candidates reduce LOTO to the electrical case they have seen, and stored-energy hazards are invisible in a written scenario; the exam rewards the complete sequence, not the slogan.
What to do instead
Write LOTO as numbered steps: notify, identify every energy source, isolate, dissipate stored energy, lock and tag each isolation point with a personal lock, verify zero energy by test, then work. Include the removal sequence and the shift-change handover rule.
Performing a risk assessment as a list of hazards with no severity, likelihood, or residual-risk judgement, and never re-assessing after controls are applied.
Candidates confuse hazard identification with risk assessment; they list what can hurt you but not how likely and how bad, so the answer cannot support a decision about whether work may proceed.
What to do instead
Use a simple matrix: hazard, who is exposed, severity, likelihood, risk level before controls, control measure following the hierarchy (eliminate, substitute, engineer, administrate, PPE), residual risk, and acceptance decision. State that PPE is the last line, not the first.
Reading a P&ID or wiring schematic by following line colour or position rather than the tag and line-number system, so instrument loops, interlock paths, and normally-open versus normally-closed contacts are misread.
Candidates have limited practice with real drawings where a line crosses without connecting and where a device tag carries more information than its symbol; they also confuse the process variable with the instrument function.
What to do instead
Learn to read by tag: first letter is the measured variable, subsequent letters the function (for example a transmitter, switch, or controller), and the loop number ties the instrument to its line. Trace interlocks contact by contact, confirm normally-open/closed from the symbol, and use the line list and legend before answering.
Reporting a fault to a customer or writing a work report as a narrative of what was done, with no measured values before and after, no root cause, no parts used, and no recommendation - or over-promising a permanent fix when only a temporary repair was made.
Candidates focus on the technical repair and treat reporting as an afterthought; they also fear that admitting a temporary fix looks unprofessional, so they blur the distinction instead of stating it clearly.
What to do instead
Use a fixed report structure: symptom and complaint, measurements before, diagnosis and root cause, action taken with parts and settings, measurements after, residual risk, and recommendation with a date. State temporary versus permanent repair explicitly and record the customer's acknowledgement.