City & Guilds 2391-51 exam-day guide
City & Guilds 2391-51 · Prepare for the day ahead.
Your checklist
Photo ID
Bring current photographic ID (e.g. passport or photocard driving licence). Confirm with the provider which forms of ID it accepts before the day - requirements vary between centres.
Appointment / joining instructions
Bring your booking confirmation and candidate/registration number, and read the centre's joining instructions in full (arrival time, site address, parking, what is and is not supplied).
Current edition of BS 7671
Many centres supply the regulations and guidance documents on the day, but confirm with the provider what reference material you may bring in and what will be provided.
On-Site Guide / Guidance Note 3
Useful for inspection, testing and EICR work, but confirm with the provider whether personal copies are permitted in the assessment area - some centres restrict materials to those they issue.
Scientific calculator
Non-programmable, with fresh batteries. Confirm with the provider whether a calculator is supplied and whether programmable or stored-data models are prohibited.
Stationery
Pens (including a spare), pencil, eraser, ruler and highlighter for recording results and completing documentation.
Personal protective equipment
Bring safety footwear as a minimum and wear suitable clothing for practical work. Confirm with the provider whether it supplies PPE such as gloves, eye protection or coveralls, and what its dress code requires.
Safe isolation equipment
Familiarise yourself with the lock-off/proving procedure. Confirm with the provider whether you must bring your own padlock and lock-off device or whether these, and the proving unit, are supplied.
Test instruments
Assume the centre supplies calibrated instruments and test leads, but confirm with the provider in advance - do not arrive expecting to use your own unless you have written confirmation.
EICR / model forms
You will typically complete an Electrical Installation Condition Report for the assessment installation. Confirm with the provider whether forms are supplied or whether you should bring your own current model forms.
Refresh safe isolation and GS38 practice
Rehearse the full safe isolation sequence (identify, isolate, lock off, prove the tester, prove dead, prove the tester again) and the correct use of test leads and probes to GS38 - unsafe practice is directly assessed.
Refresh inspection and testing knowledge
Revise Part 6 and Part 7 of BS 7671, the standard test sequence, expected results, and the condition-reporting codes (C1, C2, C3, FI) together with recording limitations and extent of sampling.
Plan the day
Re-read the assessment outcomes and your centre's joining instructions; confirm arrival time, site address and travel plan. Check that your ID is in date and pack your kit early. Spend revision time on the inspection checklist, test sequence, expected values and EICR coding rather than on new material. Protect sleep in the last two nights.
Confirm with the provider any open questions: what reference documents and instruments are supplied, whether PPE is provided, and whether you may bring your own forms or calculator. Get the answers in writing if possible.
Pack and check everything on the checklist; charge or replace batteries in any personal items; lay out clothing and safety footwear. Rehearse the safe isolation sequence and the dead-then-live test order out loud. Review the difference between C1, C2, C3 and FI and how to record limitations and agreed sampling. Have an early night.
Eat properly and allow generous travel time - aim to arrive well before the stated time so you can sign in, store belongings and settle. Switch your phone off and stow it as instructed. Use the wait to mentally rehearse the safe isolation procedure rather than to cram new facts.
Listen carefully to the assessor's briefing, note the scope of the installation, the extent of inspection and testing expected, and any agreed limitations. Ask clarifying questions at the start rather than mid-task. Confirm where you may and may not work.
Work systematically, area by area, using a consistent inspection routine. Record what you observe as you go rather than relying on memory, and note any limitations and their reasons.
Carry out safe isolation and prove dead before working on circuits. Follow the standard sequence: continuity of protective conductors, continuity of ring final circuit conductors, insulation resistance, polarity, then live tests (earth fault loop impedance, prospective fault current, RCD operation) last. Record results as you obtain them and compare with expected values.
Complete the condition report accurately and legibly, assign condition codes with a clear justification, state the overall assessment and any limitations. Be ready for the assessor's questions: explain your reasoning, the effect of your findings and your recommended actions. If you make an error, say so and correct it rather than covering it up.
Rules to check
Bring current photographic ID; the provider will refuse entry without it. Confirm accepted ID types with the provider in advance.
Mobile phones and smart devices must be switched off and stored as directed. Do not photograph, record or remove any assessment materials, and do not discuss the assessment content with other candidates.
Comply with the centre's health and safety rules at all times. Safe isolation and safe working practice are assessed in their own right, and the assessor may stop you if your practice is unsafe - confirm with the provider how a stoppage affects the outcome.
Confirm with the provider what reference material, notes and pre-completed forms you may bring into the assessment area; assuming you may use your own documents when you may not can invalidate your result.
Breaks and movement around the site are at the assessor's discretion. Ask permission before leaving the assessment area; confirm with the provider how breaks are handled and whether they count towards the assessment time.
The work must be your own. The assessor will observe you and ask questions to confirm your understanding; you must be able to explain and justify what you have done.
Assessment outcomes and feedback are issued through the centre's own process, and resit or appeal arrangements vary. Confirm with the provider how and when results are released and what the appeals route is.