Diver leader exam!

[tropical_shark]

Hey guys, i have my dive leader exam next week, does anyone have any tips or advice?

Any is appreciated! I don't do well at exams! Thanks in advance!

[IainC]

As with all exams..

Relax and take your time.

Read the questions carefully before choosing the answer because there is often one that is 'nearly right' as well as one that is actually correct.

For exmaple 'what table should an OCEAN DIVER use for planning a nitrox32 dive?' How many times have people got that one wrong becasue they skimmed over 'Ocean Diver'?

Most important - make sure you ahve read your books and notes beforehand -'proper preapration prevents poor performance' and all that..

Don't be afraid to ask the invigilator if something is unclear in the questions - they can't give you the answer but they might be able to reduce confusion.

Good luck!

Iain.

[Gareth]

Go through the paper answering all the questions you know first, anything that needs calculation or thinking about leave.

Then go through all the questions that you need to do calculations for that you know, like tables & air questions.

With any question relating to tables DRAW the profile, & show/keep your working out. Similarly with any mathmatical calculations, show/keep the working out.

Then do any questions that need a bit of thinking.

Finally the questions you don't know the answer too, have a guess, you have a 1 in 4 chance of getting it right (normally better because at least one answer will be blatently wrong).

Make sure you have ANSWERED ALL THE QUESTIONS.

If you have time, recheak for stupid mistakes at the end.

(The same general rules apply to all exams)

Gareth

PS don't forget to put your name on the paper!

[JimW]

Hey guys, i have my dive leader exam next week, does anyone have any tips or advice?

Any is appreciated! I don't do well at exams! Thanks in advance!

Hi

two points to add to the advice already given
Although it doesn't cover Dive Leader it may still be helpful to try using the Interactive Quizes (http://www.bsac.com/page.asp?section=1548&sectionTitle=Interactive+Learning) for OD and SD as a revision aid.

Whilst it may not be specifically relevant to your own problems with Exams the advice on 'Candidates with Learning difficulties' (http://www.bsac.com/page.asp?section=1663&sectionTitle=Success+in+Instructor+exams) (sorry about the wording:o ) may be helpful?
(asking for clarification or a little more time is not unreasonable).

Remember the Exams are there to test understanding not exam technique.

good luck

Jim

[Mike Halligan]

Remember the Exams are there to test understanding not exam technique.

good luck

Jim

In the very best Branches exams assure understanding.Jim's right, as ever, a touch of luck is always helpful. Remember, though, that a good practitioner has identified the risk, put in mitigation, maintained watchfulness and then at the critical moment uses knowledge, skill and experience to ensure that luck is good. ;)

In that context, best of luck

[Gareth]

Jim & Mike hit the nail on the head. Instructors want to pass you, to do this they have to be certain that you understand what you have been taught.

See my post above, the reason I say show the working, is because if we can see an understanding & a minor mistake, or prehaps even you can see the mistake when the paper is reviewed you may well get the mark anyway.

Best of luck.

Gareth

[Adrian Kelland]

Revise.

Read the question. Now read all of the question. Now read the answers. Including the ones after the one you stopped at and selected as your answer.

;)

Adrian

[NickBCotswold]

Hey guys, i have my dive leader exam next week, does anyone have any tips or advice?

Any is appreciated! I don't do well at exams! Thanks in advance!

hi mate - took mine last week and passed - but made a few mistakes because i misread or misinterpreted the question! When i talked through WHY i had picked the answer i had with my instructor - it was clear my answer was correct but i had got the "question wrong!" - this was because i DID rush the paper a bit and didnt have the patience to re-read those questions i assumed i had read correctly!

my advise is to read the question, then re-read much slower again!!

as with OD and SD.... read your notes and revise and you'll be fine!

Good luck!!!! sure you'll be fine if you put the work in!

Nick B

[JimW]

hi mate - took mine last week and passed - but made a few mistakes because i misread or misinterpreted the question! When i talked through WHY i had picked the answer i had with my instructor - it was clear my answer was correct but i had got the "question wrong!" - this was because i DID rush the paper a bit and didnt have the patience to re-read those questions i assumed i had read correctly!

my advise is to read the question, then re-read much slower again!!

as with OD and SD.... read your notes and revise and you'll be fine!

Good luck!!!! sure you'll be fine if you put the work in!

Nick B

Good Points (echoed by Gareth)

For the record, the questions are NOT deliberately designed to mislead but as with all language and especially the written word they are open to misinterpretation/misunderstanding.

Richard (Scarsbrook) and his good lady who compiled the questions for DTP, Diver grade exams and the Interactive Learning section have over the years put in a great deal of effort in making the questions as clear and unambiguous as possible. Despite their best efforts there is always the possibility that anyone can misread or misinterpret what the intention/meaning of a question is.

So if in doubt check!:)

Jim

[Odin]

BEER!
get the examiner so ****ed he cannot read your answes... buy him more beer and get him to sign it off!

or...

Revise.
Use the On line OD and SD questions.

Cover up the answers.
Read the question
read the question again.
Think of your answer.
Look at the multiple guess answers.
Do any match your "own" answer?

remember to put your name on the paper....
then refer to my earlier answer...

[GaryC]

For the record, the questions are NOT deliberately designed to mislead but as with all language and especially the written word they are open to misinterpretation/misunderstanding.


I am sure they were not written with the deliberate intension of catching out the un warry.

But they certainly seem like they have.

I tell our candidates that they have been written to catch people out and that they must be extremely careful not to jump to what appears the most obvious answer.

Then to double check them, and triple check them. And if they have time to work out why the other answers are wrong.

The questions seem to be NOT quite a simple test of knowledge.

[tropical_shark]

I thought i would let you know that i passed! i got 95%, some of the questions were worded funny, reading several times helped!

[Dingham_rob]

Well done mate, will be taking mine in several weeks time. Hope I do as well as you!!!

Regards

Rob

[Andy (treerat)]

Sorry it's a bit late for some but have a look on here.

http://www.ukdivers.net/index.htm


They have a range of practice questions and help.

Andy