Courses Available Online, Virtually and Classroom
Fully Certified NEBOSH, IOSH, IEMA Accredited
7-Day Customer Service
Dafydd Jenkins MSc, BSc (Hons), FdSc, GradIOSH, SIIRSM

Studying for the NEBOSH General Certificate

Find out exactly what you can expect from your NEBOSH General Certificate learning experience; from starting your course through to sitting your exams. 

June 2018

This blog has been updated to reflect the latest modifications and changes to the NEBOSH General Certificate.


When someone says the word 'studying', what do you think of? For some, it immediately conjures up thoughts of late-night study sessions and re-reading notes until something sticks. For others, they think of stuffy classrooms with lots of homework. Luckily, the concept of learning has evolved over the years and there's now over 70 types of learning models to suit all types of learners. This means that nowadays, studying is more often an enjoyable and positive experience. 

We know that some of you may still feel apprehensive about studying a new course, so we've walked you through exactly what you can expect from your learning experience; from starting your course right through to sitting your exams. 

Before you start

Before you start your course, grab yourself a calendar and make a note of important dates. As a classroom learner, you’ll be sent confirmation details with the date, time and location of your course, as well as the date of your exams.

If you’ve chosen to study online, then you’ll need to be aware of assignment submission deadlines, exam registration deadlines, and any webinars or revision sessions you want to attend.

How you’ll learn

You can choose to take your NEBOSH General Certificate course via classroom or online learning. Depending on your learning method, you’ll touch upon a number of different types of learning techniques throughout your course.

During a classroom course, your health and safety tutor will guide you through the course using their own experiences to put key topics into context. You’ll be given a course book for each unit and a workbook with activities and past exam questions for you to have a go at. You can expect to take part in group discussions, interactive activities, pop quizzes and homework to help test and develop your understanding.

Studying via an online course, you’ll work through colourful course materials in your own time, and at your own pace. Some online courses are more engaging than others, so depending on your course provider you’ll also have access to

  • Webinars
  • Interactive activities
  • Videos
  • Progress checks
  • Learner discussions
  • Tutor support

Ask your provider for a free trial of your online course before you book so you get an idea of exactly how you’ll be learning.

Check out our blog post for a full outline of what you’ll learn in NEBOSH General Certificate.

Planning your study hours

The NEBOSH General Certificate will take between 80-120 hours of study. This is broken down into taught hours, self-study hours and exam hours.

As an online learner, you’ll find everything you need to fulfill the recommended study hours within the online learning platform. It’ll have learning materials and course content, as well as extensive resources so you can immerse yourself in research.

If you’re taking your course in a classroom, the taught hours will be split across 2 weeks and you’ll be expected to carry out private study in your own time, too.

Planning what and when you’re going to study in advance can help take away some of the stress of learning, so it’s useful to create a timetable and set yourself targets. Remember to be realistic; short, regular time slots are better than long sporadic ones, so consider how much time you have and create a plan that you can stick to. 

It’s also useful to look for windows of opportunity that won’t disrupt your daily schedule. Reading over course notes during your lunch break or listening to audio books while you’re travelling are great opportunities to get in some extra studying.

Preparing for your exams

Whether you study in the classroom or online, at the end of your NEBOSH General Certificate course you’ll need to complete an open book online exam and a practical risk assessment. 

Some course providers will provide you with revision and exam support, either through classroom sessions or webinars, but you’ll be expected to do your own revision too.

Knowing how to learn can be just as important as what you learn. Everyone learns differently; some will be happy to read over notes, others prefer visual aids to help them remember key pieces of information. Here are just a few techniques you could try:

  • Be visual – compile key bits of information into a list of bullet points and use spider diagrams to link them together. 
  • Use audio and multimedia - Record your lectures on a Smartphone so you can listen to them again and pick up information you may have missed at the time.
  • Reading/writing - Use flash cards or memory cards to make notes on the key issues as you are going along and get a friend, family member or colleague to test you.

Remember practice makes perfect. You’ll have access to NEBOSH General Certificate past exam papers, so try sitting them under exam conditions to give you a sense of the amount of quality information you can get down on paper. Depending on your course provider, you’ll be able to send your past paper offers to a tutor who will mark them and give you valuable feedback.

You can read everything you need to know about taking your NEBOSH General Certificate exams here.

Study support

Always remember that whichever way you choose to take your NEBOSH General Certificate, you aren’t on your own. Create your own online groups or study sessions with other learners to discuss any areas of the course you don’t understand and share revision tips and techniques.

Your tutors are there to help you, too. They’ll be able to give you support and guidance throughout your course and answer any questions you may have about specific topics, revision, or exams.

If you want more information on the NEBOSH General Certificate, click the button below!


Related Blogs

  • How to Create a Safe Work Environment for Employees Image
    William Gaunt

    How to Create a Safe Work Environment for Employees

    Follow our crucial principles for the safe movement of people in the workplace to create a safe work environment for your employees. Read on to learn more.
    19.03.24
  • What Is the Paris Agreement? And Why Is It Important? Image
    Enock Ebbah

    What Is the Paris Agreement? And Why Is It Important?

    For years to come, the Paris Agreement will be considered one of the most critical milestones in preventing global warming. Learn about the main points of the treaty and how it will shape the future of our planet.
    14.03.24
  • Top 10 Interesting Careers the NEBOSH Diploma Gets You Image
    William Gaunt

    Top 10 Interesting Careers the NEBOSH Diploma Gets You

    Wondering where the NEBOSH Diploma can take you in your career? We’ve compiled a list of exciting careers you can pursue, thanks to its broad spectrum of applications. Read on to find out where your career could land next!
    12.03.24
  • How to Identify and Manage Hazards: Free Risk Assessment Template Included Image
    William Gaunt

    How to Identify and Manage Hazards: Free Risk Assessment Template Included

    Learn how to identify and manage hazards in the workplace and gain exclusive access to your free copy of our risk assessment template.
    29.02.24
  • Why is There a Massive Financing Gap to Prevent Climate Change? Image
    Enock Ebbah

    Why is There a Massive Financing Gap to Prevent Climate Change?

    The United Nations has warned that funding to protect against the severe consequences of climate change is ‘woefully inadequate’. Find out the implications of short-changing climate change mitigation and what this means for the future of our planet.
    29.02.24
  • Mental Health UK Reports Extreme Workplace Stress: What You Need to Know Image
    William Gaunt

    Mental Health UK Reports Extreme Workplace Stress: What You Need to Know

    Find out the key findings from the Mental Health UK Burnout Report - a landmark study that has worrying implications. We investigate how this impacts the workplace and what employers can do to mitigate increasing stress for staff members. Find out more here.
    28.02.24
Section Curve
Case Studies

Real Life Stories

Find out how learners look back on their training with Astutis. Our case studies give our learners, both individual and corporate, a platform to share their Astutis experience. Discover how training with Astutis has helped past learners and delegates make the world a safer place, one course at a time.
More Image
Bottom Curve
What People Say

Hear What Our Learners Have To Say

We're always there for our customers. 98% of our learners rated their overall experience as good or outstanding. We will always pride ourselves on our customer service. But don’t take our word for it, here is what our customers have to say
  • "The course was very informative. Whilst it was quite a full on 4 days it was good to have the breakout sessions to share learnings. The course materials were great to refer to as revision"

    13.03.2024
  • "The course was paid for by my employer"

    13.03.2024
  • "Great tutor and valuable study webinars prior to exams. The content notebooks need some work to update and check the content."

    Sarah
    11.03.2024
  • "Content needs work but tutor was brilliant and study webinars very valuable"

    Sarah
    11.03.2024
  • "Generally the course covers basic health and safety across many industries at a level which is both useful but not TOO in depth. I work in bio-sciences but understood the sections referring to construction well and found much of the course to be quite transferable. Speed of learning is good. Certain parts of the course (asbestos springs to mind) made questionable claims however the course allows this sort of thing to be flagged as feedback."

    Peter
    05.03.2024
  • "Good. You have a year to complete and this is about the right pace."

    Peter
    05.03.2024
  • "Brilliant tutors"

    Aaron
    05.03.2024
  • "Very good, very informative and delivered very well"

    Aaron
    05.03.2024
  • "You meet all my expetations."

    Damir
    26.02.2024
  • "You met all my expetations."

    Damir
    26.02.2024