Vetassess Electrician's Practical Exam.

[Guest seandel]

Hi guys.

Here's a heads-up on the Vetassess exam.

The day of the exam (North London), we were kept in a classroom for 30 minutes because they couldn't find all the paperwork.

Be wary of the time allowed, they say 6PM on the paperwork, but at 3.30 we were told that we had 45 minutes left.

You don't have to bring your own tools, but it's better if you do (the tools provided are pretty basic, you lose more time waiting for them, you will always work quicker and better with tools that you're used to).

It's pretty basic stuff on the board, 2 way switch plus lamp holder, socket and spur, PVC pipe, clipping, small board with RCD & MCBs.

Watch out for the trap - follow the dimensions given between switches, etc. The switch that's higher than the socket on paper, might be lower on your board. Follow the dimensions given !!!

Pace yourself to be finished at 3PM, and then test your installation (beep it) to make sure your light is off with the 2 switches up, socket poarity etc.

The examiner next door checked the mesurements, ours didn't (he just took photos).

The board work is fairly straightforward (I haven't bent a PVC pipe in nearly 20 years), just watch the time.

One of the guys had really taken his time, and the 45 minute call at 3 o' clock meant he didn't have time to finish.

During the day you'll get called away to test some gear. Ours was a heater with a ruptured heating element, and N-E fault.

It's fairly basic, even if you're not used to fault finding. You'll have a megger and multimeter given to you, as well as a test report form.

The trickiest part of the exam is the "disconnect - reconnect". THIS PART IS CRUCIAL, if you mess it up, you'll have messed up the whole lot.

Learn their proceedure by heart, and practice it on any piece of kit (I rehersed on the hotel hair drier for 2 hours the night before - and was, the next day, glad I did ).

Talk your way through the proceedure, be logical in your approach, DON'T FORGET TO TEST YOUR TESTER before and after every time you use it, and tell him why. Show the guy you know what you're doing, so if you make a mistake, he'll put it down to nerves. I cannot emphasise enough how important this part is. Learn it by heart.

There's a multi-choice exam that's not too tricky. There are (what I would consider to be) trick questions. Read the questions carefully. It's not an easy exam, simply because of the environment. There are people talking, moving about, etc, so it's easy to get distracted. Pay attention to exactly what they're asking for. It's the first time I've taken an electrical exam, where all the formulas are printed on the back page (crazy, huh!!!).

If I remember right, there are 5 sections. You're allowed 1 mistake in each. Although, the examiner will tell you before he finishes your paper if you "need to have another look". He gave papers back to guys, and told them that they needed to get at least 4 right in each section. He puts a tick next to the right answers and writes nothing on the wrong ones, so even if you make a few mistakes here, it's not a disaster.

To sum up the whole lot - It's a VERY expensive, unrealistic exam, which, once passed gives you an OTSR (offshore technical skills record).

This piece of paper is needed for a visa application, but once you're in Oz, it's only use, is to wipe your ar5é with.

The safety authorities in Oz reckon that your 20 years experience and qualifications mean very, very little, and your OTSR even less.

Because the regs are different, they tell us that we are 4 th year apprentices.

Try and get a job with that.

The regs are different for laywers, doctors, driving instructors, project managers, etc. , but it's only us sparks that have to go through this gap year bu11sh!t.

There were back doors (Victoria licences etc.), but these have all but closed.

You have to go through the Vetassess process, to be told in the end that this "qualification" is worth nothing.

Vetassess is a long haul, to get your OTSR, but it doesn't finish there.

Once you're in Oz, it's a year long process to get your "A" licence, including college time & site logbooks.

So, the only question is..............is it all worth it ???????????????

Hope I've been some help, and good luck.

PS. Good luck also to the B&I lions, may they kick (especially the Irish boys) the Aussie's ar5es.

PSS. I'm also looking for info on the max. time between a visa being issued, and arriving in Oz. Anybody got any ideas ???????? thread "Max time"

[Guest seandel]

I almost forgot, there's a DOL starter that you have to draw, and name the parts, and then cable it with banana plugs.

The examiner will tell you to turn around, and he'll put on a fault. Up to you to find it. Practice this also.

Again, learn the disconnect-reconnect by heart, and practice it on a bit of gear.

The written exam is mostly Ohm's law, and the likes. Read the questions carefully.

One that almost caught me was, doubling the voltage to a circuit multiplies the power by 2,3,4, or 8.

There are questions on capacitance, reactance, resistance, but all the formulas were on the back page.

Good luck.

[triumph triple]

I'm a sparky of 15 years moving to Oz in August. Don't think I'm even gonna bother getting my licence over there. Sounds like a major hassle. Ill try and find a new career.......

[Mongrel]

I'm a sparky of 15 years moving to Oz in August. Don't think I'm even gonna bother getting my licence over there. Sounds like a major hassle. Ill try and find a new career.......

 

What as jobs are getting tight

[triumph triple]

Yes mate. Wish I'd gone years ago when there was plenty about......

Might get lucky over there though. Just what I've heard from sparky mates over there at the moment. Once your in though you can do what you want work wise............

[Welsh Soroka]

Hi guys.

Here's a heads-up on the Vetassess exam.

The day of the exam (North London), we were kept in a classroom for 30 minutes because they couldn't find all the paperwork.

Be wary of the time allowed, they say 6PM on the paperwork, but at 3.30 we were told that we had 45 minutes left.

You don't have to bring your own tools, but it's better if you do (the tools provided are pretty basic, you lose more time waiting for them, you will always work quicker and better with tools that you're used to).

It's pretty basic stuff on the board, 2 way switch plus lamp holder, socket and spur, PVC pipe, clipping, small board with RCD & MCBs.

Watch out for the trap - follow the dimensions given between switches, etc. The switch that's higher than the socket on paper, might be lower on your board. Follow the dimensions given !!!

Pace yourself to be finished at 3PM, and then test your installation (beep it) to make sure your light is off with the 2 switches up, socket poarity etc.

The examiner next door checked the mesurements, ours didn't (he just took photos).

The board work is fairly straightforward (I haven't bent a PVC pipe in nearly 20 years), just watch the time.

One of the guys had really taken his time, and the 45 minute call at 3 o' clock meant he didn't have time to finish.

During the day you'll get called away to test some gear. Ours was a heater with a ruptured heating element, and N-E fault.

It's fairly basic, even if you're not used to fault finding. You'll have a megger and multimeter given to you, as well as a test report form.

The trickiest part of the exam is the "disconnect - reconnect". THIS PART IS CRUCIAL, if you mess it up, you'll have messed up the whole lot.

Learn their proceedure by heart, and practice it on any piece of kit (I rehersed on the hotel hair drier for 2 hours the night before - and was, the next day, glad I did ).

Talk your way through the proceedure, be logical in your approach, DON'T FORGET TO TEST YOUR TESTER before and after every time you use it, and tell him why. Show the guy you know what you're doing, so if you make a mistake, he'll put it down to nerves. I cannot emphasise enough how important this part is. Learn it by heart.

There's a multi-choice exam that's not too tricky. There are (what I would consider to be) trick questions. Read the questions carefully. It's not an easy exam, simply because of the environment. There are people talking, moving about, etc, so it's easy to get distracted. Pay attention to exactly what they're asking for. It's the first time I've taken an electrical exam, where all the formulas are printed on the back page (crazy, huh!!!).

If I remember right, there are 5 sections. You're allowed 1 mistake in each. Although, the examiner will tell you before he finishes your paper if you "need to have another look". He gave papers back to guys, and told them that they needed to get at least 4 right in each section. He puts a tick next to the right answers and writes nothing on the wrong ones, so even if you make a few mistakes here, it's not a disaster.

To sum up the whole lot - It's a VERY expensive, unrealistic exam, which, once passed gives you an OTSR (offshore technical skills record).

This piece of paper is needed for a visa application, but once you're in Oz, it's only use, is to wipe your ar5é with.

The safety authorities in Oz reckon that your 20 years experience and qualifications mean very, very little, and your OTSR even less.

Because the regs are different, they tell us that we are 4 th year apprentices.

Try and get a job with that.

The regs are different for laywers, doctors, driving instructors, project managers, etc. , but it's only us sparks that have to go through this gap year bu11sh!t.

There were back doors (Victoria licences etc.), but these have all but closed.

You have to go through the Vetassess process, to be told in the end that this "qualification" is worth nothing.

Vetassess is a long haul, to get your OTSR, but it doesn't finish there.

Once you're in Oz, it's a year long process to get your "A" licence, including college time & site logbooks.

So, the only question is..............is it all worth it ???????????????

Hope I've been some help, and good luck.

PS. Good luck also to the B&I lions, may they kick (especially the Irish boys) the Aussie's ar5es.

PSS. I'm also looking for info on the max. time between a visa being issued, and arriving in Oz. Anybody got any ideas ???????? thread "Max time"

 

If your on the 190 visa you have one year from the grant date to activate the visa then within 5 years of grant date to make the move to oz

[Guest seandel]

Thanks for the info Welsh Soroka.

So, if accepted, I've got a max of 5 years.

Where did you find that info? I've been looking everywhere.

Edited May 18, 2013 by seandel

[Welsh Soroka]

Thanks for the info Welsh Soroka.

So, if accepted, I've got a max of 5 years.

Where did you find that info? I've been looking everywhere.

 

sorry if didnt word that the best. Its 5 years from your grant date. My visa got granted this week, thats where i had the info from

[Guest seandel]

Congrats on your visa success Welsh Soroka.

Will you be there to cheer on Gatland's Lions against the Wallabies?

Thanks again for the info, me and my better half are going to have to look very closely at this, but I don't think it'll be possible.

I'm invited on a 189 independant visa.

I've got all I need (IELTS, Vetassess, etc.). Our problem is timing. I'm nearly 40, and so lose points from then on. So I had to apply now. It's my second invite, and I won't get another.

We'll never be able to get there before 2015, but you say we will have to be in the country within 12 months of the visa being issued?

Fùçk!n9 rules & red tape !!!!!!!!!

Aghhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

As for work out there, I've been already on a WHV, there was a lot of work on at the time, but friends living there have kept me up to date with the changes.

You'll have to do the year gap training bù11sh!t now, which means being a trade assistant for a year, with college time and site logbook.

That means holiday time studying and in college, and less pay than a guy just out of his time, who doesn't have a clue.

Work is apparently available in the Perth area, and in the mines (FIFO), but less on the east coast.

[garygrey]

Hi All,

 

Anyone doing the Vetassess assessment for electrical in the College of north west london, please find attached a copy of the DOL starter schematic attached. not too sure if it is the same in other colleges

 

DOL starter.pdf

 

hope it helps.

DOL starter.pdf

[Aaronspark]

Hi garygrey. Could you PM me the DOL starter schematic? It's not loading up on the forum page. Just waiting for my application to go through after submitting my docs etc.

 

Cheers

[Simon]

Hi I have my peace test in May 2015 and I'm bricking it to say the least ! Is there any practice papers or other study ideas that anyone can suggest!

[GEEZY]

Hi guys, has anyone completed the OTSR recently? Simon or Aaronspark it'd be great to know how you got on, i'm just about to submit my forms and could really do with a little reassurance about what to expect, vetassess don't give much away when you contact them... cheers boys

[Simon]

Hi guys, has anyone completed the OTSR recently? Simon or Aaronspark it'd be great to know how you got on, i'm just about to submit my forms and could really do with a little reassurance about what to expect, vetassess don't give much away when you contact them... cheers boys

 

Hi mate,

you should get a booklet you can print off, this has all the elements of thetest in it. There a theory test safe, isolation, practical and wiring a motor. All are pretty straightforward just learn the safe isolation from the booklet but if you know what your doing its not that bad, the practical is easy it's a 2 way lighting circuit clipped direct and I bit in Pvc tube, radial socket and bonding just make sure you measure it out to the diagram given as they do check it. The motor is connecting via leads on a board and you have to draw a line diagram of the connections 11-12 14-15 and the likes if you know these then again it's straightforward they wil then put a fault on it which you need to rectify and explain what the fault was but go though the line diagram and you'll spot it.

The theory is a tricky bit with some harder questions but our assessor gave 2 chances to change the answer after he marked it so if you don't know guess and you might get another go at the question. Also if you fail one of the 4 steps then you can resist that part you don't have to do it all again.

 

I was nervous as hell as was the other guys doing it but I'm happy to say I passed.

 

If you need anymore info I'm happy to help.

[GEEZY]

Hi mate,

you should get a booklet you can print off, this has all the elements of thetest in it. There a theory test safe, isolation, practical and wiring a motor. All are pretty straightforward just learn the safe isolation from the booklet but if you know what your doing its not that bad, the practical is easy it's a 2 way lighting circuit clipped direct and I bit in Pvc tube, radial socket and bonding just make sure you measure it out to the diagram given as they do check it. The motor is connecting via leads on a board and you have to draw a line diagram of the connections 11-12 14-15 and the likes if you know these then again it's straightforward they wil then put a fault on it which you need to rectify and explain what the fault was but go though the line diagram and you'll spot it.

The theory is a tricky bit with some harder questions but our assessor gave 2 chances to change the answer after he marked it so if you don't know guess and you might get another go at the question. Also if you fail one of the 4 steps then you can resist that part you don't have to do it all again.

 

I was nervous as hell as was the other guys doing it but I'm happy to say I passed.

 

If you need anymore info I'm happy to help.

 

Thanks pal. Good man, where abouts in Australia are you based? By booklet do you mean the pdf on vetassess website or is it from a different source? I think im going to be fine but ive been travelling for two years and dont exactly feel fresh with electrical right now, ill obviously get my nose in the books before.. How did it compare to the theory exams you sat in the uk? (i'm presuming you did an apprenticeship nvq level 3 finishing with an AM2 exam).

[Aaronspark]

Hi guys, has anyone completed the OTSR recently? Simon or Aaronspark it'd be great to know how you got on, i'm just about to submit my forms and could really do with a little reassurance about what to expect, vetassess don't give much away when you contact them... cheers boys

 

Got some stuff I can email to help you out Geezy. Won't get time for next couple of days as we're flying to Oz on Saturday and getting last bits sorted. Send me your email adrs and I'll get some stuff sent over that I've sent other lads going for the test. One thing I would say is try not to worry about it. Easier said than done, but it really isn't that difficult. Ppl do fail on the motor connections and safe isolation, but think that's nerves more than anything.

[brightspark]

Have mine this month too.. motor control was abit of a worry as my experience around this is limited. Good to hear they arent there to fail people straight off the mark tho

[Keithus]

hi lads i have my practical assessment in a weeks time. iv been trying to revise but i don't seem to be getting anywhere. does anyone have any key notes or points to look up. thanks

[GEEZY]

Brightspark, how did you get on ?

are you in australia now?

[Stevio Bee]

Hey guys, cheers for info, not sure if my situation is a bit different, I am in Oz already and trying for my license here, I have to do a practical exam at Vetassess, any ideas if it is similar to the offshore exam?

[Soamdog89]

Go do the peers course in Adelaide much quicker

[Soamdog89]

Hi mate would you be able to email me the stuff? Please

[Soamdog89]

 

Got some stuff I can email to help you out Geezy. Won't get time for next couple of days as we're flying to Oz on Saturday and getting last bits sorted. Send me your email adrs and I'll get some stuff sent over that I've sent other lads going for the test. One thing I would say is try not to worry about it. Easier said than done, but it really isn't that difficult. Ppl do fail on the motor connections and safe isolation, but think that's nerves more than anything.

forward them to us please mate

[Stevio Bee]

Got some stuff I can email to help you out Geezy. Won't get time for next couple of days as we're flying to Oz on Saturday and getting last bits sorted. Send me your email adrs and I'll get some stuff sent over that I've sent other lads going for the test. One thing I would say is try not to worry about it. Easier said than done, but it really isn't that difficult. Ppl do fail on the motor connections and safe isolation, but think that's nerves more than anything.

 

Hiya Aaron, I appreciate this is a while back but if you have any info to help an ageing forgetful fella about to go back and sit exams that would be awesome?

[Liam13]

I have a future skills practice paper.. Send me your email addressing you want a PDF of it