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2010 Examinations closing date

Applications and exam fees from individual candidates should be received by the NZ Branch before 31 October 2009. The Institution cannot guarantee to process applications received after the deadline stated and so candidates are strongly advised to apply early.

Although you no longer need to be a member of the Institution to apply to take IFE examinations, the benefits of membership are worthwhile and it is recommended.

Further information and an examination application form can be downloaded at the bottom of this page.


Examination fees for 2010.

    Preliminary

  • NZD$75.00

    • Intermediate

  • NZD$95.00 for one paper.
  • NZD$120.00 for both Intermediate papers in 2010.

    • Graduate

  • NZD$120.00 per paper.
  • NZD$280.00 for candidates sitting 4 papers (1 mandatory plus 3 optional).

    • Member

  • NZD$142.00 per paper.
  • NZD$326.00 for candidates sitting 4 papers (2 mandatory plus 2 optional).

For further enquiries contact Ed Claridge.


2010 Examination Timetable

see the IFE UK site for the timetable


Examination regulations

  • The use of mobile phones and other electronic devices is not permitted and all such devices must be turned off before entering the examination room and remain off for the duration of the examinations.
  • Candidates are not permitted to bring books, documents, articles or any papers other than proof of identity into the examination room. Any candidate in breach of this rule will have the material confiscated by the invigilator who will send a report to the Examinations Officer as soon as the examination has ended.
  • The candidate must submit answers that are entirely his/her own work. Any collusion, or attempted collusion with others, will result in the candidate being excluded from the examination and a report sent to the Examinations Officer.
  • Commercially manufactured stencils or templates may be allowed but must be declared to the invigilator prior to the start of the examination.
  • Candidates may use their own calculators, provided that they conform to all of the following criteria:-
    a) Functional integrity; i.e. designed only as a calculator and unable to perform any other function.
    b) Non-programmable; i.e. incapable of storing information other than that provided to enable the calculator to perform its normal functions.
    c) Self-contained with its own internal battery supply
    d) Silent in operation.
  • Any calculator brought into the examination room must be seen by the invigilator to be in the 'off' mode before it is switched on for use. The use of calculators does not absolve the candidate from the need to explain his/her working.
  • The Institution reserves the right to exclude any candidate from any examination and to withhold any certificate of the Institution, whether by examination or otherwise, in the event of conduct that is in breach of the Examinations Regulations.
  • The Institution reserves the right to amend the Examination Regulations and Syllabus on an annual basis.


New IFE certificates

In 2009 there was a change in the IFE certificates. Click here to read about the new certificates and how they affect you

NZ Examination Stats

For the 2008 examinations

  • 52 candidates applied to sit various grades at 10 examination venues.
  • 40 candidates attended their exams. An attendance rate of approximately 80% after removal of differing candidates.
  • 67 examination scripts submitted across all grades, 42 achieved a pass mark. That equates to approximately 62%pass rate.

For the 2009 examinations

  • 33 candidates applied to sit various grades at 7 examination venues.
  • 25 candidates attended their exams. An attendance rate of approximately 75% after removal of differing candidates.
  • 46 examination scripts submitted across all grades, 15 achieved a pass mark. That equates to approximately 33% pass rate.

The First Preliminary Certificate Accredited New Zealand Fire Service Recruit course completes their training.



On a cold 3rd of July 2008 the first of just over 20 new Fire Service recruits graduated from the National Training Centres IFE Preliminary Examination Accredited Recruit Course in Rotorua New Zealand.
The National Training Centre has just become an Institution accredited training establishment. This occassion marked the end of what has been a 5 year mission for the New Zealand Branch of the Institution of Fire Engineers. The NZFS recruit course is now deemed to be equivalent to the Preliminary Certificate and those recruits that join as student members recieve the certificate on successful completion of the cousre.
This is a major step forward in the Branch's goal to stimulate new membership and encourage new Fire Service members to go on to sit further IFE examinations.
The day was recognised by the handing over of an IFE(UK) Training Establishment Certificate to Geoff Purcell NTC Manager by Past IFE (NZ)President Murray Binning.
The certificate shows that the Training Centre is not only world class but now world recognised as an Institution of Fire Engineers(uk)Training Establishment.







Typically, candidates loose marks in the examinations in one or
more of the following ways:-



Lack of preparation. A number of candidates wrote several answers that
merited pass marks, but as they had not covered the syllabus thoroughly
enough, the rest of their answers did not reach the same standard.


Lack of relevance. Many candidates wrote down all the information they
had learned on a particular topic without applying this information to the
wording of the question. The guidance advises candidates to ens ure the
information they write down is relevant as well as accurate, and that their
knowledge must be applied in the way that the phrasing of the question
demands.


Lack of planning. Some candidates lost marks by writing down unplanned
and rambling answers. It is important to organise thoughts and structure
answers before writing essays in an examination. Even a brief plan will help
achieve this. As with many tasks or projects, the more methodical and
systematic candidates are when approaching examinations, the more likely it
is that they will be successful.


Poor time management. Candidates should manage their time properly by
dividing the time available for the examination evenly among the questions so
that each one can be answered carefully and thoroughly. This is especially
important where candidates find one examination paper particularly difficult.
Then it is all too easy to take too long on the first four or five questions,
leaving little or no time for the final answers. This compounds the difficulties
a candidate is already experiencing, and it makes failure more likely.
[Examiners report 2007 IFE UK website]


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