A NSW Government website

Exam preparation

Use the following best practice guides and resources to better understand and prepare for the certificate of competence exam process.

Exam calendar and application closing datesSubscribe to Mine Safety News

Exam preparation updates

Payment required at time of registering for an exam

A new payment method will be available soon to enable payment at the time of registration, rather than upon request. Contact the Competencies team if you require assistance in making payment by email competencies@dpird.nsw.gov.au or call 1300 814 609 option 2 > 3 

Overview

To prepare effectively to fulfil the requirements of certificate of competence exam success, a multi-faceted approach is required.

Review and read

Prepare

Access resources (including past exams and reports)

Coal mines – open cut

Electrical engineer
Mechanical engineer
Mining engineering manager of coal mines other than underground
Open cut examiner

Coal mines - underground

Deputy
Electrical engineering manager
Mechanical engineering manager
Mining engineering manager – underground
Undermanager 

Other mines (non-coal) - open cut

Quarry manager

Other mines (non-coal) – underground

Mining engineering manager
Underground mine supervisor

Licensed activities at coal mines

Cable repair signatory

Know the rules

Download a printable version of the exam process (PDF, 113.31 KB).

Results and review request

Written exams: You will receive your results after the examiners have completed their assessments through the Regulator Portal. The results will detail the next step in the assessment process and will be received within six weeks of sitting your exam. If you are successful, you will be invited to attend an oral exam.

Oral exams: You will receive your results after completing your oral exam through the Regulator Portal. This can take up to six weeks. If you are deemed not yet competent, your results will advise how to attend the next oral exam. If you are deemed competent, you will have your certificate of competence emailed to you.

If you think your results are incorrect, refer to the Review of exam outcome policy (PDF, 137.46 KB).

Note: After reviewing the policy, statutory function candidates who wish to request a review they consider justified, should email the Mining Competence Team at competencies@dpird.nsw.gov.au to receive a payment link for the review fee and to discuss their grounds for review.

At no stage is a candidate to contact an examiner directly.

Reapplying exam requirements

Guidelines for new and existing candidates can be found here.

Blueprinting for Certificate of competence exam

Blueprinting is an important process in the development and administration of Certificate of Competence exams. It ensures a comprehensive and fair assessment of candidates' skills and knowledge. 

Written exam

  • Each exam panel maintains a blueprint that maps competencies in the framework to be assessed in written and/or oral exams.
  • The blueprint identifies essential questions linked to essential competencies.
  • Candidates must pass these essential questions by achieving a minimum mark to demonstrate competence.
  • Other competencies are assessed through questions with minimum passing marks.
  • The total marks are calculated to determine if the candidate meets the overall passing threshold (e.g., 66 out of 100).

Results reporting

Candidates receive detailed results for each written exam, including:

  • Marks awarded for each question or section
  • Whether any essential competency questions were passed
  • Overall exam pass/fail status

Oral exams

  • Consist of scenario-based questions
  • Candidates must achieve minimum marks, number of items, or specific responses for each scenario
  • Competencies assessed can be essential or other

This blueprinting process (PDF, 134.9 KB) ensures a standardised, transparent, and comprehensive assessment of candidates' competencies across various exam formats.

Related information