ACS exams

[JuliusG]

Hi all,
I think this has been mentioned a few times before but. I'll be sitting my acs for the first time shortly. I'm studying mostly out of notes that have been issued by my college. I have piles of stuff to look at, so much so the my head is swimming. What I need are acs type questions to help me zero in on what I need to study more. Does anyone know of any where I can get passed paper type questions from? I don't want to have to wait for a book to come home so I'm looking for downloads. I don't mind if it's a pay for download as long as it isn't a fortune. Obviously free would be better.



Thank you in advance


Julius

 

[AWheating]

Hi all,
I think this has been mentioned a few times before but. I'll be sitting my acs for the first time shortly.


Julius

mentioned before, is this not your first post?

either way its best to speak to your tutor for some test papers tbh, they should be able to give you some relevant to your course.

welcome to the forum

 

[chris watkins]

You will not get these & even if you did they would not be of very little use to you as there are a number of exam bodies & all have regularly updated question sets all of which are open book & designed to test if you can find the answers in the gas reg's as well as your books / notes.
Just concentrate on the basics (testing, purging, ventilation (O/F appliances), pipe sizing & controls)
Take some training if you can before siting it.
Good luck

 

[JuliusG]

Thanks for the advice, I'm at the end of a four year apprenticeship. So I suppose if I don't know it now, probably I never will. Just panicking I suppose.

 

[chris watkins]

Thanks for the advice, I'm at the end of a four year apprenticeship. So I suppose if I don't know it now, probably I never will. Just panicking I suppose.

How much gas work have you been doing on site ? Thats the important thing !
BTW I have been working with gas for best part of 35 years & I still don't know it all but most of the time when I don't know something I know where to find it out, that's the trick of it JuliusG.

 

[firemant]

Relax, is my advice. Remember that ALL of the answers will be on your desk somewhere.

 

[kirkgas]

Hi all,
I think this has been mentioned a few times before but. I'll be sitting my acs for the first time shortly. I'm studying mostly out of notes that have been issued by my college. I have piles of stuff to look at, so much so the my head is swimming. What I need are acs type questions to help me zero in on what I need to study more. Does anyone know of any where I can get passed paper type questions from? I don't want to have to wait for a book to come home so I'm looking for downloads. I don't mind if it's a pay for download as long as it isn't a fortune. Obviously free would be better.



Thank you in advance


Julius

Send me a PM with an email address asking for the tutorials, and I will send you some questions that are written in a similar way to ACS

OR IF ANYONE ELSE HAS THEM TO HAND SEND THEM ONTO HIM

 

[JuliusG]

I have done a good bit of gas work in the past, but unfortunately much of it is in the past (a year of more). I more often work on oil systems at work (taking my oftec right after my acs). I'm confident I know most of it, but there is always the worry that there might be a gaping hole in my experience/knowledge. The college that has trained my through my apprenticeship is one of the best out there. OUr head of department more or less know the gas safety installation and use regs by heart. Theory wise we have covered no end of stuff, but again it was some time ago. I'm trawling through notes, the questions would be handy in pointing out anything I have missed in studying. If anyone else has acs type questions I'd be interested. Kirkgas hasn't replied yet and my acs in next week!

 

[Deleted member 32524]

keep calm. you will be fine everyone is always scared!! even re-sitters. good luck and read the questions answer what you know and go back to the ones you dont then spend the rest of the time looking up what you are struggling with.

 

[JuliusG]

mentioned before, is this not your first post?

either way its best to speak to your tutor for some test papers tbh, they should be able to give you some relevant to your course.

welcome to the forum

Yeah I was meaning old forum posts in the past from other people. while I was looking for acs papers online this forum kept coming up with old forums about it. It was one of the reasons I joined

 

[JuliusG]

Hi again,
I'm back to moan about acs exams. I think I'm right in saying there is a closed book test in ccn1. That is the one that is worrying me at the moment. I'm fairly familiar with bs books and IGE books so the open book tests aren't worrying me so much. I don't have the faintest clue what type of questions are in the closed book test, safety questions I guess. Any clues would be greatly welcomed. Also are you allowed your own notes for the open book tests or can you only use books provided by the test centre.


Thanks again in advance

 

[Killy Bing]

If you're competent then you will find 90% of it easy.
worrying is the worst thing

Personally i hardly even refrenced apart from the odd things

i have no idea which part was closed book......

You should be providing your own books i think, (i did) so i had a few notes in them and nothing was said.

Good luck

 

[firemant]

I did my reassessment a coupe of months ago, and there were no closed book exams. IIRC.

 

[chris watkins]

Hi again,
I'm back to moan about acs exams. I think I'm right in saying there is a closed book test in ccn1. That is the one that is worrying me at the moment. I'm fairly familiar with bs books and IGE books so the open book tests aren't worrying me so much. I don't have the faintest clue what type of questions are in the closed book test, safety questions I guess. Any clues would be greatly welcomed. Also are you allowed your own notes for the open book tests or can you only use books provided by the test centre.


Thanks again in advance

There are NO close book questions in any of the ACS assessment (both the theory & the practical) you can use the training manuals, BS, corgi book, even notes made inside the centre during training.
This is because a working gas engineer can not remember everything in the regulation nowadays so we are expected to be able to find the info out, so these exams actually set out to test that ability by asking some obscure questions.
Not so sure you can use notes brought in from outside for obvious reasons. My advise is make sure you can use a books index it cuts down the research time & practice skim reading.

 

[jase158]

if your college is bpec certified then learn the flues and vents, learn the differences between the clay, masonry, twin walled etc, this is the biggest and hardest paper.

 

[JuliusG]

Hi Again,
That's me started my ACS, day 1 complete and they haven't booted me out yet. I have sat 5 multi choice papers on the computer, 1 closed book. All the exams were manageable. I just wish I could have sat them over a number of days rather than squeezing them all together. I went to a couple of third attempts through carelessness, it was more at the end of the day, I was seriously flagging. The last thing I did was a short controls paper, and identifying the controls. I got two wrong, one I wrote as 8 it was 18 and the label was obscured by the control item and I was too dim to look behind it. The other I mixed up a electromechanical thermostat. As soon as I looked at it a second time I realist I was being stupid. Thank god for second attempts. It's not over by a long shot but I can see a light at the end of the tunnel. Thank you all for your advice.

Does anyone know why some people get a closed book paper and others don't? Does it vary from test centre to test centre?

 

[chris watkins]

Hi Again,
That's me started my ACS, day 1 complete and they haven't booted me out yet. I have sat 5 multi choice papers on the computer, 1 closed book. All the exams were manageable. I just wish I could have sat them over a number of days rather than squeezing them all together. I went to a couple of third attempts through carelessness, it was more at the end of the day, I was seriously flagging. The last thing I did was a short controls paper, and identifying the controls. I got two wrong, one I wrote as 8 it was 18 and the label was obscured by the control item and I was too dim to look behind it. The other I mixed up a electromechanical thermostat. As soon as I looked at it a second time I realist I was being stupid. Thank god for second attempts. It's not over by a long shot but I can see a light at the end of the tunnel. Thank you all for your advice.

Does anyone know why some people get a closed book paper and others don't? Does it vary from test centre to test centre?

First off JuliusG, well done so far keep it going, as others have said at the end of the day if you know your stuff you will pass.
Secondly I have to say sorry cos I said there was no close books in the ACS, when I should have said in the BPEC - ACS.
Do you know who your examining board is ?

 

[JuliusG]

Hi Chris,
To be honest I have no idea who the examining body is. I will try to find out tomorrow and let you know. Just to give you an ideal of why I was freaking out so much, I've travelled about 300 miles to sit my ACS, Oftec and my unvented hot water back to back. If I fail anything it would make for an expensive mistake, and I don't think my bosses would see the funny side :90:

 

[firemant]

have sat 5 multi choice papers on the computer, 1 closed book. Computer? Closed Book? Wow non of that malarkey in MET UK, Corby.!:smilewinkgrin:

 

[Keefy]

Secondly I have to say sorry cos I said there was no close books in the ACS, when I should have said in the BPEC - ACS.

I did mine with BPEC and I had a closed book lot of questions, about 30 if I remember correctly.

 

[downthesouth]

Hi Chris,
To be honest I have no idea who the examining body is. I will try to find out tomorrow and let you know. Just to give you an ideal of why I was freaking out so much, I've travelled about 300 miles to sit my ACS, Oftec and my unvented hot water back to back. If I fail anything it would make for an expensive mistake, and I don't think my bosses would see the funny side :90:

Fail to prepare? Prepare to fail!! (I hate sayings!!). Im sure you will do fine, Mine was 1 closed book the other open. City and Guilds I think ran the scheme. Revise flues is a good idea. Dont worry too much, relax take all the time you need. Also make sure you really look at not only the question but the answer sheet, its stupidly easy to miss a line and knacker the whole paper up. Can I ask what revision books have been provided?

 

[JuliusG]

Hi again,
I think the awarding body may be Logic? That's what was plastered all over the computer exams. I got through anyway. The examiners were fairly chilled out. I think it would be near impossible to fail the computer papers as you get three tries and there are only four answers. So if you keep tally on what you put each time you would need to be fully guessing to fail. The practical was also not too bad. We all were nervous as hell when we went in on the first day. The first thing I did was knock my manometer over and had to refill.

Once we all got settled it it was just another day at the office. In fact far easier than the work we had been doing at college. It was an unreal tough week as I did, my acs with appliances, unvented hot water and oftec all back to back across a week and a bit. I was ruined by the end just from sitting exam paper after exam paper. In fact I would say the oftec was worse to do than the acs, purely for the fact that some of the questions were random as anything and the oftec manuals are hard to navigate through. There was one closed book test as part of the acs core. It was very easy questions so no sweat. All round a mentally challenging and tough time but the examiners were pros at put us all at ease. I can't wait for 5 years to come round and do it all again :sweatdrop:.......

Thanks again for all the reassurance


Julius

 

[Rickster123]

Well done julius! Next time will be a stroll in the park mate! Just keep yourself aware of any current updates and don't fall into to many bad habits over the next 5 years. Beer time!

 

[kirkgas]

I did mine with BPEC and I had a closed book lot of questions, about 30 if I remember correctly.

There are NO closed book questions in the current format of the Bpec ACS, there are 12 closed book in the Bpec Foundation Gas Course, if you took that route,

 

[kirkgas]

Hi again,
I think the awarding body may be Logic? That's what was plastered all over the computer exams. I got through anyway. The examiners were fairly chilled out. I think it would be near impossible to fail the computer papers as you get three tries and there are only four answers. So if you keep tally on what you put each time you would need to be fully guessing to fail. The practical was also not too bad. We all were nervous as hell when we went in on the first day. The first thing I did was knock my manometer over and had to refill.

Once we all got settled it it was just another day at the office. In fact far easier than the work we had been doing at college. It was an unreal tough week as I did, my acs with appliances, unvented hot water and oftec all back to back across a week and a bit. I was ruined by the end just from sitting exam paper after exam paper. In fact I would say the oftec was worse to do than the acs, purely for the fact that some of the questions were random as anything and the oftec manuals are hard to navigate through. There was one closed book test as part of the acs core. It was very easy questions so no sweat. All round a mentally challenging and tough time but the examiners were pros at put us all at ease. I can't wait for 5 years to come round and do it all again :sweatdrop:.......

Thanks again for all the reassurance


Julius

You are NOT meant to make a note of your previous attempts when doing Bpec ACS, That's classed as a fail

 

[Rickster123]

You are NOT meant to make a note of your previous attempts when doing Bpec ACS, That's classed as a fail

I think we all make a mental note but under pressure that's normally quickly forgotten!

 

[JuliusG]

Hi APplumber,
I found it quite easy to remember what I had put down in the shorter papers. Not so easy in the 25+ question papers. Often if you read a question logically you can cut it down to one of two answers easily even if you're not sure of the correct answer. Also I made an effort to remember what I'd put down for ones I wasn't so sure about. That's what I meant by tally. You wouldn't get away with writing answers down on paper anyway as we were provided with blank paper for calcs, at the end of the exam the examiner takes your notes and looks through them. If you wrote all your answers down I guess you'd get thrown out.

 

[Ramjadav]

Hi can someone give me a detailed answer in why we do standing,working and burner pressure tests? Thanks