Once you have signed up for the NICET examination, I suggest beginning to prepare your reference material.  The NICET exam is an open-book test, which allows you to reference code books and other material.  The catch is that the exam is also timed, so being able to quickly access the correct information is critical.  Recently, NICET has changed their testing policies to prohibit any loose-leaf materials from being taken into the examination room.  Reference material must be bound.  Additionally, you will not be allowed to use a calculator that stores formulas. 

The NICET Program Detail manual will include listings of the reference material that exam questions are taken from.  For the subfield I tested in, Fire Alarm Systems, the main reference materials used were NFPA 72 (National Fire Alarm Code), NFPA 70 (National Electrical Code), NFPA 101 (Life Safety Code), and a book titled, Fire Alarm Signaling Systems Handbook.  I have included Amazon links to these books at the bottom of this article that should make it easy for anyone wanting to purchase this material.  Other handy items of reference that people who test sometimes use include the International Building Code, and various items from UL.

Go through each element, one at a time, and determine which portion of your reference material applies.  Look up any applicable code reference to the topic in each code book and use sticky notes to “flag” the pages that correspond to the element topic.  Another trick I used was to write the element number & title at the top of the sticky note, then jot down the article number in the code it referenced.  Anything that will save you time on test day is critical.  Like anything else, preparation is the key.

I suggest devoting a set amount of time each day to preparation.  Use the sticky notes to flag code references for each element you are testing on.  Once you have flagged each element, then use your set amount of preparation time for studying.  For example, if you are testing on an element for smoke detectors, then study your reference material regarding smoke detectors.  Really dig in and internalize as much of the information as you can.  This will benefit you in many ways.  First and foremost, if you know the answer from studying, then you will save time on test day by being able to answer the question without looking up the answer.  Should you encounter a question that you do not know the answer to from memory, you will discover that finding the answer will come much more quickly than if you had not actually studied the material. 

Another thing to do in preparation is to make sure you have at least two, and preferably four, sharpened number 2 pencils for the exam.  The pencils either need to have erasers on them or you will need to take an eraser with you.  If you have to drive a long distance to the testing center, I suggest reserving a hotel room for the night before, just so you will have the opportunity to be fresh for testing.  Make sure you know the address of the testing center, so you will not have the stress of trying to find it on the actual test day.

I hope this information has been useful.  Next up will be an article about actually taking the exam.