For those readers who are preparing for their FGASA Field Guide NQF2 (formerly Fgasa Level 1) exam, the following is to provide you with an insight what to expect for the Big day!
Let it be said that it is natural to be a little nervous when preparing for an exam, however let me re-assure you the reader, that if you have prepared well in advance, and… have completed your workbook, you will be fine.
First and foremost, the exam is 2 and half hours long, with a total of 150 marks allocated, with the pass mark being 75% which means you will need to score 112 marks out of 150 marks minimum to pass.
The questions are grouped into the respective modules as laid out in the training manual, thus the 17 modules covered will consist of questions in sections titled Geology, Botany etc. for example.
Each section is allocated marks from 5 marks for the smaller modules e.g. fish, taxonomy etc. up to 15 marks for the larger modules such as Botany and Birds. These marks are totaled up and your percentage calculated to establish your pass mark, in other words, not each section/module tested needs to be passed at 75%, rather your total marks for all sections together are used to calculate your final percentage.
I am sure it would be appreciated by the reader for me to give you an idea what the questions are however that would be wrong of me to do so, however, I can share the following:
Each FGASA exam will be different from the previous one so studying an old exam will not help much
Most questions are one-word answers
Some are interpretive questions e.g. “In the photograph, explain how you would interpret to your guests what you see in the picture?”
Learn your definitions as they are often asked
And… learn your tables, i.e. those that compare the differences between “frogs and toads” for example!
Sorry there are no multiple-choice answer questions or “circle” or “underline” the correct answer type of questions, that would not be a true reflection of the depth of your knowledge nor your understanding of the topics/modules you have been studying.
With this being said, I want to emphasize that IF you have completed your workbook diligently and have had your answers checked by someone who is already qualified and/or your trainer if you are completing a course such as what is offered by Bushwise Field Guides, then I can guarantee you the reader that you will pass the theory exam with at least an 85 % pass rate, since the workbook is designed to be a revision tool for preparing for your exam, and as such, the majority of your exam questions are based on workbook questions. For those of you who wish to pass with a 100% (as we all do!), then putting in the extra time and studying the entire manual will get you there!
In closing, Good Luck to all writing soon, and I hope my pointers will be of help.
Warm Regards
Trevor Myburgh
