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How to pass the 18th Edition exam first time: 15 practical tips
15 practical tips for passing the City & Guilds 2382-26 18th Edition exam first time, from weighting your revision and using the index to the 2-minute rule, mock strategy and a 4-week plan.
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The 18th Edition exam isn't a memory test. It's open book, so the people who pass first time are rarely the ones who know the most regulations by heart. They're the ones who can find the right regulation quickly, read the question properly and manage their time. Here are 15 practical tips for the City & Guilds 2382-26 exam, grouped by when you'll use them, plus a four-week plan to pull it all together.
- Exam
- City & Guilds 2382-26, BS 7671:2018+A4:2026
- Format
- 60 multiple-choice questions in 120 minutes, open book
- Pass mark
- Approx. 60% (around 36 out of 60)
- Biggest areas
- Part 4 (15 questions) and Part 5 (14 questions)
- Qualification time
- 40 hours in total, 35 of them guided learning (a notional figure, not revision advice)
Before the exam
1. Use the right book, and only that book
You need BS 7671:2018+A4:2026, the Orange Book. The A2:2022 Brown Book is withdrawn on 15 October 2026 and doesn't contain the A4 changes, such as Chapter 57 on batteries. The On-Site Guide and Guidance Notes aren't allowed in the exam, so revise with the book you'll actually use. If you're new to the exam, start with our 18th Edition exam guide.
2. Weight your revision by the test specification
City & Guilds publishes how the 60 questions are split, and it's lopsided:
| Area | Questions | Share of revision |
|---|---|---|
| Part 4 Protection for safety | 15 | Most |
| Part 5 Selection and erection | 14 | Most |
| Part 8 and appendices | 8 | Moderate |
| Part 7 Special locations | 7 | Moderate |
| Part 3 General characteristics | 6 | Moderate |
| Part 1 Scope and principles | 4 | Light |
| Part 6 Inspection and testing | 4 | Light |
| Part 2 Definitions | 2 | Light |
Parts 4 and 5 are 29 of the 60 questions, nearly half the paper. If you have ten hours, roughly half of them belong there.
3. Learn how the book is numbered
BS 7671 numbering is logical once it clicks. The first digit is the Part, the first two digits are the chapter, the first three are the section, and so on. So 411.3.3 is in Part 4, Chapter 41, Section 411. Part 7 sections start with 7 (701 bathrooms, 722 EV charging), and Part 7 numbers often mirror the general rule they modify. Knowing this lets you jump straight to the right area without the index.
4. Tab and highlight early, within the rules
You're allowed tabs, sticky notes, folded corners, highlighting and short cross-references such as "see 411.3.3". You're not allowed sample answers, diagrams or detailed notes. Tab your book in week one, not the night before, so you practise with the same layout you'll use in the exam. Our guide on how to tab your BS 7671 book includes a full tab map.
Using the book
5. Master the index
The index is your fallback for anything you haven't tabbed. Look up the key noun in the question rather than the first word, try a synonym if it fails, and scan all the sub-entries before you give up. Then use the regulation number to jump to the right tab.
6. Know where the key tables are
You don't need to memorise values, but you should know exactly where they live. The ones that come up again and again include Table 41.1 (disconnection times), Tables 41.2 to 41.4 (maximum Zs), Table 51 (colours), Table 54.7 (protective conductor sizes), Table 54.8 (PME main bonding), Table 64 (insulation resistance) and Table 4Ab in Appendix 4 (voltage drop).
7. Use Part 2 when a word matters
Part 2 is only worth two questions directly, but definitions decide many others. Is that pipe an extraneous-conductive-part? Is the circuit a final circuit or a distribution circuit? When a question hinges on a term, check the definition rather than relying on site slang.
8. Practise calculations with the book open
Calculations are a small part of the paper but easy marks if you've practised. The common ones are:
- Overcurrent: Ib ≤ In ≤ Iz (433.1.1).
- Zs: compare a measured or calculated value with the tabulated maximum, for example 1.37 Ω for a B32 at 0.4 s (Table 41.3).
- Voltage drop: on a 230 V public supply, 3% for lighting is 6.9 V and 5% for other uses is 11.5 V.
- TT with an RCD: RA × IΔn ≤ 50 V (411.5.3), so with a 30 mA RCD the maximum RA is about 1667 Ω.
- Adiabatic equation: S = √(I²t) / k (543.1.3).
Check your units every time. Milliamps versus amps and mm² versus mm are classic traps.
In the exam
9. Work to a two-minute budget
You have 120 minutes for 60 questions, so about two minutes each. Some will take 20 seconds; a calculation might take four minutes. Use a halfway checkpoint: question 30 by the 60-minute mark. If you're behind, speed up on the lookups rather than rushing the calculations.
10. Flag it and move on
If you can't find an answer within about three minutes, pick your best option, note the question number (or flag it, if the test software lets you) and move on. Coming back with fresh eyes is often quicker, and an answer on the screen is always better than a blank.
11. Read the question twice
Many wrong answers come from misreading rather than not knowing. Before you open the book, underline the key details in your head:
- Is it asking for a minimum or a maximum?
- Is the system TN or TT? (0.4 s and 0.2 s are both in Table 41.1.)
- Is it a final circuit or a distribution circuit?
- Does the stem say NOT?
- Which units do the options use?
12. Eliminate, then answer everything
No negative marking is published, so never leave a question blank. If you're unsure, rule out the options you know are wrong first. Distractors are often real values from the wrong row of a table, such as the TT time on a TN question, so checking the row usually settles it.
Exam tip
When two options both look right, go back to the stem and find the detail that separates them: the system type, the circuit rating, the location or the word "minimum". The examiners put that detail there for a reason.
After a mock
13. Use mocks on a schedule, not just at the end
Take a timed mock early as a baseline, even before you feel ready. It shows you where you stand and how the questions are worded. Then take them more often as the exam gets closer: one a week to begin with, building to several in the final week. Always sit them timed and with your tabbed book, just like the real thing. The free 20-question mock is a good starting point.
14. Review every wrong answer, and every lucky guess
The score is the least useful part of a mock. The value is in the review. For every question you got wrong, or got right by guessing, find the regulation in your book, read it properly and work out why the right answer is right. Then ask whether a tab, highlight or cross-reference would have helped, and add it.
15. Use spaced repetition
Questions you got wrong once are the ones most likely to catch you again. Revisit them a day later, then a few days later, then a week later. Each time you get one right, the gap grows; each time you miss it, it comes back sooner. The 18th Edition course does this for you with smart review, and its readiness score shows when you're consistently ready to book.
A four-week plan
Forty hours of total qualification time is about ten hours a week over a month. Here's how to spend it.
| Week | Focus | Mocks |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Book structure and numbering, tab and highlight, Parts 1 to 3, Part 2 definitions | One baseline mock |
| 2 | Part 4 in depth: Chapter 41, RCDs, AFDDs, overcurrent, SPDs, isolation and switching | One full mock, plus topic questions |
| 3 | Part 5, Part 6 and Part 7, including Chapter 57 and Section 701 | Two full mocks |
| 4 | Part 8 and the appendices, calculations, weak areas from your mock reviews | Several full mocks, reviewing each one |
If your mock scores sit consistently above the pass mark with a comfortable margin, you're ready to book. If they don't, add a week focused on whichever Parts are costing you marks.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 18th Edition exam hard?
It's very passable with the right preparation, but it catches out people who rely on site experience alone. The challenge is finding and applying the right regulation under time pressure, not memorising the book. Practising with timed mocks and a well-tabbed copy makes the biggest difference.
How long should I study for the 18th Edition?
City & Guilds sets 40 hours of total qualification time, including 35 guided learning hours. That's a notional figure for the qualification rather than revision advice, but it gives a sense of scale: about four weeks at around ten hours a week. Go by your mock scores rather than the calendar.
How many mock exams should I do?
There's no magic number. Take one early as a baseline, increase the frequency as the exam approaches, and keep going until you're scoring comfortably above the pass mark on fresh questions, not ones you've memorised.
What's the best way to use the book in the exam?
Combine tabs for the areas you use most with the index for everything else. Learn the numbering system so you can jump straight to the right Part and chapter, and practise lookups until they take seconds, not minutes.
What happens if I fail?
You can re-sit through your centre. Use the time before your next attempt to target the Parts that cost you marks, and keep taking timed mocks until your scores are consistently safe.
The best first step is finding out where you are now. Take the free 20-question 18th Edition mock exam: it's timed, built for 2382-26 and needs no sign-up.
The full course
18th Edition
Inside the course
- 414 exam‑style questionsEach with its regulation and book route
- 264 regulations coveredEvery answer cites its regulation
- 39 lessons, about 5½ hours2 free to read now