Read your Candidate Assessment Guide

Each unit standard or groups of unit standards has a Candidate Assessment Guide. You need to follow this guide to complete your unit standard and gain credits.

It is very important you have the correct Candidate Assessment Guide for your unit standard. Check this on the cover sheet, which shows the unit standard number, title, version, level and credit value.

The Candidate Assessment Guide interprets the requirements of your unit standard for you. It shows you exactly what tasks are required for your assessment, and the information your workplace assessor will use to make judgements and final decisions.

We recommend you familiarise yourself thoroughly with the material in the Candidate Assessment Guide. Where we have learning resources for unit standards, references to these are found next to the Candidate Assessment Guide on the PSTO website: www.learningstate.govt.nz.

Some candidates also find it useful to view the unit standard itself. All unit standards can be found at http://nzqa.govt.nz/framework/index.html: enter your unit standard number in the yellow search box.

Talk to your Workplace Assessor

Talk to your workplace assessor to find out:

· Where and when your assessment will take place

· The evidence you need to provide to demonstrate competence

· Where you can go for help if you are not happy with your assessment

Your workplace assessor will explain how you will be assessed. This will depend on your unit standard requirements, but common forms of assessment are:

· Observation - by your workplace assessor or approved observer

· Documentation - hard copy examples of your work

· Questioning - either verbal or written responses

· Verification - from your manager or supervisor

Speak to your Workplace Assessor if you are unclear about the assessment tasks.

You can also visit www.learningstate.govt.nz/assessment-practice and www.learningstate.govt.nz/assessment-workplace for more detail on the assessment process.

Workplace Assessor Feedback and Getting Results

Your workplace assessor will give you feedback at the end of your assessment. This could be one of the following:

· You have provided sufficient evidence to show you are competent in the unit standard. If this is the case, s/he will pass your results onto PSTO who will notify the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA), and your Record of Learning (ROL) will be updated.

· You may be assessed as "not yet competent" and need to provide further evidence to complete the tasks. In this case your workplace assessor will advise what particular evidence is required. You do not need to complete the entire candidate pack again.

· Your workplace assessor may suggest you receive further coaching or training before your next attempt.