Recommended Study Material

Each Award is assessed separately by a one hour examination. The examinations are closed book and provide a summative assessment of the full range of learning specified in the Award content. There are 50 marks available in each examination. The examination will take the form of six questions and candidates should attempt all questions in the examination. All examination questions require a written response. The marks allocated to each question are shown on the examination.

Research suggests that most candidates should spend around 60 hours preparing for each unit although some candidates may wish to allocate a higher proportion of their preparation time to one or more units depending on their pre-existing knowledge e.g. candidates often allocate more time to fire engineering science.

Total qualification time is therefore 244 hours comprising:

• 240 hours (over 4 units) of learning e.g. self-study/course training. The study may be self-study (please see the section on recommended reading below) and may include relevant employer training programs.
• 4 hours (4 separate examinations of one hour each) of assessment.

Most candidates prepare for IFE examinations via self-study or by drawing on training provided by their employer that covers aspects of the syllabus. Candidates are advised to cross-map their study/training against the content of the unit to ensure that all parts of the unit have been covered. Recommended reading materials are listed below.

Book List

The recommended book list is advisory.  All candidates are advised to use the published syllabus as their starting point in determining the study that they need to undertake.  The recommended reading list is not intended to be comprehensive but provides a starting point for candidates and should be aware that this reading list is advisory rather than definitive. Candidates should use the content of the units as their guide in deciding what reading materials they need to help them prepare for the examination – please see the Content section below. The IFE recommends that all candidates should read widely in order to extend the depth and breadth of their knowledge and understanding.

The IFE has applied the following criteria in determining which resources should be included on this recommended reading list:

•  the resource provides information that will be of benefit to the candidate in their professional life, providing depth and breadth of understanding.
• the resource contains some information that will be relevant to part of the unit.
• the resource is recognised by industry professionals as providing valuable information.

Candidates preparing for the examinations are advised to refer to the recommended book list found here.

Free Downloadable Books

All the free downloads listed on the book lists for all qualifications are available free of charge from the IFE Office.  Please send an email to adminstaff@ife.org.za with a full list of the required downloads and we will gladly email them to you.