The examination shall consist of a written test which may be supplemented by an oral examination.

The competent authority or an examining body designated by the competent authority shall invigilate every examination. Any manipulation and deception shall be ruled out as far as possible. Authentication of the candidate shall be ensured. The use in the written test of documentation other than international or national regulations is not permitted. All examination documents shall be recorded and kept as a print-out or electronically as a file.

Electronic media may be used only if provided by the examining body. There shall be no means of a candidate introducing further data to the electronic media provided; the candidate may only answer  the questions posed.

1.8.3.12.4    The written test shall consist of two parts:

(a)    Candidates shall receive a questionnaire. It shall include at least 20 open questions covering at least the subjects mentioned in the list in 1.8.3.11. However, multiple choice questions may be used. In this case, two multiple choice questions count as one open question. Amongst these subjects particular attention shall be paid to the following subjects:

-    general preventive and safety measures;

-    classification of dangerous goods;

-    general packing provisions, including tanks, tank-containers, tank-vehicles, etc.;

-    danger marking, labelling and placardings;

-    information in transport document;

-    handling and stowage;

-    crew, vocational training;

-    vehicle documents and transport certificates;

-    instructions in writing;

-    requirements concerning transport equipment;

(b)    Candidates shall undertake a case study in keeping with the duties of the adviser referred to in 1.8.3.3, in order to demonstrate that they have the necessary qualifications to fulfil the task of adviser.
 

Written examinations may be performed, in whole or in part, as electronic examinations, where the answers are recorded and evaluated using electronic data processing (EDP) processes, provided the following conditions are met:

(a)    The hardware and software shall be checked and accepted by the competent authority or by an examining body designated by the competent authority;

(b)    Proper technical functioning shall be ensured. Arrangements as to whether and how the examination can be continued shall be made for a failure of the devices and applications. No aids shall be available on the input devices (e.g. electronic search function), the equipment provided according to 1.8.3.12.3 shall not allow the candidates to communicate with any other device during the examination;

(c)    Final inputs of each candidate shall be logged. The determination of the results shall be transparent.
 

The Contracting Parties may decide that candidates who intend working for undertakings specializing in the carriage of certain types of dangerous goods need only be questioned on the substances relating to their activities. These types of goods are:

-    Class 1;

-    Class 2;

-    Class 7;

-    Classes 3, 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 5.1, 5.2, 6.1, 6.2, 8 and 9;

-    UN Nos. 1202, 1203, 1223, 3475, and aviation fuel classified under UN Nos. 1268 or 1863.

The certificate prescribed in 1.8.3.7 shall clearly indicate that it is only valid for one type of the dangerous goods referred to in this sub-section and on which the adviser has been questioned under  the conditions defined in 1.8.3.12.
 

The competent authority or the examining body shall keep a running list of the questions that have been included in the examination.

The certificate prescribed in 1.8.3.7 shall take the form laid down in 1.8.3.18 and shall be recognized by all Contracting Parties.

The certificate shall be valid for five years. The period of the validity of a certificate shall be extended from the date of its expiry for five years at a time where, during the year before its expiry, its holder has passed an examination. The examination shall be approved by the competent authority.

The aim of the examination is to ascertain that the holder has the necessary knowledge to carry out the duties set out in 1.8.3.3. The knowledge required is set out in 1.8.3.11 (b) and shall include the amendments to the regulations introduced since the award of the last certificate. The examination shall be held and supervised on the same basis as in 1.8.3.10 and 1.8.3.12 to 1.8.3.14. However, holders need not undertake the case study specified in 1.8.3.12.4 (b).