Exam calendar
Certificate examination dates and information regarding exam application submission timeframes.
View the exam dates below and submit a completed application at least a week before the closing date for the exam. All exams held after the 1st January 2023 will include Work Health and Safety (Mines and Petroleum Sites) Regulation 2022.
Certificate of competence exam calendar for 2024
Underground coal mines
| 2024 Certificate | Briefing session | Written closing date | Written exam | Oral closing date | Oral date | Oral closing date | Oral exam |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mining engineering manager | 22 Nov 23 | 16 Jan 24 | 13 & 14 Feb 24 | 8 Apr 24 | 1 May 24 | 18 Sept 24 | 30 Oct 24 |
| Undermanager | 11 Jan 24 | 6 Feb 24 | 5 & 6 Mar 24 | 17 Apr 24 | 28 May 24 | 2 Oct 24 | 12 Nov 24 |
| Deputy | 6 Feb 24 | 13 Mar 24 | 10 Apr 24 | 11 Jun 24 | 23 & 24 Jul 24 | 1 Oct 24 | 13 & 14 Nov 24 |
| Electrical engineering manager ** Refer to 2023 calendar for post oral dates |
26 Jun 24 | 7 Aug 24 | 4 Sept 24 | 16 Oct 24 | 20 Nov 24 | 16 Apr 25 | 28 May 25 |
| Mechanical engineering manager ** Refer to 2023 calendar for post oral dates |
3 May 24 | 3 Jul 24 | 31 Jul 24 | 4 Sep 24 | 16 Oct 24 | 29 Jan 25 | 12 Mar 25 |
Coal mines other than underground
| 2024 Certificate | Briefing session | Written closing date | Written exam | Oral closing date | Oral date | Oral closing date | Oral exam |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mining engineering manager | 1 Mar 2024 | 18 Apr 24 | 16 May 24 | 3 Jul 24 | 14 Aug 24 | 6 Jan 25 | 19 Feb 25 |
| Open cut examiner | 1 Mar 24 | 17 Apr 24 | 15 May 24 | 3 Jul 24 | 14 Aug 24 | 6 Jan 25 | 19 Feb 25 |
| Electrical engineer ** Refer to 2023 calendar for post oral dates |
26 Jun 24 | 7 Aug 24 | 4 Sept 24 | 16 Oct 24 | 20 Nov 24 | 16 Apr 25 | 28 May 25 |
| Mechanical engineer ** Refer to 2023 calendar for post oral dates |
3 May 24 | 3 Jul 24 | 31 Jul 24 | 4 Sep 24 | 16 Oct 24 | 29 Jan 25 | 12 Mar 25 |
Underground mines other than coal mines
| 2024 Certificate | Briefing session | Written closing date | Written exam | Oral closing date | Oral date | Oral closing date | Oral exam |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mining engineering manager | 1 Nov 23 | 24 Jan 24 | 21 Feb 24 | 8 Apr 24 | 30 Apr 24 | 17 Sep 24 | 29 Oct 24 |
| Underground mine supervisor | 18 Mar 24 | n/a | n/a | 22 Apr 24 | 3 Jun 24 | 21 Oct 24 | 3 Dec 24 |
Mines other than underground mines or coal mines
| 2024 Certificate | Briefing session | Written closing date | Written exam | Oral closing date | Oral date | Oral closing date | Oral exam |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quarry manager | 19 Jun 24 | 31 Jul 24 | 28 Aug 24 | 25 Sep 24 | 6 Nov 24 | 27 Mar 25 | 8 May 25 |
Licensed activities at coal mines
| 2024 Certificate | Briefing session | Written closing date | Written exam | Oral closing date | Oral date | Oral closing date | Oral exam |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cable repair signatory | 18 Apr 24 | n/a | n/a | 30 May 24 | 11 Jul 24 | n/a | n/a |
Certificate of competence exam calendar for 2025
Underground coal mines
| 2025 Certificate | Briefing session | Written closing date | Written exam | Oral closing date | Oral date | Oral closing date | Oral exam |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mining engineering manager | 7 Nov 24 | 17 Dec 24 | 4 & 5 Mar 25 | 7 May 25 | 25 Jun 25 | 25 Sept 25 | 19 Nov 25 |
| Undermanager | 21 Nov 24 | 11 Feb 25 | 9 Apr 25 | 29 May 25 | 29 Jul 25 | 11 Dec 25 | 3 Feb 26 |
| Deputy | 4 Dec 24 | 20 Mar 25 | 14 May 25 | 10 Jul 25 | 9 & 10 Sep 25 | 18 Nov 25 | 10 & 11 Mar 26 |
| Electrical engineering manager ** Refer to 2024 calendar for post oral dates |
1 Jul 25 | 12 Aug 25 | 24 Sep 25 | 4 Nov 25 | 9 Dec 25 | 8 Apr 26 | 27 May 26 |
| Mechanical engineering manager ** Refer to 2024 calendar for post oral dates |
6 May 25 | 26 June 25 | 13 Aug 25 | 18 Sep 25 | 22 Oct 25 | 4 Mar 26 | 22 Apr 26 |
Coal mines other than underground
| 2025 Certificate | Briefing session | Written closing date | Written exam | Oral closing date | Oral date | Oral closing date | Oral exam |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mining engineering manager | 28 Mar 25 | 30 Apr 25 | 19 Jun 25 | 31 Jul 25 | 16 & 17 Sep 25 | 14 Jan 26 | 25 & 26 Feb 26 |
| Open cut examiner | 28 Mar 25 | 30 Apr 25 | 18 Jun 25 | 30 Jul 25 | 16 & 17 Sep 25 | 14 Jan 26 | 25 & 26 Feb 26 |
| Electrical engineer ** Refer to 2024 calendar for post oral dates |
1 Jul 25 | 12 Aug 25 | 24 Sept 25 | 4 Nov 25 | 9 Dec 25 | 8 Apr 26 | 27 May 26 |
| Mechanical engineer ** Refer to 2024 calendar for post oral dates |
6 May 25 | 26 Jun 25 | 13 Aug 25 | 18 Sep 25 | 22 Oct 25 | 4 Mar 26 | 22 Apr 26 |
Underground mines other than coal mines
| 2025 Certificate | Briefing session | Written closing date | Written exam | Oral closing date | Oral date | Oral closing date | Oral exam |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mining engineering manager | 17 Oct 24 | 23 Jan 25 | 19 Mar 25 | 15 May 25 | 2 Jul 25 | 2 Oct 25 | 26 Nov 25 |
| Underground mine supervisor | 5 Feb 25 | n/a | n/a | 10 Apr 25 | 3 & 4 Jun 25 | 11 Sep 25 | 5 & 6 Nov 25 |
Mines other than underground mines or coal mines
| 2024 Certificate | Briefing session | Written closing date | Written exam | Oral closing date | Oral date | Oral closing date | Oral exam |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quarry manager | 21 May 25 | 16 Jul 25 | 3 Sep 25 | 15 Oct 25 | 12 Nov 25 | 1 Apr 26 | 13 May 26 |
Licensed activities at coal mines
| 2024 Certificate | Briefing session | Written closing date | Written exam | Oral closing date | Oral date | Oral closing date | Oral exam |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cable repair signatory | 29 Apr 25 | n/a | n/a | 13 Jun 25 | 4 Aug 25 | n/a | n/a |
COVID-19 safe exams
Certificate examinations are to be held 'as close as possible' to the usual format but will include control measures to manage the risk of COVID-19 transmission.
These controls will include: additional cleaning of rooms/desks, use of hygiene products such as hand sanitiser, additional space between exam desks, checking you temperature etc. These controls, along with others, are being implemented to ensure the health and safety of all participants. This will be communicated in detail to those individuals involved prior to and on the day of their examinations.
Candidates who have signs of symptoms of the virus are directed not to attend their examinations and to notify the mining competencies and authorisations unit. If a candidate attends an exam and observed to show signs of symptoms, they will be directed to leave the examinations area.
Applying for a refund
Approved candidates who have paid their examination fee but are unable to attend their rescheduled exam, may apply for a refund (less an administration fee of $50).
Note: the application fee, paid at the time an applicant submits their application for an exam, remains non-refundable. A refund is relevant to the examination fee only.
Resitting a written or oral examination
New candidates are candidates who have either put in an application or started a new examination process after 1st July 2022.
All other candidates are considered existing candidates.
If you are an existing candidate and if you do not pass a written exam, or your first or second attempt at an oral exam and you wish to resit the respective exam, you will need to submit an online application via the Resources Regulator portal.
If you are a new candidate, see the flow chart below.
Written exam
Oral Exam
See the Guide - Applying for a certificate of competence (PDF, 218.04 KB) for full details on time limits for written and oral exams.
It can take a few attempts to get through the examination process successfully and be deemed competent.
Replacement certificate
If you have lost or damaged your certificate of competence, please contact us at mca@regional.nsw.gov.au and pay the fee via Fact sheet - fees schedule for certificates (PDF, 61.49 KB).
If you have lost or damaged your practicing certificate, you can apply for a replacement by completing an application via the Resources Regulator portal.
You will receive an electronic copy of the reissued certificate via email and you can make copies from it.