How long is Section D of the AM2?

A maximum of 2 hours, with 5 minutes to read and prepare, on the AM2, AM2S and AM2S v1. NET does not publish how many faults are set.

Do I have to repair the faults in Section D?

NET asks you to state and record how each fault could be rectified, and any additional work needed to prove it has been rectified, along with its type and exact location.

What types of fault are there?

NET lists four: short circuit, open circuit, high resistance and misconnection.

How specific does the location need to be?

Between two named points, and on which conductor: for example, “open circuit on the cpc between socket 2 and socket 3”. A circuit name alone is not a location.

Is the fault bay different from my installation bay?

NET’s Top Tips video says the fault bay is exactly the same as your installation bay, so you will know how it is wired.

AM2 SECTION D

AM2 Section D: AM2 Section D — Fault Diagnosis + Rectification — 2 hours, type, location, rectification

Section D is a maximum of 2 hours, with 5 minutes to read and prepare, on every version of the AM2. From the fault symptom information the assessor gives you, you identify the fault in each circuit and record its type, its exact location, and how it could be rectified, including what you would do to prove the repair worked. NET’s video says the fault bay is wired the same as your installation bay.

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8 min readUpdated 2026-11-03Andrew Moore, Founder of Elec-Mate

Written and reviewed by Andrew Moore, founder of Elec-Mate, against BS 7671:2018+A4:2026, IET Guidance Note 3 and the IET On-Site Guide.

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Key takeaways

01Section D: 2 hours plus 5 minutes’ reading, on the AM2, AM2S and AM2S v1.
02NET’s fault types: short circuit, open circuit, high resistance, or misconnection.
03Location means exactly where: between which two points, and on which conductor.
04Rectification means how you would repair it, and how you would prove the repair worked.
05The fault bay is wired the same as your installation bay, so you know how it should be connected.
06NET does not publish how many faults are set or a pass mark: write up every fault fully.

01 · AM2 Section D

What Section D asks

NET: identify the fault in each circuit from the information provided by the assessor, then state and record, for each fault, the type (short or open circuit, high resistance, or misconnection), the specific location (between what two points and on which conductor), and how it could be rectified, with any additional work needed to prove it has been rectified. Before the section you also isolate the distribution board in your fault diagnosis bay, as Section C task 3.

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02 · AM2 Section D

The four fault types, and what they look like

Open circuit: a break in a conductor or a connection not made. Continuity across it reads open, and whatever is beyond it does not work (or, on a cpc, has no earth).
Short circuit: two conductors connected that should not be. Insulation resistance between them reads near zero.
High resistance: a poor connection or damaged conductor. Continuity reads higher than the cable length and size would give.
Misconnection: conductors connected to the wrong place, for example line and neutral reversed, or a ring wired as two radials. Polarity or ring continuity results show it.

03 · AM2 Section D

A method that finds the location

Read the symptom information and decide which fault types could cause it.
Isolate safely before any dead testing.
Choose the test that tells those types apart: continuity, insulation resistance or polarity.
Narrow it down between points, using the readings you would expect from the cable lengths and sizes.
Record the type, the two points and the conductor.
Record the repair, and the tests that would prove it (for example continuity and Zs after remaking a cpc).

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04 · AM2 Section D

NET’s common errors in Section D

Not identifying the fault correctly: the location must be specific, between point 1 and point 2. Would you rewire a whole circuit to replace one damaged length of cable?
Describing the type vaguely: describe it as you would to another electrician.
Not recording a correct method of rectification, or not saying how you would check the repair was successful.

05 · AM2 Section D

Study with Elec-Mate

Elec-Mate has a Section D fault-finding simulator and over twenty fault-finding walk-throughs checked against GN3 and BS 7671: isolate, choose the test, read the results, locate the fault and prove the repair. Not affiliated with or endorsed by NET.

Test yourselfTry the free AM2 mock examTimed, marked instantly, with an explanation on every question. No sign-up.

AM2 Section D — FAQ

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