NEBOSH General Certificate Update: New Assessments, Deadlines & Transition Explained

Planning of starting the NEBOSH General certificate or have already enrolled then the upcoming changes in 2026 are the most important things that the learner need to understand earlier. Course updates may sound difficult, but here in this case, all the changes are designed to simplify the life of the learners. NEBOSH is one of the globally recognized qualification which has set the high standards in health, safety and environmental qualification. To make sure that the standards cope with the modern workplace demands, NEBOSH do regular reviews on its qualifications and assessments methods. These reviews are not for disrupting the learning journey of the learners but about making the assessments clearer, fairer,and more transparent.

From 2026, the NEBOSH General Certificate will initiate essential updates to assessments processes and administration. Meanwhile, the core syllabus and the learning outcome will remain unchanged. Here in this blog, we will break down the key updates to the NEBOSH General Certificate, which includes the changes that have done in the exams and practical assessments, revised result timelines, transition rules, and critical dates. Whether you are an aspiring health and safety professional, a training partner, or a current learner, this blog will help you to understand what are all the main changes and how to plan accordingly.

The decision to update the NEBOSH General Certificate was not made easily. It has been done with the proper feedback from the learners, training providers, and employers. The feedback was so clear that it worked well with the syllabus itself. The learners value this qualification and recommend it highly, and the employees are also having a consistent trust as it is a benchmark for health and safety competence.

Rather than changing the syllabus, NEBOSH focused on improvising the assessments process. The major primary objective of the updates is to:

• Make sure that the Assessment requirements are easier to understand.

• Improve consistency and transparency in marking.

• Give the learner more clearer, and more informative feedback.

• Simplify administration and results reporting.

All these improvements help the qualification stay credible, relevant, and accessible.While maintaining its position as one of the world’s most respected entry- level health and safety qualifications.

The overall structure of the NEBOSH General Certificate remains constant. It still comprises two units:

• Unit 1 – This is a 24-hour scenario based assessments which makes the learners to apply their health and safety knowledge to real life workplace situations.

• Unit 2 – This is an practical assessments which makes the learners to identify hazards and manage risks and recommend suitable control measures for their own workplace.

What’s important here is to know that the core syllabus remains constant. The learner will continue to learn the same key topics, such as risk management, hazard control, and health and safety management systems, and incident investigation. All these focus on how the assessments are managed and marked fairly and not on introducing new or more conflict content.

To enhance the clarity, NEBOSH has ungraded the unit codes that is used for the General Certicifate.

The major change that came in 2026 mainly affects the unit – 2 the practical risk assessment.

 What’s new? 

• Online submission – Just like the unit 1, the unit 2 also will be submitted through the NEBOSH online platform.

• Points-based marking – The previous Met / Not Met grading will be replaced by a clear scoring system.

• Fixed pass mark – Learner should score at least of 60% to get pass through Unit 2.

• Detailed feedback – All the learners will receive a proper mark breakdown showing where they did well and where they need improvement.

 Why this matters ?

Beforehand, the learners will only be able to know only the results of whether they have failed or passed in Unit 2, Which makes the learners feel confused about where they have made the mistake. This new approach:

• Makes the assessments expectations clearer.

• Enhances the transparency how their work is marked.

• Helps the learners to understand how their performance is assessed.

• Supports learning and improvement, even after the assessment

Overall, this update reflects the best practice and creates a fairer, more supportive assessment experience.

One more positive update is that how the results are released.

Under the new system:

• Results on both the units are released on the same day.

• Learners will get their full qualification results around 60 working days after the Unit 1 assessment.

This appropriate timeline makes it easier for the learners to plan the next steps accordingly, whether that’s applying for jobs, discussing outcomes with employers, or progressing to further qualification.

The learner should have a proper understanding of the transition timeline, which is essential for effective planning.

• 7 January 2026 – NEBOSH publicly announced the planned updates (today).

• 2 February 2026 – The teaching starts on the revised syllabus.

• 4 March 2026 – The first assessments begin using the updated syllabus and new unit 2 assessments format.

• 6 August 2026 – Final opportunity to complete assessments under the current syllabus (October 2018 specification).

Knowing all these dates earlier will help the learner decide whether to complete this qualification under the current format or move to the updated version with confidence.

This 2026 update on the NEBOSH General Certificate aligns with what already works, which makes the things fairer, and clearer for the learners. By working on the development on how the assessments are marked, how the feedbacks are given, and how the results are shared; through all these updates NEBOSH has made an already respected qualification even more stronger.

With a bit of proper planning, learners can use these changes as their advantage. Knowing the new timelines and transition rules early helps reduce stress and allows you to approach your assessments with confidence; setting you up for a smoother and more successful learning journey.