Journalism trainer Cleland Thom has published some hints for journalists taking their NCTJ NCE test tomorrow.
The NCE is a gruelling test of shorthand, writing ability and journalistic know-how – with a notoriously high failure rate. The pressure could hardly be greater because many of those who pass will get a backdated pay-rise as their reward.
Good luck everyone. My tip (learned after finally passing the NCE at the third attempt) is to not be afraid to take charge of the interview a little bit. If you don’t get down the killer quote first time, feel free to say to the interviewee ‘that’s really interesting, would you mind going through that again because I just want to make sure I get my facts right’. Mind you, don’t bank on them being accommodating.
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