Free BS 7671 (18th Edition) course for Amendment 4

What changed in Amendment 4

Checked 24 October 2026

Amendment 4 to BS 7671:2018 (the 18th Edition) was published on 15 April 2026. The previous text, BS 7671:2018+A2:2022 with the A3:2024 bolt-on, was withdrawn on 15 October 2026. Confirm the dates on the IET's Amendment 4 page.

The IET, EAL and BSI report new content for stationary batteries and for Power over Ethernet, revised wording on arc fault detection devices (AFDDs) and changes to the outcomes used on condition reports. For the exact requirements, read the amendment itself, which is sold by the IET and BSI. This page is a guide to what to study, not a copy of the Regulations.

Sources: IET, EAL and BSI. Some were written before the amendment was published, so check them against the current IET page.

Course 1: Wiring Regulations in Practice (14 modules)

Intermediate level, for electricians, supervisors, designers, inspectors and final-year electrical students. You should know Ohm's law, single and three-phase power and what a circuit breaker does. The modules are:

• How wiring regulations work: IEC 60364, BS 7671 and Amendment 4
• Fundamental principles, supply characteristics and earthing arrangements
• Protection against electric shock: ADS, disconnection times and Zs
• RCDs: additional protection, RCD types and leakage
• Overcurrent protection, fault current and selectivity
• Cable sizing: current-carrying capacity and correction factors
• Voltage drop, the Zs design check and the CPC thermal check
• Selection and erection: wiring systems, isolation, switching and bonding
• Fire and surge: thermal effects, AFDDs and SPDs
• Special locations and new technology: bathrooms, PV, EV charging, batteries and PoE
• Inspection and testing: initial verification step by step
• Certificates and condition reports: EIC, MEIWC and EICR coding
• IEC 60364 around the world, Gulf utility rules and a sub-main designed end to end
• Final assessment

Course 2: BS 7671 Inspection and Testing Essentials (8 modules)

Beginner to intermediate, for trainee electricians, maintenance staff and apprentices. It is not a substitute for City & Guilds 2391 or 2392 or for a competent person scheme. The modules are:

• BS 7671, the law and competence
• Safe isolation and GS38
• Dead tests: continuity of protective conductors and rings
• Dead tests: insulation resistance and polarity
• Live tests: Ze, Zs and prospective fault current
• RCD testing
• Certificates, EICR codes and test instruments
• Final assessment

Practise in the browser

The EDWartens Lab has free simulators that go with the courses. In the multimeter simulator you can take null-lead, R1+R2 and insulation readings, and in the electrical wiring simulator you can prove dead on a panel. The substation and MCC simulator lets you size a cable with correction factors, check the voltage drop and fault-find an EV charger.

These are practice. They are not a substitute for supervised work on real installations.

What this is not

• It is not the City & Guilds 2382 (18th Edition) qualification, or the 2391 and 2392 inspection and testing qualifications.
• It is not a licence to work as an electrician, and it is not registration with a competent person scheme.
• The courses and certificate are not accredited, and are not endorsed by the IET, BSI, NICEIC, EAL or City & Guilds.
• It is not a copy of BS 7671, which is copyright and sold by the IET and BSI.
• It does not replace supervised practical assessment.

The route to the qualification

Checked 24 October 2026

If you need the 18th Edition qualification, it is the City & Guilds 2382 course (the Amendment 4 version is 2382-26, per the City & Guilds handbook of April 2026), taken at a training provider and assessed by an open-book exam. In our check on 24 October 2026, online 18th Edition courses cost about £225 to £264. For example, one provider listed £225 including VAT and another £234 including the exam. Prices change, so check with the provider and budget for it.

Learning the content free first can make that course easier to follow. It does not replace it.

The optional £19 certificate

Learning, quizzes and each final exam are free. If you pass a final exam you can buy an EDWartens certificate of completion for £19 including VAT. It has a number and QR code that anyone can check at edwartens.co.uk/verify. It shows you completed the course and passed its exam. It is not a regulated qualification. How certificates work.

Working in Ireland?

BS 7671 is the UK standard. Irish installations are covered by ETCI rules, so treat the BS 7671 specifics here as UK-only. The IEC 60364 method taught in the first course is the common ground, but check with a qualified Irish electrician before you rely on it.

Related free courses

• Reading UK Electrical Drawings: BS EN 60617 symbols, IEC 81346 tags, schematics and panel layouts.
• Electrical Fundamentals for Technicians: the basics, with safe isolation and the multimeter.
• PUWER and UKCA: Machinery Safety for UK Engineers.