Trainee Train Drivers (Talent Bank) - Avanti - Multiple Locations (02/10/22)

[Neatro]

Ah right okay.. didn’t realise it was listen to an audio and then get multiple choice sheet! That’s handy to know, thank you. I think out of them all that’s the one I’m least looking forward to. Feel fairly happy with the other tests.

The booklet comes with the multiple choice answer sheet to that part of the test if you've looked at that bit.

Either way looking at the booklet it seems like it's multiple choice so you've got a chance of getting the right answer

 

[TP113]

Can't believe it guys. Just got my positive email, I was successful. Completely took me by surprise as I was sure I'd messed up. I now just have to negotiate the assessment date as I can't do what they're suggesting, typical. Good luck all.

 

[AuraXB]

Can't believe it guys. Just got my positive email, I was successful. Completely took me by surprise as I was sure I'd messed up. I now just have to negotiate the assessment date as I can't do what they're suggesting, typical. Good luck all.

Congrats! Glad you finally got it.

 

[OldSwan16]

Hi All, received positive email today for Euston, deadline was 30th. They sent me list of tests, I though it will be:
• The Trainability for Rules and Procedures Test Part 1 and 2
• The Group Bourdon Concentration Test
• The Test of Everyday Attention for Occupational Assessment (TEA-Occ)

but it's actually:

• The WAFV Vigilance Exercise
• The ATAVT Perception Test
• The 2-Hand Co-ordination Test
• The Structured Interview (CBI)

Does anyone know why it is like that for me?

It’s because you have valid passes at the other assessments to Avanti’s enhanced standard. I’ve been told I only have to do the CBI. It may be worth you emailing the OCP and asking what you’ll be required to do on your assessment day

 

[MatthewLdn]

Can't believe it guys. Just got my positive email, I was successful. Completely took me by surprise as I was sure I'd messed up. I now just have to negotiate the assessment date as I can't do what they're suggesting, typical. Good luck all.

Congratulations! I’m still patiently waiting, just wish I could find out either way.

 

[Neatro]

Can't believe it guys. Just got my positive email, I was successful. Completely took me by surprise as I was sure I'd messed up. I now just have to negotiate the assessment date as I can't do what they're suggesting, typical. Good luck all.

Congratulations at least you finally got the reply you wanted.

 

[StaGuardDriver]

Thank you that all makes sense. Gonna start practising today.
Can you clarify that in the real test the dots aren’t inside grids

Well I’ve sat 6 (10-min) practice papers now. Always seem to get 10 lines done. Probably averaging 4 errors per test. Mostly 0 errors but on the odd section 2/3 missed. Hopefully they take an average over the 5 tests and not fail you overall for say 3 errors on one bit and 0 errors on the other 4.

 

[Sorcerer]

So despite my initial reservations relating to purchasing products with the train driver testing, I changed my mind and decided to invest in a test book by How2Become where I'll focus on the tests that were listed in the emails. However what I would like to know is what does the trainability for rules and procedures test consist of? Does part 1 consist of the multiple choice questions and memorising text, and does part 2 consist of the dials/fault finding test? I want to know what's expected so I can choose to focus on those tests specifically as well as the group bourdon test and the Tea-OCC test (which in this book consists of the telephone directory finding).

 

[Ex2215]

So despite my initial reservations relating to purchasing products with the train driver testing, I changed my mind and decided to invest in a test book by How2Become where I'll focus on the tests that were listed in the emails. However what I would like to know is what does the trainability for rules and procedures test consist of? Does part 1 consist of the multiple choice questions and memorising text, and does part 2 consist of the dials/fault finding test? I want to know what's expected so I can choose to focus on those tests specifically as well as the group bourdon test and the Tea-OCC test (which in this book consists of the telephone directory finding).

I think part one is the memory test and part 2 the dials. You get more time than you'd expect on Part 1, I was dreading it the most but found it to be the easiest on the day, you get a piece of paper to write on so get all the important info down and memorise it, then they take it off you.

Part 2 is very similar to the prep material they send although I believe the actual test is a little more complex with not only different shades but numbers too, there's some stuff on this forum somewhere with more detail.

 

[OldSwan16]

So despite my initial reservations relating to purchasing products with the train driver testing, I changed my mind and decided to invest in a test book by How2Become where I'll focus on the tests that were listed in the emails. However what I would like to know is what does the trainability for rules and procedures test consist of? Does part 1 consist of the multiple choice questions and memorising text, and does part 2 consist of the dials/fault finding test? I want to know what's expected so I can choose to focus on those tests specifically as well as the group bourdon test and the Tea-OCC test (which in this book consists of the telephone directory finding).

You can buy practise tests for the trainability for rules and procedures from the OCP website.

 

[Diesel1985]

Avanti has more in-depth tests with the M7/VSE than most TOCs do. The stage we're on atm is with TEA-OCC and group bourdon are standard tests for rail.

If you pass these with avanti to an enhanced mark but for some reason didn't progress further then as long as that TOC doesn't have any tests that avanti does then yes, you'd just have to do your MMI and DMI with said TOC.

That is for 5 years though, after 5 years you'd have to do them all again.

Also Avanti look for enhanced on tests but you can pass to a national standard which isnt a fail and some TOCs take standard marks too if that was another Avenue.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 9 Nov 2022 ==



Do you mean the passage read to you by audio and then you're having to answer questions on it?

Don't think they're asked aloud just a multiple choice answer sheet.

What id do with that is learn to pick out the important bits and memorise what their process is such as "partial headlight fault the other day/night beam must be used"

Therefore you can shorten that to memorise it easier as partial headlight fault = alternate day/night beam which will be easy to pick out of the multiple choices

Thank you. That's what I thought but got confused with all the advice out there

 

[Sorcerer]

I think part one is the memory test and part 2 the dials. You get more time than you'd expect on Part 1, I was dreading it the most but found it to be the easiest on the day, you get a piece of paper to write on so get all the important info down and memorise it, then they take it off you.

Part 2 is very similar to the prep material they send although I believe the actual test is a little more complex with not only different shades but numbers too, there's some stuff on this forum somewhere with more detail.

Thank you very much for this information. I will spend much time practising on the memorising part, because I did some group bourdon practice on 11 rows of 15 column samples timed for 2 minutes (though the book advises just 30 seconds), and shockingly I was able to complete them accurately to full marks in under 90 seconds. I almost think it's too good to be true though to be honest so I won't get too complacent on that one, but I definitely think the dots test will be a lot easier than I thought on paper.

 

[AverageJoe]

Although it is great to be prepared guys I would also be careful.

I only used the practice materials provided plus the group bourdon test on here when I was in your shoes a while back.

From what I observed everyone that went above and beyond to prepare for these test ended up investing so much into it mentally, emotionally and financially that come the day they didn’t get through.

All the ones on my course including myself were the ones that practiced an adequate amount but just took it in our stride and had a bit of a ‘well I’ll give it my best shot’ attitude.

I’m not saying don’t prepare, but I do think the practice materials are enough, along with the group bourdon tool.

I understand it’s a job of a lifetime for most of us, I still pinch myself, but I just feel it’s a shame that some seem to want it so much that they almost stress themselves to a fail.

Also you don’t want to reach a point that practice to the point you learn how to pass the test but then maybe don’t actually have the transferable skills to do the job well, that would possibly make the training and job itself a potential nightmare rather than the dream job you hoped for.

 

[Bigsej]

This

Although it is great to be prepared guys I would also be careful.

I only used the practice materials provided plus the group bourdon test on here when I was in your shoes a while back.

From what I observed everyone that went above and beyond to prepare for these test ended up investing so much into it mentally, emotionally and financially that come the day they didn’t get through.

All the ones on my course including myself were the ones that practiced an adequate amount but just took it in our stride and had a bit of a ‘well I’ll give it my best shot’ attitude.

I’m not saying don’t prepare, but I do think the practice materials are enough, along with the group bourdon tool.

I understand it’s a job of a lifetime for most of us, I still pinch myself, but I just feel it’s a shame that some seem to want it so much that they almost stress themselves to a fail.

Also you don’t want to reach a point that practice to the point you learn how to pass the test but then maybe don’t actually have the transferable skills to do the job well, that would possibly make the training and job itself a potential nightmare rather than the dream job you hoped for.

This is basically the approach I’m taking. Thanks for your reassurance.

 

[Sorcerer]

From what I observed everyone that went above and beyond to prepare for these test ended up investing so much into it mentally, emotionally and financially that come the day they didn’t get through.

All the ones on my course including myself were the ones that practiced an adequate amount but just took it in our stride and had a bit of a ‘well I’ll give it my best shot’ attitude.

I understand it’s a job of a lifetime for most of us, I still pinch myself, but I just feels it’s a shame that some seem to want it so much that they almost stress themselves to a fail.

What would you regard as an adequate amount? I for one will probably spend up to an hour per weekday practicing (with maybe extra time if I'm particularly struggling) with a different test each day. I won't be doing any practice on the day before though, and weekends will be days of no study. I don't want to overdo it because fatigue will end up setting in, but I want sufficient preparation so I can feel confident on the day so I won't panic or worry too much.

 

[rhys37429]

Received my email for Liverpool depot.

 

[Bigsej]

Received my email for Liverpool depot.

And?

 

[AverageJoe]

What would you regard as an adequate amount? I for one will probably spend up to an hour per weekday practicing (with maybe extra time if I'm particularly struggling) with a different test each day. I won't be doing any practice on the day before though, and weekends will be days of no study. I don't want to overdo it because fatigue will end up setting in, but I want sufficient preparation so I can feel confident on the day so I won't panic or worry too much.

The group bourdon I did 1 sheet each day for 1 week (the week before my test) then 2 nights before I did the full 5 sheets. That was it for that and it was just to train my eyes to recognise the 4 dots.

The other material I read through the instructions thoroughly, practiced it 2 times on different occasions and then 2 days before I thoroughly read the instructions again.

The practice material isn’t set out to help you pass, it’s set out to help you understand exactly what is expected of you for each test.

So on the day when I went into each test I wasn’t thinking ‘how did I pass this at home?’ I was thinking ‘ah this is where I need to be focused on memory, concentration, coordination and so on.

The idea of the practice material is so you are not caught of guard.

At least that’s how I saw it anyway, and again those in my class felt the same.

What I would prioritise is rest.

Do everything you can to turn up fresh and alert.

Rather than spend money on practice books spend it on a hotel next to the test centre the night before.

The smartest guy in the world will fail these tests if he isn’t well rested.

 

[Sorcerer]

The group bourdon I did 1 sheet each day for 1 week (the week before my test) then 2 nights before I did the full 5 sheets. That was it for that and it was just to train my eyes to recognise the 4 dots.

The other material I read through the instructions thoroughly, practiced it 2 times on different occasions and then 2 days before I thoroughly read the instructions again.

The practice material isn’t set out to help you pass, it’s set out to help you understand exactly what is expected of you for each test.

So on the day when I went into each test I wasn’t thinking ‘how did I pass this at home?’ I was thinking ‘ah this is where I need to be focused on memory, concentration, coordination and so on.

The idea of the practice material is so you are not caught of guard.

At least that’s how I saw it anyway, and again those in my class felt the same.

What I would prioritise is rest.

Do everything you can to turn up fresh and alert.

Rather than spend money on practice books spend it on a hotel next to the test centre the night before.

The smartest guy in the world will fail these tests if he isn’t well rested.

Thank you for your input!

 

[BlueMike26]

The group bourdon I did 1 sheet each day for 1 week (the week before my test) then 2 nights before I did the full 5 sheets. That was it for that and it was just to train my eyes to recognise the 4 dots.

The other material I read through the instructions thoroughly, practiced it 2 times on different occasions and then 2 days before I thoroughly read the instructions again.

The practice material isn’t set out to help you pass, it’s set out to help you understand exactly what is expected of you for each test.

So on the day when I went into each test I wasn’t thinking ‘how did I pass this at home?’ I was thinking ‘ah this is where I need to be focused on memory, concentration, coordination and so on.

The idea of the practice material is so you are not caught of guard.

At least that’s how I saw it anyway, and again those in my class felt the same.

What I would prioritise is rest.

Do everything you can to turn up fresh and alert.

Rather than spend money on practice books spend it on a hotel next to the test centre the night before.

The smartest guy in the world will fail these tests if he isn’t well rested.

As someone that just fell short in April on one of these tests, I can't agree more. My main issue was the timing of the tests and the condition I went in for them in.

This time I've got two days off work before I go, and I've booked a Travelodge nearby so I'm not up at the crack of dawn on the day travelling an hour and trying to find the place.

 

[Ex2215]

Although it is great to be prepared guys I would also be careful.

I only used the practice materials provided plus the group bourdon test on here when I was in your shoes a while back.

From what I observed everyone that went above and beyond to prepare for these test ended up investing so much into it mentally, emotionally and financially that come the day they didn’t get through.

All the ones on my course including myself were the ones that practiced an adequate amount but just took it in our stride and had a bit of a ‘well I’ll give it my best shot’ attitude.

I’m not saying don’t prepare, but I do think the practice materials are enough, along with the group bourdon tool.

I understand it’s a job of a lifetime for most of us, I still pinch myself, but I just feel it’s a shame that some seem to want it so much that they almost stress themselves to a fail.

Also you don’t want to reach a point that practice to the point you learn how to pass the test but then maybe don’t actually have the transferable skills to do the job well, that would possibly make the training and job itself a potential nightmare rather than the dream job you hoped for.

I can see where your coming from but if you can pass to national standard then you are deemed to have the required skills for the job. If companies are going to ask for enhanced pass marks and you're only at national standard level without putting the practice then surely if you put the practice in to get enhanced wouldn't mean that you'd struggle with the training.

 

[AverageJoe]

I can see where your coming from but if you can pass to national standard then you are deemed to have the required skills for the job. If companies are going to ask for enhanced pass marks and you're only at national standard level without putting the practice then surely if you put the practice in to get enhanced wouldn't mean that you'd struggle with the training.

I passed to enhance standard.

I was referring to pass and fail rather than the standard of pass.

But my thoughts on the preparation remain the same.

I’m saying this to help people not discourage them.

 

[TP113]

Congrats! Glad you finally got it.

Thank you

 

[Neatro]

I can see where your coming from but if you can pass to national standard then you are deemed to have the required skills for the job. If companies are going to ask for enhanced pass marks and you're only at national standard level without putting the practice then surely if you put the practice in to get enhanced wouldn't mean that you'd struggle with the training.

I think he's more saying that trying to hard and studying continuously to pass an assessment doesn't mean you're fit for the job. It means you know how to answer the tests infront of you.

The tests are designed to find the best fit for the job. That's why they give you the booklet so you're not caught off guard but the practice tests and the actual tests are different so you don't know fully how to pass them

 

[Chippychips]

I have a question that just dawned on me... hopefully someone can answer.

Is it possible to sit these tests and still pass to enhanced standard, but not pass to Avanti’s enhanced standard?

I.e. [speculatively] say you scored 80% which is enhanced to most TOCs, but Avanti need a score of 90%?

 

[Sorcerer]

Just wanted to make a little post to give a little tip for those due to take the Trainability For Rules And Procedures Part 1. Take notes! I can say with some confidence that taking notes of the excerpt that I read in a few practice test in a book helped me score 10/14 on two occasions and 12/14 on another occasion. Not perfect, but just around an 80% and 90% pass mark. With a bit more practice I should be table to increase my memorising ability. The trouble now is to find me enough practice material to actually train my memory instead of focusing on the same question all the time, as well as train myself to read faster so I can take enough meaningful notes. But definitely take notes regardless folks! It's been a good help for me so far compared to just trying to remember off by heart.

 

[karl grindrod]

I took these tests for another TOC a couple of weeks back and passed. Am I allowed to take these tests too or does the 6 month rule apply to how many times you can take the tests even if it is a pass?

 

[Sheridan]

I have a question that just dawned on me... hopefully someone can answer.

Is it possible to sit these tests and still pass to enhanced standard, but not pass to Avanti’s enhanced standard?

I.e. [speculatively] say you scored 80% which is enhanced to most TOCs, but Avanti need a score of 90%?

There is no ‘enhanced standard’, there is only what individual TOCs require above the national standard. So yes, if Avanti require a higher standard than other TOCs, then of course you could fail with Avanti while meeting the standard of another TOC which is above the national standard but lower than Avanti.

 

[Efini92]

I think part one is the memory test and part 2 the dials. You get more time than you'd expect on Part 1, I was dreading it the most but found it to be the easiest on the day, you get a piece of paper to write on so get all the important info down and memorise it, then they take it off you.

Part 2 is very similar to the prep material they send although I believe the actual test is a little more complex with not only different shades but numbers too, there's some stuff on this forum somewhere with more detail.

Is the memory test still the one about GLOP?
I found instead of reading the passage at the start. Go straight to the questions then look for the answers in the text.

 

[Shunted]

Is the memory test still the one about GLOP?
I found instead of reading the passage at the start. Go straight to the questions then look for the answers in the text.

You get the questions after the audio has finished and the text and any notes you have made has been removed.