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Avanti - Trainee Train Drivers - Recruitment Discussion

jamziig

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9 Apr 2026
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43
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london
This is great advice. If I remember correctly, you'll also need to do the tones test whilst looking through a directory for matching shapes. If you can get a pack of cards and and search for pairs whilst listening for the tones, this will give you an idea of the actual test.
I am using this while listing to tone, but sometime while doing this easy to forgot the tone count, btw anyone who long the tone and search test is?

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Hi! Since you honour me by asking directly, I think the best advice comes from the author of the post below, with the caveat that as far as I know he doesn't work for Avanti. That said, it'll be more similar than different: I wouldn't want to give you the wrong info and I stand to be corrected but I think they do CBI instead of MMI and WCT instead of DFFT but apart from that it's the same deal.

Many others have said things that I think are valid (because they worked for me), including avoid caffeine and (of course) alcohol, eat a banana, and practice with brain training such as Lumosity. I wish you the best of everything with it most sincerely!
Sorry just another how long are the passage, a page full or shorter?
 
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Zugaga

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2 Mar 2026
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Surrey
I am using this while listing to tone, but sometime while doing this easy to forgot the tone count, btw anyone who long the tone and search test is?

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Sorry just another how long are the passage, a page full or shorter?
Ohhh...Kay.
Since you're quoting my post I guess you're asking me, but about the TEA OCC so I will reply on that basis. Ignore me if I have any part of that wrong.

What they are looking for is people who can find something specific and ignore irrelevant information in the visual plane while simultaneously paying attention to very much relevant information in his/her ears. The test makes it as close to everyday life as possible, hence the spurious phone book stuff.
 

jamziig

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9 Apr 2026
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43
Location
london
I have my assessment day tomorrow what can I expect on the day to happen
Group bourdon 4 dots/ low tone and high tone/ search your symbols on the dictionary on a3 page whole counting tone/ thn TRP ( memory test ) you will have to ready and make notes then answer 18 question, 4 disc with colour and arrow and u have prioritise which come first in a multiple-choice questions , this is what I know soo far, my test on 30th April

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I have my assessment day tomorrow what can I expect on the day to happen
How was your assessment, mine is tomrrow
 
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Mikatsum

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28 Sep 2025
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Location
London
Anyone who’s done the CBI, what questions do they ask? I’m practising but seeing some actual questions will make me feel more confident about what to expect.
 

rail graft

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8 Apr 2026
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Location
London
done stage 1 of my face to face assessment today consisted of the group bourdon, trp1 trp2 and the tea-occ, felt like all went well/okay but not feeling confident about the low tone high tone part of the assessment at first it was straight forward in counting the low tones but as it went on it was hard to keep track of how many low tones as it was so fast, any idea on how strict they are with the marking because I dont feel too confident about my mark

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done stage 1 of my face to face assessment today consisted of the group bourdon, trp1 trp2 and the tea-occ, felt like all went well/okay but not feeling confident about the low tone high tone part of the assessment at first it was straight forward in counting the low tones but as it went on it was hard to keep track of how many low tones as it was so fast, any idea on how strict they are with the marking because I dont feel too confident about my mark
saying that, TEA-OCC was split into 3 subtests, subtest 1 : counting the low tones, whilst both low tones and high tones are being played on a speaker (the one I feel I struggled in), subtest 2 the searching for the symbols, you have 45 seconds to search through a directory book to find the matching symbols, subtest 3 counting low tones (only low tones playing no high tones in this part), whilst searching through the directory book for matching symbols) so im unsure the impact of being weaker in one subtest has if you have somewhat performed in the other 2 subtests, anyone care to share their thoughts?
 
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hopetorail

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16 Feb 2026
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Location
London
I saw a post on a thread here that for the phone directory task to just look for the double symbols and you don't need to worry about the numbers. It was dated 2020. Is this info still accurate? Also any links to similar exercises?
 

rail graft

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8 Apr 2026
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London
I saw a post on a thread here that for the phone directory task to just look for the double symbols and you don't need to worry about the numbers. It was dated 2020. Is this info still accurate? Also any links to similar exercises?
yes exactly that the assessor will give you a sheet of the symbol pairs your looking for you dont need to worry about numbers names or anything else apart from those double symbols

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hopetorail

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16 Feb 2026
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London
yes exactly that the assessor will give you a sheet of the symbol pairs your looking for you dont need to worry about numbers names or anything else apart from those double symbols

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Thanks for the response. Do you have any example exercises or a link I could use?
 

hopetorail

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16 Feb 2026
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London
I know I'll be fortunate to even start training but I wanted to clarify something. Even if your depot is in London, is the 16 week (4 month) training in Crewe or Scotland? Or is there a London option?
 

Hinata Shoyo

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19 Feb 2022
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London
I know I'll be fortunate to even start training but I wanted to clarify something. Even if your depot is in London, is the 16 week (4 month) training in Crewe or Scotland? Or is there a London option?
Yeah training is either in Crewe or Polmadie. I was lucky and got based in Crewe for my training but some other drivers at the depot got sent to Polmadie so it's a case of whatever location you're given. You travel on the Sundays to your hotel for the week and leave on the Fridays.
 

hopetorail

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16 Feb 2026
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Finished stage 1 of OPC assessment earlsir today. Will update if I hear anything. Best of luck to all.

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Yeah training is either in Crewe or Polmadie. I was lucky and got based in Crewe for my training but some other drivers at the depot got sent to Polmadie so it's a case of whatever location you're given. You travel on the Sundays to your hotel for the week and leave on the Fridays.
Thank you for the reply. Very informative. I definitely feel that any place is better than no place, just have to get to that stage first. Thanks again.
 

daiyansunny

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Joined
2 May 2026
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Location
London
I’ve got my in-person assessment coming up, for the Trainee Train Driver role for Euston. Is this the final part of the testing or is there one more stage after that? Has anyone done this assessment recently and do they have any tips or insights?

If I do get accepted to the role, is anyone else here in the Euston talent pool and if so how long have they been waiting or how long did they wait till they got an offer?

Do they conduct the training in London or is it elsewhere?
 

Sorcerer

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20 May 2022
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2,043
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Liverpool
I’ve got my in-person assessment coming up, for the Trainee Train Driver role for Euston. Is this the final part of the testing or is there one more stage after that? Has anyone done this assessment recently and do they have any tips or insights?
There will be two in-person assessments. Stage 1 is paper-based with the likes of the Group Bourdon and Tea-OCC test, and Stage 2 is computer-based with the likes of the ATAVT and Grey Square test. For now I would worry about the former. You can find some practice material online, especially the Group Bourdon which is arguably among the most trainable because you learn to spot four dot patterns.

If I do get accepted to the role, is anyone else here in the Euston talent pool and if so how long have they been waiting or how long did they wait till they got an offer?
Talent pools are varied and I'm not sure anyone really knows how they determine who gets a course. Some people wait years, others get it in months. Some say it's first-come-first-served, others say it's points-based on the assessment scores and interviews. All I can confidently advise is that you be potentially prepared to wait longer than you might want to.

Do they conduct the training in London or is it elsewhere?
The first 16 weeks are either in Crewe or Polmadie (Glasgow), and I don't think there is a method for deciding. For anyone who might not like the idea, just remember that it's all paid and sorted by the TOC, and look at it as merely a short-term investment into your career. Train driving is quite often a high-paid job for life, so it's quite a non-brainer in that sense.
 

hb129

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19 May 2020
Messages
5
Location
LDN
I’ve got my in-person assessment coming up, for the Trainee Train Driver role for Euston. Is this the final part of the testing or is there one more stage after that? Has anyone done this assessment recently and do they have any tips or insights?

If I do get accepted to the role, is anyone else here in the Euston talent pool and if so how long have they been waiting or how long did they wait till they got an offer?

Do they conduct the training in London or is it elsewhere?
The stages for the application process are here:

https://www.avantiwestcoast.co.uk/about-us/careers/train-driver-recruitment

From what people have said here, it can take about 3 years from application to start date, though it can be quicker.

Training is carried out in Crewe or Polmadie, weekday accommodation is provided.

Can I ask the date when you completed your M7SJT, the date you heard back, and the date of the assessment? I'm still waiting to hear back about my M7SJT which I completed in the afternoon of the deadline day
 

daiyansunny

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Joined
2 May 2026
Messages
5
Location
London
The stages for the application process are here:

https://www.avantiwestcoast.co.uk/about-us/careers/train-driver-recruitment

From what people have said here, it can take about 3 years from application to start date, though it can be quicker.

Training is carried out in Crewe or Polmadie, weekday accommodation is provided.

Can I ask the date when you completed your M7SJT, the date you heard back, and the date of the assessment? I'm still waiting to hear back about my M7SJT which I completed in the afternoon of the deadline day

Okay thank you for the info, and yeah I completed the M7SJT by 15/04 which was the deadline, it took about 2 weeks to hear back from them, I got the email saying I’ve passed to the next stage on 29/04

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There will be two in-person assessments. Stage 1 is paper-based with the likes of the Group Bourdon and Tea-OCC test, and Stage 2 is computer-based with the likes of the ATAVT and Grey Square test. For now I would worry about the former. You can find some practice material online, especially the Group Bourdon which is arguably among the most trainable because you learn to spot four dot patterns.


Talent pools are varied and I'm not sure anyone really knows how they determine who gets a course. Some people wait years, others get it in months. Some say it's first-come-first-served, others say it's points-based on the assessment scores and interviews. All I can confidently advise is that you be potentially prepared to wait longer than you might want to.


The first 16 weeks are either in Crewe or Polmadie (Glasgow), and I don't think there is a method for deciding. For anyone who might not like the idea, just remember that it's all paid and sorted by the TOC, and look at it as merely a short-term investment into your career. Train driving is quite often a high-paid job for life, so it's quite a non-brainer in that sense.
So the stage 2 of the assessment will be on a different day?

Yeah I’ve gone through the thread and it seems like people are waiting a couple of years at a minimum but I’m just wondering whether Euston is different since it’s London
 

Sorcerer

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So the stage 2 of the assessment will be on a different day?

Yeah I’ve gone through the thread and it seems like people are waiting a couple of years at a minimum but I’m just wondering whether Euston is different since it’s London
Yes, Stage 2 is on a different day if you pass Stage 1, usually at the OPC centre in Watford. As for Euston depot specifically, you might not wait as long since it's the largest depot with the most recruitment. It had one trainee drive in October 2022, another in February 2023, and now this one from February 2026. In that time it's also had a few qualified driver positions as well. It's definitely the most frequent in terms of vacancies, but nothing is guaranteed.
 

nasontherails

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5 Sep 2025
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London
I got invited to the assessment centre in Watford in a couple weeks for the Euston Talent Pool.. passed all the assessments with South Eastern already, unfortunately fell short at the DMI... will be interested to see how different the enhanced tests are. Either way i'm excited for the opportunity.
 

jamziig

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9 Apr 2026
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london
I got invited to the assessment centre in Watford in a couple weeks for the Euston Talent Pool.. passed all the assessments with South Eastern already, unfortunately fell short at the DMI... will be interested to see how different the enhanced tests are. Either way i'm excited for the opportunity.
If u fail these appar
I got invited to the assessment centre in Watford in a couple weeks for the Euston Talent Pool.. passed all the assessments with South Eastern already, unfortunately fell short at the DMI... will be interested to see how different the enhanced tests are. Either way i'm excited for the opportunity.
btw if u fail these test the one u passed before wil become fail too,
 

malaika10

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5 May 2026
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9
Location
london
any one can help regarding to vse. Dont know much about it but with the 2023 replies can see they got a practice pdf, if anyone still have it by any chance and can share it or any type of tips would be super helpful. Thank you....
 

Mikatsum

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Joined
28 Sep 2025
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5
Location
London
Anyone have any advice for the CBI? What kind of questions should I expect? I know I should use real examples and to use the STAR method but I’m nervous and just looking for some kind of guidance. Thanks
 

hopetorail

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16 Feb 2026
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London
Hi, I haven't yet heard anything for since I sat OPC stage 1 but can anyone share any useful practice material for stage 2 (computer tests)? I think it would help the fortunate few who might progress.
 

hopetorail

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16 Feb 2026
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Congratulations, best of luck. Did they send you practice material (including for the MMI) and what date did you select?
 

jamziig

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9 Apr 2026
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43
Location
london
Congratulations, best of luck. Did they send you practice material (including for the MMI) and what date did you select?
They gave me 20th, but I going to speak email if thy have 21th, thy gave me this one, but I going to code some software to help me with stage 2,

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Congratulations, best of luck. Did they send you practice material (including for the MMI) and what date did you select?
MMI I have,check the last 3 pages
 

hopetorail

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16 Feb 2026
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London
Hi all, I just got invited for stage 2 of the OPC Assessment (Euston 26). I sat stage 1 on 1st May. Stage 2 will be on 22nd May.

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They gave me 20th, but I going to speak email if thy have 21th, thy gave me this one, but I going to code some software to help me with stage 2,

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MMI I have,check the last 3 pages
Thank you for the response amd best of luck.
 

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