SWR - Trainee Driver - Recruitment Discussion

[Avoidz]

All moved fairly quick then in comparison to other TOC’s.

I know fellow people on my assessment also got around 25-30 in their assessment for the TRP 2 but whether they passed or not i was already gone before they were called in should they have not made it (Which i hope they did)

Mine was over 4 gauges which was prioritising Heat, Oil, Lights and Air but had numbers on the dials which is what threw me off.

I did the assessment back in mid July so believe 6 months till I can reapply again and then a further 6 months I can be brought back in.

The time i applied for SWR i also applied for GWR in Fratton but GWR are a much slower TOC going by how fellow members have put things. I recently got invited to complete a video interview and need to do that before 9th August but I’m humming and hurring whether to do this knowing that should i even pass that it’ll then move onto the Psychometric tests where they’ll then see on the data of my most recent Fail with SWR but maybe i should just go ahead with it seeing as GWR are a lot slower at processing Trainee Train drivers and come the next stage i could be past the 12 months and have nothing to lose

Honestly the easiest way to explain this would be to first prioritise the colours even tho it says heat oil air and so on but it’s just easier for you to prioritise it as colours, so light blue, dark blue and so on. Next would be the numbers and that’s fairly straight forward as low numbers take priority over higher numbers for example 5 would go first over 6 or 7. I hope this helps.

 

[Twin82]

When I did it I totally froze, then everything suddenly came back. I don't remember much but your response sort of reminded me of the test. Correct me if I'm wrong. Isn't the heat oil air etc their way of saying A, B, C, D? Sounds spot on prioritising colours from light blue to dark blue, then focussing on the numbers like you said, from small to large. It's the same concept in the practice materials, just a tweak to the information given. You got to understand the instruction properly.

 

[jakechamberlai]

When I did it I totally froze, then everything suddenly came back. I don't remember much but your response sort of reminded me of the test. Correct me if I'm wrong. Isn't the heat oil air etc their way of saying A, B, C, D? Sounds spot on prioritising colours from light blue to dark blue, then focussing on the numbers like you said, from small to large. It's the same concept in the practice materials, just a tweak to the information given. You got to understand the instruction properly.

Exactly the same. And even looking back at it i still can’t get my head round it.

Every time I’ve searched for examples I’ve been fine at getting the concept of them but what I haven’t found is a more closer similarity to what’s given on the day.

Obviously it was to prioritise Heat, Oil, Lights and air. So there was 4 gauges. I can’t quite remember what their colours were on the papers on the actual test.

Do you remember the actual sequence it went?

 

[Twin82]

Exactly the same. And even looking back at it i still can’t get my head round it.

Every time I’ve searched for examples I’ve been fine at getting the concept of them but what I haven’t found is a more closer similarity to what’s given on the day.

Obviously it was to prioritise Heat, Oil, Lights and air. So there was 4 gauges. I can’t quite remember what their colours were on the papers on the actual test.

Do you remember the actual sequence it went?

Sorry bud. Wish I could help more. But maybe you're overthinking it too much? If I can remember correctly ( and not 100% sure), you just have to prioritize the colours first and the gauge numbers second. Anything else isn't priority. I don't think the oil, lights, etc are something that needs to be addressed. I remember it being for example, they say oil instead of saying A, light instead of saying B, so one answer would look like oil lights air and gas, and a different answer would be maybe gas oil air lights. It's just replacing ABCD. You won't get any material like for like. Practise prioritising the colours, then gauge mark, then numbers.

 

[Avoidz]

Sorry bud. Wish I could help more. But maybe you're overthinking it too much? If I can remember correctly ( and not 100% sure), you just have to prioritize the colours first and the gauge numbers second. Anything else isn't priority. I don't think the oil, lights, etc are something that needs to be addressed. I remember it being for example, they say oil instead of saying A, light instead of saying B, so one answer would look like oil lights air and gas, and a different answer would be maybe gas oil air lights. It's just replacing ABCD. You won't get any material like for like. Practise prioritising the colours, then gauge mark, then numbers.

Yeah pretty much what he said don’t overthink it, it’s fairly straight forward as long you understand the rules and what to prioritise that’s all that matters then of course it’s accuracy over speed just like any test when it comes to train drivers.

 

[jakechamberlai]

Exactly the same. And even looking back at it i still can’t get my head round it.

Every time I’ve searched for examples I’ve been fine at getting the concept of them but what I haven’t found is a more closer similarity to what’s given on the day.

Obviously it was to prioritise Heat, Oil, Lights and air. So there was 4 gauges. I can’t quite remember what their colours were on the papers on the actual test.

Do you remember the actual sequence it we

Yeah pretty much what he said don’t overthink it, it’s fairly straight forward as long you understand the rules and what to prioritise that’s all that matters then of course it’s accuracy over speed just like any test when it comes to train drivers.

Yeah I think you’re both right.

I’ll move on and hope for the best next time round should this be offered.

Thanks guys @Avoidz @Twin82

 

[the_bear]

Got my day one paper tests next week. Been practicing and struggling with the group bourdon test. I’m only managing about 8 lines on each page with 2 total omissions. From looking at the other threads on here I’m quite far behind what others are achieving. Hoping I’ll be able to up my game a little bit before the day!

 

[jakechamberlai]

Got my day one paper tests next week. Been practicing and struggling with the group bourdon test. I’m only managing about 8 lines on each page with 2 total omissions. From looking at the other threads on here I’m quite far behind what others are achieving. Hoping I’ll be able to up my game a little bit before the day!

Hiya there,

Believe it or not I think you may find the Group bourdon test to be a lot smoother than you may think.

I’ve recently just done my stage 1 assessment which i failed. I failed the TRP 2 where you have to pass the Group Bourdon to reach this. More to the point I’m saying this is because if I’m able to do this then you will walk straight through it with no issue.

I’ll attach the link below which is the exact same as the Group bourdon you do on the day. Except the only difference here is this is practiced on computer/mobile device whereas the test itself is paper practical.

Self-Improvement, Personal Development, Success

Self-improvement, personal development, success, all about improving yourself and improving world

metodorf.com

I hope this works well for you and good luck!

 

[the_bear]

Hiya there,

Believe it or not I think you may find the Group bourdon test to be a lot smoother than you may think.

I’ve recently just done my stage 1 assessment which i failed. I failed the TRP 2 where you have to pass the Group Bourdon to reach this. More to the point I’m saying this is because if I’m able to do this then you will walk straight through it with no issue.

I’ll attach the link below which is the exact same as the Group bourdon you do on the day. Except the only difference here is this is practiced on computer/mobile device whereas the test itself is paper practical.

Self-Improvement, Personal Development, Success

Self-improvement, personal development, success, all about improving yourself and improving world

metodorf.com

I hope this works well for you and good luck!

Cheers mate appreciate this. Ah sorry to hear it didn’t work out for you this time round. You’ll know what to expect for next time though and breeze it!

 

[Avoidz]

Got my day one paper tests next week. Been practicing and struggling with the group bourdon test. I’m only managing about 8 lines on each page with 2 total omissions. From looking at the other threads on here I’m quite far behind what others are achieving. Hoping I’ll be able to up my game a little bit before the day!

8 lines is good enough speed I believe you just need to focus on getting rid of any mistakes like those 2 omissions you’ve mentioned. When I went for stage 1 which is paper tests we had one person who missed an entire line on the group bourdon and he still passed so I wouldn’t stress about it. Make sure you print the group bourdon test on paper as doing it computer is different speed you’ll want to do this on paper to get the right tempo for it.

 

[jakechamberlai]

Cheers mate appreciate this. Ah sorry to hear it didn’t work out for you this time round. You’ll know what to expect for next time though and breeze it!

No worries mate.

Feel free to keep me updated on how you get on. And maybe you’ll have a way of narrowing down the TRP 2 to me that’ll help me get a better way understanding it

 

[TrainEnthusia]

Thanks for the advice here. As answered to me the Bordon is dots, not letters like the practice material they provided.

I have passed paper and PC assessments now. I await a DMI, how long have people here been waiting between these 2 phases out of interest?

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Honestly the easiest way to explain this would be to first prioritise the colours even tho it says heat oil air and so on but it’s just easier for you to prioritise it as colours, so light blue, dark blue and so on. Next would be the numbers and that’s fairly straight forward as low numbers take priority over higher numbers for example 5 would go first over 6 or 7. I hope this helps.

Exactly this for those struggling. Colours to quickly glance and work out the lowest. Then lowest number if more than one in same colour.

Write down the letters on the paper next to you so you dont get muddled as you go. I did about 23 out of the 43 and passed. In the 20's seem to be the sweet spot.

 

[the_bear]

No worries mate.

Feel free to keep me updated on how you get on. And maybe you’ll have a way of narrowing down the TRP 2 to me that’ll help me get a better way understanding it

Will do mate. Hopefully I get that far into the day!

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 7 Aug 2026 ==

8 lines is good enough speed I believe you just need to focus on getting rid of any mistakes like those 2 omissions you’ve mentioned. When I went for stage 1 which is paper tests we had one person who missed an entire line on the group bourdon and he still passed so I wouldn’t stress about it. Make sure you print the group bourdon test on paper as doing it computer is different speed you’ll want to do this on paper to get the right tempo for it.

Cheers for that. I’m practicing everyday so hopefully I’ll get the hang of it by next week!

 

[dilwar04]

Exactly the same. And even looking back at it i still can’t get my head round it.

Every time I’ve searched for examples I’ve been fine at getting the concept of them but what I haven’t found is a more closer similarity to what’s given on the day.

Obviously it was to prioritise Heat, Oil, Lights and air. So there was 4 gauges. I can’t quite remember what their colours were on the papers on the actual test.

Do you remember the actual sequence it went?

Thanks for the advice here. As answered to me the Bordon is dots, not letters like the practice material they provided.

I have passed paper and PC assessments now. I await a DMI, how long have people here been waiting between these 2 phases out of interest?

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 7 Aug 2026 ==


Exactly this for those struggling. Colours to quickly glance and work out the lowest. Then lowest number if more than one in same colour.

Write down the letters on the paper next to you so you dont get muddled as you go. I did about 23 out of the 43 and passed. In the 20's seem to be the sweet spot.

I’m not gonna lie. I struggled and needed it explained a few times. Everybody else understood so the invigilator could only give me a minute extra to understand it. All of a sudden it clicked.

I got around 32/40s but I thought since other people understood it quicker they’d get more but that wasn’t the case. Other people got up to question 26 or some same as me. But it’s not about how quick u understood things it’s about making sure you understand it. So don’t rush at these tests

For me I’m on MMI STAGE waiting. Just did DMI Last month

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 7 Aug 2026 ==

Anyone got their MMI Anytime soon. Let me know

 

[Avoidz]

Thanks for the advice here. As answered to me the Bordon is dots, not letters like the practice material they provided.

I have passed paper and PC assessments now. I await a DMI, how long have people here been waiting between these 2 phases out of interest?

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 7 Aug 2026 ==


Exactly this for those struggling. Colours to quickly glance and work out the lowest. Then lowest number if more than one in same colour.

Write down the letters on the paper next to you so you dont get muddled as you go. I did about 23 out of the 43 and passed. In the 20's seem to be the sweet spot.

Depends on the depot you’ve applied to since every depot has a talent pool and it all just comes down to where you are in that talent pool. Congrats on making it this far and hopefully you go all the way that being said since you are this far along I’d imagine the depot you applied to there aren’t that many people ahead of you. I had to wait little over month for DMI after the computer and paper assessments and same amount of time for MMI.

 

[dilwar04]

Hi guys, I just passed my DMI interview last week was very intense to be completely honest with you guys, had two driver mangers ask me around about 12 questions all together, if you are going for a DMI interview be well prepared and use the STAR technique as all questions I answered I used STAR which allowed me to pass, now I’m just waiting for the MMI interview, would anyone know how long till I get the interview and what questions are going to be asked, and how I should structure each question

Hi mate. Are you still awaiting MMI. did the Recruiment say anything yet or how long you’d be waiting

 

[Avoidz]

I’ve had MMI already but my wait after DMI was 7 weeks. Just like anyone I did call up after DMI and they don’t really give much information other than where you are in the queue and that you’ll eventually get an interview.

 

[dilwar04]

I’ve had MMI already but my wait after DMI was 7 weeks. Just like anyone I did call up after DMI and they don’t really give much information other than where you are in the queue and that you’ll eventually get an interview.

Who was it with

 

[Avoidz]

Who was it with

Who was what with? If you mean MMI then SWR.

 

[dilwar04]

Who was what with? If you mean MMI then SWR.

Yeah your MMI , I’ve got mine coming soon. Done my DMI last month. Just don’t know how to prepare

 

[Avoidz]

Yeah your MMI , I’ve got mine coming soon. Done my DMI last month. Just don’t know how to prepare

You’ll find those standard 6 questions on this forum tbh it’s full of knowledge that’ll be pretty useful to you. However be prepared to be asked hypothetical questions as well same as the standard 6 they can only ask you 6 of those as well however it’s rare to get 6 hypothetical questions. Wish you the best of luck mate.

 

[driver3112]

Hi mate. Are you still awaiting MMI. did the Recruiment say anything yet or how long you’d be waiting

I’m still waiting for my MMI, they have given me no time frame, I feel like there taking so long with my application because I’ve been waiting for the MMI since the 4th of June and that when I passed my DMI, I applied for the stains depot, do you guys have any idea on what I should do because I keep emailing them and they say “ no update, the process is a lengthy one”. Once again I applied for the stains depot so if you guys have any idea how long the wait time is please let me know

 

[Avoidz]

I’m still waiting for my MMI, they have given me no time frame, I feel like there taking so long with my application because I’ve been waiting for the MMI since the 4th of June and that when I passed my DMI, I applied for the stains depot, do you guys have any idea on what I should do because I keep emailing them and they say “ no update, the process is a lengthy one”. Once again I applied for the stains depot so if you guys have any idea how long the wait time is please let me know

I would just try be patient you need to remember that train driver application process usually takes years and there’s no real hurry to the entire process at all. Obviously 2025 and this year is an extremely rare occurrence where things are moving quickly than usual some drivers back in the day had to wait 3-5 years from application to actually getting the job. Another factor is that Staines depot isn’t large like Waterloo so the wait would be longer than let’s say someone who applied for Waterloo but just be patient if you’ve gotten this far you’ll eventually get your chance.

 

[Casper10]

I passed the computer and written tests back in Feb, and only heard back about the DMI three weeks ago - but couldn't make the single date offered so back waiting... So yes, patience is required. Sounds like some people are getting lucky, but most have to wait for the call.

 

[Str1k3r]

Its been 2 months since I answered my tests for SWR but still no signs of DMI...);

Hi! Did you get anymore news? I passed my tests on 5th june and still they didn't contact me

 

[the_bear]

No worries mate.

Feel free to keep me updated on how you get on. And maybe you’ll have a way of narrowing down the TRP 2 to me that’ll help me get a better way understanding it

Hi Mate,

Passed my paper tests. The best way to explain the TRP2 I think is to break it down into two checks.

Firstly, check the colour the needle is pointing in for each dial. If they’re all pointing in different colours then you can work your answer out from this alone and don’t need to do the second check. Move on to the next set of dials.

However, if you have multiple dials with needles in the same colour then you have to look at what number the needle is pointing to on each of those dials. The numbers are in different places on each dial so you have to look at them individually. For us the dial with the lower value took the higher priority.

The main difference between the actual test and the practice ones I found was that you just have to work out the number the needle is pointing to for the secondary priority check instead of it just being given to you as a numerical value.

The whole oil, power, heat (or whatever it was) you just use for your answer instead of A, B, C or D and doesn’t factor into what you give priority. It’s purely there to represent each dial and form your answer.

Our assessor was really good and explained stuff for anyone who didn’t get it. Next time I’d just 100% make sure you are confident before starting, they’re there to help!

Hope this helps in some way.

 

[Twin82]

Hi Mate,

Passed my paper tests. The best way to explain the TRP2 I think is to break it down into two checks.

Firstly, check the colour the needle is pointing in for each dial. If they’re all pointing in different colours then you can work your answer out from this alone and don’t need to do the second check. Move on to the next set of dials.

However, if you have multiple dials with needles in the same colour then you have to look at what number the needle is pointing to on each of those dials. The numbers are in different places on each dial so you have to look at them individually. For us the dial with the lower value took the higher priority.

The main difference between the actual test and the practice ones I found was that you just have to work out the number the needle is pointing to for the secondary priority check instead of it just being given to you as a numerical value.

The whole oil, power, heat (or whatever it was) you just use for your answer instead of A, B, C or D and doesn’t factor into what you give priority. It’s purely there to represent each dial and form your answer.

Our assessor was really good and explained stuff for anyone who didn’t get it. Next time I’d just 100% make sure you are confident before starting, they’re there to help!

Hope this helps in some way.

That’s an excellent explanation mate. Spot on. That’s exactly what I said about the whole oil power heat stuff that’s it’s just replacing having to use ABCD. You couldn’t of explained it any better.

 

[jakechamberlai]

Hi Mate,

Passed my paper tests. The best way to explain the TRP2 I think is to break it down into two checks.

Firstly, check the colour the needle is pointing in for each dial. If they’re all pointing in different colours then you can work your answer out from this alone and don’t need to do the second check. Move on to the next set of dials.

However, if you have multiple dials with needles in the same colour then you have to look at what number the needle is pointing to on each of those dials. The numbers are in different places on each dial so you have to look at them individually. For us the dial with the lower value took the higher priority.

The main difference between the actual test and the practice ones I found was that you just have to work out the number the needle is pointing to for the secondary priority check instead of it just being given to you as a numerical value.

The whole oil, power, heat (or whatever it was) you just use for your answer instead of A, B, C or D and doesn’t factor into what you give priority. It’s purely there to represent each dial and form your answer.

Our assessor was really good and explained stuff for anyone who didn’t get it. Next time I’d just 100% make sure you are confident before starting, they’re there to help!

Hope this helps in some way.

Hiya mate,

That’s brilliant. I’m chuffed for you.

Thank you ever so much for narrowing it all down for me in the hope of it helping me next time round.

How did you find the rest of the tests overall as well? Seeing as I’ve seen many people worry more about the group bourdon test i look back and thought that was the easiest to get through. If that’s the correct way to put it.

Can you remind me which depot this is for as I’m not sure if I’d got round to asking you already and if so how many times

Did you attend this day at the Overline House Centre in Southampton? Also, Have you been given a date for when you’re attending stage 2 assessments?

 

[DanTaylor]

Morning all

Having passed my last assessment in May I’ve now got my date for the DMI . They don’t give much notice, received a call on Wednesday to say the interview will be the following Thursday (8 days time). Change of location as well, South Bank as opposed to Southampton. Depot im going for is Wimbledon fyi

Has anyone had their DMI recently? Is it run by just the driver manager or are there other colleagues assisting?

Any other hints/tips are more than welcome!
I’ve heard accounts of these interviews on this forum as being anywhere from an informal chat to an interrogation, so intrigued to hear recent accounts

 

[s01omorg]

Morning all

Having passed my last assessment in May I’ve now got my date for the DMI . They don’t give much notice, received a call on Wednesday to say the interview will be the following Thursday (8 days time). Change of location as well, South Bank as opposed to Southampton. Depot im going for is Wimbledon fyi

Has anyone had their DMI recently? Is it run by just the driver manager or are there other colleagues assisting?

Any other hints/tips are more than welcome!
I’ve heard accounts of these interviews on this forum as being anywhere from an informal chat to an interrogation, so intrigued to hear recent accounts

Well done on getting to this stage.
I had my DMI in May last year. It was with two Driver Managers - one happened to be from the depot I'd applied, but I've heard it could be two randoms, just depends on availability.
They were very nice and chatty, but don't get drawn into being too relaxed and chatty yourself. Yes, they want to get to know you, but stay professional. Mine was 2 hours, so quite a grilling, but not as bad as the MMI! Best of luck