Assessment Choice

[DD87]

Hi everyone

My BF has been offered an assessment for Arriva Rail next week and south western the following week. He is a bit nervous to accept Arriva because you cannot sit a test for another 6 months if you fail. So he’s not sure what to do... any advice? Should he give the Arriva one a miss? Or just try? I’ve read the forum information on the assessment day the information was great! It’s just a bit nerve racking.

How hard will it be? What’s the pass rate usually?

It’s crazy because we have tried for ages and now they’re all coming at once!

 

[SAlty]

As I understand it - if he were to pass the assessments with Arriva, these results would also stand for South Western. You just need to be aware that some TOCS want enhanced scores and some don't. If he failed any tests with Arriva, he would be ruled out of taking the same test with South Western (or anyone) for 6 months.

Do all of the practice materials and lots of group bourdons from the resource on this site.

Best of luck.

 

[SecureID]

He should go for the Arriva one. It's gonna be the same tests so if he passes with Arriva but then decides he wants to apply for another company he can and the test results will stand for the other company. He will want the job with Arriva however because the Pay and benefits are better.

It's hard, don't underestimate the tests. Any one test on its own doesn't seem too hard but there are a lot of them (around 12-13 tests) and two interviews. As for a pass mark I don't know the official figures but my guess would be around 1 in 30 people get through to actually getting a job. I'm guessing that from my own experience when there were about 25 people that started the tests and at the end of the day only me and one other person left standing. Then the other guy got turned down at the final hurdle when he had an interview with a company Duty Manager. His test results still stand though so he can apply to other TOCs and he would only have to do the final interview.

I would highly recommend going for it, it's tough but if you get through its very rewarding.

 

[Val3ntine]

Do this..

Go to arriva rail london assessments and see how you get on. Arriva have a higher pass mark than South Western, so if you fail to their standards but meet the national required standards, you will be okay to progress with your application with south western without having to repeat any completed tests. If you fail the national standards you will have to wait 6 months before attempting again with any company but technically you will not have lost out on anything because you will most likely have failed with south western as the tests are exactly the same so same outcome anyway.

Also another benefit, Arriva do their assesments in stages, so if you DO pass their stage 1 assesments which is all paper based, you can then go on anyway to south western’s assesment where they will see you have completed all paper based tests and you will be asked to only do the stage 2 computer assesments including the psychometric interview (South western do it all in one day as opposed to 2 stages).
So if you do this and pass well happy days because you will now be in a position to tell arriva rail london you have completed the stage 2 computer assesments and MMI interview so they will skip you straight forward to a manager interview which you will be in this position with south western too. You have to do both as these interviews are company specific, so potentially you may fail one but still have the option of the other, or even better pass both and have the luxury of picking which you prefer if offered the roles. This is a nice rare unique situation I definetly wouldnt reccomend willingly binning one off when you can do both.

Can I ask where abouts you live and what depot for South Western you have applied for? I’m just a bit curious as arriva’s new cross depot is nowhere near any of South Western’s apart from Waterloo but I know that has not been advertised. If you do live far from either advertised depot I’d just simply recommend going for whichever is closer to you and binning off the other in that case.
Best of luck

 

[DD87]

Thank you great help!


South western had a travel time of 90 mins where as arriva was 40 I’m based in Croydon more specifically norbury so I’m in a fairly good location. Can get to central locations fairly quickly as well as the ones outside London In about an hour depending on traffic

Do this..

Go to arriva rail london assessments and see how you get on. Arriva have a higher pass mark than South Western, so if you fail to their standards but meet the national required standards, you will be okay to progress with your application with south western without having to repeat any completed tests. If you fail the national standards you will have to wait 6 months before attempting again with any company but technically you will not have lost out on anything because you will most likely have failed with south western as the tests are exactly the same so same outcome anyway.

Also another benefit, Arriva do their assesments in stages, so if you DO pass their stage 1 assesments which is all paper based, you can then go on anyway to south western’s assesment where they will see you have completed all paper based tests and you will be asked to only do the stage 2 computer assesments including the psychometric interview (South western do it all in one day as opposed to 2 stages).
So if you do this and pass well happy days because you will now be in a position to tell arriva rail london you have completed the stage 2 computer assesments and MMI interview so they will skip you straight forward to a manager interview which you will be in this position with south western too. You have to do both as these interviews are company specific, so potentially you may fail one but still have the option of the other, or even better pass both and have the luxury of picking which you prefer if offered the roles. This is a nice rare unique situation I definetly wouldnt reccomend willingly binning one off when you can do both.

Can I ask where abouts you live and what depot for South Western you have applied for? I’m just a bit curious as arriva’s new cross depot is nowhere near any of South Western’s apart from Waterloo but I know that has not been advertised.
Best of luck

 

[Val3ntine]

Thank you great help!


South western had a travel time of 90 mins where as arriva was 40 I’m based in Croydon more specifically norbury so I’m in a fairly good location. Can get to central locations fairly quickly as well as the ones outside London In about an hour depending on traffic

Ah sounds good could really work out for you, hope it does and best of luck.

 

[OneLowban]

I would go for Arriva solely based on travel times to be honest.

Regarding the tests, some find them easier than others. As said above there are a lot of tests and not blowing my own trumpet by any means, but I have always said I found the tests fairly easy, but very easy to mess up due to concentration levels required, that’s where it can snowball if you make a mistake.

(MMI was hardest for me, I’d much sooner do 10 more tests if I could)

Mistakes are allowed however, but it’s how you deal with that so need to keep focus. Some tests are designed where you will not be able to finish every question or section, but the accuracy of what you have answered needs to be spot on (with a minimum obviously).

All the info needed is on this forum. Practice and stay calm, he should be good.

Not so much passing the tests, but actually getting the job at the end, in my induction for mainline there were 8/9 of us and we were told (not sure how accurate) that for every one of us sitting there 340 people didn’t get the job.

However, best of luck! Get the assessments out the way then he can go interviewing if he doesn’t make it all the way with Arriva.

 

[Gooner18]

Go for arriva, as stated if you fail that at enhanced level but pass them at standard it will still be good enough for south western. I recently passed with arriva and it open up a door to another job, so had the luxury of two job offers.

 

[Driver2B]

Arriva have a higher pass mark than South Western

Hi,

I read somewhere else that Arriva Rail London are considered enhanced in that they conduct extra assessments of their own, but they do not have a higher pass mark than national standards scores in the RSSB assessments.

Also, their e-mail seems to corroborate this: "If you have already sat and passed some elements of these assessments, you will only be required to sit the assessments that you have not passed." <-- It doesn't say "that you haven't passed to our standards/satisfaction".

Could I please ask if you have a source for ARL having a higher pass mark?

Thanks.

 

[Val3ntine]

Different companies have different standards. Some companies require a higher standard only in group bordon, some require a higher standard in multiple of the paper tests. It’s only when you are invited to the tests they tell you what they would like you to repeat or not repeat.
Arriva rail london require an extra test which is the Data fault finding but at the same time south western also do an extra test arriva does not which is the written communication test.
It’s just about applying really and following what they ask you to do.

 

[Val3ntine]

Also remember if you have passed with a national standard company before does not mean you automatically resit tests to enhanced as you could have already achieved their required score anyway

 

[Driver2B]

Different companies have different standards. Some companies require a higher standard only in group bordon, some require a higher standard in multiple of the paper tests. It’s only when you are invited to the tests they tell you what they would like you to repeat or not repeat.
Arriva rail london require an extra test which is the Data fault finding but at the same time south western also do an extra test arriva does not which is the written communication test.
It’s just about applying really and following what they ask you to do.

Also remember if you have passed with a national standard company before does not mean you automatically resit tests to enhanced as you could have already achieved their required score anyway

Thanks, I understand that different companies have different pass rates. However, I read that Arriva Rail London do not have a different pass rate than national standard, but just extra tests.
I was just trying to find out which source was correct in this instance.

 

[Gooner18]

Thanks, I understand that different companies have different pass rates. However, I read that Arriva Rail London do not have a different pass rate than national standard, but just extra tests.
I was just trying to find out which source was correct in this instance.

Arriva use enhanced level on all tests, they also make you sit two extra tests

 

[WannabeTrainee]

Can I ask if he has any tips for applying to trainee positions? I've applied to about 10 positions since May without a sniff on any of them... granted I don't work in the industry, far from it (marketing), but I am desperate for a career as a driver and I've been interested in it for a long time. But so far i'm having no luck.

Any information regarding CV's, application forms etc will be really helpful.

Thanks

 

[BallastMonkey]

Can I ask if he has any tips for applying to trainee positions? I've applied to about 10 positions since May without a sniff on any of them... granted I don't work in the industry, far from it (marketing), but I am desperate for a career as a driver and I've been interested in it for a long time. But so far i'm having no luck.

Any information regarding CV's, application forms etc will be really helpful.

Thanks

The application that you initially submit is the most important bit. The information and answers you give are what makes the screening process and whether HR Recruitment say no. In my experience, the best things to include are Safety, Customer service and communications amongst many others. It is always good to tailor your answers around what the company is looking for in an individual so behaviours like proactive etc. I would recommend thoroughly researching the role and what the company itself is about. You have to approach is TOC or FOC specifically different, can't just shoot one generic application or CV for all trainee roles. Anyways all the best, this forum is an absolute gold mine for info.

 

[OneLowban]

I passed my assessments with Arriva, Greater Anglia said in an email they need to check if I have passed to their standards, I didn’t have to re-sit anything.

 

[DD87]

I passed my assessments with Arriva, Greater Anglia said in an email they need to check if I have passed to their standards, I didn’t have to re-sit anything.

Thank you for the advice guys!

I know there is loads of help on this site however do you have or recommend any other specific practice materials?

 

[slidingdoors]

If you pass with Arriva don’t count on the the tests being valid with the other TOC too. They will technically of course but then the OPC usually pick up on it and say you can only progress your application with one of the TOCs at a time. They put your applications ‘on hold’ until you decide.

 

[OneLowban]

^
Yeah this is definitely a thing, happened only a couple of months ago I believe to someone on here.


DD87 - Apart from the group bourdon I really think there’s no real use in practice material. I would just make use of what they give you but don’t get too into it.

And on the day, relax and focus.