Northern - Maintenance Depot Driver

[sharf]

Anyone knows about the assessment day?

 

[ld987]

Hi, thanks for sharing your experience.

I was wondering if you could provide a bit more detail about the group exercise and the individual task. What kind of activities were involved in the group exercise, and what did you have to do during the individual task?


Any information or tips from your experience would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance, and congratulations on passing your assessment day.

Hi, Sharf

No worries, happy to help to give some general pointers but I don't believe I'm allowed to go into specifics.

The group exercise: Likely expect to be given a timed team task involving a realistic brief on a day at a TrainCare Centre with conflicting operational tasks, but with deadlines to follow.

The individual tasks: Likely expect a concentration/multitasking assessment where you may be asked to observe visual information presented while splitting focus by following hands-on instructions. The second individual task, expect the possibility of being asked to retain written information from a given passage of text with the option of making notes to study from. The passage and study notes will get taken away after a set time before being asked to answer multiple choice questions about the passage.

I hope this helps. They may not do the same things exactly in every assessment day, but it was from my experience of the assessment day for an MDD vacancy for Heaton TrainCare Centre in Newcastle Upon Tyne that I applied for earlier on this year. Best advice I can give is to make sure in the group task/s you speak or even opt in to take charge, but also be open minded to give your teammates a chance to speak their ideas too. Our group answer wasn't perfect nor probably even completely correct, but they assess how you communicate and actively listen.

Have you applied for an MDD role for Northern? Thanks very much also for your message.

Ld987

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 8 Aug 2026 ==

Did any of you have to do the Maki test also?

Hello Alfpp,

Yes. Before being invited to an assessment day, my application involved completing Maki assessments. Though when I applied for the same vacancy last year, Maki assessments weren't involved in the process.

Ld987

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 8 Aug 2026 ==

Also, for any depot drivers with Northern that have recently taken the psychometric tests within the last few years, to check (but not to worry if it's too far back), did your psychometric test day involve:

• A Pre-Interview Form (PIF)
• A Situational Judgement Exercise (SJE)
• A Structured Interview (MMI)

I am aware of the Bourdon, TRP1B, TRP2, WAFV, ATAVT & 2HAND (or Crane/vigilance) tests, but in the booklet I got, there were mentions of the three others listed above. The booklet mainly addressed mainline train driver candidates. I have emailed Northern asking the same question/s but just thought I'd ask on here also for those who have taken the MDD psychometrics recently to see if a PIF, SJE or MMI were done on the same day (or not at all) or if it's later in the process after passing the other psychometrics?

Any help would be much appreciated. My psychometric test date is coming up at the end of August.

Thanks,
Ld987

 

[Jools619]

I have an ongoing application for a Depot Driver for Northern rail in Manchester and have been sent the online MAKI test assessment link.

I have 72 hours to complete but sadly i’m on my way down to London due to a serious family health emergency.

I have emailed the recruitment team at Northern to request an extension as I know I’m in no state to take this assessment over the next 72 hours. Has anyone had to make a request like this before and are Nothern accommodating regarding matters like this?

Just a bit concerned that it’s late Friday and my message won’t be seen until Monday at the very earliest when the initial 72 hour deadline expires.

 

[Casserole1]

Hi,

I’ve got an interview for MDD role next week. I passed my psychometric with GBRf in June. I’m a little confused as I applied for a trainee driver role with northern but was told they couldn’t proceed with my application as I didn’t get enhanced on group bourdon. But I’ve been invited to interview for an MDD role? Am I right in thinking it’s national for MDD and Enhanced for Mainline? Thanks

 

[bk42]

Hi,

I’ve got an interview for MDD role next week. I passed my psychometric with GBRf in June. I’m a little confused as I applied for a trainee driver role with northern but was told they couldn’t proceed with my application as I didn’t get enhanced on group bourdon. But I’ve been invited to interview for an MDD role? Am I right in thinking it’s national for MDD and Enhanced for Mainline? Thanks

Enhanced for both I believe with northern they generally have one of the highest standards

 

[Casserole1]

Enhanced for both I believe with northern they generally have one of the highest standards

That’s really odd then considering they wouldn’t take my application further for a mainline job

 

[GPR]

Should be enhanced for both but wouldn’t surprise me if they dropped the need for psychometrics or the enhanced benchmark for depot drivers in the future.