private train driver assessments

[red2005]

Hi everyone.

I was informed if you passed all the Mandatory tests and you apply for another TOC they can't make you re - sit the tests as you have passed them within 6 months likewise if you fail them you have to wait 6 months before you can re - sit them

nah cant see that myself!......I'm pretty sure they can do what they want! if companies can still effectively fail you despite actually passing the tests (borderline passes) I'm sure they can tell you to take them again if they wish!

when I applied for my job with my toc in march I had already passed the old style tests in September but they went and changed them in the October and my toc made me take them again..........now normally this wouldn't really bother me but when I got to the assessment centre I noticed they were still using half the old tests! (dots, 2 parts trainability and the dials) I was still made to take these assessments again mate.

I'd never say "they can't" when it comes to this type of recruitment matey as some companies still have their own lil tests on top of the official ones as well

 

[455driver]

Hi everyone.

I was informed if you passed all the Mandatory tests and you apply for another TOC they can't make you re - sit the tests as you have passed them within 6 months likewise if you fail them you have to wait 6 months before you can re - sit them

By whom exactly and where did they get this information from?

 

[Big Trainz]

I sat half the tests with a TOC and failed their DFFT because it wasn't one of the Mandatory tests but was used as an extra test by the TOC. so because I passed the 1st half of tests it was put down as a part pass on the database. I then privately sat the rest of the tests that I hadn't done the following week. They said I could do all the tests or just do the tests I haven't done. They then said I wouldn't be aloud to the the 1st half of the tests anyway because you have already sat them within 6 months so I sat the 2nd half and passed them. So the data base shows that I have sat and passed all the Mandatory tests.

 

[SPADTrap]

I'd also like to point out that as difficult the assesments can be the driver managers interview was the hardest part of the whole process and you can't sit that Privately!!
A lot of people get to manager interview stage and think they are clear and can see finishing line..
Think again

Bloody well said. If this is all your application has to "get ahead" you'll fail this. There are SO many better ways to get noticed. This is a red herring. Can't believe it keeps recurring.

 

[red2005]

Bloody well said. If this is all your application has to "get ahead" you'll fail this. There are SO many better ways to get noticed. This is a red herring. Can't believe it keeps recurring.

I think that is the best way it has been put yet!!........forget spending/wasting money doing it privately!.......make you're application stand out by submitting a top application form from doing you're research on the company and the role and all the qualities needed to do it successfully! That'll get you much further than showing you've took the tests privately!

I honestly don't think that taking them privately will make you stand out any more than someone that may have already passed them with another toc!....where you stand out from paying for the tests yourself the other person stands out because they passed them with a toc from the other side of the country from where they live and were willing to relocate and show fantastic levels of commitment to get the job! So it more than evens itself out on that score.

The recruitment process is tricky and stressful enough as it is!.....don't make it harder on yourself by adding expense to the equation.......can totally see why people do it as I did it myself and it is an alternative or string to the bow but it also smells a little bit like desperation which is never a good thing! if I could have that time over again I'd never go down the private assessment route like I did before. However you choose to do it I wish you the best of luck though

 

[Big Trainz]

The DM interview is the most important part of the process I think. Will you fit in at the depot and you Deffo need to do homework on the company. How would cope if you had a fatality? Will you be able to get to work on time for duty? Etc.

 

[TDK]

The DM interview is the most important part of the process I think. Will you fit in at the depot and you Deffo need to do homework on the company. How would cope if you had a fatality? Will you be able to get to work on time for duty? Etc.

It is all important with the DM interview there to winkle out the weaker candidates. I really don't think the question on how would cope with a fatality is relevant as only a very small percentage of drivers have one, also how would you know how you are going to handle it? If this question is put to a candidate it will hold no weight on the outcome of whether you get the job or not. I know of a guard who got a drivers job who cried when a guard when I hit a Buzzard and they see if come out the back of the train. These questions you have posted are they from experience, what you have been told or are you just guessing?
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

By whom exactly and where did they get this information from?

Well said 455 - a source on the info is always a good start, too many people (not accusing any in particular) do put some crap on here on what they "think" happens.

 

[Big Trainz]

You are right only a small amount have them. But it is a question that is asked normally I've been asked it before at a DM interview my friends of Friends who had DM interview been asked. As for how you would handle it well everyone is different . Ask people on here was that a question ever asked at a DM interview.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Why would I just guess and then upload it then that would be incorrect information. I'm not one for speculation. If you think it's wrong then tell me. I was saying from my experience are you going to say that I am wrong and that I was not asked that at my interview.

 

[455driver]

I was also asked the fatality question, I think they want to see your mindset on the subject. Of course nobody knows how they will deal with it (unless they have dealt with one before) so it is a loaded question.

 

[Todo Recto]

Please can anyone advise where you can sit the tests privately ?

Thanks

 

[DarloRich]

I was also asked the fatality question, I think they want to see your mindset on the subject. Of course nobody knows how they will deal with it (unless they have dealt with one before) so it is a loaded question.

Exactly - it is a variation on the "tell us about a time when you had to do X under a great deal of stress" question.

 

[red2005]

None of my intake were asked anything about how they'd cope with a fatality!.....from what I hear it's a question asked less and less nowadays!

 

[Quickthorn]

I didn't take the tests privately and got through. My guess is that answers to questions on the application paper are more important than whether you have test passes in place.

Looking back, taking the tests privately with DBS in Doncaster would have saved me money, as I lived nearby. I ended up taking them in two bites, and both occasions involved a fair train trip and an overnight stay.

 

[Driver068]

Can anyone advise me on my question please, If you work for one TOC after a set number of years but you decide to apply and work for another TOC or FOC, whats the situation with assessments do you have to resit them, do alternate TOC/FOC carry out there own specific assessments as also the industry ones

 

[455driver]

Can anyone advise me on my question please, If you work for one TOC after a set number of years but you decide to apply and work for another TOC or FOC, whats the situation with assessments do you have to resit them, do alternate TOC/FOC carry out there own specific assessments as also the industry ones

Most of the tests are to check on your ability to learn quickly and are nothing to do with driving trains, so most TOCs wont make a qualified driver do any of the tests, their Safety of the Line record will tell them all they need to know.
Of course some 'special' TOCs do make qualified drivers sit the tests FTPE is one of them.

 

[Driver068]

ok thanks for that, is that the same regarding the Metro systems, as im undergoing the process to be train crew on the metros with a view to joining a TOC/FOC in the future

 

[455driver]

No, Metro services have different competancies so you would effectively be a new starter but your experiences on the Metro route would help you with the answers you would need.

There are always exceptions though and this might not apply to all Metro systems.

 

[TheVicLine]

Please can anyone advise where you can sit the tests privately ?

Thanks

This was in one of the other threads on the forum, you can sit the tests here or pay to go all the way to a fully qualified driver with these guys if you have the money.

http://www.railopsgroup.co.uk/becoming-a-train-driver/train-driver-registration-pre-qualification/

Know nothing about them or their costs for full driver qualification though.

 

[Fred Dinenage]

This is an older thread relating to the ROG

http://www.railforums.co.uk/showthread.php?t=87433

 

[lambretta lady]

here is the link........


http://www.rail.dbschenker.co.uk/training/pdad.htm