Successful at part assessment!

[Rory]

Hi All,
This is my first post so please be gentle!

I have been lurking about on here for a while now, even more so as I’ve just found out that I’ve passed the first stage of the assessments ..YAY

I applied for a Trainee Train Driver job with FGW last July, took the dots test etc in September at the Hilton, Bristol.

So now I guess it’s the dreaded Fast Reaction & Coordination testing at Newport? Then maybe an interview?

I have to admit that I’m getting nervous! Even though I don’t have the dates yet!

Is there any advice on the upcoming tests? I’m going to buy “bopit” this weekend, hopefully that will help lol

Cheers

Rory

 

[graycam25]

Hi All,
This is my first post so please be gentle!

I have been lurking about on here for a while now, even more so as I’ve just found out that I’ve passed the first stage of the assessments ..YAY

I applied for a Trainee Train Driver job with FGW last July, took the dots test etc in September at the Hilton, Bristol.

So now I guess it’s the dreaded Fast Reaction & Coordination testing at Newport? Then maybe an interview?

I have to admit that I’m getting nervous! Even though I don’t have the dates yet!

Is there any advice on the upcoming tests? I’m going to buy “bopit” this weekend, hopefully that will help lol

Cheers

Rory

Rory hello... and well done on that part..

reaction test - bopit really isnt that effective to be honest... somewhere within these threads there is a really good reaction test and keyboard which someone has done as a mock up test... its a great way to practice and if you can find it on here then it would be beneficial

im sure someone will point you to that thread.

main thing is to keep calm.. be comfy and concentrate... its easy to fly off the handle and get quicker and quicker but keep to a steady rhythm building up speed slowly..

the interview im guessing will the CBI... have a look at the threads in more detail mate and get a feel for some of the questions...

things like - name a time when youve worked alone for long periods of time
give an example of when youve had to study or learn for more than 2 weeks.
- give a time where you have worked under pressure

plus a few others -

main thing is to have a few different answers for each one if you can, as the assessor could say 'give me another example'

theres loads of info on these threads mate... these guys on here really did help when doing mine.

best of luck

GC

 

[Geargrinder]

Hi, if you read the "becoming a train driver" sticky on the top of this forum, and search reactions test, CBI, structured interview, then everything you need to know is revealed.
Personally, and this is only my opinion, I think you can either do these sort of tests or you can't. I did not practise at all for the Reactions test, have never even seen a Bopit and passed first time. The structured interview I found very hard - I did prepare (all the questions are on here) - but they really grill you, and you need more than just the 1 example for each area. If you do not know what you're talking about, in detail, then believe me they will find out !

Best advice from me is get a good nights sleep and have decent breakfast before you go.

All the best

 

[graycam25]

Here is a link to a practice program for the reactions test:

http://www.krismason.org/files/reactiontest.zip


here is that reaction test mock up which certainly helped me tackle this... this test goes far quicker than the actual test though so if you can do well with this then the proper test will be a breeze..

print off the keyboard which comes with it... it gets you thinking and hand eye co-ord will improve

regards
GC

 

[Rory]

You’re legends!

I really appreciate your help, I’ll download the reactions test and hammer the hell out of it.

As far as the interview goes, I will have a good read of the types of questions I could get and make sure I give a few good answers to each one!

Thank you for all the advice guys!

 

[Beveridges]

Best advice from me is get a good nights sleep

Good if you can get one.
But don't feel under pressure at night thinking you *have* to have a good nights sleep before doing these tests. Afterall, stress of thinking you "have" to sleep can have a really negative effect and keep you awake longer and make you more stressed all night and the next day.
It did with me. I didn't sleep at all the night before due to the stress of knowing whats coming the next day but I still passed with ease.
Lack of sleep is said to impair reactions and concentration, but I feel that as these tests are so short (bar the structured interview), you can still perform just as well on them without having slept at all.

As for the structured Interview, if you have already pre-planned your answers to the questions that they will ask, and those answers are good, you should have no trouble with it.

 

[daddy_badger]

hmm things are moving forward then. relax, take your time. gets pretty warm in there if its Newport. the cbi is where most people fail so i would be concentrating on that rather than the reactions.

 

[Beveridges]

With the reactions and concentration all you need is a bit of practice to get up to a decent level then leave it at that. Don't waste your time going over-kill on it. That time is better spent preparing for the Structured Interview. It's best to plan what your going to write and say before you go in to sit it because you really don't get a lot of time when your doing the real thing.