Train Dispatch Assessment

[Jmahone]

Afternoon All

I have both of my Dispatch Assessments next week including the Dispatch Concentration Assessment for CSS on behalf of TPE. Has anyone taken the Dispatch Assessment recently who could provide insights into what it's like? I've heard it's an extremely high fail rate

Cheers
J

 

[Britannia94]

It is hard I won’t lie, I think the pass rate is around 10 percent mark on a national level. All I can say is to give it your best shot that’s all you can do. Let us know how you get on

 

[Jmahone]

It is hard I won’t lie, I think the pass rate is around 10 percent mark on a national level. All I can say is to give it your best shot that’s all you can do. Let us know how you get on

Eek, what is the assessments made of? Any tips on how to pass lol?

 

[Britannia94]

IIRC there is two assessments in total. The first test will asses your concentration levels whilst the second one asses how well you can follow instructions.

 

[C J Snarzell]

I applied for a dispatcher role about two years ago and had to take two tests (I think it was OCP who devise the tests).

The first one wasn't too bad. The second one was really hard (as confirmed by another forum member). You are having to multi task, while concentrating at the same time.

I clearly didn't pass the tests, but I do remember getting the rejection email from the TOC, in which it was mentioned you only have two lives to do these tests and I had used up one of them!

Its a similar principle to applying to become a train driver - only two tries to take the respective tests then that's it!!!!

Good luck taking these tests though - make sure you sit down and do the tests in a relaxed environment without any distractions.

CJ

 

[Horizon22]

It is hard I won’t lie, I think the pass rate is around 10 percent mark on a national level. All I can say is to give it your best shot that’s all you can do. Let us know how you get on

I don't know about the concentration assessment as I've never done one, but there are thousands of dispatchers up and down the country - many who are on relatively low salaries - who have passed easily. As an agency perhaps they have additional standards? Otherwise it was learning the rulebook for dispatch (mostly common sense once you've grasped the basics) and then the local requirements for your station.

 

[Leyland155]

Afternoon All

I have both of my Dispatch Assessments next week including the Dispatch Concentration Assessment for CSS on behalf of TPE. Has anyone taken the Dispatch Assessment recently who could provide insights into what it's like? I've heard it's an extremely high fail rate

Cheers
J

I attended a dispatch assessment day earlier this year and, as mentioned already, there are two assessments: a dispatch concentration test and a rules acquisition aptitude test. There is also a colour blindness test.

The concentration test involves listening to an audio recording of a fictional station environment. Prior to starting the test, you'll listen to three sounds in order, two of which are someone saying "train ready to depart" and a whistle (I can't remember what the third sound was!). Make sure you memorise that order. You'll then listen to 50 audio recordings and, after each one, mark on a sheet of paper whether it is safe for the train to depart, dependent on if the correct sounds were heard and the order was correct. In addition, whilst listening for the sounds, you'll have passengers asking questions, e.g. what is the next station. You'll be given a sheet of paper which has all the information you'll need to answer these questions (including a fictional route diagram), and you'll mark the answer down on paper by marking a multiple choice box. I know this can sound quite confusing, but there should be example questions beforehand to ensure you know what you're doing, and there will be time to ask questions if you're unsure. This test can be difficult and can become a little arduous towards the end, but as long as you focus on what you're doing to the best of your ability, it is perfectly passable The questions can come quite fast, so if you end up missing one (as I did once or twice!) don't panic and just try to regain focus for the next one.

The Rules Acquisition Aptitude Test (RAAT) involves reading a passage of text and answering multiple choice questions based on the content. There isn't really much advice I can give for this one, other than take your time to ensure you've read the passage properly. I believe there are some example assessments for this online, so it may be worth taking a look beforehand if you can.

If you pass both of these, you'll be invited to an interview which for me was on the same day as the assessments.

Best of luck with your assessment day and, if you have any questions, feel free to ask!

 

[Efini92]

I don't know about the concentration assessment as I've never done one, but there are thousands of dispatchers up and down the country - many who are on relatively low salaries - who have passed easily. As an agency perhaps they have additional standards? Otherwise it was learning the rulebook for dispatch (mostly common sense once you've grasped the basics) and then the local requirements for your station.

I don’t recall any dispatchers ever mentioning a concentration test. It’s either a new standard or more likely as you said an additional standard for the agency.
Personally I think it’s wrong that a role like that is outsourced and they don’t get the benefits or T&C’s that you would with a TOC.

 

[Horizon22]

I don’t recall any dispatchers ever mentioning a concentration test. It’s either a new standard or more likely as you said an additional standard for the agency.
Personally I think it’s wrong that a role like that is outsourced and they don’t get the benefits or T&C’s that you would with a TOC.

I gathered that’s what it is too and agree it’s not great to have it outsourced. At a former TOC there were a couple of stations that used it but only in dire staff shortages so was very rare.

 

[Jmahone]

M

I attended a dispatch assessment day earlier this year and, as mentioned already, there are two assessments: a dispatch concentration test and a rules acquisition aptitude test. There is also a colour blindness test.

The concentration test involves listening to an audio recording of a fictional station environment. Prior to starting the test, you'll listen to three sounds in order, two of which are someone saying "train ready to depart" and a whistle (I can't remember what the third sound was!). Make sure you memorise that order. You'll then listen to 50 audio recordings and, after each one, mark on a sheet of paper whether it is safe for the train to depart, dependent on if the correct sounds were heard and the order was correct. In addition, whilst listening for the sounds, you'll have passengers asking questions, e.g. what is the next station. You'll be given a sheet of paper which has all the information you'll need to answer these questions (including a fictional route diagram), and you'll mark the answer down on paper by marking a multiple choice box. I know this can sound quite confusing, but there should be example questions beforehand to ensure you know what you're doing, and there will be time to ask questions if you're unsure. This test can be difficult and can become a little arduous towards the end, but as long as you focus on what you're doing to the best of your ability, it is perfectly passable The questions can come quite fast, so if you end up missing one (as I did once or twice!) don't panic and just try to regain focus for the next one.

The Rules Acquisition Aptitude Test (RAAT) involves reading a passage of text and answering multiple choice questions based on the content. There isn't really much advice I can give for this one, other than take your time to ensure you've read the passage properly. I believe there are some example assessments for this online, so it may be worth taking a look beforehand if you can.

If you pass both of these, you'll be invited to an interview which for me was on the same day as the assessments.

Best of luck with your assessment day and, if you have any questions, feel free to ask!

I attended a dispatch assessment day earlier this year and, as mentioned already, there are two assessments: a dispatch concentration test and a rules acquisition aptitude test. There is also a colour blindness test.

The concentration test involves listening to an audio recording of a fictional station environment. Prior to starting the test, you'll listen to three sounds in order, two of which are someone saying "train ready to depart" and a whistle (I can't remember what the third sound was!). Make sure you memorise that order. You'll then listen to 50 audio recordings and, after each one, mark on a sheet of paper whether it is safe for the train to depart, dependent on if the correct sounds were heard and the order was correct. In addition, whilst listening for the sounds, you'll have passengers asking questions, e.g. what is the next station. You'll be given a sheet of paper which has all the information you'll need to answer these questions (including a fictional route diagram), and you'll mark the answer down on paper by marking a multiple choice box. I know this can sound quite confusing, but there should be example questions beforehand to ensure you know what you're doing, and there will be time to ask questions if you're unsure. This test can be difficult and can become a little arduous towards the end, but as long as you focus on what you're doing to the best of your ability, it is perfectly passable The questions can come quite fast, so if you end up missing one (as I did once or twice!) don't panic and just try to regain focus for the next one.

The Rules Acquisition Aptitude Test (RAAT) involves reading a passage of text and answering multiple choice questions based on the content. There isn't really much advice I can give for this one, other than take your time to ensure you've read the passage properly. I believe there are some example assessments for this online, so it may be worth taking a look beforehand if you can.

If you pass both of these, you'll be invited to an interview which for me was on the same day as the assessments.

Best of luck with your assessment day and, if you have any questions, feel free to ask!

Thank you for getting back to me and apologies for the very long delay in replying, the website didn't tell me I had replies (d'oh!). The test sounds VERY intense, but will give it my best shot.

When I talk to Northern TOC Dispatchers they laugh at what is expected through an external company!

 

[Leyland155]

M


Thank you for getting back to me and apologies for the very long delay in replying, the website didn't tell me I had replies (d'oh!). The test sounds VERY intense, but will give it my best shot.

When I talk to Northern TOC Dispatchers they laugh at what is expected through an external company!

No problem at all! Hope your assessment goes well whenever it is

 

[FGW_DID]

I don’t recall any dispatchers ever mentioning a concentration test. It’s either a new standard or more likely as you said an additional standard for the agency.
Personally I think it’s wrong that a role like that is outsourced and they don’t get the benefits or T&C’s that you would with a TOC.

The Dispatch concentration assessment as described above by Leyland155 is the test I took for a TOC dispatch role back in 2011, so nothing new.

The vital part is answering the “is the train ready to start“ questions correctly. Some of the customer questions can be quite vague or even inaudible but they are designed to see if you can remain focused on the three sounds and not get distracted by background noise. You aren’t expected to answer all the customer service questions, the more you can answer - great, but you must concentrate on the three dispatch sounds!

As a point in case, there was a recent “Attempted Dispatch Against a Red” (ADAR) at my TOC when the Dispatcher lost concentration whilst answering some passenger queries, didn’t check the signal (still at danger) and started the dispatch procedure!

 

[MiNi]

I applied for a dispatcher role about two years ago and had to take two tests (I think it was OCP who devise the tests).

The first one wasn't too bad. The second one was really hard (as confirmed by another forum member). You are having to multi task, while concentrating at the same time.

I clearly didn't pass the tests, but I do remember getting the rejection email from the TOC, in which it was mentioned you only have two lives to do these tests and I had used up one of them!

Its a similar principle to applying to become a train driver - only two tries to take the respective tests then that's it!!!!

Good luck taking these tests though - make sure you sit down and do the tests in a relaxed environment without any distractions.

CJ

how long did you have to wait for the'no' email from the toc.?

 

[C J Snarzell]

how long did you have to wait for the'no' email from the toc.?

If I recall, I recieved the 'unsuccessful' email a week later. I anticipated it anyway - the second of the two tests was horrific and I was under no illusions it was a big fat fail.

CJ

 

[michael74]

If I recall, I recieved the 'unsuccessful' email a week later. I anticipated it anyway - the second of the two tests was horrific and I was under no illusions it was a big fat fail.

CJ

I had the same for me on GWR a couple of months ago, the laptop nearly went out of the window lol. What I lost focus on was in the second part of the test I was trying to do deal with the "customer questions" and it was at the expense of safe dispatch..... lesson learned, but the test still made me cross lol.

 

[C J Snarzell]

I had the same for me on GWR a couple of months ago, the laptop nearly went out of the window lol. What I lost focus on was in the second part of the test I was trying to do deal with the "customer questions" and it was at the expense of safe dispatch..... lesson learned, but the test still made me cross lol.

Michael

Yes - it is the same test as the one I did. It is very frustrating - you start reading a question then it just fades off the screen before you can answer it. I got as far as question four, before I threw the towel in and gave up! Needless to say dispatching is not a role I have re-applied for.

CJ

 

[MiNi]

Michael

Yes - it is the same test as the one I did. It is very frustrating - you start reading a question then it just fades off the screen before you can answer it. I got as far as question four, before I threw the towel in and gave up! Needless to say dispatching is not a role I have re-applied for.

CJ

I did the Tdmt assessment last Tuesday,answered all the dispatch questions ok and some of the customer questions aswell(maybe 10 or 12 of them). Got the usual 'unsuccessful ' email today as expected.!!!! I have asked for feedback from the test but that's it again.
24 attempts and counting!!!!.

 

[C J Snarzell]

I did the Tdmt assessment last Tuesday,answered all the dispatch questions ok and some of the customer questions aswell(maybe 10 or 12 of them). Got the usual 'unsuccessful ' email today as expected.!!!! I have asked for feedback from the test but that's it again.
24 attempts and counting!!!!.

Sorry to hear about the rejection. It does seem part of the course when applying for rail jobs.

It is unlikely you will get any feedback from the test. It is very hit & miss getting interview feedback at times, so I very much doubt you will get feedback at an earlier stage of the application process.

CJ