chris jones
Member
- Joined
- 30 Oct 2018
- Messages
- 22
Hi has anyone recently completed the train driver assessment? Just wondering as I have got mine in the next few weeks and wondered what to expect?
-
Our new ticketing site is now live! Using either this or the original site (both powered by TrainSplit) helps support the running of the forum with every ticket purchase! Find out more and ask any questions/give us feedback in this thread!
Train driver tests
- Thread starter chris jones
- Start date
- Status
Sponsor Post - registered members do not see these adverts; click here to register, or click here to log in
R
RailUK Forums
What train company is it for ?
They usually send you lots of information and practice material
chris jones
Member
- Joined
- 30 Oct 2018
- Messages
- 22
Transport for wales
I think he means anyone who’s done it before can they shed some light / inside info ...?
Got mine coming up and have 88 pages to read and study prior
chris jones
Member
- Joined
- 30 Oct 2018
- Messages
- 22
ha when is yours????
Generally the stuff they give you is good to have a practise with , there are plenty of bits n pieces on here that are really helpful ,
My advice is listen to what the examiner tells you , carefully read the instructions and stick to them , work quickly and just as importantly accurately! Finishing the bourdon / fault finding tests etc is near on impossible , I certainly did not finish them , there were people there who done a lot more lines on the bourdon and questions on the fault finding tests than me , but yet here I am with a start date for trainee train driver.
It’s better to do 14 lines and make no mistakes than to 20 lines and make 3 mistakes, similarly better to answer 12 questions correctly than 20 and get 3 wrong.
My advice is listen to what the examiner tells you , carefully read the instructions and stick to them , work quickly and just as importantly accurately! Finishing the bourdon / fault finding tests etc is near on impossible , I certainly did not finish them , there were people there who done a lot more lines on the bourdon and questions on the fault finding tests than me , but yet here I am with a start date for trainee train driver.
It’s better to do 14 lines and make no mistakes than to 20 lines and make 3 mistakes, similarly better to answer 12 questions correctly than 20 and get 3 wrong.
RadioFlyer2
Member
- Joined
- 10 Sep 2018
- Messages
- 101
When did you have your interview if you don't mind me asking and how long till they emailed you to let you know you'd passed?
I had my interview on Tue just waiting to hear if I passed or not...
What dates your assessment centre if you don't mind me asking?
chris jones
Member
- Joined
- 30 Oct 2018
- Messages
- 22
hi I am still waiting to hear I just wanted to get heads up. I'm hopeful I passed of not I still want to get into about the tests as I will go for the job again if I don't pass
chris jones
Member
- Joined
- 30 Oct 2018
- Messages
- 22
cheers thanks for the advice. can you remember any of the tests?
chris jones
Member
- Joined
- 30 Oct 2018
- Messages
- 22
brilliant thanks
They will send you all the practise materials for all the tests you may have, generally first assessments are all papar ones, usually 4 different ones like group bourdon , fault finding etc
chris jones
Member
- Joined
- 30 Oct 2018
- Messages
- 22
so there won't be any tests on the day that I'm unfamiliar with?
No you will be fine on the 1st round as they are paper ones , Some of the tests won’t be exactly as the practice materials they send out , that’s mostly the computer ones you will do on your second round of assessments.
I don’t think anything can fully prepare you for the grey dot test!
TheBadger
Member
- Joined
- 21 Jun 2018
- Messages
- 55
MostlyHarmless
Member
- Joined
- 1 Mar 2018
- Messages
- 998
Ha... this is what happened to me, although completely by accident. There were only 2 of us doing the test so it was easy to hear him a click second or so before it changed on my screen
That’s what it’s like everywhere then I guess?
I remember when I did mine a few years ago that I knew exactly when my square was going to change because of when others’ changed. There’s certainly nothing random about it. Only trouble was, it’s easy to get ahead of yourself and accidentally press your button a fraction of a second too early, which I did a couple of times I think.
Hi and congratulations on getting through to your assessment day!
I recently attended an assessment day with a TOC which accepts national standards.
I understand that many TOCs have around 20-25 people taking the tests on that day. The TOC which assessed me, however, assesses fewer people at once (8 were due to attend but only 5 did). Of the 5 who attended, two worked for the TOC in guard or ticket office roles, and at least one of the absentees, too.
The TOC should have e-mailed you an information pack telling you what tests would be conducted, the procedures for them and giving your ideas for practice before the day.
The tests are designed to be psychometric, hence they assess your capabilities. I saw that when doing the tests. There are some people I know who I think could practice full time and still never pass. It assesses inate abilities, although, of course, some practice in advance can help you a little.
Initially, we were asked to wait in a waiting room. We were asked 1-by-1 to go into an interview room where our identity, including NI number, was checked. We were also given a colour-blind test. In this test, you have to read the numbers which you can see in circles made of different colours. Warning: There are some trick ones! There are no numbers on some of them - don't try finding one, just say you can't see one!
When that was conducted, we were taken to a room where we each had a desk with stationery provided. I brought my own pens which I usually use which I find comfortable.
The first test was the Group Bourdon Test. There's a downloadable online tool you can find as a sticky on this forum. I initially started doing it online and then moved on to printing and doing them on paper. You do get used to the patterns of dots on the tool, and they are different on the actual test, although the skills are transferrable. There are various people on this forum who quote how many lines you need to complete and how many errors you can make to pass. I was doing about 9 or 10 lines on the printouts from the tool with only 1 or 2 mistakes per page and I passed. Be very sceptical of people who say you need to complete 14 or 15 lines with no more than one mistake! (Of course, some TOCs require enhanced testing, which may require slightly more.) There was also a practice section at the start. The practice grids in the information booklet were less helpful than the tool (using letters rather than dots).
We then had a break while the test was marked. One person was asked into the interview room to be told that he failed so he was sent home.
The next test was the Test of Everyday Attention (TEA-Occ). This measures attention to multiple things and how well you can multi-task.
Part 1 required us to listen to beeps (some with low tones, others with 'high' but I'd call them moderate-to-low). You will need to count just certain tones (can't remember if it was low or high). An example is available here, but there weren't so many tones for each question: https://traineetraindriverinfo.com/low-tones-test-track-1/
Part 2 required us to do some simple telephone directory work. I think it was finding companies in a particular trade with a rating of three stars and with a phone number with a particular area code. It wasn't rocket science and probably doesn't need much practising, but it is designed to make you work quickly. You might not finish and don't need to.
Part 3 was the hardest, combining both part 1 and part 2. You hear number 1 read out and a number of beeps (only one tone this time). You need to write the number down when told. This continues. At the same time, you have a telephone directory task similar to part 2. You are told that both parts are of equal importance. You must use different pens for both tasks. When doing it, I got a good sense that I was truly multi-tasking. It's a good test, actually!
The booklet gives you some activities to help you. Recognising symbols probably isn't too difficult for most people. If you have somebody who could play patterns of two tones on a keyboard or piano (written down first so the answers can be assessed), that might help you, and also if they can play similar tones while they asked you to do a reading task / telephone directory task / wordsearch. However, I didn't practise much for this test and I know some others didn't either, and we passed.
The next test was the Trainability for Rules and Procedures Test (TRP), Part 1 which assesses how well you can learn new things. The railway rulebook is huge for a start, and you will also need to learn about fault finding and repairing, not to mention route knowledge. We were given a two-page information sheet explaining how "GLOP" is applied to the rails using a locomotive and application vehicle operated by a driver and a guard, including what controls there are, the colours and locations of them, when they should be used, the signalling system between the driver and guard, etc. We also heard a recording of this. We then had to hand back the information sheet and answer questions on the procedure. I found this quite easy, but some people don't pick up new information well, especially when there is lots of details. They give a very clear example in the booklet sent before the day.
Part 2 is sometimes known as the dials test. You get sets of 3 dials with pointers pointing to the number on each dial, and you have to order them in order (I believe starting with the largest). However, each dial has a different number range (one might go from 0-150 and another might go 0-500) so in that example, halfway on the dial going up to 500 would read '250' but the whole way on the dial going up to 150 would be only '150'. You have 43 questions to complete in 8 minutes and I don't think that anybody ever completes them all. Apparently, you are scored for correct answers but not downgraded for any wrong answers.
The final written test was the Written Communication Test (WCT), although I understand that this is no longer compulsory and some TOCs no longer do this. We were given a cartoon strip showing a taxi booking, a taxi picking a person up on time, delays on the route, and arrival at destination late. We had to write what happened. The only thing that matters is clarity so your writing needs to be legible but not neat. You do not need to write in sentences - bullet points are acceptable. Grammar and spelling is not important if it does not obscure meaning. You can continue to look at the cartoon strip during the test - you do not need to turn it over or have it collected. I have been told that almost 100% pass this test - if your handwriting is legible and you can convey a simple story, even just in bullet points, you're fine!
Again, we were sent to the waiting room while the tests were marked - this took a long time (almost an hour, I think)!
The final tests were the computerised tests. There might not be one computer per person so some people might have to take the test while other people are waiting.
I think the first computerised test was the ATAVT Perception Test. You will view a picture of a street scene for approximately 0.5-1 second. You will then have to choose from the list what was in the picture from: pedestrians; motor vehicles (excluding motorcycles); bikes, motorcycles or scooters; road signs; traffic lights. There might be as few as one or as many as five in any one picture. Many pictures are busy scenes and you will notice the presence or absence of some things, but for most of the time, you will not be certain that you have got them all right - there will be some guesswork or subconcious decision-making involved. This will suit people who are observant and can process quickly.
This video will give you a good idea of the test, but I think the pictures disappear more quickly in the assessments than shown on this video:
Asking a friend or family member to download some pictures from the internet and test you on them (giving you only a brief peek) might help.
I think the second test was the 2Hand Co-Ordination Test. You will have two joysticks, one will only go up and down, and the other will only go left and right. You have to control a ball around a track trying not to let it go off of the grey track, which includes curved sections. You will hear a screech when it does. This is repeated many times. It is aimed to be difficult and most people will not keep it on the track all the way around. We all thought we did really badly on this!
The final test was the WAFV (Vigilance) Test. You will see a grey square flashing on the screen. When it changes colour to a different shade of grey, you press the large green button as quickly as possible. This continues for 30 minutes, sometimes for long periods between changing. Also, your eyes imagine it changing when it doesn't. It's a good assessment because if you can't concentrate on being vigilant for 30 minutes, being in charged of a train might not be a good idea! When your eyes lose focus, move closer to or further away from the screen. Also, surprisingly, the colour changes aren't random but pre-programmed. Therefore if one person starts their test, another starts two seconds later and another starts to seconds later, you will hear the first person press their button, then about two seconds later the next person, and another two seconds later the next person.
We were then asked to wait in the waiting room again while the results were generated.
Finally, we were congratulated for passing the tests and advised about the next procedures in the application process. We were also given some basic pieces of advice for the DMI.
Hope that this is helpful. Feel free to ask any further questions!
chris jones
Member
- Joined
- 30 Oct 2018
- Messages
- 22
thats brilliant thankyou for all this info. I got the pack they sent me which iv worked through a few times I just wondered will there be anything thrown in unexpectedly. Which company did yiu do the tests for?? How long ago?
The practice materials will help you prepare you for the tests , I.e training your eyes to get used to looking for certain shapes etc , it’s more of a case to see whether you’re naturally suited to the role.
Listen to what the assessor tells you , read the instructions/ questions very carefully, work quickly and just as important accurately , don’t go mad believing you have to get to the end of the bourdon test or answer all the fault finding Q’s , 99% of people don’t they ain’t designed to be finished.
Listen to what the assessor tells you , read the instructions/ questions very carefully, work quickly and just as important accurately , don’t go mad believing you have to get to the end of the bourdon test or answer all the fault finding Q’s , 99% of people don’t they ain’t designed to be finished.
Hi! You're welcome!
I don't think they threw anything in unexpectedly.
However, the Group Bourdon Test was with dots (as per the tool) but the pack had practising with letters rather than dots.
The TEA-Occ telephone directory differred from the practice material, but I don't think that would affect you much.
The remainder was as described.
chris jones
Member
- Joined
- 30 Oct 2018
- Messages
- 22
brilliant thanks for this information I really appreciate it. I have got at least a week before the tests ant advice on how much to go through the booklet or just keep doing these types of tests as many times as I can?
You're welcome ... again!
I stressed most over the Group Bourdon Test - as most do, apparently!
If you've got time and people to help, you could also practise the tones:
As @Gooner18 and I said, they are psychometric tests designed to test whether train driving is right for you. I have to say, I had more faith in them after completing them than before. I think some people (hopefully you!) are suited to them and will make good drivers. I know other people would probably never be able to pass however much practice they had, and it's probably right that those people aren't in charged of a train!
Also, many tests (in particular, the Group Bourdon and the Trainability Part 2, or 'dials') are not designed to be finished. Don't stress if you don't!
Anyway, good luck!
I stressed most over the Group Bourdon Test - as most do, apparently!
If you've got time and people to help, you could also practise the tones:
and the ATAVT:
As @Gooner18 and I said, they are psychometric tests designed to test whether train driving is right for you. I have to say, I had more faith in them after completing them than before. I think some people (hopefully you!) are suited to them and will make good drivers. I know other people would probably never be able to pass however much practice they had, and it's probably right that those people aren't in charged of a train!
Also, many tests (in particular, the Group Bourdon and the Trainability Part 2, or 'dials') are not designed to be finished. Don't stress if you don't!
Anyway, good luck!
The Group Bourdon was the one I found easiest and didn’t worry at all about, it was the DFFT (Driver Fault Finding Test) which stressed me out most and I was convinced I hadn’t done enough.
If there’s any advice I can give the OP, it’s not to over think the assessments and stay composed. It’s as much about dealing with high pressure situations, as it is about the way in which you think. If you deal with everything logically and calmly, you’re 3/4 of the way there. And yes, definitely don’t worry about not finishing them. It’s better to complete 14 out of 25 questions and get all 14 correct, than it is to complete 25 questions and get 15 correct.
- Status