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Group Bourdon Tool

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Maglev

New Member
Joined
7 Nov 2018
Messages
2
Hi everyone!
This is my first post, I am not sure if someone has posted this tool for mac users to run the Group Bourdon tool. It is free software just in case someone tries to charge to use them.

First you will need to download "Wine Stable" Mac OS version
https://wiki.winehq.org/Download

Also you might need Xquartz:
https://www.xquartz.org

After installing them both, right click on the bourdon.exe file and open it using Wine Stable. It will open a windows like installing interface. Don't worry it won't install the software. You might some icons after the install on your desktop (you can delete them).
Screenshot added.

Hope it helps.
 

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johnlh

Member
Joined
6 Nov 2018
Messages
45
Hi everyone!
This is my first post, I am not sure if someone has posted this tool for mac users to run the Group Bourdon tool. It is free software just in case someone tries to charge to use them.

First you will need to download "Wine Stable" Mac OS version
https://wiki.winehq.org/Download

Also you might need Xquartz:
https://www.xquartz.org

After installing them both, right click on the bourdon.exe file and open it using Wine Stable. It will open a windows like installing interface. Don't worry it won't install the software. You might some icons after the install on your desktop (you can delete them).
Screenshot added.

Hope it helps.

Thanks a lot for that mate. I've got a Mac so that saved me some searching!
 

Caad12

Member
Joined
3 Jun 2018
Messages
145
Location
Gateshead
Hi everyone!
This is my first post, I am not sure if someone has posted this tool for mac users to run the Group Bourdon tool. It is free software just in case someone tries to charge to use them.

First you will need to download "Wine Stable" Mac OS version
https://wiki.winehq.org/Download

Also you might need Xquartz:
https://www.xquartz.org

After installing them both, right click on the bourdon.exe file and open it using Wine Stable. It will open a windows like installing interface. Don't worry it won't install the software. You might some icons after the install on your desktop (you can delete them).
Screenshot added.

Hope it helps.

Installed both Wine and Xquartz - when I click on Bourdon.exe file Wine 'opens' along with another window called Terminal and then Wine quits and I'm unable to open the bourdon file - any ideas?
 

Maglev

New Member
Joined
7 Nov 2018
Messages
2
Installed both Wine and Xquartz - when I click on Bourdon.exe file Wine 'opens' along with another window called Terminal and then Wine quits and I'm unable to open the bourdon file - any ideas?

Hi,
Did you right click bourdon.exe and choose wine stable? otherwise it might use extractor as default.
Also what mac version are you running?
I hope it helps.
 

Caad12

Member
Joined
3 Jun 2018
Messages
145
Location
Gateshead
Hi,
Did you right click bourdon.exe and choose wine stable? otherwise it might use extractor as default.
Also what mac version are you running?
I hope it helps.

Hi there

Yes I sussed it this afternoon - had to enable right click on my track pad so once that was done and Wine had installed some updates it's working perfectly.

Now I'm seeing dots all over the place though.....
 

Caad12

Member
Joined
3 Jun 2018
Messages
145
Location
Gateshead
First time I've done this test - 8-10 rows with 1-3 omissions/errors. 2 hours practice and this is baking my crust :lol:

Reckon within a week I'll be seeing polka dots everywhere!
 
Joined
1 Mar 2018
Messages
988
First time I've done this test - 8-10 rows with 1-3 omissions/errors. 2 hours practice and this is baking my crust :lol:

Reckon within a week I'll be seeing polka dots everywhere!

2 hours is too long to practise that test in one stint! I did one or two tests a day over a week and that was plenty o_O
 
Joined
1 Mar 2018
Messages
988
Too long? I go OCD on tests like this till I’m exhausted. I’ll see if I can scale back.

Yeah too long! Your ability to concentrate at that level falls off quite sharply after about 20 mins and you may see your scores getting worse

You're better of breaking it into smaller sessions with a good interval inbetween.

Its worth saying that most people seem to find the tests easier on paper than on the screen, so print some out if you can.
 

Caad12

Member
Joined
3 Jun 2018
Messages
145
Location
Gateshead
Yeah too long! Your ability to concentrate at that level falls off quite sharply after about 20 mins and you may see your scores getting worse

You're better of breaking it into smaller sessions with a good interval inbetween.

Its worth saying that most people seem to find the tests easier on paper than on the screen, so print some out if you can.

Good advice. I’ll fire up the printer.
 

Dynamonic

Member
Joined
10 Jan 2013
Messages
648
Location
Nottinghamshire
The actual tests see you doing five sets of dots timed at 2 minutes for each set. So about 10 minutes for the whole test.

As others have said, just practice one of these tests (five pages) at a time. I did one in the morning and one in the evening every day in the run up to my tests, which was more than enough.
Remember, the Group Bourdon is just one test you’ll be sitting on the day! :)

Good luck!
 

NorvernRob

Member
Joined
4 Oct 2018
Messages
47
One or two practices a day is plenty, I’ve had around 15 attempts now and am averaging 12-13 lines and 1 omission per 60 lines. It’s the perception test I’m not looking forward to, I’ve done ok on the YouTube vids but I don’t like the feeling of not being able to check my work!
 

Caad12

Member
Joined
3 Jun 2018
Messages
145
Location
Gateshead
Well I'll take it easy on the test for now till I get the interview date and see if I pass that. Continue to revise Northern then worry about tests later.
 

Pete C

Member
Joined
8 Aug 2018
Messages
174
I think I did maybe 8 practice tests in total for the Bourdon and passed at enhanced level. I was averaging 10-11 lines with maybe 1 omission per test.
 

MidlandsChap

Member
Joined
15 Apr 2018
Messages
194
Evening

Can anybody confirm if the size of the sheet on this computer program is the same size paper sheets used at assessment days?

Thanks
 

martin2345uk

Established Member
Joined
21 Sep 2011
Messages
2,052
Location
Essex
I think they were slightly bigger on the day. The dots were also finer. No idea if it’s like that for every assessment though.
 

MidlandsChap

Member
Joined
15 Apr 2018
Messages
194
Thanks for the advice, how much more work do you think I have to reach the standard? The below is for 5 sheets.

I feel I can afford to slow down a touch to reduce those I miss.

Targets Omitted 6
Marked incorrect 0

Total cells 1419
Mean cell time 0.270
Median cell time 0.230

Completed rows 54
Mean row time 6.728
Median row time 6.505

Row fluctuation 3.75

I have printed a few sheets off, and generally find these easier. However hen you say the dots were finer, how do you mean?Are they not as high contrast as the online tool?
 

martin2345uk

Established Member
Joined
21 Sep 2011
Messages
2,052
Location
Essex
Thanks for the advice, how much more work do you think I have to reach the standard? The below is for 5 sheets.

I feel I can afford to slow down a touch to reduce those I miss.

Targets Omitted 6
Marked incorrect 0

Total cells 1419
Mean cell time 0.270
Median cell time 0.230

Completed rows 54
Mean row time 6.728
Median row time 6.505

Row fluctuation 3.75

I have printed a few sheets off, and generally find these easier. However hen you say the dots were finer, how do you mean?Are they not as high contrast as the online tool?

Just the dots were smaller and spaced a bit further apart than on the practice. If anything I felt it made it easier than the practice :)

Keep going till you’re getting zero omissions consistently even if it means slowing down a bit.
 

NorvernRob

Member
Joined
4 Oct 2018
Messages
47
I was a bit slower by around 1-2 lines per page on the actual test than the practise sheets, probably because I took it a bit steadier on the day as I didn’t want to go too quickly and mess up.
 

JDMFTW

Member
Joined
20 Nov 2018
Messages
20
Hi everyone!
This is my first post, I am not sure if someone has posted this tool for mac users to run the Group Bourdon tool. It is free software just in case someone tries to charge to use them.

First you will need to download "Wine Stable" Mac OS version
https://wiki.winehq.org/Download

Also you might need Xquartz:
https://www.xquartz.org

After installing them both, right click on the bourdon.exe file and open it using Wine Stable. It will open a windows like installing interface. Don't worry it won't install the software. You might some icons after the install on your desktop (you can delete them).
Screenshot added.

Hope it helps.


Thanks that’s really helpful I’ll be grabbing this on the Mac when I get home :)
 

N47

Member
Joined
22 Nov 2018
Messages
39
Hi is this the practise material for the test you do at opc or cannot also be used for the online assessment at the first stage

Thanks
 

MidlandsChap

Member
Joined
15 Apr 2018
Messages
194
During the assessment test do they tell you when you are half way though the time limit on each page?
 

J-P_L

Member
Joined
7 Sep 2017
Messages
203
Location
UK
During the assessment test do they tell you when you are half way though the time limit on each page?
When I sat it early this year they didn’t tell you when you were halfway, just to change to the next block.
 

Jord85

Member
Joined
4 Feb 2019
Messages
64
just had my 2nd shot at the print off tonight
sheet 1 - 11 lines 1 omission
sheet 2 - 9 lines 0 omission
sheet 3 - 9 lines 1 omission
sheet 4 - 10 lines 2 omissions
sheet5 - 8 lines 0 omissions

going to do this twice a day for 2 weeks until my assessment and hopefully get down to 0 omission
 

Dynamonic

Member
Joined
10 Jan 2013
Messages
648
Location
Nottinghamshire
just had my 2nd shot at the print off tonight
sheet 1 - 11 lines 1 omission
sheet 2 - 9 lines 0 omission
sheet 3 - 9 lines 1 omission
sheet 4 - 10 lines 2 omissions
sheet5 - 8 lines 0 omissions

going to do this twice a day for 2 weeks until my assessment and hopefully get down to 0 omission

Hi there Jord85. Good effort for your second attempt. Try and keep a consistent pace going throughout the sheets. You want to be getting more or less the same number of lines done on every sheet with 0 errors/omissions. You can do this by working to a comfortable rhythm. If you find yourself making more than one error/omission, try to slow your pace down slightly, then work on your speed once you stop making errors.
For comparison, I was getting about 11 lines down every sheet and passed to enhanced standard on the day.
:) Good luck!
 

Jord85

Member
Joined
4 Feb 2019
Messages
64
Hi there Jord85. Good effort for your second attempt. Try and keep a consistent pace going throughout the sheets. You want to be getting more or less the same number of lines done on every sheet with 0 errors/omissions. You can do this by working to a comfortable rhythm. If you find yourself making more than one error/omission, try to slow your pace down slightly, then work on your speed once you stop making errors.
For comparison, I was getting about 11 lines down every sheet and passed to enhanced standard on the day.
:) Good luck!
thanks dynamonic. I will keep at it for 30 mins a day until i go. Is there anywhere i can practise the ( TEA-OCC) part of the assessment?
thanks
 

Dynamonic

Member
Joined
10 Jan 2013
Messages
648
Location
Nottinghamshire
thanks dynamonic. I will keep at it for 30 mins a day until i go. Is there anywhere i can practise the ( TEA-OCC) part of the assessment?
thanks

Personally, I only used the practice material sent to me to prepare for TEA-Occ, which proved enough, although some people on here have purchased books or software to help prepare them too. :)
 

GollyDolly

New Member
Joined
11 Feb 2019
Messages
3
hello - new to all this so don't shoot me if what I am asking is super obvious. I have my assessment with Southeastern in a few weeks and have been informed I will be expected to sit Group Bourdon, TEA-Occ and Trainability for Rules and Procedures only therefore am only concentrating on practicing those tests therefore can someone point me in the right direction where I can get further practice material on those three - I would rather do paper tests then the computer ones as have been told pencil paper is how it will be done on the day. I have completed all what they sent me in the practice document - just wondering if there is an easy link to print some additional pages off.

Thanks!
 
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