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How2become

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abacus614

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13 Feb 2019
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Morning all. Has anyone else had any experience with the how2become publications?

I bought the Train Drivers Tests to prepare for my stage 1 but I must admit however, I'm finding some of the answer very questionable particularly for the situational judgement.

Having completed the book in its entirety there certainly are mistakes in the answers. Has anyone else experienced this?
 
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Stigy

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6 Nov 2009
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I bought the book a couple of years ago and although some of the content was okay, I found it on the whole outdated and relating to the old processes.
 

king_walnut

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16 Oct 2013
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Do not waste your money.

Any information on how to become a train driver is contained within this forum.

Source: Am a train driver because of this forum.
 

sw1ller

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Do not waste your money.

Any information on how to become a train driver is contained within this forum.

Source: Am a train driver because of this forum.

seconded.

pretty sure the author of the book was/is a fire officer. If you wanna learn how to become a train driver from a fireman, crack on.
 

Stigy

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seconded.

pretty sure the author of the book was/is a fire officer. If you wanna learn how to become a train driver from a fireman, crack on.
He was a Firefighter turned Train Driver. But that really makes him no more qualified to advise than anyone here with first hand experience of the recruitment and selection process. We could all write a book :E
 

sw1ller

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He was a Firefighter turned Train Driver. But that really makes him no more qualified to advise than anyone here with first hand experience of the recruitment and selection process. We could all write a book :E
Ah, fair enough, didn’t realise he moved into the driver grade. But as you say, makes him no better placed. Fair play to him for making a bit of money from it though. I did have a read of it and did take a couple of tips for the interview from it which seemed to work. I didn’t really find it too helpful as a whole though. But I’m sure everyone will take different things, if anything, from it. No harm in flicking through it.
 

abacus614

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13 Feb 2019
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I won't bother with anymore. Theres about 50 bourdon test which come in handy as it saves my printer ink and paper.
 
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A friend of mine sent me the books as he no longer needed them after getting a job offer, and I have to say a lot of the information seems outdated. There were some useful tips for the DMI/MMI processes but no more than you could get by doing some research on here.
 

Trainguy90

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its Not 100% useless but it’s definitely not needed, any information you need can be found within forums like this.

One thing you have to remember about psychometric tests is they’re designed to test your personal attributes not things that can be learnt, people just like to know what to expect I guess
 

SemaphoreSlim

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It’s worth having a read through, there are some decent tips within his content on a whole. But as others have said, the best place for information and tips is right here on this forum. I did buy the ‘how to become’ material when I was going through the process, but I am a train driver today because of this forum!
 

t_star2001uk

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He was a Firefighter turned Train Driver.

I know he was a firefighter but i dont think he was ever a train driver....
 

abacus614

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He was a Firefighter turned Train Driver.

I know he was a firefighter but i dont think he was ever a train driver....

He was in the Navy. Then a fire fighter. No mention of him being a train driver, just a few paragraphs on how great he is. Which is even more bizarre.
 

Tony43

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20 Mar 2018
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personally I think the only one of the tests you can improve with practise is the Bourdon all the rest you either can or cant do them however that is just my experiance
 

Comfy

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23 Dec 2018
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A friend of mine got the first trainee driver job he applied for after going through all the how 2 become material.
I've started using it myself having previously not got through the papersift for 2 trainee jobs. First job I've applied for I've got through the papersift and DMI and am waiting for dates for psychometric tests now.
I wouldn't rely on just one source of information/training though, it's not an either or option. Just use as much as you can from wherever you can.
 

kickin aff

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I used quite a lot of their material to prepare for the process. I found it quite useful especially when it came to interviews as it had been a number of years previous since I had one.
I used their material and this forum in equal measures going through the process last year.
 

43066

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personally I think the only one of the tests you can improve with practise is the Bourdon all the rest you either can or cant do them however that is just my experiance

Yes agreed. The Richard Mcmunn(?) book of practice tests was the one I used.

Very useful for building up both speed and accuracy (both are equally important).
 

Marino

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20 Nov 2018
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A friend of mine got the first trainee driver job he applied for after going through all the how 2 become material.
I've started using it myself having previously not got through the papersift for 2 trainee jobs. First job I've applied for I've got through the papersift and DMI and am waiting for dates for psychometric tests now.
I wouldn't rely on just one source of information/training though, it's not an either or option. Just use as much as you can from wherever you can.

DMI before Psychometric tests ?
 

sarah87

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31 Aug 2019
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I used the how2become software and I did find it useful. I also found this forum brilliant too. I'm currently awaiting a date for my DMI after successfully passing the psychometric testing. Good luck for when you take yours.
 

Stigy

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atw/TfW do it that way. Personally think it’s the best way to do it.
I believe SWR do the DMI at least before the MMI?

I could work better that way, but equally it’s very resource intensive on the DSMs I’d imagine?
 

RBSN

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14 Jul 2014
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Outdated.

If you’re invited to take psychometric tests you will be given practice material prior to the date.
 

DJD

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15 Nov 2019
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I bought the conductor book and tbh it did help me. I prepared answers to all the interview questions at the back end of the book. Also it helped me with my CV and direct my research into the TOC I was applying for. As others have said a lot of the content is a bit outdated tho. I would recommend using multiple sources to help you prepare.
 

Tony43

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20 Mar 2018
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Yes agreed. The Richard Mcmunn(?) book of practice tests was the one I used.

Very useful for building up both speed and accuracy (both are equally important).
I used the tool you can download for PC used that to get used to it and get consitant then printed off paper sheets for the final couple of days before worked for me
 

DRS66421

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13 Aug 2019
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I bought the conductor book and tbh it did help me. I prepared answers to all the interview questions at the back end of the book. Also it helped me with my CV and direct my research into the TOC I was applying for. As others have said a lot of the content is a bit outdated tho. I would recommend using multiple sources to help you prepare.
Can you recommend any online practice material for the tests?
 

DRS66421

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13 Aug 2019
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I used the tool you can download for PC used that to get used to it and get consitant then printed off paper sheets for the final couple of days before worked for me
Do you know what the tool was for the PC and can you recommend any online practice material for the tests?
 

DJD

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15 Nov 2019
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Location
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Can you recommend any online practice material for the tests?

I used a site called job test prep they have quite a few railway specific tests on there including the group bourdon test etc. You have to pay a subscription but it’s peanuts and if you’re serious about getting a job, definitely a good resource.

as I was going for a conductor job I mainly used it for the numerical reasoning and verbal reasoning tests I had to do. Its good because there are lots of videos with formulas and stuff which proved quite useful to me.

as for the how2become book it helped to build my knowledge of the role and understand the application process. Tbh I don’t think I could have done it without it.

This forum has been really helpful just reading a lot of threads on here on various topics definitely helps you get and understanding of how railway recruitment works and what they are looking for.
 

Tony43

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20 Mar 2018
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75
Do you know what the tool was for the PC and can you recommend any online practice material for the tests?
As above group bourdon tool and just used what the company sent to practice the others. As I said above most is a case of you can either do it or you can't especially the computer tests
 
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