Had an assessment day with OPC recently and failed on the 2 hand coordination, which was the very last test before the MMI. Passed everything else to enhanced standard but didn’t even reach national standard with this one. All I’ll say is that I went for speed over accuracy and got it horribly wrong.
In terms of the rest of the tests, I found them pretty straight forward.
As has already been said on here, the Group Bourdon Test is the only one you can really practice on so make sure you do it. The application on this website is really good; you’ll probably find it easier in the actual test as the formation of dots actually appear to be more spaced out and easier to identify. Think I was completing 10 lines and getting halfway through my 11th line every 2 minutes when they shouted change. Must have been pretty accurate with these as went through.
Next was the passage being read out. This was the one I was least looking forward to, but in hindsight was a lot easier than I’d anticipated. You get given a sheet with the passage on to read at the same time as a recording of the passage is played. After the recording has finished reading, you get 5 minutes to make notes/read the passage, after which you get your notes and the passage taken away. You then have 7 minutes to answer 18 multiple choice questions. Just make sure you’re picking out important details. The questions should be pretty obvious as you’re reading the text.
After that was the dials. This is one that I thought I’d done really badly in. Not because I didn’t think I was accurate, but the other candidate (there was only two of us) managed to do 40/43 whereas I had only done 21/43. Anyway, we both passed.
Then came the tones/phone directory. Ten lots of tones with a mixture of high and low. You’ll be counting the low tones. You’re not allowed to have your hands on the table (presumably to stop you making a tally chart), but have to have them under the table. I just closed my eyes to eliminate any distractions, and counted on my hands. After that you have 45 seconds to find plumbers with certain matching symbols. The practice material gets you using the required skills, but don’t take too much notice of area codes and different trades in the practice material is all I’ll say on that. Finally, a combination of both except the tones are all the same so you don’t have to differentiate the two.
Next came the computer tests. The grey dot one was the most mentally taxing as I found it to question yourself; is it getting darker, is it grey? The long and short of it is to assume that it’s always grey because it is OBVIOUS when it turns black, always remember that. Also, I found moving my seat either further away or closer to the screen at regular intervals helpful.
I found the photos that flashed up pretty straight forward, I know that a lot of people found these difficult. The only advice I could give is to not focus too much in one place; just quickly scan as that’s all you’ll have time for anyway. Also, wherever there are traffic lights, there are usually road signs. That’s what I fathomed whilst practicing for this.
Lastly, my nemisis, the 2 hand coordination task. Joysticks are quite sensitive. Make use of the practice attempts you get and have a little practice with the joysticks before the practice attempts even begin. That sounds weird but will make sense when you get to it. Like I said previously, I went for speed over accuracy and fell flat on my face. I also think there was an element that it was the last computerised test and may have rushed it.
On this note, and for future reference for myself, can anyone who has successfully done the 2 hand coordination test clarify something for me? Can you actually do diagonal and curved lines in one fluid movement by moving both joysticks at the same time, or do you have to do them independently by zig-zagging down those types of lines?
Best of luck to anyone sitting those tests soon. In a weird way, they’re quite enjoyable.