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Assesment day nerves!!! HELP!!!!

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rorybreaker

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I have heard today from Northern and i have my assesment day next week. Only 8 days to prepare worries me slightly. I am good with Bourdon and reaction and confident on interview. It is the mechanical paper that worries me!!! Could anyone advise the best things to revise in the short time i have. I have the guide book but would be great to hear from people who have been through it already!!! Any advise would be much appreciated. Cheers
 
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SHL tests online free mechanical tests.

Psychometric books, mechanical books online

Look carefully, often part the work is working out what the problem is... can be very subtle. Sometimes you have to work out in your mind what way all the different cogs will be turning. It is very easy if you learn the principles! Learn to calculate how far the fulcrum needs to be from two weights to balance. All you do is create an abstract zero reference point and work out the length of the plank. Then you multiply by the weights and divide or something like that link below makes it very easy. If it is the other kind of test you have to go by instinct based on the principles with no numbers involved (see how2become book)

Gears, fulcrums, mechanical advantage, forces all common. Some tests only rely on diagrams others might include simple math eg working out volumes

Good luck
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
http://www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/k-12/WindTunnel/Activities/balance_of_forces.html
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
http://www.explainthatstuff.com/toolsmachines.html
 
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rorybreaker

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Thanks a lot ml

I will certainly read through the links. They look like they will be a great help. I feel a lot better about it already now i have practised a whole varitey of test and read some books.

Re the GB test. I am getting on average 60-65 lines, 1-3 missed and 1-2 mistakes. I have the download practise that most people use. 5 sheets, 2mins a sheet. Is this good enough standard?

Thanks again.
 

185

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Group Bourdon is the one many come unstuck on, so practise is advisory, the idea of the test is to see if you can concentrate for a period of time, fixated solely on a task without your mind wandering.

Take my advice, practicing helped me pass.
 

fgwrich

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Which job is it your going for? Strangely, i was fine with my Group Bourdon, but failed on the final part of the reactions test. But Good Luck with whatever your going for, Practice is vital and fortunatly, i was sent all the docs 3 weeks before the actual assesment day.
 

rorybreaker

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Trainee train driver with Northern. I have been practising as much as i can without going over board. I only had the manager interview a week ago and then assesment day next week!! 3 weeks would of been great!!! But i will continue to practise as much as i can, trying to make sure i cover all the areas needed.

I feel more at ease as the days go on. When i first got the practise material i thought there is way i'll be able to practise enough to be prepared but in fact i have found i am doing well on practise tests. I know they will be harder and different from practise material though. Well all i can is my best as they say!!!
 

455driver

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If you cant stay calm for a couple of tests how do you think you will stay calm if a fire starts on your train and passengers are jumping out the (egressed) doors onto open running lines?
 

Beveridges

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I remember the assessment day nerves when I did mine 4 years ago. It felt awful at the time, couldn't sleep for 3 days in a row leading up to the test due to nerves. I even gave an excuse not to turn up the first time as well. The best way to calm yourself down is to realise that the job is probably not as good as you expect so its not worth getting so stressed about it. Also its still possible to pass these tests even if you have not slept for days, made no difference to my performance on the reactions or concentration tests.
 

feliner

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Anyone know what the carry on is for qualified driver interviews with Northern,i have an interview in a couple of weeks at Sheffield.
 

455driver

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Anyone that thinks driving trains for a living is a "glamorous" job is in for a rude awakening, it can be boring in the extreme with the odd bit of excitement.

Going to bed before the kids because you are getting up at 0300 for an 0400 start, going to work just as the kids are getting home from school/ the wife getting in from work, finishing work at 0130, working weekends when your mates are down the pub, having your "summer" holiday in October, getting ear ache off the passengers when things go wrong, being completely ignored by the passengers when things go right, not having a "social life" because of the drink and drugs policy (you can legally drive your car to work but fail the railway test, be sacked with no appeal) and legally drive your car home. I could go on.
Would I swap the job for another? Never in a million years, I do the job because I enjoy the job, there certainly isnt any "glamour" involved (well except our new/ young/ fit guard but thats a bit different ;))!:lol:
 

Beveridges

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Anyone thinking of applying should just think of the shifts. If its Depot Driving then its going to be nights including 0600 to 0700 finishes. Or 12 hour nights, starting at 1900 and finishing at 0700. If its mainline passenger theres probably going to be early starts. Even worse than the traditional 0600-1400 earlys. I've seen stuff like 0400-1300 and 0500-1530 on diagram papers I've seen left on trains arriving on depot. If its freight then expect even worse, shifts starting at times like 23:00, 01:00, 03:00! Thats what it was when I looked into DRS.
 

MR_P

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I'm writing a basic app to simulate the reactions test so I can practice it (Not got boppit) - Do the colours that appear on the screen always appear in the same place or move about?
 

185

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If you cant stay calm for a couple of tests how do you think you will stay calm if a fire starts on your train and passengers are jumping out the (egressed) doors onto open running lines?

Compared to my flame-ridden class 158 hurtling towards Poulton-le-Fylde at 65mph, with the fire bells going off and the automatic extinguisher discharging, the OPC assessment tests were infact many many, more times more stressful.

Seriously ;)
 

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Surely sleep is a good idea??

I am surprised the managers int is first in your case as usually it is the other way round.

Fault finding test: Is this simply various shaded dials where you work out the answers from a key? Do you also have to work out which switches work from sequences of switches? The latter is harder as you have to imagine in your head the changing sequences
 

fgwrich

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Surely sleep is a good idea??

I am surprised the managers int is first in your case as usually it is the other way round.

Fault finding test: Is this simply various shaded dials where you work out the answers from a key? Do you also have to work out which switches work from sequences of switches? The latter is harder as you have to imagine in your head the changing sequences

Be careful with the fault finding test - it's not as easy as it first looks. I.e, from memory, whilst the practice paper has you thinking it varies on the shade of colour in the dial - it dosent. It works on the basis of the where the needle position is, and what sector / zone its in, and i think you start from the lowest first (I'll try and check this after Coppers on more 4 or in the morning!)

I have to admit also that im surprised you've already had the interview - the way the TOC that i did mine with, works on the basis of:
You apply,
If you get shortlisted, then you'll be sent the details of the assessment day / details,
If you decide to agree, then you'll get sent practice materials to work through,
Assement day involves Concentration Test, Group Bourdon and the Trainability test - TOC i did this with had a listen to the passage section and answer questions from memory, which was about the application of Glop / American version of Sandite, the reactions test, then the structured interview. But, fail any section as you go along and your out of the process.

I'm writing a basic app to simulate the reactions test so I can practice it (Not got boppit) - Do the colours that appear on the screen always appear in the same place or move about?

I would say that it probably depends on the system being used - Where i had my assessment, they were still using Windows 95 computers - so it might be different on another system. However, the coloured dots did move / change position around the screen.

Anyone thinking of applying should just think of the shifts. If its Depot Driving then its going to be nights including 0600 to 0700 finishes. Or 12 hour nights, starting at 1900 and finishing at 0700. If its mainline passenger theres probably going to be early starts. Even worse than the traditional 0600-1400 earlys. I've seen stuff like 0400-1300 and 0500-1530 on diagram papers I've seen left on trains arriving on depot. If its freight then expect even worse, shifts starting at times like 23:00, 01:00, 03:00! Thats what it was when I looked into DRS.

One of the depot jobs i had looked into had shifts starting at anything from 18:00 to 03:00 am, and 19:00/20:00 through to 06/07 am with 3 days on nights, and the 4th during the day. Fortunately, knowing various people at the depot helped me to carry out research about the job which may have helped further down the application process.

Hope this is of any use.
 

rorybreaker

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Be careful with the fault finding test - it's not as easy as it first looks. I.e, from memory, whilst the practice paper has you thinking it varies on the shade of colour in the dial - it dosent. It works on the basis of the where the needle position is, and what sector / zone its in, and i think you start from the lowest first (I'll try and check this after Coppers on more 4 or in the morning!)

I have to admit also that im surprised you've already had the interview - the way the TOC that i did mine with, works on the basis of:
You apply,
If you get shortlisted, then you'll be sent the details of the assessment day / details,
If you decide to agree, then you'll get sent practice materials to work through,
Assement day involves Concentration Test, Group Bourdon and the Trainability test - TOC i did this with had a listen to the passage section and answer questions from memory, which was about the application of Glop / American version of Sandite, the reactions test, then the structured interview. But, fail any section as you go along and your out of the process.

That's a great help on the fault finding. I was surprised i had the managers interview first after reading the order it goes for most. So for me, if i am succesful next weekend and pass with satisfactory marks then it's the thumbs up subject to medical, CRB, references etc.

I appreciate peoples comments and opinions, so thank you.

Re not being able to cope........ my current job demands i cope with various emergency situtations and i have seen and dealt with some bad things. Also requires me to do a whole load of varying shift patterns. I understand the opinion of 'if i can't cope with this then i have no chance' but it's not that i can't cope, it is just nerves as i always want to suceed.
 

Beveridges

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Being able to cope with the tests and being able to cope with the job are two completely different things. One can be good at one and bad at the other. One person can be capable of doing the job but not able to pass the tests. Another person can be capable of passing the tests but not able to do the job. In other words, it is often said that these tests are very poor at deciding whether you have the ability or not
 
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