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Assessments & Medicals discussion
- Thread starter Horizon22
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RailUK Forums
I'm looking for that too. For me, this test is very hard that's why I try to find practice materials.
In case you haven't seen it!
DontPlayBoxing
Member
Personally, I thought the DFFT is one of the easier tests, its only difficult if you dont follow the word instruction that goes with it.
On the assessment day, before the DFFT we went over what to do etc and people were getting confused and asking questions which are clearly explained in the text because they would only follow the instructions upto a certain point and then give an answer before reading the rest.
On the assessment day, before the DFFT we went over what to do etc and people were getting confused and asking questions which are clearly explained in the text because they would only follow the instructions upto a certain point and then give an answer before reading the rest.
luvlyjubly86
Member
No, they told us to put our hands under the table.
Ah thanks
No but you have fingers and toes
Haha trueNo but you have fingers and toes
Well, I don't know what to say...I did follow the instructions but I was too slow as I need a bit more time to read and the amount of information you have is all over your table.
I guess some people are good with that but for me is the weakness one.
So I'm trying to find some harder practice materials... Harder then OPC ones
Thank you. I just get them. ☺️
Eager girl
Member
Hi Violeta, I am not alone in having found DFFT tough but it really is okay if you prepare yourself. Look at the more difficult multi-step examples but keep calm. Always revert to the correct train on the day as there will be a few sheets you referring to and fro with.
Hello,
I have my trainee train driver assessment centre coming up.
I’ve completed the practice material provided but would really like to do more so I’m fully prepared.
Does anyone know where I could access practice material for TRP part 1 and 2, and also Tea-occ?
Thank you!
I have my trainee train driver assessment centre coming up.
I’ve completed the practice material provided but would really like to do more so I’m fully prepared.
Does anyone know where I could access practice material for TRP part 1 and 2, and also Tea-occ?
Thank you!
TacoTraveller
Member
- Joined
- 30 May 2018
- Messages
- 390
When I did mine, they sent practice material over that has all the tests you'd do (not exactly the same tests, but very similar)
I just did them religiously. I feel like trying to find the exact tests isn't testing you as you already know what's ahead.
I would recommend you download the Railtest app. It has practice materials for those two tests although it’s not exactly the same but similar enough to be useful. Helped me massively.
jaggzymalone
Member
Hello everyone,
I’ve somehow managed to get through to the computer assessments and MMI interview. I’ve done the paper ones, group bourdon etc and I passed the managers interview.
Has anyone got any pointers on the computer assessments? I’ve seen the grey square test is 30 minutes long and that seems a long time, people who have sat that test is it okay? I think the biggest struggle will be the picture they show for a second and you have to tick what you’ve seen.
Any advice from anyone would be greatly appreciated, bricking it! I’m so close!
I’ve somehow managed to get through to the computer assessments and MMI interview. I’ve done the paper ones, group bourdon etc and I passed the managers interview.
Has anyone got any pointers on the computer assessments? I’ve seen the grey square test is 30 minutes long and that seems a long time, people who have sat that test is it okay? I think the biggest struggle will be the picture they show for a second and you have to tick what you’ve seen.
Any advice from anyone would be greatly appreciated, bricking it! I’m so close!
WombleGuard
Member
Biggest tip for pictures test is don't guess and tick an object if you're not 100 percent sure it was there. You get marked down for things you say you saw that weren't there.
For the joysticks, hold them low in your fist to have more control.
For the grey square. Ignore when everyone else is clicking. Also look around the screen and not directly at dot as you may start to imagine it changing colour.
Best of luck.
For the joysticks, hold them low in your fist to have more control.
For the grey square. Ignore when everyone else is clicking. Also look around the screen and not directly at dot as you may start to imagine it changing colour.
Best of luck.
Last edited:
Syndicate0510
Member
Agree with the comment about moving your body for the grey square. I sat forwards for a couple mins then sat further back for a couple mins. Helped me alot with eye strain as the square changes size with the perspective. I was told with the pictures that you definitely shouldn't guess. Only say what you definitely know you saw. I believe they are fairly lenient with this test. They just want to know that you can actually pick stuff out rather than get them all right. It would be impossible to see everything as you literally get a second, maybe 2 seconds absolute maximum. As for the joysticks just keep calm. You will go out of the maze a lot. They are assessing how quickly you can get back in to it and carry on. If you show any signs of distress you will fail. We all felt like we had failed the joysticks and yet we all passed. People say that if you play computer games you will be fine. Don't trust this because i found it difficult and im a gamer, It's nothing like a games controller.
It is worth noting that I had 11 people on my assessment. Only 3 passed over all. But all the ones that failed were on the paper tests so I believe you got the hardest bit out of the way.
Good luck.
It is worth noting that I had 11 people on my assessment. Only 3 passed over all. But all the ones that failed were on the paper tests so I believe you got the hardest bit out of the way.
Good luck.
BobCratchit
Member
I’d 100% agree with the post above regarding the joysticks. Don’t get fazed by it when you go out the lines as this will happen, just crack on and concentrate. I thought I’d failed it for sure but managed to pass it by just battling on and hoping! Good luck!
DontPlayBoxing
Member
Fully agree with this, I was told the same thing and it was also discussed on the day by the group.
Its nothing like computer games, its not even like the old school single joystick, the little joysticks on the assessment are very sensitive and they feel quite faulty/loose.
I was expecting to complete this bit easily but I found it one of the most difficult tests on the day.
jaggzymalone
Member
Thank you, the booklet says it’s going to be cars/bicycles/traffic lights etc is that right? Do you have set things to look out for on each image?
Oh no the manager told me to start playing computer games because that’s the best way to get ready for it! I though that’d be one of easy ones but I’ll proceed with caution on that one, thank you!
LoogaBarooga
Member
- Joined
- 11 Jul 2019
- Messages
- 233
Personally I felt like having experience playing computer games definitely helped a bit with the joysticks. They are mega sensitive and flimsy feeling though.
I thought that bit was the easiest, I got through it in less than five minutes.
I thought that bit was the easiest, I got through it in less than five minutes.
Did you folks pass ?
The reasoning behind 'playing computer games' isn't specifically about the controller. It's about hand/eye co-ordination and processing information quickly. There is also are big differences between playing Elder Scrolls, Mario Cart, and Call of Duty.
When I did my Assessments (many moons ago) The practice material for the Group Bourdon was 'Word Searches' I practised by speed running word searches.
Paractice for these assessments is all about getting your brain in the right gear. Dexterity, is just a small part of it.
jaggzymalone
Member
I was thinking more call of duty, just for the reaction time and the thumb sticks are up, down, left and right like the joysticks.
Reactions are a factor for Joysticks and it is best to just accept you will stray and aim to get back on track as quickly as you can.
But the thing I think is most difficult about that test is being able to separate the horizontal and vertical movements into the two separate hands.
There’s a lot of criticism about the quality of the joysticks but I didn’t see that as an issue on the day. You’ve got to work with what you’re given so spend the practise time familiarising yourself with their sensitivity. In a way you’ve got to calibrate yourself to what you’re working with just as you find some units are a bit more sluggish / nippy than others and you adjust accordingly.
But the thing I think is most difficult about that test is being able to separate the horizontal and vertical movements into the two separate hands.
There’s a lot of criticism about the quality of the joysticks but I didn’t see that as an issue on the day. You’ve got to work with what you’re given so spend the practise time familiarising yourself with their sensitivity. In a way you’ve got to calibrate yourself to what you’re working with just as you find some units are a bit more sluggish / nippy than others and you adjust accordingly.
DontPlayBoxing
Member
Yep.
I've never played any video games and I passed. My advice is to use the practice session in the beginning to fully understand the control and find your best positioning. A little trick I did was anything that was straight I would do a quick flick so it was quick (be careful tho as it is senstive) and anything that was curved I'd use a bit more time to navigate. I went out a lot but made sure I went in quickly
I Agree with what you say and to add I think the joystick are purposely designed that way. Also I feel the sensitivity of the joysticks change during the test so one moment you move the stick a fraction and the dot hardly moves and the next you move the stick the same and the dot flys half way across the screen. It’s all to test speed, accuracy and how well you cope under pressure.
Syndicate0510
Member
Yes I passed. But I came out the track so much I was sure I'd failed. The loud buzzing in my ears when I did come off the track was very irritating.
Yes. There are about 20 images to go through. And the list of things you are looking for never changes. I believe the items are traffic lights, traffic sign, pedestrians, motorcycles, cars. There may be a couple more I've forgotten. But its always the same list for each picture. The pictures will be traffic scenes such as a crossroads or a busy road junction etc. It's honestly not as bad as it sounds. Just remember to only click what you saw. Do not guess. You will also get a practice go before hand.
Also worth remembering that the maze never changes shape. It's always the same. You guide the ball from point A to point B. When you get to point B the track dissappears and you will be instructed to go back to point A. When you do so, the exact same track will reappear again and you guide the ball to point B. Then you keep repeating about 20 times or so. It's my belief that what they are looking for is an improvement in both speed and accuracy, however slight. And also how quickly you can recover when you make mistakes. This is only my assumption though so don't take it as gospel.
Anything else you need just ask.