Full Rules by multiple choice questions? How effective is that in reality?
It must vary by TOC - as I have never taken a multiple choice exam and many TOCs do not have simulators.
60hrs Ahhhhhh how cute
You still have a long journey to go so try to sit back and enjoy where you are and what your doing rather than worrying too much. Everything comes with time. There will be a point where routes suddenly click and the giant jigsaw makes sense. You will stick the brake in before the DI says so and whilst you panic a little, they'll sit and smile. Clanging and banging will be a soft as a kiss from a beautiful woman.
It's important to remember that you don't get put up for your assessment till you are ready. Very different from the previous tests. You are taking a test they know you're gonna pass
How long is a piece of string?Out of curiosity how much do train drivers earn ?
Does it very from local trains, freight to intercity train even between TOCs ?
I'm will obviously be comparing it to my current job and the responsibilty to go with it.
It is sort of comforting to know inept management is not exclusive to my company.
Likewise, especially reading all about it here
I've always taken the view that it's possible to test one's knowledge with a multiple-choice test, but much harder to design one that tests one's understanding, especially the fundamental principles, without inadvertently prompting the candidate (e.g. with the wording of subsequent questions) or making the questions so convoluted that it becomes a test of your grasp of the English language instead! Hopefully that's still dug out in other ways during the assessment cycle? The 'day from hell' for me was the written rules exam - eight hours or so, fifty-odd sides of A4 (just answers, questions on separate sheets) if I remember correctly. Some one-line answers, some full page "empty your mind" essays. I quite enjoyed it really but it's still gruelling, but it really digs deep into the depths of your understanding of the subject!
100% all day.
My 'day from hell' was literally that in all sense of the word. It was you in front of a white board with the Assessor firing questions at you for around 8hrs. It was also a 'Day from hell' You booked on - booking on procedures etc. Go and find your train and prep it (in service/out of service faults) - shunting and depot protection etc. Then you took your train out - more shunting procedures. It derails in the sidings/passing shunt signals at danger etc. Swap trains, out for a trip. Passcomed, Temp block (train fails) Single line working (pilotman etc). train derails (emergency protection etc) All scenario based questions. The Assessor just hammering you with everything they could think of and diagrams for everything !! It was 100% or fail. Also based solely on the whim of the Assessor. No paperwork, no evidence train, just their word against yours. If they didn't like you; you got hammered. If they liked you; easy day. not much went wrong, draw up a 4 aspect sequence.
I'll think I'll take that multi choice paper
Ah, that sort of "day from hell". I get you know. Our written epic followed a similar theme, albeit in a more roundabout sort of way. "Here's the scenario: you've derailed as shown in the diagram - write down exactly what you're going to do about it". There's a written record of everything though, so no favouritism in the marking. I'm inclined to say that I think I'd have preferred a nice easy multiple-choice paper, but I'm not so sure - at least with this, I could be certain at the end of it that I had a good Understanding™ ! Take the example of emergency protection, and the straightforward question of when you have to put your dets down before you reach the distance ("four teas and a sugar" - @Dynamonic will know what I mean even if no-one else does!): I just don't know how you could word a multiple-choice question without prompting the candidate, let alone the subsequent question of which way you go first at a junction, and if it's too easy then you're just churning out drivers who potentially don't really know their stuff.100% all day.
My 'day from hell' was literally that in all sense of the word. It was you in front of a white board with the Assessor firing questions at you for around 8hrs. It was also a 'Day from hell' You booked on - booking on procedures etc. Go and find your train and prep it (in service/out of service faults) - shunting and depot protection etc. Then you took your train out - more shunting procedures. It derails in the sidings/passing shunt signals at danger etc. Swap trains, out for a trip. Passcomed, Temp block (train fails) Single line working (pilotman etc). train derails (emergency protection etc) All scenario based questions. The Assessor just hammering you with everything they could think of and diagrams for everything !! It was 100% or fail. Also based solely on the whim of the Assessor. No paperwork, no evidence train, just their word against yours. If they didn't like you; you got hammered. If they liked you; easy day. not much went wrong, draw up a 4 aspect sequence.
I'll think I'll take that multi choice paper
It appears daunting, but (wherever you go) as long as you put the effort in and turn up with the right attitude every day, you’ll almost certainly get through it. The support is excellent - they’ve invested too much in you to have it any other way. A couple of people failed the big exam on my course, but they all got a lot of extra time with the trainers and they all got through it on the second attempt. I understand that they’d have been given a verbal assessment with an independent person if they’d failed round two, where of course they’re in a much better position to discuss “difficult” questions and try a different approach to get the answers out and judge how well they understand it.
It's not as bad as people are making out. Don't forget you will already have been given plenty of opportunity to learn the stuff you get assessed on at the end, and will have already passed assessments on it. There will be nothing in there you don't already know. I think some people who already have the luxury of having a key might be looking back on their own part six through tinted spectacles and embellishing tales of how hard it is. You've only got to stick your head round the door of any drivers mess room to see we are not rocket scientists. Don't let these accounts put you off... if you put the work in you will pass.
thanks... i hope we can use pc to type cos my writing will resemble foreign characters once i am done with writing one page lol. thanks a lot for all the answers... i have one thing to say to people who are in my situation is that they give us plenty of good training and time and everything we need to pass the stuff.... if u still don't pass after two attempts then its either u r not getting it all which will be picked up a lot before the final assessment time, or u r not putting the effort in.
Just came across this thread. I'm in the same boat (I would say train but haven't been in 1 of those in months!). Barely 20 hours into mainline handling before lockdown happened.
