New Train Driver Assessment

[DunfordBridge]

Update! Assessment part 2:
2HAND: For those thinking "I'm used to the Playstation's dual-thumbstick layout, I'll be fine", be warned! The joysticks do NOT move the dot by velocity (i.e. pushing the stick up further, the dot moves up faster) as you would normally expect. Instead, the absolute position of the stick corresponds to the absolute position of the dot on the screen. If you pushed the stick halfway up from it's centre position, the dot will be 2/3 of the way up the screen, and if you let the stick go it will flick back to the centre position, and the dot will jump back to the centre of the screen. Left stick controls left/right, right stick controls up/down. Also, there is only one pattern you need to trace, and you do it multiple times. If you crammed together CVT so the letters joined, that's the sort of path you need to trace.

Hi Edz,

If I could ask you a further question, how do you reckon manipulating the joysticks on the specialised control panel at the assessment centre compares to using the game controllers that you described in your previous post for the Playstation.

Basically, I understand that this exercise is concerned with small motor movements and I wondered if it was far easier to make finer movements with the assessment controllers than with the minute thumb-sticks on the Playstation games controller.

Many thanks.

 

[theageofthetra]

Agree re above. The controls are linear like on a radio controlled car, nothing like on a Playstation. The hard part is that the sticks are quite long so if your hands are a bit nervous it translates into quite a bit of movement on the screen. The impression I get is that it doesn't matter how many times you go outside the lines of the shape its the speed you get the dot back in again that's important.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Does anyone have any tips on the written communication & Tea/OCC tests? I have passed all the other parts under both old and new schemes with other TOC's & just need to do these two to finish of the set. Its the ones that bother me the most as I can't see how you can practice it. Cheers for any help.

 

[Septus]

Agree re above. The controls are linear like on a radio controlled car, nothing like on a Playstation. The hard part is that the sticks are quite long so if your hands are a bit nervous it translates into quite a bit of movement on the screen. The impression I get is that it doesn't matter how many times you go outside the lines of the shape its the speed you get the dot back in again that's important.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Does anyone have any tips on the written communication & Tea/OCC tests? I have passed all the other parts under both old and new schemes with other TOC's & just need to do these two to finish of the set. Its the ones that bother me the most as I can't see how you can practice it. Cheers for any help.

Yes the joysticks are long, but to limit movement, I found resting my hands flat on the board and holding them between my index finger and thumb I could limit the movement I had to make.

You get I think 2no practises before the actual test so have a play to find out what is comfortable for you.

Also the shape you follow (for me anyway) is the same, I think that they adjust the sensitivity for each run, sometimes the dot moves smoothly and other times it jumps. At the start of each run you have to move the dot to the start point...you can get a quick chance to see how it reacts as you move to it.


As for the Tea-Occ and WCT:

Tea-Occ, there are 3 parts. The first I though was the hardest, counting low tones and ignoring the high tones. I found closing my eyes helped.

The 2nd you have to search a 'phone book page' for pairs of symbols, just like the dot test but I found far simpler (ignore everything else on the page and hunt for the pairs of symbols).

The 3rd part is doing part 2 again, on a different sheet, and counting tones (no high and low this time). Again I found fairly simple...part 1 for me was the most difficult!


WCT is simple. You do exactly as is provided in the practise materials, just a different scenario. The scenario sheet is left with you so you should fail this one! Simple things to remember - ensure your spelling is correct (note the name of the person I have never seen it spelt that way ), writing is readable and stick to the facts do not waffle!
I think I did mine as bullet points, rather than report style and in the end I only filled out the first page, didn't need the additional page.

Hope this helps.

 

[theageofthetra]

Thats really helpful, thanks. With the tones in part 1 how frequently do they emit & are the gaps between any sound consistent or entirely random? Also how long does roughly does it go on for? Thanks for all your help.

 

[Septus]

Thats really helpful, thanks. With the tones in part 1 how frequently do they emit & are the gaps between any sound consistent or entirely random? Also how long does roughly does it go on for? Thanks for all your help.

Not sure as to the exact timing between tones, but from what I remember they are equal not random e.g. a constant *Beep* *Pause* *Beep*;

You listen to a number of separate 'strings' so the first is say 5 tones and the last one is say approx 30 tones long all with a mix of low and high tones.
I cant remember how many there were exactly, think we listened to about 12 'strings' as well as doing 3 practice strings before the real test.

 

[theageofthetra]

Thanks, do you write the number of low beeps down at the end of each string or at the end of all of them? Also are you allowed to keep a tally or say use matchsticks to keep count?

 

[redbutton]

To be honest, the tones are far too fast to use anything other than your head and possibly your fingers to count them. They go at about 120bpm if I remember correctly.

 

[theageofthetra]

Ok thanks, but do you write down your answer at the end of each batch of tones or at the very end so you have to remember several numbers?

 

[Septus]

Ok thanks, but do you write down your answer at the end of each batch of tones or at the very end so you have to remember several numbers?

At the end of each string (batch of tones).

 

[theageofthetra]

Thats perfect Thanks.
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Sorry one last question! Are the two different tones very different frequencies e.g a 'beeeeep' & 'booooop' or is the difference much more subtle?
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Sorry another one! On the part where you look for patterns & listen out for a tone are the tones at random intervals or regularly spaced like part 1? Can you keep tally on the patterns worksheet? Thanks again.

 

[Septus]

Thats perfect Thanks.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Sorry one last question! Are the two different tones very different frequencies e.g a 'beeeeep' & 'booooop' or is the difference much more subtle?
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Sorry another one! On the part where you look for patterns & listen out for a tone are the tones at random intervals or regularly spaced like part 1? Can you keep tally on the patterns worksheet? Thanks again.

Erm I would say they are clearly different...although I suppose it depends on your hearing.

Same intervals, you hear a batch and you mark your answer at the same time as you search.

I wouldn't worry too much about it....it is clearly explained on the day

 

[train_spotter]

Hi all,

Just wondering if anyone has had an interview this year, and if so what to expect?

 

[DunfordBridge]

This question is directed to anyone who has completed the ATAVT Traffic Perception test. I have a bit of a size fixation today and I was wondering how big the photos were on the computer screen in terms of inches or centimetres.

The reason I ask is so I can get a feel for the ease with which you can pick out detail from the photos so I can practise for this test. Pedstrains and cars are fairly sizeable but that is not always the case with road signs.

 

[Red18]

This question is directed to anyone who has completed the ATAVT Traffic Perception test. I have a bit of a size fixation today and I was wondering how big the photos were on the computer screen in terms of inches or centimetres.

This was the test I was most concerened about.
I did this test last week and was a bit suprised when I saw we were using laptops for the test and, therefore, a much smaller screen than I was expecting. I guess it depends on what the screen resolution is set to but on the screen I used (15") the image must have only been about 6"x4".
The images are big enough though so don't worry. They do only stay on the screen for less than a second and that is the challenge.

 

[Greg1205]

As it goes the new tests could be easier to some people. The old ones required mechanical amd physic knowledge. You don't get that in the new ones. And on the other hand whoever goes through still needs to sit for up to 18 months in a classroom, so why do they expect people to have the knowledge. There are people about who can learn things

 

[Danastle1992]

I know this is a little off topic but it has something to do with the driver managers interview. I failed it and was told by the TOC that I don't have to wait any amount of time before re-applying or applying for Trainee driver roles with other companies yet I tried to apply for Southern earlier today and they wouldn't let me as I have recently failed a part of a driver recruitment process.

Does anyone know anymore info on this??

 

[Westwood85]

As far as I was aware this does not count as a fail because it is not one of the assessments. Maybe I am wrong though.

 

[Will.C]

How much difference is there in the Dials and Indicators practice material and the Dials and Cables in the actual test? Is it literally just the indicators/cables that are different?

 

[Louby]

How much difference is there in the Dials and Indicators practice material and the Dials and Cables in the actual test? Is it literally just the indicators/cables that are different?

Not much, you have 4 zones in the test to the 3 in practice

 

[Septus]

Not much, you have 4 zones in the test to the 3 in practice

They also have numbers around the outside of the dial, why they are there, is explained on the day.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

I know this is a little off topic but it has something to do with the driver managers interview. I failed it and was told by the TOC that I don't have to wait any amount of time before re-applying or applying for Trainee driver roles with other companies yet I tried to apply for Southern earlier today and they wouldn't let me as I have recently failed a part of a driver recruitment process.

Does anyone know anymore info on this??

I am in the same boat I was unsuccessful at DM stage:
Your stage 1 and 2 still count and should do for (I think) 5 years.
You cannot apply with the same TOC, for at least six months, but there should be nothing stopping you applying for others.

However, Southern, might have their own ruling that differs to this.

 

[Will.C]

Thanks Louby and Septus

 

[theageofthetra]

One aspect which is unclear is how long the passes under the new system last. I have been told 3 or 5 years by different TOC's, has anyone been told different?

 

[tlionhart]

One aspect which is unclear is how long the passes under the new system last. I have been told 3 or 5 years by different TOC's, has anyone been told different?

I was told the new ones were 5yrs.

 

[Will.C]

Is there no mechanical assessment with pulleys and levers involved anymore?

 

[Louby]

Is there no mechanical assessment with pulleys and levers involved anymore?

No

 

[DunfordBridge]

I beg to differ, I would not be surprised if freight operators will still be making use of it as an optional extra.

My question is if the Driver fault Finding Test will still be in use as an extra with the new test system, as this was tending to find flavour amongst passenger operators before the old system was superceded.

 

[Red18]

I beg to differ, I would not be surprised if freight operators will still be making use of it as an optional extra.

My question is if the Driver fault Finding Test will still be in use as an extra with the new test system, as this was tending to find flavour amongst passenger operators before the old system was superceded.

It isn't included as part of the mandatory tests as required by the RSSB but I assume TOC's can include any additional tests they want.
Also, the hand writing test is now an optional test that some TOC's are choosing not to do.

 

[302PS]

Nobody hand writes these days, we all use computers and forums lol

 

[tlionhart]

It isn't included as part of the mandatory tests as required by the RSSB but I assume TOC's can include any additional tests they want.
Also, the hand writing test is now an optional test that some TOC's are choosing not to do.

If your referring to the Written Communication test, it's not graded. It's more to see what your writing capabilities are like. I think it gets used in the selection with the driver managers interview. Then it's still hit and miss whether they check it. Its prob on par with the SJE. Not too much of a right and wrong. Although it could be wrong if you 'blag' for instance your SJE responses won't match with MMI responses. With the communication test, think catchphrase. Write what you see, to the point and clearly. Best to do this in bullet form rather than statement. Although its up to you and what you feel happy doing.
For the MMI you have to write answers to a few questions. This is judged as the assessor reads them off and you have to expand on them. You can also use it for your own reference incase you forgot what you wrote. So its best to write clearly and to the point at all times. Writing clearly would mean be concise and not irrelevant. Spelling isn't the peril end. As long as the word looks like what it's meant to say.

 

[DunfordBridge]

It isn't included as part of the mandatory tests as required by the RSSB but I assume TOC's can include any additional tests they want.
Also, the hand writing test is now an optional test that some TOC's are choosing not to do.

I was thinking along the same lines myself but did not express it in quite so precise terms.

I think there was a test known as the rWCE, possibly devised by the OPC and maybe used by South West Trains, that was used to access written communication skills.