SWR Commercial Guard Job Application

[Mark 909]

Hello all, I've been looking at this site for a while, and it's been very helpful (a big thanks to all who added their information, regarding jobs especially).

I applied for a SWR Commercial Guard position at Salisbury (my home city) back in late November 2023 (closing date was December 17th). As soon as I submitted the application form (online), I was immediately hit with an assessment. I didn't expect it, but even so I got on with answering the questions. A day later I received an email to say that I'd passed the online assessment (a good start).

I contacted SWR Recruitment about my application form, today in fact, wondering if they could provide some feedback (I thought by now there was no chance, being 3 months since my application submission). I thought that I had not been successful this time, hence the phone call to Recruitment. However, when I spoke to a very friendly member of their team (she really was most helpful, and welcomed the call), she told me my application was being held, but no mention of it being rejected at this stage.

I've no idea if SWR send a 'Sorry you have not been successful with your application' email if you fail, or do they simply not make any contact and then you try again. During my chat today there was no mention of a rejection. If you failed the application process, by now would you have heard something?

Does anyone know what their application process is like, and are you able to provide details of how it works, especially if you've a similar experience to mine. I understand, from reading posts on this site, that it can take a LONG time to receive information from most TOC's.

I have a lot of customer service experience, and would LOVE to work on the railways, and have wanted to for many years; earlier career paths did not allow until now.

Thanks in advance to anyone who can shed some light on this process.

ATB,
Mark.

 

[Horizon22]

Hello all, I've been looking at this site for a while, and it's been very helpful (a big thanks to all who added their information, regarding jobs especially).

I applied for a SWR Commercial Guard position at Salisbury (my home city) back in late November 2023 (closing date was December 17th). As soon as I submitted the application form (online), I was immediately hit with an assessment. I didn't expect it, but even so I got on with answering the questions. A day later I received an email to say that I'd passed the online assessment (a good start).

I contacted SWR Recruitment about my application form, today in fact, wondering if they could provide some feedback (I thought by now there was no chance, being 3 months since my application submission). I thought that I had not been successful this time, hence the phone call to Recruitment. However, when I spoke to a very friendly member of their team (she really was most helpful, and welcomed the call), she told me my application was being held, but no mention of it being rejected at this stage.

I've no idea if SWR send a 'Sorry you have not been successful with your application' email if you fail, or do they simply not make any contact and then you try again. During my chat today there was no mention of a rejection. If you failed the application process, by now would you have heard something?

Does anyone know what their application process is like, and are you able to provide details of how it works, especially if you've a similar experience to mine. I understand, from reading posts on this site, that it can take a LONG time to receive information from most TOC's.

I have a lot of customer service experience, and would LOVE to work on the railways, and have wanted to for many years; earlier career paths did not allow until now.

Thanks in advance to anyone who can shed some light on this process.

ATB,
Mark.

Welcome to the very slow world of railway recruitment.

It might be that they don't feel like they have the vacancies available now to recruit into. So you are basically "on hold" and if (and when unfortunately) the time allows, you may be then offered an interview with local management. This could be months or it could fizzle out. No harm in checking in every 3 months or so just to make them aware you are still there. It can be a little disorganised I'm afraid; most TOCs run very small recruitment teams and deal with hundreds of applicants.

 

[Roger1973]

Does the recruitment website show something like 'application status'?

May be worth logging in every couple of weeks to see if anything's changed, just in case an e-mail goes missing somewhere (some e-mail providers will sometimes decide to route things to the 'junk' or 'spam' folder for no obvious reason, so it's worth checking that every few days as well.)

 

[swrcommguard]

Don't worry. When I applied it was 4 months between passing the online assessment to getting an invite to an assessment day and then another 6 months until I got an interview. I was offered the job the day after the interview but then it was another 3 months before I started on the Guards course. It just moves slowly I am afraid.

 

[Mark 909]

Welcome to the very slow world of railway recruitment.

It might be that they don't feel like they have the vacancies available now to recruit into. So you are basically "on hold" and if (and when unfortunately) the time allows, you may be then offered an interview with local management. This could be months or it could fizzle out. No harm in checking in every 3 months or so just to make them aware you are still there. It can be a little disorganised I'm afraid; most TOCs run very small recruitment teams and deal with hundreds of applicants.

Thanks for that information. At first, when I saw the opening, I thought it was advertised because they needed a Commercial Guard, or Guards, at Salisbury soon. What I now know, is that TOC's take applications and then sit on them until a vacancy becomes available, seems a strange way to recruit, but that's how they work.

Does the recruitment website show something like 'application status'?

May be worth logging in every couple of weeks to see if anything's changed, just in case an e-mail goes missing somewhere (some e-mail providers will sometimes decide to route things to the 'junk' or 'spam' folder for no obvious reason, so it's worth checking that every few days as well.)

Good call Roger, I will log in later on and take a look, it would help a lot to see if they have something there to keep an eye on. Thank you.

Don't worry. When I applied it was 4 months between passing the online assessment to getting an invite to an assessment day and then another 6 months until I got an interview. I was offered the job the day after the interview but then it was another 3 months before I started on the Guards course. It just moves slowly I am afraid.

Just over a year, but at least it happened. I'm not too worried about the time it takes, just wondering if I'll make the grade and pass this stage, and the two following that. Glad to see you got the job in the end, just in time for your pension at that rate ;0) Thanks for the reply.

Thanks to all who responded, the application process at SWR makes a lot of sense to me now.

 

[andy50027]

Hi Mark.
I’m like you and applying externally for jobs within SWR.
Not sure if it was answered but I applied for a commercial guard at Farnham, I did the application, then the assessment and 24 hours later I had an email saying I’d been unsuccessful.
Same again as a RPI at Woking.
Application, assessment and an email 24 hours later saying thanks but unsuccessful again.
I’ve since applied for a 3rd job over a week ago and not heard anything so finger crossed this time!

 

[F285]

It moves so slow on the railway like others have said but they should get in touch eventually. Andy50027 have look on the forum for information related to assessment practice. There are some good links and and most if not all questions have been answered by members.

 

[swrcommguard]

Thanks for that information. At first, when I saw the opening, I thought it was advertised because they needed a Commercial Guard, or Guards, at Salisbury soon. What I now know, is that TOC's take applications and then sit on them until a vacancy becomes available, seems a strange way to recruit, but that's how they work.


Good call Roger, I will log in later on and take a look, it would help a lot to see if they have something there to keep an eye on. Thank you.


Just over a year, but at least it happened. I'm not too worried about the time it takes, just wondering if I'll make the grade and pass this stage, and the two following that. Glad to see you got the job in the end, just in time for your pension at that rate ;0) Thanks for the reply.

Thanks to all who responded, the application process at SWR makes a lot of sense to me now.

They will get in touch. Each depot estimates how many Guards they will require based on retirements, promotions, transfers, general 'churn' etc, so you are being recruited to a 'talent pool' rather than for a specific vacancy at this stage. As soon as an actual vacancy is confirmed then the first person in line in that talent pool will get a job offer and everyone behind them moves forward.

There has been very little recruitment at Salisbury over the last few years as the depot has been over establishment. However several Guards have left recently to train as drivers and a few have retired so recruitment will crank up again.

 

[Mark 909]

Hi Mark.
I’m like you and applying externally for jobs within SWR.
Not sure if it was answered but I applied for a commercial guard at Farnham, I did the application, then the assessment and 24 hours later I had an email saying I’d been unsuccessful.
Same again as a RPI at Woking.
Application, assessment and an email 24 hours later saying thanks but unsuccessful again.
I’ve since applied for a 3rd job over a week ago and not heard anything so finger crossed this time!

Hi Andy, I applied through First Careers and then looked up the brand section to find the SWR job application (Commercial Guard, Salisbury), it then allows you to complete and must upload the information to SWR.
I completed the form and then the surprise assessment, a reply was just inside 24 hours to say I'd passed the assessment (but no mention of the application form). When I spoke to SWR Recruitment last week, they said the application form is now in holding, not sure exactly what that means but surely if it was a no, by now (just over 3 months later) they would have let me know.
Sorry to read that you have missed out on your first two openings, I'm hoping to see a post from you soon to let us know you've been successful this time.
Best of luck with your new application. ATB, Mark.

It moves so slow on the railway like others have said but they should get in touch eventually. Andy50027 have look on the forum for information related to assessment practice. There are some good links and and most if not all questions have been answered by members.

You're not kidding. I still find it strange that a job is advertised when there is no actual opening at that time. I guess they like to line up potential candidates for when/if a position becomes available. I'm fine with all of that, so long as there is a chance after the long wait. I think SWR works with first the Application (and the online assessment when submitting), then an Assessment Day, and if you don't mess that right up, it's followed by a three panel interview. If I'm not mistaken, so long as after those three hurdles you don't have a medical issue, you're likely to get a start date.

They will get in touch. Each depot estimates how many Guards they will require based on retirements, promotions, transfers, general 'churn' etc, so you are being recruited to a 'talent pool' rather than for a specific vacancy at this stage. As soon as an actual vacancy is confirmed then the first person in line in that talent pool will get a job offer and everyone behind them moves forward.

There has been very little recruitment at Salisbury over the last few years as the depot has been over establishment. However several Guards have left recently to train as drivers and a few have retired so recruitment will crank up again.

Thanks for that information. I did, just a few months ago, speak to a young Commercial Guard at Salisbury Station, and he said he was about to move over to train driving for SWR, his course was starting soon he said; so that's one leaving. It makes sense that retirement and transfers, promotions and so on, open up the vacancies or else it would be dead mans boots.

 

[Stigy]

as has been said, railway recruitment is notoriously slow at the best of times. The fact you’ve not had a rejection email is certainly positive I’d say.

The initial assessment you’ve taken was a screening assessment basically, and forms part of their sifting (they’ll select the highest scoring results across those they sent assessments to, and take them on to the next stage).

Good luck with it!

 

[Mark 909]

as has been said, railway recruitment is notoriously slow at the best of times. The fact you’ve not had a rejection email is certainly positive I’d say.

The initial assessment you’ve taken was a screening assessment basically, and forms part of their sifting (they’ll select the highest scoring results across those they sent assessments to, and take them on to the next stage).

Good luck with it!

That's what I have been thinking about a rejection email, Stigy. By now, just over 3 months, if it was a no then surely they'd have said so, and when I spoke to them last week, that was a perfect opportunity for them to say too bad this time. I hope I am right, it would be great to get to the next stage, even if it does move slowly. As soon as I hear anything, good or bad, I will post.
Thanks, Mark.

 

[Mark 909]

Nothing yet from SWR a different company emailed me, yesterday, with an interview date for train driver. I applied for the position at exactly the same time as Commercial Guard for SWR, and like SWR it takes a long time for them to get in touch, so I wrote it off (was surprised to see the email to be honest). If the interview is successful they invite you to an assessment, and if that works and the medical shows up clean, the job is offered. I imagine the tests for the assessment are a lot more involved, but even so it's really nice to have passed the paper sift applying externally for train driver.

 

[GalaxyDog]

A rare visit from me, but one that I hope can reassure things for you, Mark909.

SWR is by far the slowest recruitment process I had experienced (not the worst in terms of quality mind you.) But certainly slowest.

I applied for a role mid February 2023. I filled out the online application. I was then directed to sit a number of online tests including the conductors/guards level within a few days and did these all within the pace of two three hours on the same day. I received an email by end of Feb 2023 confirming these had been done and to await an update.

However, mid March 2023, SWR then reposted the depot I applied for as a new vacancy. A hurried email enquiring as to the status of my own first-posting application was replied to by a very friendly SWR HR person informing me that I had not been ejected from the process but that they were sifting and that I would be updated in good time. So not good but not bad news.

Radio silence then ensued until mid July 2023 where I received another email -
"We're pleased to let you know that you have successfully passed your recent online assessment(s).

Whilst we endeavour to progress everyone who passes their online assessment to the next stage of the process, this is not always possible when we are dealing with high volumes of applications. On occasions like this and in the interests of fairness, we will only be able to progress those that fall within the top scoring bracket."
So again, a tenuous not bad but not good which really, could mean anything, especially that last sentence. So, I wrote it off as it had been six months and passing.

The sequel to this was an email February 2024 [yes, a whole year!] - a confirmation that not only that I had passed assessments, but that I was in the alleged "top scoring bracket".
We are contacting you today to advise you of an assessment day for Guard on [date]. Please reply to this email to let us know if you can attend on this date and we will send you an invitation via your First Group account in due course. Please note, the assessment will take place at the Recruitment and Selection centre at Overline House in Southampton starting at 09.30....

The twist in the tale however, is that having taken so long, within that year timeframe I had applied for another role elsewhere, sat its assessments, travelled 130miles for an interview, done onboarding and vetting plus moved house and started this new job being halfway through my training when SWR got back to me. I politely declined the oportunity, but thanked SWR for their invitation [afterall, my experience with their recruitment had been positive, unlike a certain North-Eastern TOC...] and that was that.

I would advise patience if you have your heart set on the SWR role.

 

[Mark 909]

A rare visit from me, but one that I hope can reassure things for you, Mark909.

SWR is by far the slowest recruitment process I had experienced (not the worst in terms of quality mind you.) But certainly slowest.

I applied for a role mid February 2023. I filled out the online application. I was then directed to sit a number of online tests including the conductors/guards level within a few days and did these all within the pace of two three hours on the same day. I received an email by end of Feb 2023 confirming these had been done and to await an update.

However, mid March 2023, SWR then reposted the depot I applied for as a new vacancy. A hurried email enquiring as to the status of my own first-posting application was replied to by a very friendly SWR HR person informing me that I had not been ejected from the process but that they were sifting and that I would be updated in good time. So not good but not bad news.

Radio silence then ensued until mid July 2023 where I received another email -
"We're pleased to let you know that you have successfully passed your recent online assessment(s).

Whilst we endeavour to progress everyone who passes their online assessment to the next stage of the process, this is not always possible when we are dealing with high volumes of applications. On occasions like this and in the interests of fairness, we will only be able to progress those that fall within the top scoring bracket."
So again, a tenuous not bad but not good which really, could mean anything, especially that last sentence. So, I wrote it off as it had been six months and passing.

The sequel to this was an email February 2024 [yes, a whole year!] - a confirmation that not only that I had passed assessments, but that I was in the alleged "top scoring bracket".
We are contacting you today to advise you of an assessment day for Guard on [date]. Please reply to this email to let us know if you can attend on this date and we will send you an invitation via your First Group account in due course. Please note, the assessment will take place at the Recruitment and Selection centre at Overline House in Southampton starting at 09.30....

The twist in the tale however, is that having taken so long, within that year timeframe I had applied for another role elsewhere, sat its assessments, travelled 130miles for an interview, done onboarding and vetting plus moved house and started this new job being halfway through my training when SWR got back to me. I politely declined the oportunity, but thanked SWR for their invitation [afterall, my experience with their recruitment had been positive, unlike a certain North-Eastern TOC...] and that was that.

I would advise patience if you have your heart set on the SWR role.

Thanks for that very detailed reply about your experience. Wow, a whole year!

I am patient about the responses from both companies (strangely, the longer I am waiting the less it bothers me), but was not expecting anything back from the driver application (I had written that off early March). It's interesting to see an email inviting me for an interview for train driver before taking the assessment, the opposite works for SWR (I am sure it's assessment and then an interview), but it's still nice to know that I got past their paper sift, external application especially.

I have the exact same worded email as you saw from SWR, sort of good but not good, 'passed the online assessment but need to be in top scoring bracket'... ambiguous springs to mind; but so far it's not a rejection. I submitted my SWR application form online, and immediately the assessment test popped up on the screen (best answers to various scenarios), and I am pretty sure it had to be completed there and then; it caught me by surprise but maybe that's their way of finding out if you can react well to the unexpected. After completing the test, the same email you received came in the following day.

I wonder how long after attending the assessment invitation for SWR would you have waited for an interview if passing that, and then a medical, and start date; it could have been another six months or more...

It sounds like you're happy with not taking the SWR position after all, and the fact you moved so far away demonstrates whatever was on offer there was perhaps even better than the SWR position, for you.

I have booked an interview date, 4th April 09:30 - 10:30 for the train driver position and will post the outcome on here.

Either way, it would be great to get over the hurdles of the train driver position, but I would just as much like to work as a Commercial Guard too, and if successful with SWR later on there could arise an opportunity to drive for them anyway. I'm pleased to have managed to get passed the paper sift for the driver position, and happy with waiting as long as it takes to, hopefully, get where I want to be.

One thing I will say about the SWR Recruitment team is that they are very professional, extremely friendly, and each time I have spoken to them, three different women there, I have felt that they are willing to help as much as possible and don't at all mind applicants calling for updates. Not once during my calls to them have I felt I am being a nuisance or causing them any inconvenience, which is very encouraging.

The other company recruitment team were friendly too, when I called them once to explain that I would be prepared to move away for the position before applying. I guess if you are polite when calling these companies, they will reciprocate.

Thanks again for your post, I appreciate you making a rare appearance to answer mine, it's much appreciated.
PS: If you don't mind sharing with us on here, what are you doing, and for which company?

 

[Mark 909]

Hello all, I have been invited to an assessment day for Commercial Guard next week, great to have passed the paper sift stage. I am studying and practicing the OPC material sent to me from SWR, but I'm wondering if anyone has an idea about the maths tests? I have looked on the OPC website, examples and so on, but I am unsure which level of maths testing is provided on the day. I am brushing up on times table, percentages, fractions, division, and other basics, but I don't want to get caught out if more advanced questions pop up. Does anyone know much about the tests given on the day? Thanks in advance for any help or tips.

 

[railwaypanda]

Hello, that’s great news! I will be starting as a guard in Basingstoke soon and I passed the tests in December.

From what I remember, the maths questions were in the ticket selling test. You can’t use a calculator and you have to calculate how much the ticket costs and how much change you need to give the customer. I did the same as you and brushed up on my times table and it helped a lot.

Feel free to message me if you need further help! And good luck!

 

[Mark 909]

Hello, that’s great news! I will be starting as a guard in Basingstoke soon and I passed the tests in December.

From what I remember, the maths questions were in the ticket selling test. You can’t use a calculator and you have to calculate how much the ticket costs and how much change you need to give the customer. I did the same as you and brushed up on my times table and it helped a lot.

Feel free to message me if you need further help! And good luck!

Congratulations on your new job at Basingstoke, I bet you feel great. And I appreciate your offer to help.
I have, since posting the comment (before seeing your response), contacted Recruitment, and they said there is no maths test as such, just maybe some calculations on the ticket checking and selling test (exactly what you have described). I want to score as high as possible so will continue to sharpen the rusty area of my maths in general.

I've printed off a ton of SCAAT tests and my strike accuracy and speed is improving (averaging 10-12 lines with no omissions or errors, in 1 minute), got a pack from OPC and a really good one on this forum by Chris Gresham, Bourdon Tool software; it's excellent.

If I do get through all the stages and a start date I hope to see you on the tracks.

Thanks.
ATB,
Mark.

Hello, that’s great news! I will be starting as a guard in Basingstoke soon and I passed the tests in December.

From what I remember, the maths questions were in the ticket selling test. You can’t use a calculator and you have to calculate how much the ticket costs and how much change you need to give the customer. I did the same as you and brushed up on my times table and it helped a lot.

Feel free to message me if you need further help! And good luck!

There was one other question...If you don't mind.

In the Rules Acquisition Aptitude Test where you read a paragraph and then have to answer multiple choice questions about what you've read, can you keep the paragraph to refer to, or do they take it away from you and then you use whatever is left in your memory to answer the questions?

I think that's all now, I'm pretty certain about the other information required on the day.

Thanks again.
Mark.
PS: Does your course start, or have you now passed that and are going live at Basingstoke?

 

[railwaypanda]

Congratulations on your new job at Basingstoke, I bet you feel great. And I appreciate your offer to help.
I have, since posting the comment (before seeing your response), contacted Recruitment, and they said there is no maths test as such, just maybe some calculations on the ticket checking and selling test (exactly what you have described). I want to score as high as possible so will continue to sharpen the rusty area of my maths in general.

I've printed off a ton of SCAAT tests and my strike accuracy and speed is improving (averaging 10-12 lines with no omissions or errors, in 1 minute), got a pack from OPC and a really good one on this forum by Chris Gresham, Bourdon Tool software; it's excellent.

If I do get through all the stages and a start date I hope to see you on the tracks.

Thanks.
ATB,
Mark.


There was one other question...If you don't mind.

In the Rules Acquisition Aptitude Test where you read a paragraph and then have to answer multiple choice questions about what you've read, can you keep the paragraph to refer to, or do they take it away from you and then you use whatever is left in your memory to answer the questions?

I think that's all now, I'm pretty certain about the other information required on the day.

Thanks again.
Mark.
PS: Does your course start, or have you now passed that and are going live at Basingstoke?

Hi Mark, thank you, I'm very excited about it! I haven't started the course yet, I will start in July so we might be on the same course if you get the job. I'm an internal applicant btw.

Sounds like you're revising the right things. By the way, no-one managed to finish all the questions in the ticket selling test, so don't panic if you don't finish! Just keep calm and answer the questions accurately. And watch out for the railcard discounts!

In the RAAT, you will still have the paragraph to refer to, so don't worry about that.

There is one other test which you might want to brush up on (I'm just mentioning it as someone failed it on my assessment day)- I can't remember what it's called but you have to listen to a short dialogue, take notes on it, then they will call you back into the room one by one and you have to say what happened in the dialogue. You do get to look at your notes whilst you're re-telling the dialogue. Make sure you write down any important details and maybe check out the phonetic alphabet as it was used in the dialogue.

Hope it goes well! You do get plenty of breaks on the day and there is a Tesco downstairs if you need lunch and snacks

 

[Mark 909]

Hi, thank you, I'm very excited about it! I haven't started the course yet, I will start in July so we might be on the same course if you get the job. I'm an internal applicant btw.

Sounds like you're revising the right things. By the way, no-one managed to finish all the questions in the ticket selling test, so don't panic if you don't finish! Just keep calm and answer the questions accurately. And watch out for the railcard discounts!

In the RAAT, you will still have the paragraph to refer to, so don't worry about that.

There is one other test which you might want to brush up on (I'm just mentioning it as someone failed it on my assessment day)- I can't remember what it's called but you have to listen to a short dialogue, take notes on it, then they will call you back into the room one by one and you have to say what happened in the dialogue. You do get to look at your notes whilst you're re-telling the dialogue. Make sure you write down any important details and maybe check out the phonetic alphabet as it was used in the dialogue.

Hope it goes well! You do get plenty of breaks on the day and there is a Tesco downstairs if you need lunch and snacks

Hi, thank you ever so much for the details.

It's good to know that they allow you to keep hold of the paragraph for the RAAT, that definitely will help.

The test you mention sounds like the Railway Verbal Communication Exercise (RVCE) and is a scenario where a train has hit a car on a level crossing (or similar situation), then they want bullet points, and are not interested in the car make and model, colour, and number plate. They want the main points and nothing more (so I have been told). I have used the phonetic alphabet in a previous job and as a pilot so that area is fine. Thanks for the tip on the RVCE though, I bet it's gutting to fail, I really hope I get through the entire day without a name call, and for anyone else taking part too.

What sort of discounts are on the ticket test, is it even numbered percentages, say 10%, 15%, 20% and so on, or do they like to throw a low ball and ask to calculate a 17.8% off discount to really get the grey matter smoking under pressure?

My mate printed off a ton more SCAAT papers today, and I'm doing them allowing 1 minute only (it says 2 min's on the OPC paper), so I am hoping that should help if they allow more time on the day (I have heard it's one minute per sheet only). By the way, how long do they allow for the lines on each paper and how far down did you average on the three sub tests? That would be very good to know.

If I do pass, and then get through the following stages in time for July it would be good to share the course with you. What were/are you doing for SWR at the moment?

Thanks again for your help, it's much appreciated.

By the way, what is your name?

ATB,

 

[railwaypanda]

Hi, thank you ever so much for the details.

It's good to know that they allow you to keep hold of the paragraph for the RAAT, that definitely will help.

The test you mention sounds like the Railway Verbal Communication Exercise (RVCE) and is a scenario where a train has hit a car on a level crossing (or similar situation), then they want bullet points, and are not interested in the car make and model, colour, and number plate. They want the main points and nothing more (so I have been told). I have used the phonetic alphabet in a previous job and as a pilot so that area is fine. Thanks for the tip on the RVCE though, I bet it's gutting to fail, I really hope I get through the entire day without a name call, and for anyone else taking part too.

What sort of discounts are on the ticket test, is it even numbered percentages, say 10%, 15%, 20% and so on, or do they like to throw a low ball and ask to calculate a 17.8% off discount to really get the grey matter smoking under pressure?

My mate printed off a ton more SCAAT papers today, and I'm doing them allowing 1 minute only (it says 2 min's on the OPC paper), so I am hoping that should help if they allow more time on the day (I have heard it's one minute per sheet only). By the way, how long do they allow for the lines on each paper and how far down did you average on the three sub tests? That would be very good to know.

If I do pass, and then get through the following stages in time for July it would be good to share the course with you. What were/are you doing for SWR at the moment?

Thanks again for your help, it's much appreciated.

By the way, what is your name?

ATB,
Mark.

Hi, no worries at all, happy to help!

I can’t remember the exact percentages for the railcards (I did the assessment day in November 2023), but they were simple to calculate- 50% off or maybe 30% off. The tricky part is applying the correct railcard discount only when it’s valid (it will say on the question and you do get a few practice questions on the day where they explain the answer).

With the SCAAT, someone on the day asked how long we would get for each question and the examiner said that they were not allowed to tell us. I reckon it’s around 2 mins. I probably did around 8-10 lines with minimal mistakes. It sounds like you’ll be absolutely fine for the SCAAT!

I work in the ticket office at the moment, I really enjoy it but I’m looking forward to a new challenge!

Sorry I don’t want to put my name on this public forum but I will definitely introduce myself if we’re on the same course!

All the best,

railwaypanda

 

[Mark 909]

Thanks for the information, especially the ticket testing, it's really appreciated.
Whatever happens, I will let you know how it goes.
Have a good weekend.
ATB.