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Trainee train driver assessment day

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Zalepa

Member
Joined
2 Mar 2019
Messages
6
Today got another email that my details were passed into an assessor who would contact me within 6 weeks (!!!). Is it gonna be a different company from OPC?
 

martin2345uk

Established Member
Joined
21 Sep 2011
Messages
2,052
Location
Essex
Today got another email that my details were passed into an assessor who would contact me within 6 weeks (!!!). Is it gonna be a different company from OPC?

Was that email in response to one from you asking for feedback on where you failed..?
 

NICOLA ELLIS

New Member
Joined
18 Jul 2019
Messages
1
Hi and congratulations on getting through to your assessment day!

I recently attended an assessment day with a TOC which accepts national standards.

I understand that many TOCs have around 20-25 people taking the tests on that day. The TOC which assessed me, however, assesses fewer people at once (8 were due to attend but only 5 did). Of the 5 who attended, two worked for the TOC in guard or ticket office roles, and at least one of the absentees, too.

The TOC should have e-mailed you an information pack telling you what tests would be conducted, the procedures for them and giving your ideas for practice before the day.

The tests are designed to be psychometric, hence they assess your capabilities. I saw that when doing the tests. There are some people I know who I think could practice full time and still never pass. It assesses inate abilities, although, of course, some practice in advance can help you a little.

Initially, we were asked to wait in a waiting room. We were asked 1-by-1 to go into an interview room where our identity, including NI number, was checked. We were also given a colour-blind test. In this test, you have to read the numbers which you can see in circles made of different colours. Warning: There are some trick ones! There are no numbers on some of them - don't try finding one, just say you can't see one!

When that was conducted, we were taken to a room where we each had a desk with stationery provided. I brought my own pens which I usually use which I find comfortable.

The first test was the Group Bourdon Test. There's a downloadable online tool you can find as a sticky on this forum. I initially started doing it online and then moved on to printing and doing them on paper. You do get used to the patterns of dots on the tool, and they are different on the actual test, although the skills are transferrable. There are various people on this forum who quote how many lines you need to complete and how many errors you can make to pass. I was doing about 9 or 10 lines on the printouts from the tool with only 1 or 2 mistakes per page and I passed. Be very sceptical of people who say you need to complete 14 or 15 lines with no more than one mistake! (Of course, some TOCs require enhanced testing, which may require slightly more.) There was also a practice section at the start. The practice grids in the information booklet were less helpful than the tool (using letters rather than dots).

We then had a break while the test was marked. One person was asked into the interview room to be told that he failed so he was sent home.

The next test was the Test of Everyday Attention (TEA-Occ). This measures attention to multiple things and how well you can multi-task.
Part 1 required us to listen to beeps (some with low tones, others with 'high' but I'd call them moderate-to-low). You will need to count just certain tones (can't remember if it was low or high). An example is available here, but there weren't so many tones for each question: https://traineetraindriverinfo.com/low-tones-test-track-1/
Part 2 required us to do some simple telephone directory work. I think it was finding companies in a particular trade with a rating of three stars and with a phone number with a particular area code. It wasn't rocket science and probably doesn't need much practising, but it is designed to make you work quickly. You might not finish and don't need to.
Part 3 was the hardest, combining both part 1 and part 2. You hear number 1 read out and a number of beeps (only one tone this time). You need to write the number down when told. This continues. At the same time, you have a telephone directory task similar to part 2. You are told that both parts are of equal importance. You must use different pens for both tasks. When doing it, I got a good sense that I was truly multi-tasking. It's a good test, actually!
The booklet gives you some activities to help you. Recognising symbols probably isn't too difficult for most people. If you have somebody who could play patterns of two tones on a keyboard or piano (written down first so the answers can be assessed), that might help you, and also if they can play similar tones while they asked you to do a reading task / telephone directory task / wordsearch. However, I didn't practise much for this test and I know some others didn't either, and we passed.

The next test was the Trainability for Rules and Procedures Test (TRP), Part 1 which assesses how well you can learn new things. The railway rulebook is huge for a start, and you will also need to learn about fault finding and repairing, not to mention route knowledge. We were given a two-page information sheet explaining how "GLOP" is applied to the rails using a locomotive and application vehicle operated by a driver and a guard, including what controls there are, the colours and locations of them, when they should be used, the signalling system between the driver and guard, etc. We also heard a recording of this. We then had to hand back the information sheet and answer questions on the procedure. I found this quite easy, but some people don't pick up new information well, especially when there is lots of details. They give a very clear example in the booklet sent before the day.
Part 2 is sometimes known as the dials test. You get sets of 3 dials with pointers pointing to the number on each dial, and you have to order them in order (I believe starting with the largest). However, each dial has a different number range (one might go from 0-150 and another might go 0-500) so in that example, halfway on the dial going up to 500 would read '250' but the whole way on the dial going up to 150 would be only '150'. You have 43 questions to complete in 8 minutes and I don't think that anybody ever completes them all. Apparently, you are scored for correct answers but not downgraded for any wrong answers.

The final written test was the Written Communication Test (WCT), although I understand that this is no longer compulsory and some TOCs no longer do this. We were given a cartoon strip showing a taxi booking, a taxi picking a person up on time, delays on the route, and arrival at destination late. We had to write what happened. The only thing that matters is clarity so your writing needs to be legible but not neat. You do not need to write in sentences - bullet points are acceptable. Grammar and spelling is not important if it does not obscure meaning. You can continue to look at the cartoon strip during the test - you do not need to turn it over or have it collected. I have been told that almost 100% pass this test - if your handwriting is legible and you can convey a simple story, even just in bullet points, you're fine!

Again, we were sent to the waiting room while the tests were marked - this took a long time (almost an hour, I think)!

The final tests were the computerised tests. There might not be one computer per person so some people might have to take the test while other people are waiting.

I think the first computerised test was the ATAVT Perception Test. You will view a picture of a street scene for approximately 0.5-1 second. You will then have to choose from the list what was in the picture from: pedestrians; motor vehicles (excluding motorcycles); bikes, motorcycles or scooters; road signs; traffic lights. There might be as few as one or as many as five in any one picture. Many pictures are busy scenes and you will notice the presence or absence of some things, but for most of the time, you will not be certain that you have got them all right - there will be some guesswork or subconcious decision-making involved. This will suit people who are observant and can process quickly.
This video will give you a good idea of the test, but I think the pictures disappear more quickly in the assessments than shown on this video:
Asking a friend or family member to download some pictures from the internet and test you on them (giving you only a brief peek) might help.

I think the second test was the 2Hand Co-Ordination Test. You will have two joysticks, one will only go up and down, and the other will only go left and right. You have to control a ball around a track trying not to let it go off of the grey track, which includes curved sections. You will hear a screech when it does. This is repeated many times. It is aimed to be difficult and most people will not keep it on the track all the way around. We all thought we did really badly on this!

The final test was the WAFV (Vigilance) Test. You will see a grey square flashing on the screen. When it changes colour to a different shade of grey, you press the large green button as quickly as possible. This continues for 30 minutes, sometimes for long periods between changing. Also, your eyes imagine it changing when it doesn't. It's a good assessment because if you can't concentrate on being vigilant for 30 minutes, being in charged of a train might not be a good idea! When your eyes lose focus, move closer to or further away from the screen. Also, surprisingly, the colour changes aren't random but pre-programmed. Therefore if one person starts their test, another starts two seconds later and another starts to seconds later, you will hear the first person press their button, then about two seconds later the next person, and another two seconds later the next person.

We were then asked to wait in the waiting room again while the results were generated.

Finally, we were congratulated for passing the tests and advised about the next procedures in the application process. We were also given some basic pieces of advice for the DMI.

Hope that this is helpful. Feel free to ask any further questions!
Thank you for posting this, I have mine coming up next week is this is really helpful, thank you :)
 

Ewa

New Member
Joined
16 Aug 2019
Messages
1
Location
Orpington
Hi Driver2B
Thanks for the great description of the assessment. Just wondering is it for Arriva? A friend has the assessment scheduled for the end of this months and I am trying to find out more about the Arriva London tests.
Thanks
Hi and congratulations on getting through to your assessment day!

I recently attended an assessment day with a TOC which accepts national standards.

I understand that many TOCs have around 20-25 people taking the tests on that day. The TOC which assessed me, however, assesses fewer people at once (8 were due to attend but only 5 did). Of the 5 who attended, two worked for the TOC in guard or ticket office roles, and at least one of the absentees, too.

The TOC should have e-mailed you an information pack telling you what tests would be conducted, the procedures for them and giving your ideas for practice before the day.

The tests are designed to be psychometric, hence they assess your capabilities. I saw that when doing the tests. There are some people I know who I think could practice full time and still never pass. It assesses inate abilities, although, of course, some practice in advance can help you a little.

Initially, we were asked to wait in a waiting room. We were asked 1-by-1 to go into an interview room where our identity, including NI number, was checked. We were also given a colour-blind test. In this test, you have to read the numbers which you can see in circles made of different colours. Warning: There are some trick ones! There are no numbers on some of them - don't try finding one, just say you can't see one!

When that was conducted, we were taken to a room where we each had a desk with stationery provided. I brought my own pens which I usually use which I find comfortable.

The first test was the Group Bourdon Test. There's a downloadable online tool you can find as a sticky on this forum. I initially started doing it online and then moved on to printing and doing them on paper. You do get used to the patterns of dots on the tool, and they are different on the actual test, although the skills are transferrable. There are various people on this forum who quote how many lines you need to complete and how many errors you can make to pass. I was doing about 9 or 10 lines on the printouts from the tool with only 1 or 2 mistakes per page and I passed. Be very sceptical of people who say you need to complete 14 or 15 lines with no more than one mistake! (Of course, some TOCs require enhanced testing, which may require slightly more.) There was also a practice section at the start. The practice grids in the information booklet were less helpful than the tool (using letters rather than dots).

We then had a break while the test was marked. One person was asked into the interview room to be told that he failed so he was sent home.

The next test was the Test of Everyday Attention (TEA-Occ). This measures attention to multiple things and how well you can multi-task.
Part 1 required us to listen to beeps (some with low tones, others with 'high' but I'd call them moderate-to-low). You will need to count just certain tones (can't remember if it was low or high). An example is available here, but there weren't so many tones for each question: https://traineetraindriverinfo.com/low-tones-test-track-1/
Part 2 required us to do some simple telephone directory work. I think it was finding companies in a particular trade with a rating of three stars and with a phone number with a particular area code. It wasn't rocket science and probably doesn't need much practising, but it is designed to make you work quickly. You might not finish and don't need to.
Part 3 was the hardest, combining both part 1 and part 2. You hear number 1 read out and a number of beeps (only one tone this time). You need to write the number down when told. This continues. At the same time, you have a telephone directory task similar to part 2. You are told that both parts are of equal importance. You must use different pens for both tasks. When doing it, I got a good sense that I was truly multi-tasking. It's a good test, actually!
The booklet gives you some activities to help you. Recognising symbols probably isn't too difficult for most people. If you have somebody who could play patterns of two tones on a keyboard or piano (written down first so the answers can be assessed), that might help you, and also if they can play similar tones while they asked you to do a reading task / telephone directory task / wordsearch. However, I didn't practise much for this test and I know some others didn't either, and we passed.

The next test was the Trainability for Rules and Procedures Test (TRP), Part 1 which assesses how well you can learn new things. The railway rulebook is huge for a start, and you will also need to learn about fault finding and repairing, not to mention route knowledge. We were given a two-page information sheet explaining how "GLOP" is applied to the rails using a locomotive and application vehicle operated by a driver and a guard, including what controls there are, the colours and locations of them, when they should be used, the signalling system between the driver and guard, etc. We also heard a recording of this. We then had to hand back the information sheet and answer questions on the procedure. I found this quite easy, but some people don't pick up new information well, especially when there is lots of details. They give a very clear example in the booklet sent before the day.
Part 2 is sometimes known as the dials test. You get sets of 3 dials with pointers pointing to the number on each dial, and you have to order them in order (I believe starting with the largest). However, each dial has a different number range (one might go from 0-150 and another might go 0-500) so in that example, halfway on the dial going up to 500 would read '250' but the whole way on the dial going up to 150 would be only '150'. You have 43 questions to complete in 8 minutes and I don't think that anybody ever completes them all. Apparently, you are scored for correct answers but not downgraded for any wrong answers.

The final written test was the Written Communication Test (WCT), although I understand that this is no longer compulsory and some TOCs no longer do this. We were given a cartoon strip showing a taxi booking, a taxi picking a person up on time, delays on the route, and arrival at destination late. We had to write what happened. The only thing that matters is clarity so your writing needs to be legible but not neat. You do not need to write in sentences - bullet points are acceptable. Grammar and spelling is not important if it does not obscure meaning. You can continue to look at the cartoon strip during the test - you do not need to turn it over or have it collected. I have been told that almost 100% pass this test - if your handwriting is legible and you can convey a simple story, even just in bullet points, you're fine!

Again, we were sent to the waiting room while the tests were marked - this took a long time (almost an hour, I think)!

The final tests were the computerised tests. There might not be one computer per person so some people might have to take the test while other people are waiting.

I think the first computerised test was the ATAVT Perception Test. You will view a picture of a street scene for approximately 0.5-1 second. You will then have to choose from the list what was in the picture from: pedestrians; motor vehicles (excluding motorcycles); bikes, motorcycles or scooters; road signs; traffic lights. There might be as few as one or as many as five in any one picture. Many pictures are busy scenes and you will notice the presence or absence of some things, but for most of the time, you will not be certain that you have got them all right - there will be some guesswork or subconcious decision-making involved. This will suit people who are observant and can process quickly.
This video will give you a good idea of the test, but I think the pictures disappear more quickly in the assessments than shown on this video:
Asking a friend or family member to download some pictures from the internet and test you on them (giving you only a brief peek) might help.

I think the second test was the 2Hand Co-Ordination Test. You will have two joysticks, one will only go up and down, and the other will only go left and right. You have to control a ball around a track trying not to let it go off of the grey track, which includes curved sections. You will hear a screech when it does. This is repeated many times. It is aimed to be difficult and most people will not keep it on the track all the way around. We all thought we did really badly on this!

The final test was the WAFV (Vigilance) Test. You will see a grey square flashing on the screen. When it changes colour to a different shade of grey, you press the large green button as quickly as possible. This continues for 30 minutes, sometimes for long periods between changing. Also, your eyes imagine it changing when it doesn't. It's a good assessment because if you can't concentrate on being vigilant for 30 minutes, being in charged of a train might not be a good idea! When your eyes lose focus, move closer to or further away from the screen. Also, surprisingly, the colour changes aren't random but pre-programmed. Therefore if one person starts their test, another starts two seconds later and another starts to seconds later, you will hear the first person press their button, then about two seconds later the next person, and another two seconds later the next person.

We were then asked to wait in the waiting room again while the results were generated.

Finally, we were congratulated for passing the tests and advised about the next procedures in the application process. We were also given some basic pieces of advice for the DMI.

Hope that this is helpful. Feel free to ask any further questions!
Hi and congratulations on getting through to your assessment day!

I recently attended an assessment day with a TOC which accepts national standards.

I understand that many TOCs have around 20-25 people taking the tests on that day. The TOC which assessed me, however, assesses fewer people at once (8 were due to attend but only 5 did). Of the 5 who attended, two worked for the TOC in guard or ticket office roles, and at least one of the absentees, too.

The TOC should have e-mailed you an information pack telling you what tests would be conducted, the procedures for them and giving your ideas for practice before the day.

The tests are designed to be psychometric, hence they assess your capabilities. I saw that when doing the tests. There are some people I know who I think could practice full time and still never pass. It assesses inate abilities, although, of course, some practice in advance can help you a little.

Initially, we were asked to wait in a waiting room. We were asked 1-by-1 to go into an interview room where our identity, including NI number, was checked. We were also given a colour-blind test. In this test, you have to read the numbers which you can see in circles made of different colours. Warning: There are some trick ones! There are no numbers on some of them - don't try finding one, just say you can't see one!

When that was conducted, we were taken to a room where we each had a desk with stationery provided. I brought my own pens which I usually use which I find comfortable.

The first test was the Group Bourdon Test. There's a downloadable online tool you can find as a sticky on this forum. I initially started doing it online and then moved on to printing and doing them on paper. You do get used to the patterns of dots on the tool, and they are different on the actual test, although the skills are transferrable. There are various people on this forum who quote how many lines you need to complete and how many errors you can make to pass. I was doing about 9 or 10 lines on the printouts from the tool with only 1 or 2 mistakes per page and I passed. Be very sceptical of people who say you need to complete 14 or 15 lines with no more than one mistake! (Of course, some TOCs require enhanced testing, which may require slightly more.) There was also a practice section at the start. The practice grids in the information booklet were less helpful than the tool (using letters rather than dots).

We then had a break while the test was marked. One person was asked into the interview room to be told that he failed so he was sent home.

The next test was the Test of Everyday Attention (TEA-Occ). This measures attention to multiple things and how well you can multi-task.
Part 1 required us to listen to beeps (some with low tones, others with 'high' but I'd call them moderate-to-low). You will need to count just certain tones (can't remember if it was low or high). An example is available here, but there weren't so many tones for each question: https://traineetraindriverinfo.com/low-tones-test-track-1/
Part 2 required us to do some simple telephone directory work. I think it was finding companies in a particular trade with a rating of three stars and with a phone number with a particular area code. It wasn't rocket science and probably doesn't need much practising, but it is designed to make you work quickly. You might not finish and don't need to.
Part 3 was the hardest, combining both part 1 and part 2. You hear number 1 read out and a number of beeps (only one tone this time). You need to write the number down when told. This continues. At the same time, you have a telephone directory task similar to part 2. You are told that both parts are of equal importance. You must use different pens for both tasks. When doing it, I got a good sense that I was truly multi-tasking. It's a good test, actually!
The booklet gives you some activities to help you. Recognising symbols probably isn't too difficult for most people. If you have somebody who could play patterns of two tones on a keyboard or piano (written down first so the answers can be assessed), that might help you, and also if they can play similar tones while they asked you to do a reading task / telephone directory task / wordsearch. However, I didn't practise much for this test and I know some others didn't either, and we passed.

The next test was the Trainability for Rules and Procedures Test (TRP), Part 1 which assesses how well you can learn new things. The railway rulebook is huge for a start, and you will also need to learn about fault finding and repairing, not to mention route knowledge. We were given a two-page information sheet explaining how "GLOP" is applied to the rails using a locomotive and application vehicle operated by a driver and a guard, including what controls there are, the colours and locations of them, when they should be used, the signalling system between the driver and guard, etc. We also heard a recording of this. We then had to hand back the information sheet and answer questions on the procedure. I found this quite easy, but some people don't pick up new information well, especially when there is lots of details. They give a very clear example in the booklet sent before the day.
Part 2 is sometimes known as the dials test. You get sets of 3 dials with pointers pointing to the number on each dial, and you have to order them in order (I believe starting with the largest). However, each dial has a different number range (one might go from 0-150 and another might go 0-500) so in that example, halfway on the dial going up to 500 would read '250' but the whole way on the dial going up to 150 would be only '150'. You have 43 questions to complete in 8 minutes and I don't think that anybody ever completes them all. Apparently, you are scored for correct answers but not downgraded for any wrong answers.

The final written test was the Written Communication Test (WCT), although I understand that this is no longer compulsory and some TOCs no longer do this. We were given a cartoon strip showing a taxi booking, a taxi picking a person up on time, delays on the route, and arrival at destination late. We had to write what happened. The only thing that matters is clarity so your writing needs to be legible but not neat. You do not need to write in sentences - bullet points are acceptable. Grammar and spelling is not important if it does not obscure meaning. You can continue to look at the cartoon strip during the test - you do not need to turn it over or have it collected. I have been told that almost 100% pass this test - if your handwriting is legible and you can convey a simple story, even just in bullet points, you're fine!

Again, we were sent to the waiting room while the tests were marked - this took a long time (almost an hour, I think)!

The final tests were the computerised tests. There might not be one computer per person so some people might have to take the test while other people are waiting.

I think the first computerised test was the ATAVT Perception Test. You will view a picture of a street scene for approximately 0.5-1 second. You will then have to choose from the list what was in the picture from: pedestrians; motor vehicles (excluding motorcycles); bikes, motorcycles or scooters; road signs; traffic lights. There might be as few as one or as many as five in any one picture. Many pictures are busy scenes and you will notice the presence or absence of some things, but for most of the time, you will not be certain that you have got them all right - there will be some guesswork or subconcious decision-making involved. This will suit people who are observant and can process quickly.
This video will give you a good idea of the test, but I think the pictures disappear more quickly in the assessments than shown on this video:
Asking a friend or family member to download some pictures from the internet and test you on them (giving you only a brief peek) might help.

I think the second test was the 2Hand Co-Ordination Test. You will have two joysticks, one will only go up and down, and the other will only go left and right. You have to control a ball around a track trying not to let it go off of the grey track, which includes curved sections. You will hear a screech when it does. This is repeated many times. It is aimed to be difficult and most people will not keep it on the track all the way around. We all thought we did really badly on this!

The final test was the WAFV (Vigilance) Test. You will see a grey square flashing on the screen. When it changes colour to a different shade of grey, you press the large green button as quickly as possible. This continues for 30 minutes, sometimes for long periods between changing. Also, your eyes imagine it changing when it doesn't. It's a good assessment because if you can't concentrate on being vigilant for 30 minutes, being in charged of a train might not be a good idea! When your eyes lose focus, move closer to or further away from the screen. Also, surprisingly, the colour changes aren't random but pre-programmed. Therefore if one person starts their test, another starts two seconds later and another starts to seconds later, you will hear the first person press their button, then about two seconds later the next person, and another two seconds later the next person.

We were then asked to wait in the waiting room again while the results were generated.

Finally, we were congratulated for passing the tests and advised about the next procedures in the application process. We were also given some basic pieces of advice for the DMI.

Hope that this is helpful. Feel free to ask any further questions!
 

Sh*n

Member
Joined
18 Nov 2018
Messages
30
Hi and congratulations on getting through to your assessment day!

I recently attended an assessment day with a TOC which accepts national standards.

I understand that many TOCs have around 20-25 people taking the tests on that day. The TOC which assessed me, however, assesses fewer people at once (8 were due to attend but only 5 did). Of the 5 who attended, two worked for the TOC in guard or ticket office roles, and at least one of the absentees, too.

The TOC should have e-mailed you an information pack telling you what tests would be conducted, the procedures for them and giving your ideas for practice before the day.

The tests are designed to be psychometric, hence they assess your capabilities. I saw that when doing the tests. There are some people I know who I think could practice full time and still never pass. It assesses inate abilities, although, of course, some practice in advance can help you a little.

Initially, we were asked to wait in a waiting room. We were asked 1-by-1 to go into an interview room where our identity, including NI number, was checked. We were also given a colour-blind test. In this test, you have to read the numbers which you can see in circles made of different colours. Warning: There are some trick ones! There are no numbers on some of them - don't try finding one, just say you can't see one!

When that was conducted, we were taken to a room where we each had a desk with stationery provided. I brought my own pens which I usually use which I find comfortable.

The first test was the Group Bourdon Test. There's a downloadable online tool you can find as a sticky on this forum. I initially started doing it online and then moved on to printing and doing them on paper. You do get used to the patterns of dots on the tool, and they are different on the actual test, although the skills are transferrable. There are various people on this forum who quote how many lines you need to complete and how many errors you can make to pass. I was doing about 9 or 10 lines on the printouts from the tool with only 1 or 2 mistakes per page and I passed. Be very sceptical of people who say you need to complete 14 or 15 lines with no more than one mistake! (Of course, some TOCs require enhanced testing, which may require slightly more.) There was also a practice section at the start. The practice grids in the information booklet were less helpful than the tool (using letters rather than dots).

We then had a break while the test was marked. One person was asked into the interview room to be told that he failed so he was sent home.

The next test was the Test of Everyday Attention (TEA-Occ). This measures attention to multiple things and how well you can multi-task.
Part 1 required us to listen to beeps (some with low tones, others with 'high' but I'd call them moderate-to-low). You will need to count just certain tones (can't remember if it was low or high). An example is available here, but there weren't so many tones for each question: https://traineetraindriverinfo.com/low-tones-test-track-1/
Part 2 required us to do some simple telephone directory work. I think it was finding companies in a particular trade with a rating of three stars and with a phone number with a particular area code. It wasn't rocket science and probably doesn't need much practising, but it is designed to make you work quickly. You might not finish and don't need to.
Part 3 was the hardest, combining both part 1 and part 2. You hear number 1 read out and a number of beeps (only one tone this time). You need to write the number down when told. This continues. At the same time, you have a telephone directory task similar to part 2. You are told that both parts are of equal importance. You must use different pens for both tasks. When doing it, I got a good sense that I was truly multi-tasking. It's a good test, actually!
The booklet gives you some activities to help you. Recognising symbols probably isn't too difficult for most people. If you have somebody who could play patterns of two tones on a keyboard or piano (written down first so the answers can be assessed), that might help you, and also if they can play similar tones while they asked you to do a reading task / telephone directory task / wordsearch. However, I didn't practise much for this test and I know some others didn't either, and we passed.

The next test was the Trainability for Rules and Procedures Test (TRP), Part 1 which assesses how well you can learn new things. The railway rulebook is huge for a start, and you will also need to learn about fault finding and repairing, not to mention route knowledge. We were given a two-page information sheet explaining how "GLOP" is applied to the rails using a locomotive and application vehicle operated by a driver and a guard, including what controls there are, the colours and locations of them, when they should be used, the signalling system between the driver and guard, etc. We also heard a recording of this. We then had to hand back the information sheet and answer questions on the procedure. I found this quite easy, but some people don't pick up new information well, especially when there is lots of details. They give a very clear example in the booklet sent before the day.
Part 2 is sometimes known as the dials test. You get sets of 3 dials with pointers pointing to the number on each dial, and you have to order them in order (I believe starting with the largest). However, each dial has a different number range (one might go from 0-150 and another might go 0-500) so in that example, halfway on the dial going up to 500 would read '250' but the whole way on the dial going up to 150 would be only '150'. You have 43 questions to complete in 8 minutes and I don't think that anybody ever completes them all. Apparently, you are scored for correct answers but not downgraded for any wrong answers.

The final written test was the Written Communication Test (WCT), although I understand that this is no longer compulsory and some TOCs no longer do this. We were given a cartoon strip showing a taxi booking, a taxi picking a person up on time, delays on the route, and arrival at destination late. We had to write what happened. The only thing that matters is clarity so your writing needs to be legible but not neat. You do not need to write in sentences - bullet points are acceptable. Grammar and spelling is not important if it does not obscure meaning. You can continue to look at the cartoon strip during the test - you do not need to turn it over or have it collected. I have been told that almost 100% pass this test - if your handwriting is legible and you can convey a simple story, even just in bullet points, you're fine!

Again, we were sent to the waiting room while the tests were marked - this took a long time (almost an hour, I think)!

The final tests were the computerised tests. There might not be one computer per person so some people might have to take the test while other people are waiting.

I think the first computerised test was the ATAVT Perception Test. You will view a picture of a street scene for approximately 0.5-1 second. You will then have to choose from the list what was in the picture from: pedestrians; motor vehicles (excluding motorcycles); bikes, motorcycles or scooters; road signs; traffic lights. There might be as few as one or as many as five in any one picture. Many pictures are busy scenes and you will notice the presence or absence of some things, but for most of the time, you will not be certain that you have got them all right - there will be some guesswork or subconcious decision-making involved. This will suit people who are observant and can process quickly.
This video will give you a good idea of the test, but I think the pictures disappear more quickly in the assessments than shown on this video:
Asking a friend or family member to download some pictures from the internet and test you on them (giving you only a brief peek) might help.

I think the second test was the 2Hand Co-Ordination Test. You will have two joysticks, one will only go up and down, and the other will only go left and right. You have to control a ball around a track trying not to let it go off of the grey track, which includes curved sections. You will hear a screech when it does. This is repeated many times. It is aimed to be difficult and most people will not keep it on the track all the way around. We all thought we did really badly on this!

The final test was the WAFV (Vigilance) Test. You will see a grey square flashing on the screen. When it changes colour to a different shade of grey, you press the large green button as quickly as possible. This continues for 30 minutes, sometimes for long periods between changing. Also, your eyes imagine it changing when it doesn't. It's a good assessment because if you can't concentrate on being vigilant for 30 minutes, being in charged of a train might not be a good idea! When your eyes lose focus, move closer to or further away from the screen. Also, surprisingly, the colour changes aren't random but pre-programmed. Therefore if one person starts their test, another starts two seconds later and another starts to seconds later, you will hear the first person press their button, then about two seconds later the next person, and another two seconds later the next person.

We were then asked to wait in the waiting room again while the results were generated.

Finally, we were congratulated for passing the tests and advised about the next procedures in the application process. We were also given some basic pieces of advice for the DMI.

Hope that this is helpful. Feel free to ask any further questions!

Hi,
Many thanks for the above. Very helpful indeed.
I have an assessment on Thursday. Any tips on the 2hand co-ordination please? Do do move both sticks at the same time on the curves or just one at a time? As in position right or left first and then move up and down?

Also for WCT how many lines roughly do I need to write? If I’m only writing the bullet points.

Any advice would be appreciated
Many thanks,
 

Driver2B

Member
Joined
21 Apr 2018
Messages
224
Hi,
Many thanks for the above. Very helpful indeed.
I have an assessment on Thursday. Any tips on the 2hand co-ordination please? Do do move both sticks at the same time on the curves or just one at a time? As in position right or left first and then move up and down?

Also for WCT how many lines roughly do I need to write? If I’m only writing the bullet points.

Any advice would be appreciated
Many thanks,

Glad that my previous post was helpful!

Congratulations on an assessment on Thursday and good luck to you!

Re the 2-Hand Co-ordination Test, you'll need to use both together. I would stress that we all thought that we had done badly on this. The ball went off quite a number of times, but we managed to get it back on and continue each time. We all passed. You will not be able to keep it on the track all the time and you are not expected to do so. From what I've read, this is not one of the tests which many fail.

Re the WCT, I think you'll be given a cartoon strip of six pictures and you simply have to write what happened in a way that it can be understood (sentences, spelling, grammar, neatness are all unnecessary). By the fact that I can reply to your message, your writing clearly conveys meaning. You don't need to worry about that!

Again, good luck for Thursday! Hope things go well!
 

Driver2B

Member
Joined
21 Apr 2018
Messages
224
Hi Driver2B
Thanks for the great description of the assessment. Just wondering is it for Arriva? A friend has the assessment scheduled for the end of this months and I am trying to find out more about the Arriva London tests.
Thanks


Sorry, I've just seen your message as I haven't logged on for a while.

A bit late, I know, but just to confirm, it was not for Arriva, it was for a TOC which accepts national standards.

All TOCs will have to implement these tests (except WCT, which is now optional for TOCs). Some TOCs require enhanced scores in tests or might add extra tests of their own.

Also some/most TOCs do the assessments on two days rather than just one.
 

Sh*n

Member
Joined
18 Nov 2018
Messages
30
Glad that my previous post was helpful!

Congratulations on an assessment on Thursday and good luck to you!

Re the 2-Hand Co-ordination Test, you'll need to use both together. I would stress that we all thought that we had done badly on this. The ball went off quite a number of times, but we managed to get it back on and continue each time. We all passed. You will not be able to keep it on the track all the time and you are not expected to do so. From what I've read, this is not one of the tests which many fail.

Re the WCT, I think you'll be given a cartoon strip of six pictures and you simply have to write what happened in a way that it can be understood (sentences, spelling, grammar, neatness are all unnecessary). By the fact that I can reply to your message, your writing clearly conveys meaning. You don't need to worry about that!

Again, good luck for Thursday! Hope things go well!

Hi
Many thanks for your prompt reply.
Was also wondering if the MMI and DMI are on the same day of the assessments please?
 

Driver2B

Member
Joined
21 Apr 2018
Messages
224
Hi
Many thanks for your prompt reply.
Was also wondering if the MMI and DMI are on the same day of the assessments please?

Hi,

You're welcome.

Each company arranges the assessments and interviews in different ways, and some undertake the assessments and/or MMI in-house, while others have the OPC visit to conduct them on the TOC's behalf.

I understand that the DMI is always on a seperate day from the assessments, including MMI. I understand that the DMI is usually done after the MMI, although some TOCs do the DMI before the MMI.

I understand that there are two main ways in which the assessments and MMI is usually arranged (although you may find a TOC which does something different again):

Most, I understand:
* Stage 1 tests (Group Bourdon Test, Test of Everyday Attention (TEA-Occ), Trainability for Rules and Procedures Test (TRP) and Written Communication Test (WCT)) on one day;
* Stage 2 tests (ATAVT Perception Test, 2Hand Co-Ordination Test and WAFV (Vigilance) Test) and MMI (including SJT and questionnaire) at a later date.

Less than half, I understand:
* Stage 1 and Stage 2 tests on one day;
* MMI (including SJT and questionnaire) at a later date.

The TOC to which you have applied should have informed you which tests you will be doing on Thursday. However, TOC's communication can sometimes be unclear.

I hope that the above is helpful; don't hesitate to ask if you have further questions.
 

scouseyb123

On Moderation
Joined
27 Nov 2012
Messages
222
Thankyou. I passed the driver assessments on my second and final attempt yesterday, found the info here very useful
 

Driver2B

Member
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21 Apr 2018
Messages
224
Thankyou. I passed the driver assessments on my second and final attempt yesterday, found the info here very useful

Congratulations! :)

That's great news!

Good luck in the remainder of your application, and hopefully, your train driving career!
 

Alf86

New Member
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12 Dec 2019
Messages
3
Location
Eastleigh
Hi.
New to this whole thing...

Did my assessment day today at Doncaster for DB. Passed - thankfully!! Honestly reading through this thread helped a hell of a lot for before I got in there.

just one question... do you know if DB is enhanced or standard?

cheers guys
 
Joined
7 Jan 2010
Messages
252
Hi.
New to this whole thing...

Did my assessment day today at Doncaster for DB. Passed - thankfully!! Honestly reading through this thread helped a hell of a lot for before I got in there.

just one question... do you know if DB is enhanced or standard?

cheers guys

Can’t answer your question but I did mine on Tuesday with DB in Doncaster and passed.
Was you applying for Peterlee or Dollands Moor? Did many people attend?
 

Alf86

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Messages
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Location
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Can’t answer your question but I did mine on Tuesday with DB in Doncaster and passed.
Was you applying for Peterlee or Dollands Moor? Did many people attend?

i was the only person who turned up..... was supposed to be 4 of us. By like I said. The others were a no-show. But I’d driven 200 miles so wasn’t going to not attend!!
 
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Messages
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i was the only person who turned up..... was supposed to be 4 of us. By like I said. The others were a no-show. But I’d driven 200 miles so wasn’t going to not attend!!

Wow! I take it Dollands Moor then?

There were 3 of us on Tuesday. 2 for Peterlee and me for Dollands. One of the Peterlee lads didn’t make it past the joysticks test and the other one got through to the MMI but don’t know how he got on.

Just a waiting game now I guess.
 

Alf86

New Member
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Messages
3
Location
Eastleigh
Wow! I take it Dollands Moor then?

There were 3 of us on Tuesday. 2 for Peterlee and me for Dollands. One of the Peterlee lads didn’t make it past the joysticks test and the other one got through to the MMI but don’t know how he got on.

Just a waiting game now I guess.

for Eastleigh (nr Southampton)....

just couldn’t believe people wouldn’t turn up...
 
Joined
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Messages
252
for Eastleigh (nr Southampton)....

just couldn’t believe people wouldn’t turn up...

I know. It's probably fair to say that due to the competition for each job, it could be a once in a lifetime opportunity to be invited to the assessment day. I know people have good reasons for deciding not go but 50% of those invited dropping out over the two days??
 

Island Dave

Member
Joined
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Messages
41
Ive recently sat assessments and failed on the dials test, I dont know if they were wrong or I didn’t correctly mark enough, I done about 15.. Reading a post on this thread it states in their test that three dials were used with different numbers on some dials. Now the set I faced had 4 dials each identical with 4 zones on upper half of a circle white,gray, darker gray and really dark gray .. bottom half of circle was not used, Now If I remember correctly dial 1 (power) was marked differently to other 3 with 1-20- dials 234 (heat light coolant) were 1-100, Now the problem I faced was the practice material I was supplied with was like a pie chart with an Arrow pointer, 3 of them and work out with shaded areas a priority.. I found these pretty easy and always got them all correct, once I opened the book in assessment I totally lost what I was supposed to do. Even now I'm still not sure, the assessment leader did try to make sure I knew what I was doing but not wanting to hold everyone up, I stupidly said Id worked it out , when really I wasn't sure at all .. I passed all others to enhance and passed computer tests in the afternoon. I am so gutted I let my self down on the dials test. Would any one be prepared to talk through the correct way of working these out and if dial one has a different measurement method. Thanks
 
Last edited:
Joined
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Messages
252
Ive recently sat assessments and failed on the dials test, I dont know if they were wrong or I didn’t correctly mark enough, I done about 15.. Reading a post on this thread it states in their test that three dials were used with different numbers on some dials. Now the set I faced had 4 dials each identical with 4 zones on upper half of a circle white,gray, darker gray and really dark gray .. bottom half of circle was not used, Now If I remember correctly dial 1 (power) was marked differently to other 3 with 1-20- dials 234 (heat light coolant) were 1-100, Now the problem I faced was the practice material I was supplied with was like a pie chart with an Arrow pointer, 3 of them and work out with shaded areas a priority.. I found these pretty easy and always got them all correct, once I opened the book in assessment I totally lost what I was supposed to do. Even now I'm still not sure, the assessment leader did try to make sure I knew what I was doing but not wanting to hold everyone up, I stupidly said Id worked it out , when really I wasn't sure at all .. I passed all others to enhance and passed computer tests in the afternoon. I am so gutted I let my self down on the dials test. Would any one be prepared to talk through the correct way of working these out and if dial one has a different measurement method. Thanks

It was pretty similar to the practice material whereby priority is dictated by the colour the pointer was on. However, it had the addition that in the event there were two gauges with the pointer on the same colour, you then checked the numerical value that the pointer was on and the LOWEST then took priority.
 

Jon1930

Member
Joined
15 Jun 2019
Messages
93
That test once you understand it is very simple and enjoyable, you shouldn't have worried about others and took as much time as possible trying to understand the practice runs and ensure you 100% understood before starting. Have another go and I'm sure you will pass next time. Good luck


QUOTE="Island Dave, post: 4336219, member: 34093"]Ive recently sat assessments and failed on the dials test, I dont know if they were wrong or I didn’t correctly mark enough, I done about 15.. Reading a post on this thread it states in their test that three dials were used with different numbers on some dials. Now the set I faced had 4 dials each identical with 4 zones on upper half of a circle white,gray, darker gray and really dark gray .. bottom half of circle was not used, Now If I remember correctly dial 1 (power) was marked differently to other 3 with 1-20- dials 234 (heat light coolant) were 1-100, Now the problem I faced was the practice material I was supplied with was like a pie chart with an Arrow pointer, 3 of them and work out with shaded areas a priority.. I found these pretty easy and always got them all correct, once I opened the book in assessment I totally lost what I was supposed to do. Even now I'm still not sure, the assessment leader did try to make sure I knew what I was doing but not wanting to hold everyone up, I stupidly said Id worked it out , when really I wasn't sure at all .. I passed all others to enhance and passed computer tests in the afternoon. I am so gutted I let my self down on the dials test. Would any one be prepared to talk through the correct way of working these out and if dial one has a different measurement method. Thanks[/QUOTE]
 

Island Dave

Member
Joined
13 Apr 2016
Messages
41
Cheers guys . Any ideas on why dial no1 is numbered 1-20 or is it 1-25 (not sure) and all other Dials are numbered 1-100; no doubt it was explained in the cd / test booklet , but this is what threw me . I was pretty strong on practice with the 3 pie chart style ..
That test once you understand it is very simple and enjoyable, you shouldn't have worried about others and took as much time as possible trying to understand the practice runs and ensure you 100% understood before starting. Have another go and I'm sure you will pass next time. Good luck


QUOTE="Island Dave, post: 4336219, member: 34093"]Ive recently sat assessments and failed on the dials test, I dont know if they were wrong or I didn’t correctly mark enough, I done about 15.. Reading a post on this thread it states in their test that three dials were used with different numbers on some dials. Now the set I faced had 4 dials each identical with 4 zones on upper half of a circle white,gray, darker gray and really dark gray .. bottom half of circle was not used, Now If I remember correctly dial 1 (power) was marked differently to other 3 with 1-20- dials 234 (heat light coolant) were 1-100, Now the problem I faced was the practice material I was supplied with was like a pie chart with an Arrow pointer, 3 of them and work out with shaded areas a priority.. I found these pretty easy and always got them all correct, once I opened the book in assessment I totally lost what I was supposed to do. Even now I'm still not sure, the assessment leader did try to make sure I knew what I was doing but not wanting to hold everyone up, I stupidly said Id worked it out , when really I wasn't sure at all .. I passed all others to enhance and passed computer tests in the afternoon. I am so gutted I let my self down on the dials test. Would any one be prepared to talk through the correct way of working these out and if dial one has a different measurement method. Thanks
[/QUOTE]
 

Caad12

Member
Joined
3 Jun 2018
Messages
145
Location
Gateshead
That test once you understand it is very simple and enjoyable, you shouldn't have worried about others and took as much time as possible trying to understand the practice runs and ensure you 100% understood before starting. Have another go and I'm sure you will pass next time. Good luck


QUOTE="Island Dave, post: 4336219, member: 34093"]Ive recently sat assessments and failed on the dials test, I dont know if they were wrong or I didn’t correctly mark enough, I done about 15.. Reading a post on this thread it states in their test that three dials were used with different numbers on some dials. Now the set I faced had 4 dials each identical with 4 zones on upper half of a circle white,gray, darker gray and really dark gray .. bottom half of circle was not used, Now If I remember correctly dial 1 (power) was marked differently to other 3 with 1-20- dials 234 (heat light coolant) were 1-100, Now the problem I faced was the practice material I was supplied with was like a pie chart with an Arrow pointer, 3 of them and work out with shaded areas a priority.. I found these pretty easy and always got them all correct, once I opened the book in assessment I totally lost what I was supposed to do. Even now I'm still not sure, the assessment leader did try to make sure I knew what I was doing but not wanting to hold everyone up, I stupidly said Id worked it out , when really I wasn't sure at all .. I passed all others to enhance and passed computer tests in the afternoon. I am so gutted I let my self down on the dials test. Would any one be prepared to talk through the correct way of working these out and if dial one has a different measurement method. Thanks

Are there any examples of the new test knocking about or is it kept closely guarded?
 

Island Dave

Member
Joined
13 Apr 2016
Messages
41
cant find a single example online anywhere with 4 Dials .. I don't think its new though ** as there is an example on a thread here dating back to 2013. (Hand drawn image on a thread)

Are there any examples of the new test knocking about or is it kept closely guarded?
 
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