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VSE

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Anon87

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Sorry if this seems repetitive or has been posted elsewhere but I can’t really seem to get a definitive answer so I’ll see if this helps - someone with first had knowledge might come across it.

If you fail the VSE once, does that take away an enhanced life or just a life with TOCs that use the VSE? (As apparently not all advanced TOCs use it, TfW for example).

Or even better, do none of the tests done at home including the VSE count towards a life?

Cheers
 
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CreamNCookies

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Personally, I cant see how a test at home would jeopardize your lifes as it isn't done under "exam conditions". Suppose you have an internet outage or power cut? I could be entirely wrong.
 

Manda2194

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I asked this question to the OPC a while ago.

People seem to have had different responses but the response I got was you have two lives to pass the VSE. If you fail twice it just means you cant apply to companies that use the VSE.

As far as I am aware not too many use it.
 

Anon87

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Personally, I cant see how a test at home would jeopardize your lifes as it isn't done under "exam conditions". Suppose you have an internet outage or power cut? I could be entirely wrong.
Exactly my sentiments!
I asked this question to the OPC a while ago.

People seem to have had different responses but the response I got was you have two lives to pass the VSE. If you fail twice it just means you cant apply to companies that use the VSE.

As far as I am aware not too many use it.
That’s good to hear, in which case it may not have jeopardised my chances with too many t/focs. I know Freighliner do but to be honest I haven’t heard of any others that use it. Obviously I’m going to brush up on the multi tasking element as a skill because I’m pretty certain that I failed towards the end of task 3.. like many do!
 

Manda2194

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Exactly my sentiments!

That’s good to hear, in which case it may not have jeopardised my chances with too many t/focs. I know Freighliner do but to be honest I haven’t heard of any others that use it. Obviously I’m going to brush up on the multi tasking element as a skill because I’m pretty certain that I failed towards the end of task 3.. like many do!

Avanti and Freighliner off the top of my head. I think i read southeastern might as well. Personally I am up north and don't think anyone around here uses it.
 

Stigy

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Yes, it uses a life for a TOC or FOC who uses the VSE. These are TOCs or FOCs who assess to the enhanced standard.

I think we spoke about this in another thread yesterday?

I find it strange that it does in fact use a life, when the test is done at home and may not even be completed by the intended candidate.
 

Anon87

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Yes, it uses a life for a TOC or FOC who uses the VSE. These are TOCs or FOCs who assess to the enhanced standard.

I think we spoke about this in another thread yesterday?

I find it strange that it does in fact use a life, when the test is done at home and may not even be completed by the intended candidate.
I agree - surely anything taken under an uncontrolled setting shouldn’t count as a strike? But it does so hey ho!

So, my understanding is that the strike counts towards any TOC or FOC that uses the VSE as part of their advanced testing. However not all companies use the VSE for their advanced testing - they use an assortment of other tests. So it doesn’t actually take away an enhanced life in general terms, just for the specific TOC/FOCs that use it for their enhanced testing. Right?

As it happens, I failed the VSE with FL but the other companies near me - GWR, SWR and TfW don’t use it (even though TfW are enhanced).

Minefield!
 

Stigy

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I agree - surely anything taken under an uncontrolled setting shouldn’t count as a strike? But it does so hey ho!

So, my understanding is that the strike counts towards any TOC or FOC that uses the VSE as part of their advanced testing. However not all companies use the VSE for their advanced testing - they use an assortment of other tests. So it doesn’t actually take away an enhanced life in general terms, just for the specific TOC/FOCs that use it for their enhanced testing. Right?

As it happens, I failed the VSE with FL but the other companies near me - GWR, SWR and TfW don’t use it (even though TfW are enhanced).

Minefield!
I was under the impression all companies who use enhanced testing use the VSE? Must be that it’s only TOCs/FOCs that test to enhanced standards that use it, but not all of said TOCs HAVE to use it. That being the case, you are correct. It doesn’t take an enhanced life as such, but the VSE has its own “two strikes rule” as it were and the only reason you cannot apply for a TOC or FOC who use it after two failed attempted, is because they use this test. I guess that’s the best way to look at it? Separately from the psychometric assessments. It is indeed a minefield.
 
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Anon87

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I was under the impression all companies who use enhanced testing use the VSE? Must be that it’s only TOCs/FOCs that test to enhanced standards that use it, but not all of said TOCs HAVE to use it. That being the case, you are correct. It doesn’t take an enhanced life as such, but the VSE has its own “two strikes rule” as it were and the only reason you cannot apply for a TOC or FOC who use it after two failed attempted, is because they use this test. I guess that’s the best way to look at it? Separately from the psychometric assessments. It is indeed a minefield.
That’s right. It’s only used at enhanced level - it’s available amongst a few other tests and the TOC can choose which combination of tests they wish to use for their enhanced part of the process. Apparently not many use the VSE anymore. I think only 4 were quoted above
 

baz962

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MTR crossrail use it too I believe. It isn't just extra test's that make the psychometrics enhanced. I know someone that passed some test's to enhanced , but only got standard on the group bourdon. When I did mine originally with gtr , the people that didn't pass to national got sent home first and then the people that only passed to national. They got sent home after the group bourdon and the glop and before we even did the dials and tones.
 

Stigy

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MTR crossrail use it too I believe. It isn't just extra test's that make the psychometrics enhanced. I know someone that passed some test's to enhanced , but only got standard on the group bourdon. When I did mine originally with gtr , the people that didn't pass to national got sent home first and then the people that only passed to national. They got sent home after the group bourdon and the glop and before we even did the dials and tones.
When I was assessed for Freightliner I had to only do the tests that required the enhanced pass that that I hadn’t done before with SWT, one of which was the Group Bourden (the others either didn’t require enhanced passes or I already met that standard when I did them for SWT, although they didn’t use that standard themselves). The DFFT was the extra test.

To this day I’m surprised there’s an enhanced benchmark for the Group Bourden test as I didn’t do anything differently the first time round and it was still by far the easiest one I recall taking :D
 
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