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York Signalling School

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ChrisRS

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17 Jan 2019
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Not that I've experienced university, but a lot of revision was needed to pass.
 

Danny Boy

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I’m currently at York at the moment, I believe that we are the last 12 week course, we had our first exam last week in our week three. It covers anything you learnt since the start of the course same thing for weeks 6 & 11 exams. Currently the pass marks are 70%,75% & 80% with one talk up if you fail but are within 5% of passing.
Going forward my understanding the course will be 10 weeks with 2 exams (weeks 6 & 10) no doubt that the same will apply and they will cover anything covered during the course. I don’t know what the pass marks will be but would think they would be similar to current weed 6 & 11.

Bottom line is if you put the work in then you will give yourself every chance of passing. Our group have worked hard together helping each other out and everybody scored in the high 90% for the first one.
 

Tom Quinne

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90%+ is standard for exam one, most of us got 95%+.

Week 5 exam really ramped up our scores dropped to 85%+, with one needed to use his talk up.

Week 10 exam dropped further to us all getting 80-85%
 

ChrisRS

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It is a tough course, as Danny Boy says the course will be dropping down to 10 weeks with 2 bigger exams.

Cutting out all the crap such as PTS.

We lost 2 people off our course but put in the work and you will get through it.
 

donpoku

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It is a tough course, as Danny Boy says the course will be dropping down to 10 weeks with 2 bigger exams.

Cutting out all the crap such as PTS.

We lost 2 people off our course but put in the work and you will get through it.
Did the 2 fail or quit? I've rarely known 2 in a course to fail.
 

Danny Boy

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90%+ is standard for exam one, most of us got 95%+.

Week 5 exam really ramped up our scores dropped to 85%+, with one needed to use his talk up.

Week 10 exam dropped further to us all getting 80-85%

Yep we have been warned that the first one is pretty basic and not to fall into the trap that the others will be the same.
 

Saracen_83

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It is a tough course, as Danny Boy says the course will be dropping down to 10 weeks with 2 bigger exams.

Cutting out all the crap such as PTS.

We lost 2 people off our course but put in the work and you will get through it.

PTS is not the course already, this has already been removed.
 

Stigy

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90%+ is standard for exam one, most of us got 95%+.

Week 5 exam really ramped up our scores dropped to 85%+, with one needed to use his talk up.

Week 10 exam dropped further to us all getting 80-85%
Were they quite short tests? That seems like quite a low pass mark? Although it’s changed now to not be specific pass marks, ours for trainee drivers were 91% across the board. Usual score was late 90s.
 

Tom Quinne

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Drivers tend to generally know the rules relating to their role, and required segments of others. But signallers are taught rules relating to a multitude of roles, the questions tended to evolve from a base question into avenues of what if, and then what.

How long each test was allocated escapes me now, it was about 10 minutes - or it felt like it !
 

Tom Quinne

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I don’t think that would be a smart thing to do to be honest.

They’ll all be based around the work you’ve completed upto that point of the exam.

Weeks 1&2
Weeks 1 to 5
The whole thing.
 

Saracen_83

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They are a mixture of multiple choice, short answer (1 word to a sentence) and long answer (paragraph/explanation) questions. As said all based on previous weeks learning.
 

7Paul7

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The new (10 week course) is 2 observations (weeks 4 and 8) and 2 written papers (weeks 6 and 10) the week 6 paper is 2hrs 40 mins total with a max of 40mins for the multiple choice section I believe there are 161 marks available in total and a 75% pass mark.
 

donpoku

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The new (10 week course) is 2 observations (weeks 4 and 8) and 2 written papers (weeks 6 and 10) the week 6 paper is 2hrs 40 mins total with a max of 40mins for the multiple choice section I believe there are 161 marks available in total and a 75% pass mark.
Thanks, very useful especially for future applicants and trainees, I've quoted this in the "career as signaller" thread.
 

JohnGannon4

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The new (10 week course) is 2 observations (weeks 4 and 8) and 2 written papers (weeks 6 and 10) the week 6 paper is 2hrs 40 mins total with a max of 40mins for the multiple choice section I believe there are 161 marks available in total and a 75% pass mark.
This is very useful to know. I started my new role on Monday and I am awaiting a training course (I’m hoping it’s York). I’m excited and nervous at the same time!
 

iamdavid

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1 Jun 2020
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Hi everyone, hoping this thread is still active, I’ve just done the scenario assessment today after doing the reasoning tests a couple of days ago, just wondering if anyone has any advice going into the interview? What to be ready for or the kinds of questions I might be asked? Cheers!
 

Llanigraham

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Hi everyone, hoping this thread is still active, I’ve just done the scenario assessment today after doing the reasoning tests a couple of days ago, just wondering if anyone has any advice going into the interview? What to be ready for or the kinds of questions I might be asked? Cheers!

I suggest you should read the long thread about joining the Signalling grades here
 

iamdavid

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I suggest you should read the long thread about joining the Signalling grades here
Brill, thank you.
 

Roy.C.

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Hi

I’m new to this forum so apologies if this has already been raised and answered.

I wanted to ask if the Signalling School in York is still 12 weeks or now 10, as some say it’s narrowed down to 10 since becoming an apprenticeship; and harder?

Also, for those currently at signalling school or recently completed, would you advise of any preps etc beforehand, or is there anything you wished you could’ve done prior to starting, maybe to sharpen up your knowledge and memory skills etc?

I start mine in August; and nerves are all over the place, esp with the thought (maybe even a fear) of leaving a secure job to join NR, knowing it’s pass/fail course.

Thanks for your help.
 

Danny Boy

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27 Mar 2019
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Hi

I’m new to this forum so apologies if this has already been raised and answered.

I wanted to ask if the Signalling School in York is still 12 weeks or now 10, as some say it’s narrowed down to 10 since becoming an apprenticeship; and harder?

Also, for those currently at signalling school or recently completed, would you advise of any preps etc beforehand, or is there anything you wished you could’ve done prior to starting, maybe to sharpen up your knowledge and memory skills etc?

I start mine in August; and nerves are all over the place, esp with the thought (maybe even a fear) of leaving a secure job to join NR, knowing it’s pass/fail course.

Thanks for your help.

Roy,

I’m currently at York starting week 7 of the old TCB course. I have no idea if the new course is easier or harder.

With regards to pre-reads, you will need to know if you are on an TCB or AB course and I would do no more than learn the phonetic alphabet if you don’t know it & key definitions and principles in chapters 1 & 2 in the relevant TS2 For TSB or TS 3 for AB anything more will just confuse you if you don’t have a railway background.
As for failing I had the same fears but believe me you will be supported. No one on our course had got lower than 95% in either week 3 or 6 exams, yes there is a lot to learn but as long as you put the extra work in at night you should be fine, as my LOM told me, He wouldn’t have employed me if he wasn’t certain that I could pass the course.
Even if you did struggle and failed you would at least get another go at the course.
 

amanda08

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19 Oct 2019
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Roy,

I’m currently at York starting week 7 of the old TCB course. I have no idea if the new course is easier or harder.

With regards to pre-reads, you will need to know if you are on an TCB or AB course and I would do no more than learn the phonetic alphabet if you don’t know it & key definitions and principles in chapters 1 & 2 in the relevant TS2 For TSB or TS 3 for AB anything more will just confuse you if you don’t have a railway background.
As for failing I had the same fears but believe me you will be supported. No one on our course had got lower than 95% in either week 3 or 6 exams, yes there is a lot to learn but as long as you put the extra work in at night you should be fine, as my LOM told me, He wouldn’t have employed me if he wasn’t certain that I could pass the course.
Even if you did struggle and failed you would at least get another go at the course.

Sorry to jump in. I’m due to start at York in July. Do you receive the relevant books and reading materials in advance?
Thanks
 

LOM

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26 Dec 2019
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Sorry to jump in. I’m due to start at York in July. Do you receive the relevant books and reading materials in advance?
Your LOM will give you your Rule Book before you start. That is all you need, apart from train tickets and hotel bookings.
 
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