How to become a train driver in the UK

You apply, sit the tests, then interview and medical. Training with the operator starts after that. They are not checking whether you already know how to drive a train. They are checking attention, reaction, memory and judgement.

The job is driving. What they test first is whether you stay accurate when the work is dull, timed, and a bit unfair. Revise the wrong kind of exam and the day will catch you out.

The sequence

Operators differ on the details, but the shape is the same.

• You apply. There's usually an online form and a situational judgement test. It is not a quiz about liking trains. They want to see whether your first instinct looks safe.
• If you pass that, you're invited to an assessment. That's what people mean by “the train driver test”.
• The assessment is a set of psychometric tasks: vigilance, search, concentration, rules, and sometimes dual-task work. Some days also include an interview and a medical.
• If you get through, you start training with the operator. That's when you learn the traction, the route and the rule book.

You don't need to have driven a train. You do need to sit still and not miss rare events. That is the part that catches people who are otherwise perfectly capable.

What to do before you apply

Two things help. Read how the day works, so the formats aren't a shock. And practise the family of tasks they use, not a trivia quiz about signalling.

Vigilance is the one that catches most people. It's boring on purpose. A short burst at the kitchen table isn't the same as thirty minutes. If you only practise the interesting tests, you're practising the wrong thing.

Attempts are limited. Operators don't give unlimited resits, so it is a waste to spend one of them finding out what the screens look like.

A note on practice

No website is the official test. Operators write their own batteries, timings and scoring. Practice is so you know the type of work, not so you can claim you have already sat the paper.

If you want the job, turn up having seen the formats, follow the live instructions, and don't spend the attempt on a mistake you could have practised away.