# RailFocus

> RailFocus is practice for UK train driver and signaller aptitude tests and psychometric tests: vigilance, Group Bourdon, visual search, reaction, and judgement.

RailFocus is independent practice for UK train driver and signaller selection. It is not an official test, and it is not affiliated with train operators or RSSB. Practice is for the type of task. A practice score is not a pass.

Applicants usually say aptitude tests. Operators often say psychometric tests. The work is the same timed battery: attention, search, concentration, rules, and judgement.

## Pages

- [RailFocus](https://www.railfocus.co.uk): UK train driver and signaller aptitude practice.
- [Practice modules](https://www.railfocus.co.uk/practice): Vigilance, Group Bourdon, visual search, reaction, judgement, and the rest of the battery.
- [Create an account](https://www.railfocus.co.uk/signup): Start the free modules on the web.
- [Pricing](https://www.railfocus.co.uk/pricing): Five modules free. Plus is prepaid for 3 or 6 months on the website and does not renew.
- [Articles](https://www.railfocus.co.uk/articles): Notes on the tests, assessment day, and how people get in.
- [FAQ](https://www.railfocus.co.uk/faq): Common questions about UK train driver psychometric tests and RailFocus.
- [About](https://www.railfocus.co.uk/about): Why the site exists.
- [Contact](https://www.railfocus.co.uk/contact): Email the team.

## Articles

- [How to become a train driver in the UK](https://www.railfocus.co.uk/articles/how-to-become-a-train-driver-uk): You apply, sit the tests, then interview and medical. Training only starts after that.
- [Train driver psychometric tests, explained](https://www.railfocus.co.uk/articles/train-driver-psychometric-tests): Not one paper. A set of short tasks on attention, search, concentration and rules.
- [The vigilance test (WAFV)](https://www.railfocus.co.uk/articles/vigilance-test-wafv): Rare targets and a long wait. The real work is everything between the clicks.
- [Group Bourdon, the concentration test](https://www.railfocus.co.uk/articles/group-bourdon-test): Mark every matching cluster. Near-misses are the trap, and the target changes each sheet.
- [What happens on train driver assessment day](https://www.railfocus.co.uk/articles/train-driver-assessment-day): A long day of simple tests, then maybe an interview and a medical.
- [Is the train driver assessment hard?](https://www.railfocus.co.uk/articles/is-the-train-driver-assessment-hard): Not an IQ contest. Unfamiliar, tiring, and you only get a few attempts.
- [What is the pass rate for the train driver assessment?](https://www.railfocus.co.uk/articles/what-is-the-pass-rate-for-the-train-driver-assessment): There is no public official rate. Forum percentages are gossip. Practise the day anyway.
- [How long does it take to become a train driver?](https://www.railfocus.co.uk/articles/how-long-to-become-a-train-driver): Months to get in, then a year or more of training, depending on the operator.
- [The visual search test](https://www.railfocus.co.uk/articles/train-driver-visual-search-test): Find the matches and ignore the rest. Some grids have none at all.
- [The reaction time test: go on green, hold on red](https://www.railfocus.co.uk/articles/train-driver-reaction-time-test): Fast is useless if you fire at the wrong signal.
- [Situational judgement tests for train drivers](https://www.railfocus.co.uk/articles/train-driver-situational-judgement-test): The safer answer is often quieter than the dramatic one.
- [The train driver interview](https://www.railfocus.co.uk/articles/train-driver-interview): They want risk, stopping, and a true story about a mistake, not a speech.
- [If you fail the train driver assessment](https://www.railfocus.co.uk/articles/if-you-fail-the-train-driver-assessment): There's usually a wait, then another scarce attempt. Use the gap.
- [Train driver aptitude tests](https://www.railfocus.co.uk/articles/train-driver-aptitude-test): Same family as the psychometric battery. Simple tasks, strict clocks, no railway trivia.
- [Group Bourdon practice](https://www.railfocus.co.uk/articles/group-bourdon-practice): Timed pages, two numbers, and a scan you can hold. Not one heroic attempt.
- [How to practise for train driver psychometric tests](https://www.railfocus.co.uk/articles/how-to-practise-train-driver-psychometric-tests): Learn the wrappers, build stamina, measure the boring numbers. Skip leaked papers.
- [Practice train driver aptitude and psychometric tests](https://www.railfocus.co.uk/articles/practice-train-driver-aptitude-psychometric-tests): Applicants say aptitude. Operators say psychometric. Practise the same timed battery either way.
- [The dual-task test (TEA-Occ)](https://www.railfocus.co.uk/articles/train-driver-dual-task-test): Two streams at once. The trap is dropping one to protect the other.
- [Train driver requirements in the UK](https://www.railfocus.co.uk/articles/train-driver-requirements-uk): Operators set the bar on the vacancy. Liking trains is not the test.
- [Is 40 too old to become a train driver?](https://www.railfocus.co.uk/articles/is-40-too-old-to-become-a-train-driver): No. Forty is a normal age to apply. Fifty-five is not a hidden cutoff either.
- [Do train drivers earn £70k a year?](https://www.railfocus.co.uk/articles/do-train-drivers-earn-70k-a-year): Some experienced drivers get there with overtime. Trainees do not. It depends on the operator.
- [Do you need GCSEs to become a train driver?](https://www.railfocus.co.uk/articles/do-you-need-gcses-to-become-a-train-driver): Sometimes. A degree is not the test. The advert is the list that counts.
- [Do you need a driving licence to become a train driver?](https://www.railfocus.co.uk/articles/do-you-need-a-driving-licence-to-become-a-train-driver): Sometimes the advert asks for one. Sometimes it does not. It is not a cab licence.
- [Can you be a train driver with glasses?](https://www.railfocus.co.uk/articles/can-you-be-a-train-driver-with-glasses): Often yes. Colour vision is the stricter question. Ask the medical, not a forum.
- [How to become a rail signaller](https://www.railfocus.co.uk/articles/how-to-become-a-rail-signaller): You apply, sit psychometric tests, then interview and medical. The panel is not a cab.