What do I actually need to become a train driver?
Less than you think. By law: nine years of primary and secondary education, a medical, a
psychological assessment and a professional knowledge exam — no degree, no GCSE requirement
and no car licence. The minimum age dropped from 20 to 18 on 30 June 2026. Operators add
their own conditions, and the ones that actually stop people are colour vision and how far
you live from the depot. There is
a checklist, and
the whole route written out in order.
How many goes do I get at the assessment?
Three, if you started the standardised process on or after 7 December 2024; two if you sat
any part of it before then. After that, no more, permanently. The second attempt is at least
a year after the first and the third is gated on being five years past the first. Results
are checked against a national database, so applying to several operators at once does not
give you more chances — it spends the same ones faster.
The detail is here, and it is the whole reason to practise
before the first sitting rather than after it.
Are these the real tests?
No, and nobody selling practice material has them. The real tests are licensed instruments
and reproducing them would be both illegal and useless to you — a memorised paper does not
make you faster. These are original exercises built to the published format of each test:
same task, same clock, same scoring shape. The skill transfers; the answers do not exist to
be leaked.
Will practising actually change my score?
On the timed search and concentration tests, yes, and measurably — most of the first-sitting
losses are people working at the wrong pace, not people who cannot see the dots. On the
Vienna tests the gain is smaller and mostly comes from not being startled by the format.
On the interview it is large. We say which is which in each guide rather than promising a
pass.
Can I use it on my phone?
Yes, and it installs to your home screen and works with no signal, which is the point if you
revise on the way to work. But sit the exam versions of the two visual search papers on the
biggest screen you have. A phone flatters those scores, and the real thing is a desktop with
a keyboard.
How long before the assessment should I start?
Three to four weeks of short daily sessions beats two long weekends, and the last two days
should be lighter than the ones before them. There is
a plan that lays out what to do on which day.
Do you store my results?
Your scores stay in your own browser. Nothing is uploaded, there is no account to make yet,
and clearing site data wipes your history — which also means it will not follow you from
phone to laptop.