Train Driver Tests

Train Driving Situational Judgement Test

1. Question 1 of 10

   You work as a machine operative at a joinery workshop. Changing over the crosscut saw, you notice its blade guard is cracked and no longer locks into position. Workshop rules say a defective guard must be reported to the supervisor, who takes the machine out of use until it is repaired. It is the only crosscut saw in the workshop, several colleagues rely on it every day, and losing it would slow the whole team’s work; the last repair took most of a week. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Say nothing about the guard and plan your own jobs around the other machines, leaving the crosscut saw available for the colleagues who rely on it.
   2. Carry on using the saw with extra care yourself, warning colleagues to do the same, and raise the guard at the team meeting later in the week.
   3. Report the cracked guard to your supervisor straight away, so the saw comes out of use until it has been repaired.
   4. Email the company's health and safety officer asking for an urgent inspection of every machine in the workshop, assuming other guards are probably wearing out as well.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: C. Report the cracked guard to your supervisor straight away, so the saw comes out of use until it has been repaired.

   Least effective: A. Say nothing about the guard and plan your own jobs around the other machines, leaving the crosscut saw available for the colleagues who rely on it.

   A: Stays silent about a known safety risk: keeping quiet while steering only yourself away from the saw protects you and nobody else; colleagues keep using a machine you know is unsafe, which is self-protective silence rather than a defensible reading of the risk.

   B: Fails to escalate a genuine risk: care and warnings do not fix a guard that no longer locks, and waiting days for a meeting keeps a known hazard in daily use when the rules give you a route that acts today.

   D: Escalates on assumptions without checking: widening one observed fault into a workshop-wide inspection request is built on a guess, bypasses the supervisor the rules name, and leaves the one saw you know is unsafe in use while the bigger process gets arranged.

   The most effective response is to report the cracked guard to your supervisor straight away so the saw comes out of use: a guard that is cracked and no longer locks is a genuine injury risk, the rules name exactly who to tell, and the supervisor can act today. The disruption to the team is real, but it is the trade the workshop’s own rules have already made. It beats carrying on with extra care and raising it at the team meeting, because care and warnings do not make a broken guard safe, and waiting days keeps the hazard in daily use for the sake of avoiding a difficult report. It beats emailing the health and safety officer for a workshop-wide inspection, because that inflates one observed fault into an assumed general problem, bypasses the supervisor who can act now, and leaves the one saw you know is unsafe running while a bigger inspection is arranged. The least effective response is saying nothing and working around the saw yourself: unlike carrying on with warnings, which at least alerts the people at risk, and unlike the inspection request, which at least tells someone with authority, it tells nobody and quietly protects only you, leaving colleagues to use a machine you know is unsafe. The principle: a genuine safety risk is raised at once through the stated route, whatever the disruption, and never managed silently around yourself.

2. Question 2 of 10

   You work in an airline contact centre. Storms have cancelled dozens of flights and you have handled distressed calls for three hours. A passenger tells you that you sound like you are reading from a script and that you clearly do not care that his family are stranded abroad. Rebooking options are limited but some exist. Your team leader is available. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Explain that the cancellations are weather-related, that you have been helping stranded passengers all morning and that you are doing your best for everyone.
   2. Acknowledge that his family being stranded is what matters, tell him the rebooking options that do exist, and start on whichever one he chooses.
   3. Tell him the options are extremely limited because of the weather and that there is very little the airline can do until the backlog clears.
   4. Apologise and offer to pass him to your team leader, since he is unhappy with how the call is going and may prefer to deal with someone senior.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: B. Acknowledge that his family being stranded is what matters, tell him the rebooking options that do exist, and start on whichever one he chooses.

   Least effective: C. Tell him the options are extremely limited because of the weather and that there is very little the airline can do until the backlog clears.

   A: Personalises the conflict: it answers his criticism of you rather than the problem of his family being stranded, which invites him to argue about your manner instead of his booking.

   C: Ignores the customer's actual need: it presents the situation as hopeless when rebooking options do exist, so a passenger with a stranded family is given despair instead of the seats that are actually available.

   D: Passes responsibility to others: it hands off a rebooking you can do and makes a passenger with a stranded family queue again for a supervisor during the busiest hours.

   The most effective response is to acknowledge that his family being stranded is what matters, tell him the rebooking options that do exist, and start on whichever he chooses: some options exist, and moving straight to them answers the substance without engaging the criticism of your manner. It beats explaining that the cancellations are weather-related and that you have been helping stranded passengers all morning, because defending yourself spends the call on your performance rather than on his family. It beats offering to pass him to your team leader, because that makes him wait again for something you can do now. The least effective response is telling him the options are extremely limited and there is very little the airline can do: it says nothing can be done when options do exist, so a passenger who could have been rebooked is left believing he is stuck. That is worse than explaining the weather, which at least explains, and worse than passing him on, which at least routes him to someone. The principle: when someone criticises you under pressure, put the available options in front of them and let the criticism go unanswered.

3. Question 3 of 10

   You are a groundworker in a landscaping crew of three. You are laying a patio that must be finished today because the client is holding a party tomorrow. Your colleague Josh has cut the paving slabs to the wrong dimension for one edge and has not noticed; there is enough spare stone to recut them, which takes about an hour. It is 11am and the crew leader is collecting materials and back at noon. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Lay the slabs as cut and leave the edge slightly short, since the client is unlikely to notice under furniture and the party is tomorrow.
   2. Tell Josh what you have spotted, and start recutting the slabs with him now so the edge is right and the patio is still finished today.
   3. Wait until the crew leader is back at noon and let him tell Josh, since he runs the job and it is not your place to correct a colleague's cutting.
   4. Recut the slabs yourself over the next hour without mentioning it, so the edge is right and Josh is not shown up in front of the crew.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: B. Tell Josh what you have spotted, and start recutting the slabs with him now so the edge is right and the patio is still finished today.

   Least effective: A. Lay the slabs as cut and leave the edge slightly short, since the client is unlikely to notice under furniture and the party is tomorrow.

   A: Hides the problem: it builds a known defect into a patio for a client holding a party, and relies on furniture hiding it. That is concealment of poor work, not a decision about time.

   C: Delays the decision: an hour of recutting is lost waiting for somebody else to deliver the message, on a patio that has to be finished today.

   D: Prioritises harmony over honesty: it fixes today's edge and leaves Josh cutting to the same wrong dimension on the next job, because nobody has told him.

   The most effective response is to tell Josh what you have spotted and start recutting the slabs with him now: there is an hour of recutting, spare stone and a whole afternoon, so the patio can still be right, and he needs to know what went wrong. Doing it together solves today and the next job. It beats recutting the slabs yourself without mentioning it, because that fixes this edge and leaves him measuring the same way tomorrow. It beats waiting until the crew leader is back at noon to let him tell Josh, because that spends an hour of the day you need, to have someone else say what you can say now. The least effective response is laying the slabs as cut and leaving the edge slightly short: it builds a known defect into a client’s patio and depends on it not being noticed, the one response that leaves bad work in the ground. That is worse than the other two, which manage it awkwardly but produce a proper patio. The principle: tell your colleague, fix it together while there is still time, and never build in a defect because it might not be seen.

4. Question 4 of 10

   You work in the accounts office of a small manufacturer. A supplier’s representative drops in with a Christmas hamper addressed to you personally, saying it is a thank you for prompt payment. The company’s policy requires gifts over a nominal value to be declared to a manager, and you are involved in approving that supplier’s invoices. Your finance manager is in the office. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Take the hamper home without mentioning it, since it was addressed to you personally, it is only a seasonal gesture and it will not change how you handle the supplier's invoices.
   2. Accept it provisionally, declare it to your finance manager today given that you approve this supplier's invoices, and follow whatever she decides.
   3. Refuse the hamper on the spot and tell the representative that the company does not allow suppliers to give gifts to staff.
   4. Put the hamper in the staff room for everyone to share, so that no individual benefits from it and nothing needs declaring.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: B. Accept it provisionally, declare it to your finance manager today given that you approve this supplier's invoices, and follow whatever she decides.

   Least effective: A. Take the hamper home without mentioning it, since it was addressed to you personally, it is only a seasonal gesture and it will not change how you handle the supplier's invoices.

   A: Breaches confidentiality or process: the declaration rule exists precisely because the recipient cannot vouch for their own impartiality, and taking a supplier's gift home unrecorded while approving their invoices is the conflict the policy is written to catch.

   C: Applies the rule without using it: the policy provides for declaration, not blanket refusal, and turning it away at the door resolves it without the record that the policy exists to create.

   D: Acts on assumptions without checking: sharing it changes who eats it, not whether a supplier gave a gift to someone who approves their invoices. The declaration is still owed and is now less likely to happen.

   The most effective response is to accept it provisionally and declare it to your finance manager today, given that you approve this supplier’s invoices: that is exactly the situation the declaration rule exists for, and she is in the office and can decide whether it is kept, returned or shared. Declaring it puts the decision where the policy intends. It beats putting the hamper in the staff room for everyone to share, because that changes who benefits without removing the conflict or creating the record. It beats refusing it on the spot and telling the representative gifts are not allowed, because that is well meant but skips the declaration, so nothing is recorded about a supplier offering gifts to the people who approve their invoices. The least effective response is taking it home without mentioning it because it will not change how you handle the invoices: that assurance is precisely the one the policy exists because nobody can give about themselves. That is worse than the other two, which handle it imperfectly but do not conceal. The principle: declare the thing the policy asks you to declare, and let the person it names decide what happens to it.

5. Question 5 of 10

   You work in a delivery-only kitchen. Checking the walk-in fridge you find the temperature gauge reading well above the safe limit and the log shows it was last checked twelve hours ago. There is a large quantity of prepared food inside. Orders start in an hour. Your head chef is on site and the food safety procedure requires temperature failures to be reported to him. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Stop the food being used, tell the head chef now that the fridge is above the safe limit and was last checked twelve hours ago, and let him decide what happens to it.
   2. Use the food for tonight's orders since it is still cold to the touch and the gauge may well be faulty, and report the fridge for repair tomorrow.
   3. Move the prepared food to another fridge so it starts cooling again, and tell the head chef once the transfer is done.
   4. Check the temperature again with a probe thermometer to confirm the gauge is accurate before raising it, so the head chef is not called over a faulty gauge.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: A. Stop the food being used, tell the head chef now that the fridge is above the safe limit and was last checked twelve hours ago, and let him decide what happens to it.

   Least effective: B. Use the food for tonight's orders since it is still cold to the touch and the gauge may well be faulty, and report the fridge for repair tomorrow.

   B: Serves food of unknown safety: a fridge above the safe limit for an unknown period is exactly the situation the temperature control exists to catch, and judging it by touch puts customers at risk. That is a safety failure, not a judgement about waste.

   C: Acts on assumptions without checking: moving the food cools it and tells nobody how long it was warm, which is the fact that decides whether it can be used at all.

   D: Delays the decision: verifying the gauge is sensible and takes time the head chef could direct in a moment, with service starting in an hour and food that may already be unsafe.

   The most effective response is to stop the food being used and tell the head chef now that the fridge is above the safe limit and was last checked twelve hours ago: prepared food may have been warm for up to twelve hours, that decision is his under the food safety procedure, and he is on site with an hour before service. Stopping its use first is what makes the decision possible. It beats moving the prepared food to another fridge and telling him once the transfer is done, because cooling it destroys the evidence of how long it was warm, which is the fact the judgement rests on. It beats checking again with a probe thermometer before raising it, because confirming the gauge is work he can direct in seconds, and the clock is running. The least effective response is using the food for tonight’s orders because it is still cold to the touch: it serves food of unknown temperature history to customers on the basis of how it feels. That is worse than the other two, which act imperfectly but do not serve it. The principle: when a safety control has failed, stop the product and get the decision to the person the procedure names, without disturbing the evidence.

6. Question 6 of 10

   You are a production coordinator at an events company. It is 2pm on the day of a conference. Three things need you: the client’s keynote speaker has arrived and cannot find the green room, the audio-visual crew report a microphone fault in the main hall where the keynote begins at 3pm, and your manager wants tomorrow’s crew rota confirmed by 4pm. You have one runner available to help. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Deal with the speaker and the rota yourself and leave the microphone to the audio-visual crew, since they are the specialists and it is their equipment to fix.
   2. Take the speaker to the green room yourself since the client will judge the company on how she is looked after, then deal with the microphone and the rota afterwards.
   3. Send the runner to collect the speaker, go to the main hall yourself to get the microphone fault resolved before 3pm, and confirm the rota after the keynote starts.
   4. Confirm the rota first since your manager has set a 4pm deadline, then help with the microphone and ask the runner to find the speaker.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: C. Send the runner to collect the speaker, go to the main hall yourself to get the microphone fault resolved before 3pm, and confirm the rota after the keynote starts.

   Least effective: A. Deal with the speaker and the rota yourself and leave the microphone to the audio-visual crew, since they are the specialists and it is their equipment to fix.

   A: Fails to escalate a genuine risk: the crew have reported the fault rather than fixed it, which is the signal that they need a decision or a replacement. Treating a reported problem as somebody else's job means the keynote starts without a working microphone.

   B: Substitutes own judgement for the stakeholder's: escorting a guest is the one task on the list that anyone can do, and doing it personally spends the coordinator on the job the runner exists for while a keynote microphone stays broken.

   D: Delays the decision: the rota has two hours and no audience, while the microphone has one hour and a keynote behind it. Doing the administrative task first spends the only hour that matters.

   The most effective response is to send the runner to collect the speaker, go to the main hall yourself to get the microphone fault resolved before 3pm, and confirm the rota after the keynote starts: the microphone is the only item with a hard deadline and a public failure attached, the speaker needs collecting rather than coordinating, and the rota has until 4pm. That puts each person on the job matching what they can do. It beats taking the speaker to the green room yourself, because escorting a guest is exactly what the runner is there for, and doing it personally leaves the microphone unattended. It beats confirming the rota first to meet your manager’s 4pm deadline, because the rota has two hours and no audience while the keynote has one. The least effective response is leaving the microphone to the audio-visual crew as the specialists: they have reported a fault rather than resolved it, so a decision or a replacement is needed, and treating it as theirs alone risks a keynote starting without sound in front of the client. That is worse than the other two, which misallocate the time but keep the fault in view. The principle: delegate what anyone can do, take personally the thing with the closing window and the visible consequence.

7. Question 7 of 10

   You are a facilities coordinator for an office building. At 9am you learn that the lift has failed with nobody inside, that a meeting room booked for a client presentation at 10am has no working projector, and that the quarterly fire alarm test is scheduled for 11am. A wheelchair user works on the third floor and is due in at 9.30am. The lift engineer can attend within two hours if called now. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Call the lift engineer immediately, tell the third-floor colleague and her manager before she travels in, then deal with the projector and confirm the alarm test.
   2. Deal with the projector and the alarm test as planned and wait to see whether the lift resets itself, since calling an engineer out is expensive and it may come back on its own.
   3. Sort the projector first since the client presentation is at 10am and is the nearest deadline, then call the lift engineer and confirm the alarm test.
   4. Call the lift engineer, then postpone the fire alarm test since a failed lift makes evacuation arrangements unreliable, and deal with the projector afterwards.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: A. Call the lift engineer immediately, tell the third-floor colleague and her manager before she travels in, then deal with the projector and confirm the alarm test.

   Least effective: B. Deal with the projector and the alarm test as planned and wait to see whether the lift resets itself, since calling an engineer out is expensive and it may come back on its own.

   B: Fails to escalate a genuine risk: it leaves a wheelchair user arriving at a building she cannot move around in, and gambles the two-hour repair window on the lift fixing itself, to save a call-out fee.

   C: Substitutes own judgement for the stakeholder's: the projector is the nearest deadline and the smallest consequence. A colleague who cannot use the stairs is due in at 9.30 and the engineer's two-hour window starts only when he is called.

   D: Escalates prematurely: postponing a scheduled alarm test is a decision with its own consequences, taken before anyone has checked whether the test is affected, while a colleague is still travelling in to a building she cannot get around.

   The most effective response is to call the lift engineer immediately, tell the third-floor colleague and her manager before she travels in, then deal with the projector and the alarm test: the lift is the only item with both a closing window, the engineer’s two hours, and a person affected who is already travelling. Calling starts the clock, and warning her before she sets off is the part that cannot wait. The projector and the alarm test both still fit afterwards. It beats sorting the projector first for the 10am presentation, because that puts the smallest consequence first and leaves a colleague to discover on arrival that she cannot reach her desk. It beats calling the engineer and then postponing the fire alarm test, because postponing it is a further decision with its own effects, taken before checking whether it is even affected. The least effective response is waiting to see whether the lift resets itself to avoid a call-out charge: that spends the repair window and leaves a wheelchair user stranded on arrival. That is worse than the other two, which misorder the work but call the engineer. The principle: start the longest lead time first, warn the person affected before they are committed, and fit the rest around it.

8. Question 8 of 10

   You are a patient transport driver taking an elderly patient home from hospital. On arrival she tells you she lives alone, has no food in the house and is not sure she can manage the stairs to her flat. Your job is transport only and you have three more collections booked this afternoon. Your control room is contactable by radio, and the hospital discharge team can still be reached. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Leave her at the door as the job requires, since transport is what you are booked for and the hospital will have assessed her before discharging her.
   2. Help her up the stairs and into the flat, then continue with your remaining collections since she is at least safely inside her home.
   3. Stay with her, radio control to report that she cannot manage at home, and ask them to contact the hospital discharge team before you leave.
   4. Ring her family or a neighbour if she has a number, so that someone local can check on her, then carry on with your remaining collections.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: C. Stay with her, radio control to report that she cannot manage at home, and ask them to contact the hospital discharge team before you leave.

   Least effective: A. Leave her at the door as the job requires, since transport is what you are booked for and the hospital will have assessed her before discharging her.

   A: Fails to escalate a genuine risk: she has told you directly that she cannot manage, and the assumption that the discharge assessment covered it is the assumption her own account contradicts. Leaving is the one response that resolves nothing.

   B: Treats the symptom and leaves the risk: getting her through the door solves this afternoon and leaves an elderly woman alone with no food and stairs she is unsure of, with nobody informed.

   D: Acts on assumptions without checking: an informal arrangement with whoever answers the phone is not a discharge decision, and it leaves the hospital unaware that the discharge has not worked.

   The most effective response is to stay with her, radio control to report that she cannot manage at home, and ask them to contact the hospital discharge team before you leave: she has told you she cannot manage, the discharge appears to have missed it, and the people who can reopen that are reachable now. Staying with her while it is raised is what makes the report count. It beats helping her up the stairs and into the flat before continuing your collections, because that solves the stairs for one afternoon and leaves the food, the isolation and the unsafe discharge untouched. It beats ringing her family or a neighbour to check on her, because that is a private arrangement, not a reassessment, and the hospital never learns its discharge did not hold. The least effective response is leaving her at the door because transport is what you are booked for: it assumes the assessment must have covered it, when she has just said it did not. That is worse than the other two, which at least do something for her. The principle: when someone tells you a plan has failed, keep them safe and get the fact to the people who own the plan, before you leave.

9. Question 9 of 10

   You are a service desk analyst at an IT support provider. A system outage has left the queue at four times its usual length and you have worked through your break. Your team leader now tells you that a call you handled yesterday has been complained about, and asks you to write it up by the end of the day. You believe you handled the call correctly. Three hours of your shift remain and the queue is still growing. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

   1. Write the complaint response first while the call is fresh in your mind, so it is done properly, and return to the queue once your team leader has what she asked for.
   2. Work the queue for the rest of your shift and write the complaint response at home this evening, so that neither the customers waiting nor your team leader's deadline is let down.
   3. Get on with both as best you can without raising it, since the outage is everyone's problem today and saying you cannot manage would not look good while the whole team is under pressure.
   4. Tell your team leader the queue has quadrupled, ask whether the write-up can wait until tomorrow or be covered by someone else, and keep working the queue while she decides.
   Show the answer

   Most effective: D. Tell your team leader the queue has quadrupled, ask whether the write-up can wait until tomorrow or be covered by someone else, and keep working the queue while she decides.

   Least effective: C. Get on with both as best you can without raising it, since the outage is everyone's problem today and saying you cannot manage would not look good while the whole team is under pressure.

   A: Substitutes own judgement for the stakeholder's: it assumes the write-up must come first because she asked for it today, when she does not know the queue has quadrupled. The assumption is never tested with the one person who could rebalance it.

   B: Hides the strain until failure: it meets both demands by absorbing the overload privately, so your team leader never learns the shift was undeliverable and plans the next one the same way.

   C: Avoids the difficult conversation: it stays silent about a workload that cannot be delivered, for fear of how it looks. Your team leader is the only person who can rebalance it, and she is the one person not told.

   The most effective response is to tell your team leader the queue has quadrupled and ask whether the write-up can wait until tomorrow or be covered by someone else, while you keep working the queue: she set that deadline without knowing the queue had quadrupled, so the fact she is missing is the one worth giving her, and she is the only person who can rebalance the two. Continuing to work while she decides means nothing stalls. It beats writing the complaint response first while the call is fresh, because that treats the order of the two tasks as already settled when the person who set it does not have the information, and the queue pays for the assumption. It beats working the queue and writing the response at home this evening, because taking the work home makes the shift look deliverable when it was not, so the same pressure is scheduled again next time. The least effective response is getting on with both as best you can without raising it: it is the only response that neither raises the conflict nor resolves it, and the reason given is how it might look rather than anything about the work. That leaves both jobs half done and your team leader unaware. The principle: when the workload you have been given cannot be delivered, give the person who set it the fact they are missing, and keep working while they decide.

10. Question 10 of 10

    You are an instructor at an outdoor activity centre. Checking equipment before a climbing session for a school group you find a harness with a frayed stitch on a load-bearing strap. There are enough harnesses without it. The group arrives in fifteen minutes. Centre procedure requires damaged equipment to be quarantined and logged by the technical manager, who is on site. Which response below would be most effective, and which would be least effective?

    1. Put the harness back at the end of the rack so it is not used today, and tell the technical manager after the session when he has more time.
    2. Set the harness aside and log it in the equipment book yourself, so the record exists and the technical manager can review it at the next equipment check.
    3. Use the harness for the session but give it to one of the lighter pupils, since the stitching is only frayed and there is no sign it is close to failing.
    4. Take the harness out of use, put it aside where it cannot be picked up, and tell the technical manager before the group arrives.
    Show the answer

    Most effective: D. Take the harness out of use, put it aside where it cannot be picked up, and tell the technical manager before the group arrives.

    Least effective: C. Use the harness for the session but give it to one of the lighter pupils, since the stitching is only frayed and there is no sign it is close to failing.

    A: Acts on assumptions without checking: a damaged harness left on the rack can be picked up by anybody, and the placement relies on everyone knowing what you know.

    B: Acts outside own authority: the procedure names the technical manager because he decides whether a fault is repairable or the batch needs checking, and a self-made log entry replaces that judgement with a record.

    C: Uses equipment known to be damaged: a frayed load-bearing strap on a climbing harness is the failure the inspection exists to catch, and putting a child in it on a judgement about weight is a safety decision nobody is qualified to take that way.

    The most effective response is to take the harness out of use, put it aside where it cannot be picked up, and tell the technical manager before the group arrives: a frayed load-bearing strap makes it unusable, spares exist so nothing is lost by removing it, and he is on site and is the person the procedure names. Both steps fit inside fifteen minutes. It beats putting it back at the end of the rack and telling him after the session, because a damaged harness left on the rack can be picked up by anyone who does not know, so its position is not a control. It beats setting it aside and logging it in the equipment book yourself, because that substitutes a record for his judgement about whether other harnesses in the batch need checking. The least effective response is using it for one of the lighter pupils because the stitching is only frayed: it puts a child into a harness with a damaged load-bearing strap on a personal judgement about weight. That is worse than the other two, which handle the procedure imperfectly but take the harness out of use. The principle: remove damaged safety equipment from use immediately, then tell the person the procedure names, before the activity starts.