The parts of the process nobody writes about properly
Driver selection is written about endlessly. On-board selection — conductor, guard, train manager — barely is, and what does exist is mostly guesswork dressed up as fact.
These 6 guides set out what happens at each stage, what the exercises actually ask of you, and where the published evidence runs out. They are also the only pages on this site that name the tests and the publishers behind them, because that is what will be written on your invitation letter.
6 guides
Start anywhere
- 01
The on-board selection process, end to end
Application to first day: every stage, in the order it hits you, and what each one is really testing.
9 min read
- 02
What the rules test involves
The exercise that turns up in more on-board processes than any other. What it looks like, why it is hard, and how to train for it.
7 min read
- 03
Ticket checking and fares
What the ticket checking test asks you to spot, the fare arithmetic behind it, and the habits that make you fast without making you wrong.
8 min read
- 04
The competency interview and role play
The stage every operator runs. The competencies behind the questions, how to structure answers, and how to handle a live role play.
8 min read
- 05
Conductor or driver? Choosing a route in
An honest comparison: how the jobs differ, how selection differs, and whether the on-board grade is a route to the driver’s seat.
7 min read
- 06
The medical and safety-critical requirements
Why the on-board grade is safety-critical in law, what the medical covers, and where operators’ own standards take over.
6 min read
Then check your operator
What you sit depends on who you applied to
The guides describe the sector. The 17 operator pages describe individual processes, stage by stage — including the operators that have no on-board grade at all.
Why the test names appear here
Compiled from publicly posted applicant accounts and operator job adverts, September 2026. Processes change without notice — your invitation letter is the only authority on what you will sit.