Testing ... Testing ...

I've had my 'employment assessment'. There were 8 applicants. It took about 3.5 hours and consisted of 6 parts:

1) A multiple choice test for written comprehension and (gulp!) spelling. There was a set hypothetical scenarios, each consisting of 4 or 5 sentences. One, for example, was a procedure to following in the event of a fire drill. For each scenario there was 4 questions based on the information given, with 4 possible answers. For some of the scenarios the questions consisted of written statements, some of which contained spelling errors. There were 24 questions in total and we given 8 minutes to complete them. I finished with about a minute to spare.

2) A multiple choice test for reading time tables and route maps. There was a hypothetical schedule and route map consisting of 3 intersecting routes and a total of about 25 stops. The question gave the time and stop you were at and a question with 5 possible answers. The 1st questions were simple, for example, 'now' is 6.20am and you are at 'x' stop. If you catch the next bus, at what time will you arrive at 'y' stop? Later questions were more complex. For example, 'now' is 7.20 am, your are at 'x' stop on line '1', how many minutes will it take you to get to 'z' stop which is line '2', and line '2' is running 5 minutes late? We were given 14 minutes to complete 25 questions. I finished only 18.

3) A written test. We were given a 5 page document describing some of the actual procedures and rules used by drivers. For example, how to deal with someone who refuses to pay, what to do in the event of an accident, etc. We were given a chance to read this (with no specific time limit). Then we got a test with 5 hypothical scenarios and were we to describe what we would do and why we would do it. This had a time limit of 30 minutes. It was an 'open book' test.

4) A short information session when current bus drivers of varying experience described the job and what was expected of drivers and invited questions. This didn't last very long but was informative. This was also our 'break'.

5) A one-to-one interview with a personal officer in which I was asked basically the same questions as I did on the application form. They also asked for proof that I was legally allowed to work in Australia.

6) A set of 4 role plays to test our behaviour when dealing with passengers. The 'passenger' was an actor.

We were told we would hear the results of our application in about 2 weeks. We would be phoned if we were accepted. A letter would be sent if we were rejected.