Checked 27 October 2026. Criteria, steps and pay are from LNER's Edinburgh apprentice driver advert (closing 18 January 2026) and its recruitment process page (April 2026), read from Internet Archive captures because LNER's careers site does not answer automated readers. LNER sets them per advert: the advert you apply to decides.
LNER hires trainee drivers as Apprentice Drivers: you apply with online tests (situational judgement, detail checking and verbal reasoning), then pass a video interview, an interview with its Driver Team Managers, a full day of psychometric testing and a medical. Its Edinburgh advert (closing 18 January 2026) paid £34,975 a year in training, on a programme of around 52 weeks.
Checked on 27 October 2026 against LNER's own careers site: its Edinburgh apprentice driver advert (captured 8 January 2026) and its apprentice driver recruitment process page (captured 13 April 2026). LNER's site does not answer automated readers, so we read the Internet Archive's copies of its pages, and we could not see which adverts are open today. Our own advice is labelled as ours. ProSyllabus is an independent study site. It is not part of RSSB, the Office of Rail and Road, The OPC or any train company, and nothing here is official test material.
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Before you read on: play level 1 of our concentration trainer, free
Three timed sheets of dot groups, 40 seconds each: mark every group of exactly four dots. At the end you see your accuracy, groups per minute, and missed and wrong marks counted apart.
Play level 1 freeIndependent practice by ProSyllabus. Not the official test, not a copy of it, and not produced or checked by RSSB, an assessment centre or a train company.
Who can apply to LNER
LNER says these requirements are essential: if you do not meet them, it cannot progress your application. From its recruitment process page and its Edinburgh advert:
| Requirement | LNER's rule |
|---|---|
| Age | At least 20.5 years old at the time of application (both pages, as captured in January and April 2026). The law has allowed a licence from 18 since 30 June 2026; LNER's next advert will say whether its rule has changed. |
| Where you live | Within a 60-minute drive of the depot, and able to make your own travel arrangements, including when public transport is not available. |
| Earlier psychometrics | Not have failed psychometric tests with any train company in the last six months, and have checked your eligibility to sit psychometrics with LNER under RIS-3751-TOM issue four. |
| Shifts | Work shifts including early starts, late finishes, nights and weekends. |
| Qualities | Punctual, focused and able to work independently for long periods; responsibility in a role where rules or standards mattered; resilience under pressure; clear communication. |
| Commitment | Be prepared to undertake an apprenticeship and commit to continuous learning. |
| Checks | A basic DBS check after a conditional offer (for people new to LNER), and a medical with a drugs and alcohol test, including a safety critical medical, before an unconditional offer. |
LNER's age rule after the 2026 law change
- LNER's Edinburgh advert and its recruitment process page (January and April 2026) both ask for 20.5 or over at application.
- Since 30 June 2026 the law allows a train driving licence from 18 (S.I. 2026/461).
- We could not read LNER's current adverts, so check the age on the one you apply to.
The legal rules are in our guide to becoming a train driver in the UK.
LNER's recruitment stages, in order
LNER's "Our Train Driver application process" page sets out five steps. Its order is unusual: the interviews come before the psychometric day, and the online tests come with the application.
Application and online tests
A few questions, then a situational judgement test, a timed detail checking test and a verbal reasoning test.
Video interview
Communication, enthusiasm and why you want to drive for LNER.
Driver Manager interview
With LNER's Driver Team Managers: situations you have faced, problem-solving and adaptability.
Psychometric testing
A full day of timed tests for shortlisted candidates.
Medical
To the health standards set by the railway industry.
From LNER's "Our Train Driver application process" page (Internet Archive capture of 13 April 2026).
LNER's online tests, then the psychometric day
LNER tests you twice. The first set comes with your application, and LNER describes each one:
| Test | What LNER says it measures | The format LNER describes |
|---|---|---|
| Situational judgement test (SJT) | Decision-making and situational awareness, with safety and customer care in every situation. | Scenarios under time pressure: for each, you pick the best action and the least appropriate action. |
| Detail checking test | Attention to detail and accuracy. | Timed: spot the error in a lot of information. |
| Verbal reasoning test | How quickly and accurately you read and understand text, such as instructions and safety protocols. | Process information from written text. |
Shortlisted candidates, after both interviews, are invited to a full day of timed psychometric testing. LNER describes it as assessing your cognitive abilities, quick thinking and how you reason and solve problems under pressure. RSSB's standard RIS-3751-TOM issue four applies to all new candidates from 7 December 2024, and the company tells you which tests you must sit; RSSB's FAQ lists them:
| What it assesses | Test (RSSB table 1) |
|---|---|
| Attention | Paper Group Bourdon and Test of Everyday Attention-Occupational (TEA-Occ) |
| Vigilance | WAFV vigilance test |
| Memory | TRP1: Trainability for Rules and Procedures test (part 1b) |
| Reasoning | TRP2: Trainability for Rules and Procedures test (part 2) |
| Perception | ATAVT: Adaptive Tachistoscopic Traffic Test |
| Reaction time | WAFV and ATAVT |
| Hand coordination | 2HAND: two hand coordination test |
| Communication | MMI: Multi-Modal interview |
| Behavioural aptitudes | SJE: Situational Judgement Exercise, and the MMI |
What each test asks of you, in brief
- Group Bourdon (paper, attention). RSSB lists the paper Group Bourdon under attention. No official source we read publishes its layout or timing. Our Group Bourdon practice guide.
- TEA-Occ (attention). The Test of Everyday Attention, occupational version. Our TEA-Occ guide.
- WAFV (vigilance, and reaction time with the ATAVT). The WAFV vigilance test, listed by RSSB under vigilance and reaction time.
- TRP 1 and 2 (memory and reasoning). Trainability for rules and procedures, in two parts.
- ATAVT (perception). The adaptive tachistoscopic traffic test.
- 2HAND (hand coordination). A two-hand coordination test.
- SJE and the multi-modal interview (behaviour, communication). RSSB supplies both.
Test names and what they assess are from RSSB's FAQ, table 1. Each test is explained in our guide to every train driver psychometric test.
LNER's six-month rule is its own: a fail with any train company in the last six months stops an LNER application, on top of RSSB's national limits on attempts. Those limits and the waiting times are in our guide to retakes and pass rates.
One sample: the attention task, in our trainer's format
The Group Bourdon assesses attention. Our trainer practises the same ability with its own task: on each timed sheet, mark every group of exactly four dots and nothing else. Here is one worked example of eight groups, with the three outcomes the trainer counts:
Green frame: a correct mark. Dashed amber: a four you passed without marking (a missed group). Red frame: a mark on a group that is not four (a wrong mark).
Drawn from scratch by ProSyllabus for this guide, not copied or traced from any test or practice material. It shows the format of OUR trainer (find every group of exactly four dots), not a Group Bourdon sheet: no official source we read publishes that layout.
This was one example of eight groups
A full trainer sheet has 48 to 126 groups, against the clock
Level 1 is three timed sheets, free with no sign-in. You see your accuracy, groups per minute, and missed and wrong marks counted apart. Independent practice of the same ability, not the Group Bourdon itself.
Play level 1 freeIndependent practice by ProSyllabus. Not the official test, not a copy of it, and not produced or checked by RSSB, an assessment centre or a train company.
The LNER interview
LNER interviews you twice before the psychometric day:
| Interview | What LNER says it looks for |
|---|---|
| Video interview (step 2) | Communication (clearly and confidently, as drivers relay instructions to passengers, control and colleagues), enthusiasm, and your motivation: why you want to be a train driver at LNER. |
| Driver Manager interview (step 3) | Competency (situations you have faced and how you managed them, with transferable skills), problem-solving under pressure, and adaptability to new environments, people and change. |
Our advice for LNER's two interviews
- For the video interview, prepare a short, honest answer to "why LNER?": its route, its trains, and why driving suits you. LNER's own words are "be yourself".
- For the Driver Manager interview, prepare examples on pressure, problem-solving and change: LNER says experience from outside driving counts.
- Have one example of following a rule or procedure in a role where it mattered: the advert asks for it.
ProSyllabus advice, from LNER's step descriptions. The question types assessors use, with one worked STAR answer, are in our train driver interview questions guide.
Training at LNER
LNER's Edinburgh advert describes the programme like this:
| Part | What LNER says |
|---|---|
| Length | Around 52 weeks. |
| Classroom | How the railway works, how safety underpins every decision and how trains are operated, with assessments and independent study. |
| On the railway | Once theory assessments are passed: driving trains on the LNER network with customers on board, supported closely by an experienced Driver Trainer. |
| Qualification | A Level 3 qualification; the role is an apprenticeship, funded by the Department for Education, with the apprenticeship standard built into the training. |
LNER says many drivers go on to roles such as Driver Instructor, Driver Team Manager or wider operational leadership.
LNER trainee train driver pay
LNER's Edinburgh advert gives the training salary and says it rises once qualified; it does not give the qualified figure.
Annual salary as stated in LNER's "Apprentice Driver - Edinburgh (3685)" advert, "£34,975 rising once qualified" (Internet Archive capture of 8 January 2026).
The benefits in the advert include free travel on LNER and 75% off other companies' tickets for you, your partner and dependants, 50% off LNER tickets for friends and family, discounted international train tickets after a year, a pension scheme, and cycle to work and electric vehicle schemes. LNER does not publish a qualified driver rate in the advert, so ask at interview.
Where LNER recruits, and when
Each LNER apprentice driver advert is named for a location. Earlier adverts on its careers site were for Edinburgh (Edinburgh Waverley), London King's Cross, Newcastle, Leeds, Leeds and Doncaster together, and Doncaster only, and one King's Cross campaign was run as a talent pool. The Edinburgh advert closed on 18 January 2026. We could not see which LNER adverts are open on 27 October 2026, because LNER's careers site does not answer automated readers.
Our advice for an LNER campaign
- Create a job alert on LNER's careers site for apprentice driver roles, and check you live within a 60-minute drive of the depot in the advert.
- Practise situational judgement before you apply: you choose both the best and the least appropriate action, so read each option fully.
- The detail checking test is timed, and the psychometric day tests attention too. Start attention practice when you apply.
- Do not sit another company's psychometrics in the six months before an LNER application: a fail there blocks it.
ProSyllabus advice, based on LNER's recruitment process page and advert.
Frequently asked questions
How much does an LNER trainee train driver earn?
LNER's Edinburgh apprentice driver advert (closing 18 January 2026) paid £34,975 a year in training, "rising once qualified". The advert does not state the qualified rate.
What tests does LNER use for trainee drivers?
Three online tests with the application (situational judgement, detail checking and verbal reasoning), then, after two interviews, a full day of timed psychometric testing to RSSB's standard.
What is the age limit for an LNER apprentice driver?
LNER's pages from January and April 2026 ask for at least 20.5 at application; neither gives an upper limit. The legal minimum for a licence fell to 18 on 30 June 2026, so check the advert you apply to.
Can I apply to LNER if I failed the train driver tests elsewhere?
Not within six months: LNER requires that you have not failed psychometric tests with any train company in the last six months. RSSB's national limits on attempts and waiting times also apply.
How long is LNER's train driver training?
Around 52 weeks, as an apprenticeship with a Level 3 qualification: classroom first, then driving on the LNER network with customers on board, supported by a Driver Trainer.
The concentration trainer
Practise attention before your LNER assessment
- Level 1 free with no sign-in; levels 2 to 10 unlock with one payment, no subscription.
- From 48 to 126 groups a sheet, three to six sheets a run, 40 to 50 seconds a sheet.
- Freshly generated sheets for every run, so you are not repeating a sheet you have learned.
- Accuracy, groups per minute, missed and wrong marks by sheet and by row, and your first half against your second half.
The price is on the trainer page.
Start with level 1 freeIndependent practice by ProSyllabus. Not the official test, not a copy of it, and not produced or checked by RSSB, an assessment centre or a train company.
Other train companies: Northern, GWR and Avanti West Coast. More guides on this assessment are on the UK train driver exam page.
More in this series
- Group Bourdon test practice: free sheets and a 14-day plan
- The TEA-Occ test: what it is and how to prepare
- Every UK train driver psychometric test explained
- Free practice tests compared
- How to pass the Group Bourdon
- Pass rate and retake rules
- The assessment day, step by step
- Group Bourdon pass mark and scoring
- ADHD, dyslexia and the medical
- How to become a train driver in the UK
- Train driver interview questions: the MMI, the DMI and STAR
- Northern trainee train driver
- Train driver fault finding test (DFFT)
- How to become a Tube driver
- GWR trainee train driver
- Avanti West Coast trainee train driver
- ScotRail trainee train driver
- Southeastern trainee train driver
Sources
- official — LNER: "Apprentice Driver - Edinburgh (3685)" advert on LNER's careers site (closing date 18 January 2026; Internet Archive capture of 8 January 2026, because lnerjobs.co.uk does not answer our reader; read 27 Oct 2026): salary, criteria, training, benefits, checks
- official — LNER careers site: "Our Train Driver application process" (Internet Archive capture of 13 April 2026; read 27 Oct 2026): requirements and the five steps
- official — LNER careers site: titles of earlier Apprentice Driver adverts (Edinburgh, King's Cross, Newcastle, Leeds, Doncaster), from the Internet Archive's index of lnerjobs.co.uk (read 27 Oct 2026)
- official — The Train Driving Licences and Certificates (Amendment) Regulations 2026 (S.I. 2026/461), in force 30 June 2026 (legislation.gov.uk; read 27 Oct 2026): minimum licence age 20 to 18
- official — RSSB and the Rail Assessment Centre Forum: 3751-FAQ, issue one, on RIS-3751-TOM issue four "Psychometric Assessment in Train Driver Selection" (read 27 Oct 2026): the tests, attempts, practice materials, the national database
official = a document published by the conducting body. reported = a news or coaching site we could not check against an original. Where sources disagree this page says so rather than picking one.
