Checked 23 October 2026. Updated for RIS-3751-TOM issue 4 (in force from 7 December 2024). Rules are from RSSB's December 2024 FAQ and ORR's guide of 9 April 2026; assessment-centre material from The OPC, and company rules from Northern, Southeastern, Avanti West Coast and Translink, read 23 Oct 2026. Company pages do not all match RSSB's rule: the company you apply to confirms which rule applies to you. The 12-month plan is ProSyllabus advice.
We found no official train driver assessment pass rate: none of the RSSB, ORR, assessment-centre or train company documents we read gives one, and RSSB says RIS-3751-TOM issue four does not set pass marks. The retake rule is published: for GB mainline candidates starting from 7 December 2024, three failed attempts end the process, and attempt two comes at least a year after the first failure.
Updated for RIS-3751-TOM issue 4 (published 7 December 2024). The official points on this page were checked against RSSB, ORR, assessment-centre and train company documents on 23 October 2026; 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 any attempt: test your attention for free
Attention is the first criterion in the standard. Level 1 of our concentration trainer is three timed sheets of dot groups: mark every group of exactly four dots, then 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.
The retake rule now: three attempts from 7 December 2024
RIS-3751-TOM is the standard for train drivers on Great Britain's mainline railway. RSSB's FAQ on it, written with the Rail Assessment Centre Forum, sets it out in question 19: "For new candidates starting the standardised psychometric assessment process from 7 December 2024, the 'three attempt rule' applies. This means that after three failed attempts, you cannot have any more attempts at the process." ORR's guide of 9 April 2026 says the same in paragraph 1.5.
| Situation | Rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| You start the process from 7 December 2024 | Three failed attempts end the process | RSSB 3751-FAQ, question 19; ORR guide, paragraph 1.5 |
| Attempt 2 | A minimum of 1 year after the first failed attempt | RSSB 3751-FAQ, question 19 |
| Attempt 3 | Only 5 years after failed attempt 1, and a minimum of 1 year after failed attempt 2 | RSSB 3751-FAQ, question 19 |
| You sat any part of the process before 7 December 2024 | The two-attempt rule: two failed attempts end the process | RSSB 3751-FAQ, questions 19 and 20; ORR guide, paragraph 1.5 |
| Results you pass | From 7 December 2024, the validity period is five years (before that date: as per train company agreements) | RSSB 3751-FAQ, question 29 |
RSSB's own examples of the two-attempt rule (question 20)
- Failed the whole process in 2023, assessed again in January 2025: one failure was before 7 December 2024, so a second failure ends the process.
- Sat part of the assessment in 2021 and failed it: that counts as a failed attempt, so a second failure ends the process.
- Failed in 2018 and again in 2019: no more attempts.
- Sat part of the assessment in 2023 and passed it: two attempts to pass all the psychometric assessments.
Summarised from RSSB 3751-FAQ (December 2024), question 20. RSSB says candidates are assessed under the standard in place when they begin the process (question 23).
Your attempts on a time line
ProSyllabus drawing of RSSB's 3751-FAQ (December 2024), question 19, for candidates starting the process from 7 December 2024. If you sat any part of the process before that date, the two-attempt rule applies instead.
Two worked examples, applying question 19. Fail attempt 1 on 1 March 2025: attempt 2 can be from 1 March 2026. If attempt 2 fails on 15 September 2026, attempt 3 can be from 1 March 2030, because the five years from the first failure end later than the year after the second. If instead attempt 2 had failed on 1 June 2029, attempt 3 could be from 1 June 2030, a year after the second failure.
Enter the date of your failed attempt. This applies RSSB's three-attempt timing for candidates who started the process on or after 7 December 2024, to a failure against the national minimum standard. If you passed the national standard but failed a company's enhanced standard, The OPC says you could apply to a different company without waiting. It is a guide only: the company you apply to checks the national database and confirms the rules that apply to you.
From RSSB's 3751-FAQ (December 2024), question 19: attempt 2 at least 1 year after failed attempt 1; attempt 3 only 5 years after failed attempt 1 and at least 1 year after failed attempt 2; no attempts after three failures. If you sat any part of the process before 7 December 2024, the earlier two-attempt rule applies. Where a date falls on 29 February, we count the anniversary as 1 March; the FAQ does not say how leap days are treated.
Under the three-attempt rule, a failure means a wait
Find your weak spot before the attempt, not after it
Under the three-attempt rule, attempt 2 waits at least a year after the first failure, and attempt 3 waits at least five years after the first failure and at least a year after the second. Level 1 of our trainer shows, for free, whether your errors are mostly misses or mostly wrong marks, and whether your accuracy holds from the first sheet to the last.
Check your attention 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.
What counts as an attempt, and with whom
There is a national minimum standard, and some companies require more. The OPC, a registered assessment centre, explains that RSSB recommends a national minimum standard on each test, while some companies set a higher, "enhanced" standard, different for every company. That changes what a failure costs:
| You fail… | What The OPC says follows |
|---|---|
| to the national minimum standard | You must wait a minimum period from your assessment date before you can re-apply to any other company in the UK |
| to a company's enhanced standard, but pass the national standard | You could re-apply to a different company without needing to wait; it is up to you to research which companies accept which standard |
| an online test that is part of a company's process | Online tests can be included as part of your attempts if they are part of an organisation's recruitment process: check the company's policy |
Avanti West Coast's careers page puts the enhanced case from the company's side: if you pass to the national standard but not to Avanti's, "they use up a lifetime attempt for Avanti but not others that operate national standard." Results sit on a national database that registered assessment centres can access (The OPC), and RSSB recommends one application at a time, because "the results from one application will affect all other applications." Which companies use which standard is in our guide to Group Bourdon pass marks and scoring, with The OPC's 2020 list.
Where published criteria differ
- RSSB's FAQ (questions 19 and 20): candidates who start from 7 December 2024 have three attempts, with at least a year before attempt 2 and five years from the first failure before attempt 3; the two-attempt rule applies to candidates who sat any part of the process before 7 December 2024. ORR's guide (paragraph 1.5) also states the three-attempt rule.
- Avanti West Coast's careers page (last updated 23 January 2025) says individuals have 2 lifetime attempts across every operator.
- Northern's careers page asks that applicants have not failed the Train Driver assessment within the last six months and have not failed it twice before.
- Southeastern's advert asks unsuccessful applicants for a similar role to wait six months before applying again.
- The OPC's information sheet (7/12/24) says attempts and waits now vary (2 or 3 attempts; 6 months, 1 year or 5 years), and that the standard that applies to you is discussed at feedback.
The company you apply to confirms which rule applies to you.
Translink in Northern Ireland, which follows RIS-3751-TOM, adopted a three-attempt policy from 29 September 2025: a candidate who does not reach the standard at the first attempt cannot be re-tested within 12 months, a third and final attempt can only take place 5 years after the first failed attempt, and there is no third attempt for applicants who already had two unsuccessful attempts before that date.
Pass rates: what is published, and what is not
None of the sources we read gives a pass rate: not RSSB's FAQ, not ORR's guide, not The OPC's guide, information sheet or website, not The Train Drivers Academy, and not the company pages we read. Nor do they give pass marks: RSSB says the train company decides which pass marks are used, and The OPC answers "What scores are needed to pass the tests?" with "This information is not provided to you."
If you meet a pass-rate figure on a forum or a prep site, it does not come from any of the official sources above, and we could not verify any such figure, so we quote none. Two things make a single pass rate misleading even if one existed: companies use different standards, national or enhanced, and the same candidate can pass one and fail the other.
The one hint the sources give about difficulty: The OPC says you might not reach the end of all of the tests, "not many people do".
Which tests do people fail? Get your own answer
None of the official sources we read gives failure rates by test, so they do not show which test candidates fail most. What you can get is your own answer, from feedback:
| Question | What the sources say |
|---|---|
| Who to ask | The company you applied to (RSSB). If The OPC assessed you, email it: it can only give feedback if it ran your assessment |
| When | With The OPC, feedback is for unsuccessful candidates; request it within 3 months of your assessment date, and it is discussed only after you have received the overall outcome; an assessor calls back, which could take up to 2 weeks |
| What you get | Verbal feedback only; no scores, no certificates or written confirmation; where the company uses an enhanced standard, whether you met the national standard (The OPC) |
| If it was the interview | The OPC can tell you which MMI topic areas you were unsuccessful on, but not exactly why |
| Appeals | Yes: contact the train company you applied to (RSSB 3751-FAQ, question 26) |
The OPC also asks you to remember what you are told: it will not give the same feedback again at a later date. Write it down on the call.
A 12-month plan for the year between attempts
Our plan, not official guidance. It assumes a failure against the national standard and a second attempt about a year later; vacancies open at different times (The Train Drivers Academy), so you cannot always time the next assessment.
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| Weeks 1 to 4 | Ask for feedback straight away (with The OPC, request it within 3 months). Note the tests you did not pass, and whether the failure was against the national or an enhanced standard. Put your dates into the retake checker above. |
| Month 2 | Rest. Then list what you can practise at home: attention for the paper tests, reading and recall for the TRP tests, examples for the interview. For the computer tests, plan to rely on the instructions and any examples offered on the day. |
| Months 3 to 8 | Short, regular sessions on your weak areas, not long ones. For attention, short timed runs with missed and wrong marks counted apart. Do not take a company's online test as practice: it can count as an attempt (The OPC). |
| Months 9 and 10 | Choose companies: depot distance, the standard they use (ask them), and one application at a time (RSSB). Register for their job alerts. |
| Months 11 and 12 | Apply so that the assessment falls after your earliest date. Ask the company which tests you must sit again: it checks the national database (RSSB, question 21). Use the approved practice materials when they arrive. |
On re-sitting only the tests you failed: RSSB leaves it to the company, and The OPC says some companies ask you to sit everything again if you were unsuccessful before. Translink says that on a second attempt within five years, candidates normally sit only the elements they did not pass or have not yet sat. For the day itself, read what happens on the assessment day, step by step.
Months 3 to 8 of the plan
A few minutes a day of timed attention practice
Our trainer gives you freshly generated sheets on every run and tracks your accuracy, pace, and missed and wrong marks run by run. Level 1 is free; for the techniques to practise, see how to pass the Group Bourdon.
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.
Frequently asked questions
What is the train driver assessment pass rate?
We found no official figure: none of the RSSB, ORR, assessment-centre or company documents we read gives a pass rate, and RSSB says RIS-3751-TOM issue four does not set pass marks: each train company decides which pass marks it uses, and some use a higher, enhanced standard.
How many times can you take the train driver assessment?
For GB mainline train driver selection under RIS-3751-TOM, if you start the process from 7 December 2024, three failed attempts end it: attempt 2 at least a year after the first failed attempt, attempt 3 only five years after the first and at least a year after the second. If you sat any part of the process before 7 December 2024, the two-attempt rule applies.
Does a fail with one company count for all of them?
A failure to the national minimum standard does: The OPC says you must wait a minimum period before applying to any other company, and results sit on a national database. If you failed a company's enhanced standard but passed the national one, The OPC says you could apply to a different company without waiting.
Do my results transfer to another company?
From 7 December 2024, the validity period is five years (RSSB). The company you apply to checks the national database and tells you what you must sit; The OPC says some companies ask you to sit everything again if you have been unsuccessful before.
Can I appeal a train driver assessment result?
Yes. RSSB's FAQ says to contact the train company you applied to. For feedback, contact the company; if The OPC assessed you and you were unsuccessful, you can request verbal feedback within 3 months of the assessment date.
Does an online test count as an attempt?
It can. The OPC says online tests can be included as part of your attempts if they are part of an organisation's recruitment process, so check the company's policy before you start.
I failed twice before December 2024. Can I try again?
Not under RSSB's FAQ: if you sat any part of the process before 7 December 2024, the two-attempt rule applies, and after two failed attempts you cannot have any more attempts.
Will I be told my score?
Not by The OPC: it says candidates are not given any scores of their assessments, as required by bodies including the British Psychological Society and the Rail Assessment Centre Forum. For any other centre, ask the company you applied to.
The concentration trainer
Ten levels of timed attention practice, with missed and wrong marks counted apart
- 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.
Every test in the standard is explained in our hub guide to the UK train driver psychometric tests. Our guides on this assessment are collected on the UK train driver exam page.
Sources
- official — RSSB and the Rail Assessment Centre Forum: 3751-FAQ, "Frequently asked questions", issue one, on RIS-3751-TOM issue four "Psychometric Assessment in Train Driver Selection" (read 23 Oct 2026): the tests by selection criterion, attempts, pass marks, validity, practice materials, minimum age
- official — Office of Rail and Road: "A guide to the occupational psychological fitness and medical requirements" (read 23 Oct 2026): the occupational psychological fitness examination, RIS-3751-TOM, the three-attempt rule
- official — The OPC (a registered assessment centre): "Train Driver Assessment: A guide for candidate's who undertake their assessment with The OPC" (read 23 Oct 2026): the tests, hints and tips, the day, results and feedback
- official — The OPC: train driver assessment advice page (read 23 Oct 2026)
- official — The OPC: candidate information sheet (7/12/24; read 23 Oct 2026): when the outcome arrives, attempts and waiting periods, feedback
- official — The OPC: "Assessment Advice - Train Driver Assessment - Which organisations use which standard?" (dated 01/09/2020; read 23 Oct 2026): organisations that gave permission to be listed, national or enhanced standard
- official — Avanti West Coast: "Train Driver Recruitment" careers page (last updated 23 January 2025; read 23 Oct 2026): application stages 1 to 5, with the stage 1.5 online sift
- official — Northern: "Train Driver" careers page (read 23 Oct 2026): eligibility, the five stages, the enhanced standard and its Leeds assessment centre
- official — Southeastern: "Trainee Train Driver" advert (closing date 1 January 2026; read 23 Oct 2026): requirements, the checks offers are subject to, waiting six months to re-apply
- official — Translink: train driver psychometric testing policy, HR023 version 1.5 (read 23 Oct 2026): Translink's train driver assessment process, Appendix B
- official — The Train Drivers Academy: "Ready to apply" page (read 23 Oct 2026): the process, psychometric assessments, how to prepare
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.
