TCAT

Hello,
Our son has taken the first step in his pursuit of an RR career. He has been "conditionally" accepted to enter the Railroad Conductor Training Program at JCCC. They advised in the letter, that in order to apply for employment with the BNSF, he would need to take the Trainman Conductors Aptitude Test (TCAT). Does anyone have any insight on the test? Thanks in advance.

skoos2000

skoos2000 wrote:Hello,
Our son has taken the first step in his pursuit of an RR career. He has been "conditionally" accepted to enter the Railroad Conductor Training Program at JCCC. They advised in the letter, that in order to apply for employment with the BNSF, he would need to take the Trainman Conductors Aptitude Test (TCAT). Does anyone have any insight on the test? Thanks in advance.

skoos2000

Sorry, no insight re: the test. Having been through the BNSF conductor and engineer schools, I can say, without hesitation, he couldn't ask for any better training than he will receive in Overland Park! As you're probably well aware of, the BNSF and JCCC work hand in hand with this program.

Thanks jg greenwood. Hopefully it will work out. Yes, I am aware of the connection.

skoos2000 wrote:Hello,
Our son has taken the first step in his pursuit of an RR career. He has been "conditionally" accepted to enter the Railroad Conductor Training Program at JCCC. They advised in the letter, that in order to apply for employment with the BNSF, he would need to take the Trainman Conductors Aptitude Test (TCAT). Does anyone have any insight on the test? Thanks in advance.

skoos2000

I'm just about ready to graduate from the program myself... as far as the TCAT goes, it's basically a 4-part test, half of which is basic math skills (adding, subtracting, fractions, etc.)... the other half is more or less a basic psychological evaluation. They make statements like "I enjoy working with groups" with the test-taker replying with answers ranging from "Strongly agree" to "strongly disagree". THere's variations of that theme throughout the test. Just remind him to answer truthfully, but also to remember that safety is VERY important (he'll understand when he sees the test Qs) and to make sure that he implies that he enjoys working with other people and in groups (again, it'll make sense when he sees the Qs).

As far as the course in itself goes, it's fairly easy as long as he makes sure to pay attention and study for his tests. Especially the GCOR. Good luck to all of you.

soulwound,
Thanks so much for that insight.
Congratulations on your upcoming graduation and good luck with your new career.
skoos2000