GVB Trambestuurder Selectie: Steps and Tests
GVB’s own six steps from application to a tram driver’s contract, what Amsterdam reporters found out about the reaction test, and how to prepare for each stage
The tram driver procedure, step by step
GVB publishes its tram driver selection in full on werkenbijgvb.nl. It is a different procedure from an office job: the hurdles are your reactions, your knowledge of the city and your driving.
The reaction test: what is known about the Vienna Test
GVB’s page says only: “We testen je reactievermogen en stressbestendigheid.” Two Amsterdam news outlets have reported on the same test, and both call it the Vienna Test (Viennatest). AT5 described it in March 2024 as the “gevreesde Viennatest”, judging reactievermogen, and said applicants sit it before the application procedure proper. GVB’s page places it at the kennismaking. Either way, it is the first test you meet.
What applicants describe
In September 2023 NH Nieuws spoke to a former Amsterdam councillor who failed it. His account: a shape such as a square or a circle grows lighter or darker, and sounds and colours tell you whether to press with your right hand or your left foot. “Ogen, handen en voeten raken helemaal in de knoop,” in his words. The same report quoted a serving tram driver who passed: “De test dwingt je om fouten te maken.” The article’s conclusion is that staying calm when you do make mistakes is the point.
GVB now helps you prepare
In March 2024 GVB began offering what AT5 called “examentraining” for the test, as a standing arrangement. Candidates who are not used to computers can practise on one, there is extra guidance for those not yet at the required level, and if you fail, the firm that recruits for GVB talks it through with you. Ask your recruiter for this practice when they call. AT5 also reported a claim that only twelve in every thousand applicants become tram drivers, which is a measure of how many hurdles there are, not of the test alone.
How to approach it
- Accept that you will make errors. The driver NH Nieuws quoted says the test forces them. Keep going rather than dwelling on the one you just made.
- Take the computer practice if offered. Familiarity with the setup removes one source of stress on the day.
- Arrive rested. A reaction test measures you on the day, and there is no content to revise.
Preparing for the selection day
The kennistoets covers Amsterdam’s streets and tram lines, so this is the stage where preparation pays most directly. Learn the tram network map, the main routes and the street names where lines cross, and travel a few lines with your eyes open. For the motivation interview, have concrete examples of working shifts, dealing with the public and staying calm under pressure, and structure them with the STAR method.
The driving test looks at how you take instruction as much as how you drive. Listen to the instructor’s feedback and visibly apply it on the next stretch.
Requirements and pay
- At least 18 years old and between 1.65 and 2 metres tall.
- At least mbo 3 werk- en denkniveau.
- Good spoken and written Dutch.
- Excellent colour and signal vision, with glasses or lenses if needed.
- Eligible for a Verklaring Omtrent het Gedrag (VOG).
GVB advertises a starting salary of €2,654 gross a month on 36 hours, rising to €3,729, plus an average of €350 to €650 a month in irregular-hours allowance. Training weeks are 40 hours on day shifts and 32 hours on evening shifts.
Other GVB driver routes
The bus driver starter route, with paid training, follows the same pattern from the selection day on: a motivation interview, a knowledge test, “een aantal tests” that GVB does not name, a driving test with an instructor and a medical. You need a car licence (rijbewijs B), and the 12 weeks of full-time training include your bus licence (D) and Code 95. The bus page does not mention the reaction test.
GITP and GVB’s other vacancies
In September 2023 GITP announced that it had won GVB’s European tender for both “volledige assessments” and “digital tooling” for selecting new talent. It does not say which roles, and nothing links GITP to the driver tests above. If an invitation for an office, technical or management role at GVB mentions GITP, its online tests are Connector Ability for reasoning and the Reflector questionnaires for personality and drives. Our guides to abstract reasoning, numerical reasoning and personality tests cover the formats.
The full set is on our GITP practice hub.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the GVB Vienna Test?
The name AT5 and NH Nieuws use for the reaction and stress-resilience test GVB gives tram driver applicants at the start of selection. GVB’s own page describes it only as a test of reactievermogen and stressbestendigheid.
Can I practise the GVB reaction test?
Not with us. GVB itself offers computer practice and extra guidance, according to AT5, so ask your recruiter.
Does GVB use GITP for tram drivers?
Nothing public says so. GITP’s announcement covers assessments and digital tools for selecting new talent at GVB without naming any role.