SNCF Réseau Recruitment Test Practice
SNCF Réseau uses AssessFirst to pre-select applicants before interview. What the evidence says, what an AssessFirst profile contains and how to prepare for it
What we can evidence
AssessFirst’s own case study on SNCF Réseau, the company that runs France’s rail infrastructure, says the company is "recruiting 2,700 employees a year for various professions", and that "Predictive tests and personality assessments are carried out upstream" to speed up pre-selection. It lists SNCF Réseau as a customer since 2019 and describes a shift towards candidates’ skills and aptitudes rather than their diplomas.
What an AssessFirst profile involves
AssessFirst invitations lead to an account on the AssessFirst site and up to three short questionnaires, which together make one profile:
- SWIPE, personality. 75 pairs of captioned images; swipe towards the one more like you at work. About five minutes, no right answers.
- DRIVE, motivations. 90 pairs of statements; pick the one that would motivate you more. 8 to 12 minutes, no right answers.
- BRAIN, reasoning. An adaptive test of figure sequences. You build each missing figure by dragging pieces onto a question mark, with up to three minutes a sequence and a Pass button. Usually 8 to 12 sequences in about ten minutes.
Every result is reported on a 1 to 10 scale and compared with the role. All three run on a phone, and they do not have to be done in one sitting.
Your first attempt is the one that counts
AssessFirst keeps one profile per person. It is shared with every employer whose invitation you accept, stays valid for a year, and is not reset on a candidate’s request. So a practice run on the real AssessFirst site is your real result, and it will be what SNCF Réseau sees. Practise the formats elsewhere first.
How to prepare
If your invitation includes BRAIN, that is where preparation pays: it is the only one of the three with right answers, and most free material describes a version AssessFirst retired in 2020, with tables and word analogies. Today’s BRAIN is figures only. Follow one element at a time across the row, decide what the missing figure must contain before you build it, and use Pass only after a real attempt. Our AssessFirst practice hub has a free generated BRAIN test with the same build, Reset and Pass controls.
For SWIPE and DRIVE, answer as you are at work and keep a steady pace. The two options in each pair are matched to be equally attractive, so there is no answer that looks better to a recruiter.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does SNCF Réseau use AssessFirst?
AssessFirst’s own case study says so, and says the tests are run upstream of interviews to speed up pre-selection. That evidence comes from the vendor rather than from SNCF Réseau, so confirm the details with your recruiter.
Which tests will I sit?
The case study mentions predictive tests and personality assessments without naming them. AssessFirst’s questionnaires are SWIPE, DRIVE and BRAIN; your invitation lists the ones SNCF Réseau has asked for.
Does this apply to other SNCF companies?
We have no evidence either way. The case study is about SNCF Réseau alone.