How the TRP1 test works
TRP1 stands for Trainability for Rules and Procedures, part 1b. RSSB’s standard uses it for one criterion, memory, and The OPC lists it on the day as TRP1B.
Candidates report that you hear the procedure on a recording while following it on an information sheet, then get about five minutes to reread the sheet and make notes. The sheet and your notes are taken away, and you answer around 18 multiple-choice questions from memory, each with four options.
Everything you need is on the sheet, so the challenge is holding the steps, numbers and conditions accurately for a few minutes.
How to learn a procedure in five minutes
Work through the study time in this order:
- First get the shape: what the procedure is for, how many stages it has and who does what.
- Write the steps as a numbered list in your own shorthand. Order is the first thing to blur once the sheet has gone.
- Copy every number, colour and name exactly. Wrong options tend to change just one of these.
- Write each condition as “if X, then Y”. Rules with exceptions are the hardest thing to recall later.
- Spend the last minute reading your notes, not adding to them, then run through the steps in your head while you wait.
Worked example
Our own made-up rule, not from the real test: “Before the lifting bridge at Marlow depot is lowered, the operator turns the amber key a quarter turn clockwise and waits for two short horn blasts from the shunter. If the lamp above the key shows blue, the bridge is locked and must not be lowered until the supervisor attends.”
Notes in shorthand: “1. amber key, quarter clockwise. 2. wait: 2 short horns (shunter). IF lamp blue: locked, do not lower, wait for supervisor.”
Question: what must the operator wait for after turning the key? The options are one long horn blast, two short horn blasts, a blue lamp, and the supervisor’s radio call. The answer is two short horn blasts. Each wrong option borrows a word from the rule, which is why exact notes matter.
Tips for the real TRP1
- Read the approved practice material the train company sends. RSSB says it arrives at least a week before your assessment.
- If you take notes while the procedure is read out, keep listening. Do not let writing one sentence make you miss the next.
- Read all four options before you choose. A near miss can look right at first glance.
- Answer every question. A blank cannot score, so choose the likeliest option and move on.
- Practise on real procedures: safety notices, appliance instructions, workplace rules. Study for five minutes, put them away, wait, then write down every detail you can.
Practise TRP1 on CogniPrep
Our TRP1 gives you a made-up procedure to read silently for four minutes, then five minutes of study with a notes box beside it. The sheet and notes then disappear for a two-minute wait, and you answer 18 four-option questions in ten minutes, with no clock on screen. Your score is the share you got right, and the feedback shows which kinds of detail slipped: steps, numbers, colours, conditions, roles or places. The silent reading and the question time are ours, because the real timings are not published.