How the TRP2 dials test works
TRP2, Trainability for Rules and Procedures part 2, is the test RSSB’s standard uses for reasoning. Candidates call it the dials test, or cables and dials.
Each question shows several dials, one for each system on a train. The dial faces are split into shaded or coloured zones, and a key tells you which zone matters most. You rank the dials from highest to lowest priority and pick the option that lists them in that order.
Candidate guides report about 40 questions in eight minutes. That is roughly 12 seconds a question, so plan to answer fewer than all of them and make the ones you answer count.
How to rank the dials quickly
Apply the rule in the same order every time:
- Learn the rule thoroughly during the instructions and examples, and ask about anything unclear before the clock starts.
- Sort by zone first. Look only at which zone each needle sits in and order the dials by that.
- Read the numbers only where the rule needs them, to break a tie between dials in the same zone.
- Find the first and last dial, then scan the options. Often only one option fits both ends.
- If a question stalls you, pick the best option and move on.
Worked example
Here is a rule of the same kind, our own rather than the real one: the darkest zone comes first and white comes last, and if two needles share a zone, the lower reading goes first.
Dial A (air) points into the darkest zone at 30. Dial B (doors) and dial C (battery) both point into pale grey, at 12 and 45. Dial D (sanding) points into white at 5.
A goes first and D goes last. B and C share a zone, so the lower reading wins: B at 12 before C at 45. The order is A, B, C, D. Of the options A B C D, A C B D, B A C D and D B A C, only the first fits.
Tips for the real TRP2
- Use the rule the assessor gives you on the day, not one you have read about online.
- Read the practice material the train company sends before the day. It is your first look at the real format.
- Work through the examples carefully. They are your last chance to ask questions.
- Keep a steady rhythm. At about 12 seconds a question, a long stall on one item costs you two or three others.
- Practise against a timer so that eight minutes feels familiar.
Practise TRP2 on CogniPrep
Our TRP2 gives you 43 questions in eight minutes, each with four dials in four zones (dark, mid grey, pale grey and white) and four orderings to choose from. The rule is ours: darkest zone first, white last, and the lower reading first when needles share a zone. There is no clock on screen, you can go back and change answers, and nothing is taken off for a wrong answer. Your score counts correct answers, with your accuracy shown beside it.