The TEA-OCC Test
Explained
Count tones with your ears while matching symbols with your eyes — at the same time. Here is exactly how the TEA-OCC divided attention test works and how to train for it.
What is the TEA-OCC test?
The TEA-OCC (Test of Everyday Attention — Occupational) is a standardised divided attention assessment used in cognitive selection for safety-critical roles, including UK train driver OPC assessments at certain operators. Unlike the Vigilance Test (which measures sustained attention to a single stimulus) or the ATAVT (which measures rapid visual scene processing), the TEA-OCC measures something distinct: your ability to manage two independent cognitive tasks simultaneously without degrading performance on either.
The test is structured in three progressive parts. Part 1 is auditory only: you listen to a sequence of tones — a low, round beat and a high, sharp ping — and count only the low tones, ignoring the high ones. At the end, you enter your count. This establishes your baseline auditory attention performance. Part 2 is visual only: a column of rows appears on screen, each row containing two symbols chosen from a set of six. You have 45 seconds to click every row where both symbols match. This establishes your baseline visual attention performance.
Part 3 is where the test becomes genuinely demanding. The visual symbol task runs simultaneously with the tone sequence. You must click the matching rows and count the low tones at the same time. Your performance in Part 3 is compared against your individual baselines from Parts 1 and 2, producing a direct measure of your divided attention capacity — how much your performance drops (or does not drop) when you have to split your cognitive resources across two concurrent tasks.
For train drivers, divided attention is not an abstract cognitive concept — it is a daily operational requirement. Reading a signal while monitoring the speedometer, tracking the line ahead while listening to a radio call, or processing a cab display while watching for a platform starting signal all require the same fundamental capacity that the TEA-OCC is designed to measure.
Test structure
Three parts, increasing demand
Part 1 — Beats only
A sequence of low and high tones plays. Count only the low tones (ignore high ones) and enter your total at the end. Establishes your auditory attention baseline.
Part 2 — Symbols only
Rows of symbol pairs scroll on screen. Click every row where both symbols match. You have 45 seconds. Establishes your visual scanning baseline.
Part 3 — Combined
Both tasks run simultaneously. Match symbols on screen while counting low tones in the audio. The real divided attention test — your score is compared against your Part 1 and Part 2 baselines.
How to prepare
Step by step
Master each part separately before attempting the combined test
Do not go straight to Part 3. Spend time on the auditory task alone (Part 1) until your tone-counting is accurate and almost automatic. Then do the visual task alone (Part 2) until your symbol-matching rhythm is consistent. Only then attempt Part 3 — the combined version.
Practise the auditory task until counting is automatic
In Part 1, you need to silently count low tones while ignoring high ones. This sounds straightforward but the high tones are deliberately distracting. The goal is to reach the point where counting low tones requires almost no conscious effort — freeing cognitive capacity for the visual task in Part 3.
Use a scanning rhythm for the symbol rows
In the visual task, develop a consistent left-to-right scan of each row. You are looking for rows where both symbols match. A steady rhythm — rather than fixating on difficult pairs — produces more hits in the 45-second window and reduces false alarms.
In Part 3, anchor on the visual task and let counting run in the background
Most people find it easier to maintain the visual scanning task as their primary focus while running the count as a background process. Trying to split attention equally typically degrades both. Experiment during practice to find which anchoring approach works best for you.
Complete multiple full three-part sessions
The divided attention deficit — the drop in performance between Part 1/Part 2 individually and Part 3 combined — reduces with practice. Running several complete sessions gives you measurable evidence of how your dual-task performance is improving.
Use headphones and a quiet room for practice
The auditory component requires you to clearly distinguish between two different tones. External noise makes this significantly harder. Use headphones if possible, and practise in the same quiet conditions you will have during assessment.
FAQ
Common questions about the TEA-OCC
What is the TEA-OCC test?
TEA-OCC stands for Test of Everyday Attention — Occupational. It is a divided attention assessment that measures your ability to process two independent streams of information simultaneously: an auditory task (counting specific tones) and a visual task (identifying matching symbol pairs). The combined part of the test — doing both at the same time — is the primary measure of divided attention used in train driver OPC assessments.
What are the three parts of the TEA-OCC?
Part 1 is auditory only: you hear a sequence of tones and must count the low tones while ignoring the high ones, then enter your count. Part 2 is visual only: rows of symbol pairs appear on screen and you click every row where both symbols match, within 45 seconds. Part 3 is the combined test: you do the symbol-matching task while simultaneously tracking and counting the low tones. Part 3 is the hardest and the most diagnostically significant.
Why does the TEA-OCC require premium access?
The TEA-OCC is a more complex assessment than the standard four-test OPC battery, and is included in the premium tier of Train Driver Tests. It requires audio playback and a more demanding simultaneous-task interface. It is particularly relevant for candidates who have been specifically told their OPC will include a divided attention component.
What does divided attention mean in practice for a train driver?
A train driver routinely manages multiple information streams at once: monitoring the track ahead, watching for lineside signals, checking cab gauges, and listening for radio communications. Divided attention — the ability to allocate cognitive resources across concurrent tasks without degrading performance on either — is one of the most safety-critical cognitive capacities in the role.
Can you improve at divided attention tasks with practice?
Yes. Part of what makes divided attention hard is the unfamiliarity of doing two things at once in a structured way. Regular practice with the format builds the automatic processing that lets you handle the auditory task without consciously pulling attention away from the visual one. The improvement is measurable across practice sessions.
How is the TEA-OCC scored?
Each part is scored independently. In the auditory parts, your count is compared against the actual number of low tones — accuracy is the measure. In the visual parts, hits (correct matches identified) and false alarms (non-matches incorrectly clicked) are both recorded. Part 3 scoring compares your combined performance against your individual Part 1 and Part 2 baselines, revealing how much your performance degrades under dual-task conditions.
The other tests in your OPC battery
Need to practise TEA-OCC?
The TEA-OCC is included in our premium plan, alongside Vigilance, ATAVT, Group Bourdon, and TRP1.