The Train Driver
Vigilance Test
What it is, what is publicly known about it, and how to practise so you walk into your assessment with the mental stamina it needs.
Train Driver Tests is an independent practice platform. Our exercise is original practice based on publicly available descriptions of the WAFV vigilance test — it is not the official test, and we are not affiliated with the test's publisher or any train operating company.
Independent practice — not the official test
Train Driver Tests is not affiliated with RSSB, any test publisher or any train company. Our questions are original practice for the abilities the assessment measures. If you're invited to an assessment, the train company will give you the official approved practice materials at least a week before your assessment date — if they haven't arrived, contact the company you applied to (RSSB candidate FAQ, Q18).
What is the Vigilance Test?
The Vigilance Test — the WAFV (Perception and Attention Functions: Vigilance), published by Schuhfried — is part of the standard UK train driver test battery set out in RSSB standard RIS-3751-TOM, used by GB mainline train companies in driver selection.
The task itself is deceptively simple. The publisher describes stimuli that occasionally dim slightly in intensity; your job is to respond the instant you notice a change — and only then. It is widely reported to run for about 30 minutes in train driver selection, though the exact form used isn't published. Our practice version shows a grey square that briefly turns black, with no score counter and no progress bar — just you and the square.
What the test is actually measuring is sustained attention — the ability to maintain focused alertness over a prolonged period when stimuli are rare and unpredictable. This is a fundamental cognitive requirement for train drivers, who must watch a track ahead for hours at a time and remain responsive to signals, hazards, and unexpected events even after long periods of nothing happening.
The scoring takes into account three things: hits (stimuli you responded to correctly), misses (stimuli you failed to catch), and false alarms (responses when nothing changed). Reaction time is also recorded. A strong performance means few misses, very few false alarms, and consistent reaction times — showing controlled, accurate vigilance rather than twitchy guessing.
How the test works
Step by step
Understand the format before you sit it
The task is long, plain monitoring: you watch a simple display and respond only when it briefly changes. Our practice version is 30 minutes of watching a grey square and pressing Space when it turns black. Going in without knowing the style of task wastes the first few minutes on confusion.
Practice in a quiet, distraction-free environment
Sit at a desk with notifications off, door closed, and no music. Your brain needs to learn to generate its own alertness with no external stimulation — the same conditions you will face on test day.
Build up your practice duration gradually
Start with 10-minute sessions if 30 minutes feels too long. Add 5 minutes each session until you can comfortably sustain focus for the full duration without your attention breaking.
Do not move your eyes around the screen
Keep your gaze locked on the square. Scanning the screen or looking away, even briefly, is the most common reason candidates miss stimuli.
Run at least 3 full-length practice sessions
One run-through is not enough. You need multiple sessions to learn what your attention feels like when it drifts, and to train yourself to notice and correct it without missing the stimulus.
Review your score after each attempt
Track your hits, misses, false alarms, and average reaction time across sessions. Consistent improvement in misses and reaction time is a sign your sustained attention is genuinely getting stronger.
What the assessors are looking for
More than just button-pressing
A common misconception is that the Vigilance Test is only about fast reaction times. The exact scoring isn't published, but the test records misses and reaction time, so a good performance generally means catching nearly every change, not pressing when nothing happened, and keeping your reactions steady from start to finish — not sharp at the start and degraded by the end.
That last point — consistency over time — is where the test gets hard. Attention naturally tends to drift during long, monotonous tasks. People start drifting: their gaze softens, their mind wanders, and then they snap back when something changes. The snapping-back often comes too late. The Vigilance Test is specifically designed to reveal this drift, and it will show up clearly in your miss rate during the second half of the test.
Training your sustained attention — through repeated full-length practice — is the only reliable way to improve. You are not memorising a technique; you are building a cognitive capacity that needs to be exercised like a muscle.
FAQ
Common questions about the Vigilance Test
What is the Vigilance Test in a train driver assessment?
The Vigilance Test is the WAFV (Perception and Attention Functions: Vigilance), published by Schuhfried. It measures your ability to stay continuously alert and respond accurately over an extended period. According to the publisher, you watch stimuli that occasionally dim slightly in intensity, and respond when they do. Your result reflects the changes you caught, the ones you missed, and how fast you reacted. In our practice version you watch a grey square and press a key when it briefly turns black.
How long is the Vigilance Test?
It is widely reported as about 30 minutes in train driver selection. The publisher gives 15–30 minutes depending on the test form, and RSSB does not publish which form rail uses. The changes come at unpredictable intervals — there is no pattern to exploit. Our practice session runs for 30 minutes.
How often does the stimulus change?
The number of changes in the rail version is not published. The publisher says that in the vigilance form only about 5% of stimuli are the dimmed targets, so changes are rare and the gaps between them vary. That is deliberate — the test is designed to challenge your ability to maintain attention through long quiet periods. Our practice version brings a change every 10–50 seconds at random.
What happens if I press the key when nothing has changed?
This is recorded as a false alarm. A small number of false alarms is normal, but a high rate indicates poor signal detection — you are pressing reactively rather than in response to an actual event.
Can I look away from the screen during the test?
No. Looking away risks missing a stimulus entirely. The test is designed to assess whether you can maintain focused attention without breaks — much like the demands of watching a track ahead for 30+ minutes at a time.
Is the vigilance test the hardest part of the assessment?
Many candidates find it the most mentally demanding. The difficulty is not speed or knowledge — it is the slow, relentless requirement to stay alert when nothing is happening. Regular practice builds the mental stamina needed.
The other tests in your train driver test battery
Ready to practice?
Full-length Vigilance Test plus ATAVT, Group Bourdon and TRP1 — one payment, unlimited attempts.