Northern trainee train driver interview guide

How Northern selects trainee train drivers: two competency questions, an interview, RSSB psychometric assessments in Leeds and a safety-critical medical.

About Northern

Northern Trains Limited is owned by DfT Operator (formerly DOHL), which "took on the operation of Northern services on 1 March 2020".¹ Northern's About Us page says "2,500+ services run across the North daily" and that it serves "500+ stations". It describes itself as "Making nearly 100 million journeys every year".¹

Its careers site says: "We have over 7,000 employees providing more than 2,500 services every day", making it "the largest train operator outside London, and the second largest in the UK".² The same site says Northern's trains call at nearly 550 stations, of which it manages 477, and that "There are 345 trains in our fleet".² In April 2026 Northern called itself the "second largest train operator in the UK", running 2,650 services a day to more than 500 stations across the North of England.³

Tricia Williams is Northern's Managing Director. On 16 April 2026 Northern announced Warrick Dent, Group Operations and Performance Director at DFTO, as its new Chief Operating Officer, joining in May 2026 and succeeding Matt Rice.³ Companies House records Warrick Dent as appointed a director of Northern Trains Limited on 19 May 2026.⁴

The interview process

As Northern's train driver careers page describes it.⁵

1. Online application

   You give your personal details and employment history and answer questions about your skills and experience. The form also has "2 competency-based questions focused on non-technical skills".⁵

2. Interview

   The interview is with "Northern's Driver Management Team, based in Leeds". You are asked "a series of competency-based questions so we can get to know you better".⁵

3. RSSB psychometric assessments3 main stages

   Successful candidates then sit the RSSB Train Driver Psychometric Assessments, which "must be passed to an enhanced standard". Northern says "Northern has its own in-house Assessment Centre in Leeds" for them, with assessors "registered with the Office of Road and Rail".⁵

   • Paper assessments.
   • Computer assessments.
   • A multimodal interview.⁵
4. Medical

   Because the role is safety-critical, the medical assessment "includes checks for general health, vision, and hearing, as well as a drug and alcohol screen".⁵

5. Offer

   Once you have "made it through the recruitment stages", you receive an offer with a start date and details of "which training course you're going to be on".⁵

One Trainee Train Driver vacancy listing on Northern's careers site sets the stages out differently. That listing shows no location, posting date or closing date, and is marked with unexplained "DO NOT USE" banners. It describes initial screening, a telephone interview for those who pass screening, an in-person interview followed by psychometric testing, then a conditional offer after the final interview and psychometric test.⁶ The offer is "subject to available training course placements and passing required medical tests".⁶

The same listing says "The recruitment process for this role is expected to take approximately six months". It also says applicants may wait 8-12 weeks for an update, and asks them not to contact Northern before 12 weeks.⁶

Some background in this guide comes from ORR guidance dated 16 December 2021 on the psychological fitness and medical requirements for train drivers. That description dates from 2021 and may have changed.⁷

Inside the RSSB psychometric assessments

RSSB's training page names the train driver selection methods: "Situational Judgment Exercise (SJE), Multi-Modal Interview (MMI) and Written Communication Test (WCT)".⁸

RSSB's current standard for train driver psychometrics is RIS-3751-TOM Issue 4, "Psychometric Assessment in Train Driver Selection", issued 7 December 2024. It sets "requirements and guidance on the psychometric assessment used during the selection process for train driver candidates".⁹ RSSB said in January 2025 that Issue 4 "increases the number of available attempts a candidate can make" at the psychometric tests. RSSB also said it gives "greater clarity on the length of validity of psychometric tests and how many attempts may be made at passing them".¹⁰

The list below is ORR's 2021 guidance, not a summary of Issue 4. ORR's guidance, dated 16 December 2021, says the industry standard RIS-3751-TOM covers these elements:⁷

• Ability to retain and recall job-related information.
• Ability to learn new information.
• "Motivation to follow set rules and procedures".
• "Ability to remain calm in emergency/stressful situations and respond appropriately".
• Ability to anticipate elements in the traffic environment.
• Coordination and reaction time.
• Ability to communicate clearly orally and in writing.
• Problem solving and decision making.
• "The driver checks and does not make assumptions".
• "The driver is proactive and tenacious".⁷

ORR's 2021 guidance says the occupational psychological fitness test "is usually the first stage of the selection process to become a train driver and is followed by the pre-appointment medical examination".⁷ On Northern's train driver careers page, the psychometric assessments come after the interview.⁵

The same ORR guidance says cognitive, communication and psychomotor tests "are usually completed as part of the occupational psychological fitness examination". It says a candidate who fails that examination would be expected not to progress to the pre-appointment medical.⁷ Under Schedule 1 of the Train Driving Licences and Certificates Regulations 2010, ORR says that medical must include, as a minimum, a general medical examination; vision, including colour perception; hearing; blood or urine tests where necessary; an ECG at rest; tests for psychotropic substances and alcohol abuse; a cognitive test; communication; and psychomotor tests.⁷

What Northern looks for

• Self-discipline. Northern says trainees "need to be self-disciplined, and able to work within rules and regulations".⁵
• Calm and reliability. It also wants trainees to be "calm even under pressure, focused, vigilant, punctual, and reliable".⁵
• Standards and moral courage. The single vacancy listing asks for the ability to work "calmly under pressure", to maintain "high standards of work", and "the moral courage to challenge unsafe or unprofessional practices".⁶

That listing gives Northern's values as:⁶

• Make a difference.
• Make it last.
• Make it yours.
• Make it easy.
• Make it happen.⁶

Who can apply

From the eligibility criteria on Northern's train driver careers page, unless marked otherwise.⁵

• Age. The criteria say "be at least 20 years of age".⁵
• Colour vision. They also say "not have defective colour vision".⁵
• Previous attempts. The criteria include "not have failed the Train Driver assessment within the last six months" and "not have failed the Train Driver assessment twice before".⁵ The single vacancy listing differs: it says candidates have three attempts at the psychometric assessments, and that results are "valid for 5 years".⁶
• Qualifications. Northern says candidates "will hold GCSE grade C or above in Maths and English (or equivalent)".⁵
• Shifts and commute. You must be able to work early, late, weekend and Bank Holiday shifts, and live "within a 45-minute car journey from their place of work".⁵
• Recent interviews and AI. The single vacancy listing says applicants who have interviewed for a driver position within a year "could be automatically rejected". It also says AI-assisted applications will be rejected.⁶

The Train Driving Licences and Certificates Regulations 2010 now require a licence applicant to have "attained the age of 18 years". That wording was substituted with effect from 30 June 2026.¹¹ When the government announced in May 2025 that the minimum train driver age would fall from 20 to 18, it quoted Maggie Simpson OBE, Director General of the Rail Freight Group: "Each freight and passenger operator will decide for itself whether and how to recruit younger drivers".¹²

Training and pay

Northern's train driver careers page says trainees become qualified drivers "over the course of 64 weeks". Training starts with an "intensive three-month training period", split between classroom learning in Manchester or Leeds and practical training at a local depot.⁵ Northern's 'Why Join Us?' page says the training leads to a Level 3 Train Driver apprenticeship.¹³

The single vacancy listing describes it differently. It says the in-house training programme "begins with a 5-month intensive classroom-based learning phase", with no annual leave permitted. On-the-job training with a Driver Instructor follows, for "at least 230 driving hours". The listing names training centres in Leeds and Manchester.⁶

That listing gives pay of "£26,016 per annum during training (approx. 12 months) rising to £49,652 in Year 1, £54,496 in Year 2 and £62,642 in Year 3", on a rolling 35-hour week.⁶ For comparison, a Department for Transport release in August 2026 cited "national trainee salaries ranging between £27,000 and £33,000".¹⁴

Questions to expect

Based on what Northern says each stage tests. These are our own practice questions, not ones Northern publishes. The multimodal interview questions draw on the elements in ORR's 2021 guidance.

How to prepare

1. Write the two competency answers yourself. The application includes "2 competency-based questions focused on non-technical skills", and the single vacancy listing says AI-assisted applications will be rejected.^{5, 6}
2. Collect examples about rules and pressure. Northern wants people who are self-disciplined, work within rules and regulations, and stay calm under pressure.⁵ Find a real example from work, study or home for each.
3. Know what the psychometrics cover. They must be passed to an enhanced standard.⁵ ORR's 2021 list includes recall, learning new information, coordination and reaction time, and checking rather than assuming.⁷
4. Check your eligibility before you apply. Colour vision, GCSE Maths and English, the 45-minute commute and the shift pattern are all on Northern's criteria.⁵
5. Prepare for the medical. Northern's medical checks general health, vision and hearing, and includes a drug and alcohol screen.⁵
6. Plan for a long wait. The single vacancy listing expects the process to take approximately six months and asks you not to contact Northern before 12 weeks.⁶

Worth mentioning in the interview

• Northern's new trains programme covers "up to 450 multiple units" in three phases. Northern received tender returns from manufacturers in March 2026 and says: "Subject to business case approval, we expect to be able to award contracts for new trains in 2027".¹⁵
• Around 130 phase-one units are expected between 2030 and 2033.¹⁵
• The Department for Transport said in August 2026 that the industry "is looking for people from all backgrounds who can remain focused under pressure".¹⁴
• Northern's scale: its careers site calls it "the largest train operator outside London" and says "There are 345 trains in our fleet".²

Quick answers

More interview guides

• Avanti West Coast trainee train driver interview guide
• All trainee train driver interview guides

Sources

1. About UsNorthern
2. Northern Trains - Go Do Your ThingNorthern Careers
3. Northern appoints DFTO executive as new Chief Operating OfficerNorthern · 16 Apr 2026
4. NORTHERN TRAINS LIMITED people - Find and update company information - GOV.UKCompanies House
5. Train Driver JobsNorthern Careers
6. Trainee Train Driver - the Northern Careers SiteNorthern Careers
7. A guide to the occupational psychological fitness and medical requirements: Train Driving Licences and Certificates Regulations 2010ORR · 16 Dec 2021
8. RSSB Train Driver Selection MethodsRSSB
9. RIS-3751-TOM Iss 4 - Psychometric Assessment in Train Driver SelectionRSSB · 7 Dec 2024
10. RSSB makes train driver recruitment process more efficient and effectiveRSSB · 13 Jan 2025
11. The Train Driving Licences and Certificates Regulations 2010, Regulation 8legislation.gov.uk · 30 Jun 2026
12. Full steam ahead: young people take the drivers seat to improve train services and unlock jobsGOV.UK · 7 May 2025
13. Why Join Us?Northern Careers
14. Just got your GCSE results? Your next stop could be the train driver's seatGOV.UK · 19 Aug 2026
15. Northern's new trainsNorthern

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