Requirements for Next Train Operator Exam

[jayE]

Im currently 17 years of age still in high school I’m a senior though I plan on getting my drivers license soon, once I graduate high school I’ll get a full time job which I’ll stay with them for a year! and I’ll have all the requirements to become a MTA train operator correct? 
 

also! Do anyone knows an estimated time frame when the next test can be ? You don’t have to be spot on but you can sure give me a estimate I been waiting for my whole life for this

[kazz]

I guess you can be a TO when you are close to 30. haha

There are many ways to get into the mta. To aim to get in by taking the train operator exam is one of the dumbest at the moment. 

The exam comes out almost once a decade.

The exam has a very long wait because of the amount of people who pass it.

You just missed the last test which means a long wait to apply, and a long wait to get called, assuming you pass.... The job is not a walk in the park. Many people fail schoolcar. You have to be serious. 

 

A much easier way is to take the transit electrical helper exam. The exam is easy. ( I only got 2 questions wrong with no study). The exam is almost always less than 700 people who pass it. You will get called much faster than than the TO exam.  The exam comes out a few times a year. So you can take multiple exams in 1 year in case you fail. ( you will not fail, but you should never skip a test unless you are already employed with the mta.) After you are hired you will hear people say "you fire yourself", meaning  It is hard for people with this title to actually get fired.  Complete opposite of being a TO or Bus Operator. 

 

I would advise any1 on the outside who wants to get in to take every test they can, as soon as they can. No downside not to. good luck....

[jayE]

I’m aware of how hard the test is and how many people pass the test and how it is to be taken seriously! 
 

it’s been a dream of mines for many years since I was 14 I always wanted to be a train Operator for the MTA I’m 17 now and turing 18 in January 2025 the test from looking at past dates come out more often then a decade id say every 3-5 years many people FIRST job in the MTA is Train Operator I know many of train operator who worked for previous jobs but then left when the mta called keep in mind it’s there first job in the mta 

[kazz]

You seem to have your head in the clouds.....

 

Look at the two pinned TO threads in the employment forum. Exam 7604 and 4605. What dates did they come out? 7 years apart. Plus the wait. You will be close to 30, unless you get a high score amongst the 10,000+ that will pass. Good luck.

[jayE]

Thanks man! I appreciate your response but its no longer needed I have my head in the clouds by trying to pursue my dreams make it make sense I know how long it will take nothing will stop me? it seems  like your trying to make me change my mind or say its not possible but its not happening as I said before I don't mind waiting till I'm 30 years of age sometimes people have goals in life that may seem harder to go for then others that's just me I'm taking a harder goal in life.

[jayE]

and what I mean by the bottom is sometimes people set  harder goals for themselves then others you want to take a test you think is easier go ahead! I want to take a test  that's much harder. I don't need you trying to mess up my dreams.

[Kamen Rider]

Welcome to NYCTF, the site fueled by the most power source of energy on the net… cynicism.

 

But kidding aside, getting hired by transit, especially in an RTO operating position, is not an easy feat.

and it’s not just the written test.

i took me from being originally called in September 2021 to May 2022 to actually get hired. I kept getting placed on Medical holds for sleep Apnea and was massively delayed because the machines were recalled and getting one was a PITA.

 

i think I was on my third drug test (those lapse) by the time they actually cleared me.

there is a second test, a language proficiency exam, you need to take after you do the written test.

After you get hired, there is the strict standards of school car, where some tests are one and done, fail and you are OUT. Like, you wouldn’t think it, but there are people who fail out the first week because they can’t climb onto the train from the road bed.

And then, once out of school car, there is your probation period.

and for the first few years you are “Extra Extra”, you are sent anywhere in your division and you can get “board” jobs where you wait around for hours. I have gotten close to the legal maximum of 16 hours several times.

 

look, and I really want to stress this;

we’re not saying give up on your dreams…

we’re saying “this is a serious commitment, you need to be ready to make sacrifices to attain it”…

(like expect to not have a social life for the first few years.)

On that note, however, I must also tell you there is chatter going around (to be taken with more salt than the Dead Sea) that there may not be a new open competitive TO test and they may move to make the position promotional only.

meaning you would need to join transit in an different position and then take the internal promotional exam once you qualify to take it. 

again, that is not confirmed in the least bit, but I do feel you should know.

[jayE]

I appreciate your perspective, especially since you’re also a conductor. Your insights really resonate with me. I realize now that I may have been a bit hasty in wanting to jump straight into my dream of becoming an MTA train operator. As you mentioned, it’s not just about passing a test—it’s much more challenging than that, and I completely understand.

I’m determined to push myself beyond my limits to achieve these goals. I know that in school car, there’s a lot to learn, including the 103 signals, rules and regulations, and train movement procedures. But I’m ready to take on these challenges.

If I need to work my way up to achieve my dreams, I’m prepared to do that. Whether it’s starting as a station agent, cleaner, or another position, I’m ready to pursue that path. I’m turning 18 in January 2025, and I’m eager to begin this journey.

Also, what makes you say this?

"On that note, however, I must also tell you there is chatter going around (to be taken with more salt than the Dead Sea) that there may not be a new open competitive TO test and they may move to make the position promotional only."

Also this.

and for the first few years you are “Extra Extra”, you are sent anywhere in your division and you can get “board” jobs where you wait around for hours. I have gotten close to the legal maximum of 16 hours several times.

What are the "Board" jobs? your talking about! 

[Kamen Rider]

11 hours ago, jayE said:

Also, what makes you say this?

"On that note, however, I must also tell you there is chatter going around (to be taken with more salt than the Dead Sea) that there may not be a new open competitive TO test and they may move to make the position promotional only."

Here's the thing, that is mostly just rumor mill. But often times these sorts of rumors start from a seed of truth... and that truth is there have been issues with new hire TOs and upper management is not happy campers. 

11 hours ago, jayE said:

What are the "Board" jobs? your talking about! 

when you start out, you are what we call "Extra Extra list", just shortened usually to "Extra Extra" or "XX". You can be sent anywhere in your division to cover a job... if they know ahead of time the job is open, e.g., I asked to use some of my vacation time to attend a wedding a few months back.

But... Sometimes they don't know ahead of time. emergencies happen. So there is a distinct job where your job is to sit around and wait for someone to call in sick or not show up or whatever. That is "Extra Board"... (and yes, the board/bored puns write themselves...put it this way, I taught myself how to solve Rubik's Cubes sitting on board...). You will report to a terminal and sign in... and sit there, usually in the crew room, until they need you. 

Possible outcomes include:

Doing nothing for 8 hours and going home (kinda rare these days TBH)

picking up a job on the line whose terminal you reported to. this can happen immediately (you sign in and then out on the board job then into your new job) or this can be anywhere up to literally the last second before you clear.

Picking up a job, but having to deadhead to another terminal to start. such as going from Forest Hills to Far Rockaway, Lefferts Blvd to Coney Island and 207th to Jamaica 179... (all of those, and more, I've actually done)

Picking up only part of a job (one round trip out of a two round trip job, for example)

rarely, unless it's an emergency, they may assign you to a "Platform job", but that's a whole other can of worms

 

 

That being said, you can also "Fall to the board". If you are scheduled to be subbing in for someone, they can return to the job after you get assigned to it from the crew office. sometimes, the crew office can assign you to something else, but often what will happen is you arrive at the terminal to be told you are out of the job. 

 

This can also happen on the next step up, "Extra List" aka "XL", XLs do much the same thing as XXs but with two caveats. 

1: under normal circumstances, they will only be assigned jobs within their chosen district. there are 5 districts in transit. 1 and 2 are in the A division, 3, 4, and 5 are in the B. I don't know if the IRT gives theirs nicknames, but the B division is South, North, and Queens, respectively. 

2: Your RDOs (days off) and tour (Midnight, AM or PM) are locked in. XX personnel can have their RDOs and tour changed weekly if the crew office needs it. does not happen as often as it used to, but it can. 

 

XLs do not get board jobs as often as XX, as they get priority in job assignments, but if you are XL and fall to the board, you can be sent anywhere.

[RTOMan]

6 hours ago, Kamen Rider said:

Here's the thing, that is mostly just rumor mill. But often times these sorts of rumors start from a seed of truth... and that truth is there have been issues with new hire TOs and upper management is not happy campers. 

Oh no they aren't and the problems are simple problems that get magnified into bigger ones.

Like hitting that signal and charging up the train AND moving it.

Overrunning the stop marker or station and having the CR call it in instead of the TO which makes the situation worse, then not being able to follow procedure and get out of the station.

Being told "Make Express stops to this station" and going past every station until that STATION oh and the CR not pulling the cord once the train finally stops...

Some new people just let some of these folks down here get under their skin so what if no one says "good morning" when you walk in a crew room its fine.

Seen a whole thing with a new TO about that (Oh and he was late like 6 times and his probation was extend and he was like "i got things going on and nobody in the crew office cares")..

No they dont to a degree..

We are here to do a job not be social if it happens make it happen with your classmates first they are your family.

[RTOMan]

Oh and take Note OP...

By the time you are finally hired (if you choose to do so) the procedures may be nothing like that what's said here..

There will be a few contracts passed and im SURE things are going to be very very different.

That though is a discussion for another time in a few years...

[jayE]

For starters I can't believe what you said about the T/O was true? Is he crazy?? I would take that job seriously like so seriously missing days coming in late? thats beyond me 

Hopefully that's not the case and the test will still be Open Comp when I'm ready to Apply! been waiting for this moment my entire life! and it sucks to see some train operators aren't doing good but maybe they need a little more practice or a little more training I don't wish they get fired I only wish for the best.

Also thank you for explaining what the board Jobs means ect ect! I read through everything! 

but I have so many more questions  alot more! 

Like when do you think the next test with be like give me your best estimate! obviously you don't know but I want your best time frame I'm currently a Senior in HighSchool last year thank god! gonna get a full time job at USPS, or access a Ride, gonna get my drivers license  and Apply for the MTA when the next test comes out! if everything goes out good then I'll be happy and grateful leaving it into gods hands! 

[jayE]

I have so many questions RTOMAN! I  was wondering if you could answer them since your a Train Operator

[+Young+]

6 hours ago, jayE said:

Like when do you think the next test with be like give me your best estimate! obviously you don't know but I want your best time frame I'm currently a Senior in HighSchool last year thank god! gonna get a full time job at USPS, or access a Ride, gonna get my drivers license  and Apply for the MTA when the next test comes out! if everything goes out good then I'll be happy and grateful leaving it into gods hands! 

Under "normal" circumstances a Civil Service Exam is administered every four [4] years. According to this Notice of Examination, the last Open-Competitive Train Operator Exam was administered this past May. Therefore, depending on the length of the Civil Service List, which they hire off of, I would not expect the next Open-Competitive Train Operator Exam to be administered until around late 2027/early 2028. Obviously, this can happen sooner or later, so just keep an eye on this website for the latest updates. 

6 hours ago, jayE said:

I have so many questions RTOMAN! I  was wondering if you could answer them since your a Train Operator

Please do not hesitate to ask! We have several Train Operators, Bus Operators, etc. on the site who are more than willing to answer your questions on this public forum.

Keep in mind that all of us who post on this website, including myself, are volunteers and we all have "lives," therefore please be patient if we don't back to you within a certain timeframe. That's all.

Enjoy!! 

[jayE]

4 years is enough time for me to gather the said requirements to become a train operator, I’m currently 17 becoming 18 in January which I’m extremely excited for because that’s 1 more step closer for me to unlocking this job! Currently working on getting my drivers license, for the 1 year of job satisfaction I’ve chosen to go with USPS as I’m following in the steps of a train operator who jus got called about a year ago! I have nothing but high hopes for myself! And I know that the test is hard, school car is hard, and it’s not a job that’s for everyone even if it’s your dream job, but I’m up for the challenge this job I’ll give my all even when situations are tough, I’ll practice every step of the way I get even if that means missing family events.

[jayE]

As for the questions I have! 
 

- Was the open Competitive test easy rate it on a scale from 1-10 10 being the hardest test ever.

- How can I increase my chances at being in places 1-1000 on the list instead of in the 4000’s 

 - what’s the job like? How long are you guys shifts? Ex. 8am - 5pm or 10pm - 8:30AM

- For stopping at the 10 car marker is that easy or stressful? Or over some time do you get used to it?

- Before operating a route, do you guys get the option to either go to the terminal and get your train? Or do you tend to go to the yard to get a train!

 

- How long did it take for you guys to get called! What was your place on the list and score on the test.

 

-Is it easy to stay on schedule? Like during rush hour you guys have a strict schedule! Is it hard to stay on that

 

 

[+Young+]

3 hours ago, jayE said:

As for the questions I have...

Although I am not a Train Operator (T/O) myself, until we patiently wait for one of them to reply, I can answer a few of those questions.

-From what I heard, the Open Competitive test for Train Operator is one of the hardest tests. If you click here, type 7604 into the search box on the top right hand side of the screen, and put the list numbers in descending order (highest to lowest), you will see that 11,283 made this list by passing the exam with a 70% or better. Therefore, I would not be surprised if over 15,000 people took this test, maybe even close to 20,000. That's a lot of people.

-As far as increasing the chances of getting a lower list number, you have to do very well on the Open-Competitive Civil Service Examination. If you play around with this website, for Exam # 7604, the people whose list number is 767 or lower got a final score of 95% or better on the Examination, compared to the people whose list number is higher than 11,000 who got a final score of 70%. That's how it works, not only for this Open-Competitive Civil Service Examination, but for other Open-Competitive Civil Service Examinations as well, such as Track Worker, and those administered by DCAS as well, such as Police Officer, Firefighter, etc.

-In the meantime, while we wait for one of the Train Operators to reply, I would encourage you to check out the Thread for Train Operator Exam 7604, which is over 500 Pages and contains over 12,500 posts, as well as the Notices of Examination for Exam 7604 and Exam 4605. I'm sure you will find a lot of useful information among these three links.

Enjoy!!

[jayE]

Thanks for the insight! 

I want to score fairly high on the test so I want to start practicing now!

Do you mind if I ask what will be on the test? is the test easy to score fairly high? 85-90 is what I really want to go for do you know like with this score how likely they are to get back to me? also I'm sorry for all the questions but is there anything you recommend to help me study

[jayE]

I want to make the chances as High as possible for me getting hired! what areas do I need to brush up on? what is some questions that will be on the test, will studying now even help me get a high score on the test anyways? does it even matter I don't even know where to start

[Bx6Select1010]

Hello, I’m a fellow individual who is currently 17, turning 18 in March and took the conductor exam back in April. I’m curious to know since I’m expected to graduate in June 2025. Is the chance getting called before that time period high or low. I’m also on the same road as jayE and I want to become a train operator so I don’t want to jeopardize on getting my foot into the door.

 

apologize for my name, I made the account when I was in MS and I don’t want to appear as a buff because of the rep that they have lol. 

Edited August 31 by Bx6Select1010

[Kamen Rider]

On 8/30/2024 at 5:05 PM, jayE said:

Was the open Competitive test easy rate it on a scale from 1-10 10 being the hardest test ever.

no two tests are exactly the same for obvious reasons. One test could be a little easier than the others

On 8/30/2024 at 5:05 PM, jayE said:

what’s the job like? How long are you guys shifts? Ex. 8am - 5pm or 10pm - 8:30AM

shifts for road crews have a massive "depends on the circumstances" written on them. They take the train schedule, and they break into down into bite sized chunks of trips and they assign each of these chunks a three-digit ID number. the first digit of the job number tells you what time of day it starts and if it's a normal job or not. 

1XX, 4XX and 7XX jobs start in the midnight period, (10 PM to 3:59AM) with 1XX for normal jobs, 4XX for extra jobs created to fill a supplemental schedule, and 7XX being made up ad hoc to fill a need.

2XX/5XX/8XX AM jobs (4AM to 11:59AM)

3XX/6XX/9XX PM jobs (Noon to 9:59PM)

Per our contract, we automatically get paid for 8 hours... some jobs, such as mine, are actually a little bit shorter. others... they can go 9... 10... hours... I think there is like, on C train job pays the crew 10 1/2 hours... 

the vast majority of road jobs are 2 trips on standard length lines. shorter routes like the G, L and J can squeeze more trips out of you. Some jobs only have one round trip, some jobs start at one location, make a round trip, and then end with a one way trip to the other terminal (a "Trip and a Half')

On 8/30/2024 at 5:05 PM, jayE said:

How can I increase my chances at being in places 1-1000 on the list instead of in the 4000’s 

Join the Army.

No, I'm not kidding, Veteran points are worth their wight in gold for climbing the list. 

On 8/30/2024 at 5:05 PM, jayE said:

Before operating a route, do you guys get the option to either go to the terminal and get your train? Or do you tend to go to the yard to get a train!

that's a logical trip people fall for. Train crews are not assigned a train all day*, we are assigned to make specific trips with whatever train happens to be sitting there waiting for us, there are some T/O jobs that have "put-ins" or "layups" or on rare occasions both. Some of those jobs also has the conductor report to the yard as well.

But there are also what are known as "switching" jobs who will also handle those tasks. 

While they are still considered School Car, T/Os go through a period known as YX which RTO can explain in better detail.

And as they gain seniority, they can pick "switching" jobs. These tend to be things like helping relay a train at a relay terminal, or sending a train to the yard when no longer needed. 

 

*there was a job where a qualified crew on the R211s would ride the train all day and take over if the assigned to that trip crew was not qualified. 

On 8/30/2024 at 5:05 PM, jayE said:

Is it easy to stay on schedule? Like during rush hour you guys have a strict schedule! Is it hard to stay on that

have you met the human race? "Stand clear of the closing doors" to them is basically a polite suggestion instead of an order. 

[jayE]

Thank you! also I heard the test was easy? but I still want to prepare for it you know? I like to be better safe then sorry also, if I join the military Its going to take me well over 7-10 years to get hired because you'll have to stay in the military for 4 years because you can't leave after that then by that 4 years there's a slight chance another test might come out as said before you guys don't know when another test is coming out plus if I join the military now I can't get the requirements aka 1 year full time job satisfaction needed to become said train operator

My plan if everything goes as expected

Graduate Highschool, Apply for the USPS, wait for another test to be administered, apply for the train operator test, and wait

I want to be prepared as possible for the next test is there any books you can recommend or any resources?? 

Also! Thank you for the insight again! 

What about for far routes? Like the late Night A or F trains which are fully local and take around 30m to complete?  

[Kamen Rider]

Those are just longer jobs.

we refer to them as penalty jobs… why, I don’t know, but the one thing about them is that if your job is scheduled to end any time after 8 hours, and if you’re not claiming any overtime past your clearing time or reimbursement for something like not having lunch… your last trip arrives at the terminal, you leave your cab and walk away.

[jayE]

Ohhh wait I have one last question sorry for being annoying so when I first start out I’ll finish one route and get assigned to another one? For instance 

 

I’ll do 1 trip in the E train to World Trade Center then I’ll get moved to the A line to do a inwood to far rock in the same day?

[+Young+]

1 hour ago, jayE said:

I want to be prepared as possible for the next test is there any books you can recommend or any resources??  

A while ago I purchased this book on Amazon. One of the things which I like is that the copyright date is 2019. I would personally stay away from those "Passbook Study Guides" since they are out of date. A few things have changed between the book being published and now - such as the location of Human Resources (HR), which is now 149 Pierrepont Street compared to 180 Livingston Street, however I would still recommend this book.

 Hope this helps!!