drenyce311

1 hour ago, Stevend258 said:

Can we also use the timetable to ride as well I usually just show them the email and they don’t bother me about not buying a ticket 

Yes. Since you won’t be getting any MTA ID until phase 2 just show them your timetable and rules book and tell them your going to hillside. 

25 minutes ago, Steven trejo said:

That’s what I’m saying, learned my lesson lol. Catching 4:07 pm train from Jamiaca to HS🚂💨 driving to Babylon is mandatory bc it’s like hour walk🚶🏽‍♂️from station I heard ! Not sure how parking works over there but we’ll find out on Wednesday  . 

There’s plenty of parking in Babylon in front of the trailers. Just show your LIRR timetable to the security. 

11 minutes ago, Lirrdream said:

@drenyce311, are you familiar with the parking situation at hillside facility?  Is there usually parking on dunkirk?  I can just take the 5 minute walk from there.

Yes you.can park in Dunkirk or the side streets. 

There was another open house Sept 9th. One of my buddies from high school got called and passed and got interviewed. There’s another open house sept 27th. 

1 hour ago, Steven trejo said:

Hey brother one , of you took your s&d last month then you should be in the next class around January I would guess right @drenyce311 

From S&D test to panel  to phase 1 took about 4 -5 months. 

7 hours ago, Jsunflyguy said:

You guys will be drawing soon when you get into class. I'd recommend getting some 0.5mm fine tipped pens (black and blue). It will help you fit your drawings into a smaller space which you'll need for the test. Training will only accept information in blue, but I use black for writing notes while running since those smear less.

Funny you mentioned it. I used .38 to draw. And .5-.7 to write. Used the G2s to draw. Had to order online since staples only stocks .5mm. For writing and testing I used the PENTEC ENERGELS. .5-.7. awesome pens to write. Flows smoothly and doesn’t hurt the hand 

49 minutes ago, Elaine said:

I, too, have read almost all of the pages and agree no news is good news.  I was invited on April 6th and when I was scheduled for the S&D on May 11th I was elated.  But now I have so many doubts.  I've been checking my email multiple times a day.  I will call HR tomorrow.  Thank you so much for responding to my post.  I appreciate it very much!

Hey Elaine, hopefully you passed. Never know. I would call HR just to verify. It would suck if you did well on the definitions and missed one signal. But no news is good news. So far I’ve only heard them sending out letters after panel interview for not making it further. Not after S&D. Good luck. 

1 hour ago, BrotherOne said:

When were you notified that you had passed the S&D exam? Its been over 3 weeks for me so far and I'm getting a little worried...I think I passed the exam, but there is that annoying doubt that grows day by day.

I would call to verify if I passed. Doesn’t hurt to call. 

3 hours ago, Iwetoddit said:

Got my email!!!  I’m in for Phase 1, phew.  

Now I’ll be coming from Central Islip, would it be better to take the train or drive?

I do hope that that’s the only class at Hillside cause I’m not sure what to tell my supervisors about leaving early every Wednesday. 

Train (better) or drive(you don’t a keycard to swipe the gates. The instructor will open the gate for you. You have to call him to swipe it open)  to hillside and drive to Babylon. If you take the train to Babylon. It’s a 40-50 min walk to the yard from the station. 

1 hour ago, Iwetoddit said:

Got my email!!!  I’m in for Phase 1, phew.  

Now I’ll be coming from Central Islip, would it be better to take the train or drive?

I do hope that that’s the only class at Hillside cause I’m not sure what to tell my supervisors about leaving early every Wednesday. 

Only Wednesday’s and Saturday’s. 7th Wednesday optional. 7th Saturday is the test. 

1 hour ago, Lirrdream said:

@drenyce311 what exactly is the dress code for phase one?  How were you guys dressed?

Whatever you want to wear. Nothing casual. Just jeans and boots. 

1 minute ago, Stevend258 said:

We don’t learn all of them in phase one right ?

You learn all the rules. Except 240-250. That’s a whole other beast. Those you learn in phase 2 along with the special instructions. 

12 minutes ago, Nick27 said:

You just made my night. Lol 😂

Give or take. Might more with the special instructions 

20 minutes ago, Steven trejo said:

Hey @drenyce311 did you make flash cards for all the rules ? Bc some of them don't even fit lol ,  I'm currently doing the read write recite and audio recordings. 

Yes. Write small. I used quizlet

9 hours ago, Nick27 said:

Just want to make sure when or if I do have to go to the medical and eye exam they don’t tell me to take them off. Just trying to prepare myself as much as I can. How is everyone studying going. Still bummed I didn’t make it into the upcoming class. Is it more 100 percent verbatim material? From a recent post, someone said it makes S&D look easy. Is it like S&D where they give you a list of 50 rules and 50 regulations and you have to get them all memorize or is it slightly different this time around?  Good luck everyone! 

Now it’s the entire book of rules. VERBATIM. now you have 6 weeks to study them. On top of keeping up with the S&D

10 hours ago, peacoat54 said:

Hello...Has anyone had an interview yet?  What can one expect?  

Scroll through the pages of the forum. It’s posted in one of these pages. Not sure which one. 

4 hours ago, Lirrdream said:

Yes corrective lenses or contact lenses are allowed. 

I wear glasses. I passed the vision exam with and without glasses. I just need them for distance. 

Another tip guys. After your done. Give yourself 5 minutes to unwind, then go through your exam with a fine tooth comb. 

21 minutes ago, Lirrdream said:

Also don't let the pace of others dictate your pace. It may be tempting to see others finish their exams really quickly. You have three hours, look over your work multiple times with a fine tooth comb. I used all of my 3 hours and I'm happy I did...

I was the second one done. One of the testers I studied with text me after he was done. He said they grabbed my paper and graded it and the instructor said “he’s golden and making it all the way”. Lol. I wanted to finish first. My classmate beat me to it. Haha. I was prepared. 

22 minutes ago, Iwetoddit said:

Any advice on my situation @drenyce311?  Should I be freaking out? 🙈

No. They’ll call you. Just be patient. They can’t get to everyone at once. 

1 minute ago, Iwetoddit said:

Getting nervous and edging towards freaking out is about right.  It is exactly as they say it, all the signals, 20 indications including all 6 from Amtrak (Zone A), and 20 definitions.  If you have been studying everything and have it down packed then you should be fine.

From my own experience don’t overdue it.  Like don’t go crazy overstudying the night before.  Get enough rest and eat a little something the morning of.  Being nervous is good cause it means you care and want it bad.

Exactly what he said. Relax Friday, let the brain relax. If you don’t know it by tomorrow. It’s too late. After your test Saturday. Grab a drink. 

16 minutes ago, Lirrdream said:

@drenyce311 are we also responsible for the notes verbatim that some of the rules have?

Everything. 

24 minutes ago, Iwetoddit said:

Thanks for the advice.  I have seen this multiple times here and I have spoken to my fiancée about it.  She seems on board and ready to deal with it.  We don’t have kids at the moment so that’s a plus.  But she understands the sacrifice since her dad worked for MTA-NYC Transit for over 30 years.  So I think we are ready. 

Cool. Just reminder the Bahamas is still hot during winter vacation 

For those who have families. This will be a testament of your relationship. You will not be there emotionally and mentally and IT WILL take a toll. Just reassure them the end goal. The grass is greener on the other side. She will have to support you also. Especially when you graduate with all the crazy hours. If she can get through the first 2-3 years. She’s a keeper. Good luck guys. Be strong 

9 minutes ago, Alberto said:

I was thinking that too, for a second, but I highly doubt we’d get that lucky lol

Unless something happens with one of the potentials, they’ll  get the highest score from that S&D to fill the vacancy. It’s happened before.