TomLirrAC

@snoopys16 Congrats! Didn't see to many of ya'll in the lobby, only seen about five of you guys. How many people were successful? 

Thanks A lot All. Now I just Have To Survive Probation Smh

Finally Passed Air Brake Today! All 22 of us passed!

@Cdima123 From my understanding a handful of people passed the exam in May and still haven't been contacted yet. I sent Linda an email because the anxiety from waiting was to much for me, I couldn't wait anymore. Sterling will contact you via email. @JHP87 I would like to agree with you, chances are when the classes are set in stone, they will start placing people in them. 

@Cdima123 Thank you kindly. I took my exam on April 17th I believe . I missed out on the June class because sterling couldn't verify a few of my jobs. So I had to reachout to the IRS and provide them with tax transcripts for the jobs they were curious about. Made it just in time for the August 22nd class. Also I almost didn't make it past the medical at Mineola. Apparently i failed the eye exam, they told me to come back when I get some glasses. So I got a pair of prescription glasses within that same week (which I havent worn since the eye exam). It can be a real tedious process, so when the time comes just be prepared. Sterling background check first, then medical at Mineola next. I hope this was somewhat helpful. 

Hi all!

22/23 of us passed our book of rules exam. What a sigh of relief! Tomorrow we start tickets, wish me luck Lol

Whats going on everybody?

Question! Does anybody know if Kat is a good instructor? I wonder what her teaching style is like. Has anybody ever had her in the past? 

@Two2Go Thanks alot my friend. I really appreciate that.

@Two2Go Thanks alot for that info lol. So is the book of rules like the S & D exam, but with additional information? The book of rules sound pretty complicated. How many questions are on the book of rules exam? and do they ask for ALL the signals and definitions? or just a few of them? 

Yikes! I don't know how to feel about that. I start class at the end of the month, and now Im extremely nervous. I hope I can pass these exams. How many exams are there? and in what order? Also if you fail a test, do you get a second chance? 

@Two2Go & @bp98 Understood. I really appreciate the insight regardless. Wish me luck lol.

2 hours ago, Two2Go said:

Classes are about 2.5 months. But you take the Book of Rules test approx. 5 weeks after starting class. Generally once you pass Book of Rules you've got nothing to worry about. 

@Two2Go Thanks a lot for that info. I really appreciate that. Do you have any of the material still? just asking for a friend lol. But seriously lol.

15 minutes ago, Two2Go said:

Yeah, this is why some people recommend trying to take a leave of absence from your current job when you start the program. I don't really think it's necessary, though. Most people don't fail out. The ones that do typically fail out on Book of Rules. Very few have ever failed Air Brake, and if anyone fails Tickets or PTEP....I don't know how they got there in the first place!

@Two2Go I was thinking about putting in my two weeks at my job, but i guess ill just opt out for a leave of absence just in case. How long do classes go on for? Thanks for all the replies by the way.

49 minutes ago, Two2Go said:

If you fail a quiz during AC class, nothing happens except the instructor will be pissed. If you fail an exam during AC class (Book of Rules, Air Brake, Tickets, or PTEP) you are immediately out of the program and fired from the railroad.

 

For the qualifying process (approx. 2 years after hiring on), you have 7 chances to pass each test (Book of Rules, Physical Characteristics, Air Brake and Zone A). After failing any test 3 times, you are put Out of Service, meaning you can no longer work and earn an income until you pass all your tests. If you fail any test on the 7th chance, you are immediately fired from the railroad.

@Two2Go Yikes! So only once chance for Book of Rules, Air Brake, Tickets, & PTEP? 

Hi everyone,

Congrats to everybody that passed the S&D exam, I passed my exam back in April and I just got confirmation for the August class last week. I should have been in the June class but sterling talent solutions are nothing to play w/. When Linda sent me the link for the background check, I added a few jobs that weren't on the job application. That didn't make Linda to happy, but that didn't disqualify me either. Linda told me to send a new updated application and resume, in which I did the same exact day but she was probably over it at that point. The only reason i added those additional jobs were because I figured sterling talent solutions might reveal them anyway. Sterling talent solutions also sent me an email earlier in the day requesting more information, they wanted IRS transcripts for almost 6/10 of my previous jobs as verification. I called IRS and they said it would take 7-10 business days to mail it me, I was automatically discouraged when they said that to me. But I called back, and a different rep said if its an emergency they can actually fax it to me. So of course I had to opt out for the fax, in which i received promptly. I then faxed all requested transcripts to sterling talent solutions. By the next day all the searches were complete, and sterling gave me the green light, but Linda would no longer respond to my emails. it took no longer then a day and half to gather all that information and send it out, but Linda was MIA, she is a very busy individual so I understand, receiving a reply from her is like gold lol. So a few days go by i send her another email she replies saying "I highly doubt you can make the class", reason being she hasn't had time to review my updated application and resume. Even though I managed to get the green light from sterling talent solutions, and send her my updated application and resume within two days, that wasn't good enough, which caused me a spot at the June A/c Class. With that being said, make sure you have paystubs from former employers on stand by, if not request IRS transcripts from your previous jobs NOW! 

I would also like to shed some light on the writing portion of the exam, as well as the interview portion. Linda told me I possibly scored the lowest on the writing exam, because not once did I say anything about apologizing to customers which she confronted me about. She made it clear that I will not get past the interview if I do not use apologies as one of ways to handle customers. Come time for the interview, I was interviewed by Linda and the superintendent, which was very nerve-racking. But my answer to everything was APOLOGIZE TO THE CUSTOMER lol. Also I didn't wait for Linda to send me an email. I actually emailed her, and asked her if I made any of the upcoming classes. Im really glad I did, because if not I would probably still be waiting to hear from her. Also big tip for you guys, on a number of different occasions I emailed her at 6 or 7 am in the morning and received very fast replies. I guess thats when she pays attention to her emails the most. I Hope this was helpful to everybody, and Best Of Luck To All. 

On 7/16/2018 at 1:11 AM, Two2Go said:

Yes, you absolutely need to have your signals and definitions, as well as your buzzers, train horns, interlocking whistles and hand signs memorized perfectly. They're going to throw a lot more information at you once class starts, and they will not be happy if you can't even get something as simple as signals and definitions right. Get them down perfectly now, you're going to be happy you did in a couple years when it comes time to qualify. 

 

The first two days of class are just a generic new employee orientation. There might even be new hires from different departments in the room with you. On the third day (Friday), the actual class will start. You'll be given stuff to memorize verbatim over the weekend. On that Monday, you'll be quizzed on everything you've been given so far. It's not a test that can cause you to lose or job or anything like that, but it's a quiz for the instructor to see where you're at. The instructor will go totally nuts if people do badly on that quiz (and all the other quizzes that he or she will give out as class goes on). Remember, you only have about 5 weeks of class for the book of rules...it's a lot of information for such a short timeframe.

@Two2Go I really appreciate that information man. What happens if you fail any of the exams?

Good Day Everyone, 

I am new to this forum but I have been reading numerous post for weeks now. Can anyone possibly give some insight on what classes are like. It's surprising how fast the material from the flash cards can be forgotten when your waiting for feedback. Is it necessary that I know all the flash cards before class starts? will we be tested on signals and definitions when class starts? Can somebody please enlighten me? Thanks in advance guys.