Assistant Conductor Metro North

[Brivera0529]

Hello All,

 

I haven't really seen a dedicated forum for this. Maybe someone can point me in the right direction. Just had a question about the metro north training process for assistant conductor as the April class is approaching and I would like to know what to expect.  Thank you.

[Positivelady021]

I recently have taken the exam, but hopefully since there's not a lot on here about this particular position, you can update us as you go along?

[Nyctransitorhotels]

On 3/19/2023 at 1:28 PM, Brivera0529 said:

Hello All,

 

I haven't really seen a dedicated forum for this. Maybe someone can point me in the right direction. Just had a question about the metro north training process for assistant conductor as the April class is approaching and I would like to know what to expect.  Thank you.

Seems you've already been selected to attend the class. I just applied for the position yesterday. I got the rate of pay breakdown. Just curious if you or anyone else would know, if they put you mandatorily in a conductor program? And if so how long is the program?  How long does it then take to get to full rate of pay for conductor or do you just get the full rate effective as soon as you get the conductor job? 

[Brivera0529]

i believe its 6 years till top pay once you begin. Also becoming conductor is mandatory promotion at 12 months. You gotta pass the test to become a conductor 

[BloomSmall]

On 3/19/2023 at 1:28 PM, Brivera0529 said:

Hello All,

 

I haven't really seen a dedicated forum for this. Maybe someone can point me in the right direction. Just had a question about the metro north training process for assistant conductor as the April class is approaching and I would like to know what to expect.  Thank you.

Hello, I just checked my job applications and it says passed for the screening results. How long did it take you to hear back from MNR once you passed screening? Do you mind breaking down the process from them contacting you to you being called to begin the April class as well? Where does the training take place and how long is the process, etc? I would really appreciate it, thank you.

[Brivera0529]

@BloomSmall I applied for the test August 2022. I didn't receive an email till November 2022 and that email sent me the test date and the notes id have to study for the test. I recommend making flash cards of all the definitions. It really helped me a lot. On top of the definitions you also have other sections on the test which aren't hard but the math portion caught me off guard. The math itself is simple math problems but definitely keep that in mind to brush up on adding, subtracting dividing and multiplying  .The test was December 19 2022. I received my test results around January 14th. Then they invited me to the panel interview. Keep cool on the panel interview. They want you to speak clearly and relate the responsibilities of the conductor to your past jobs. Use examples from your old job. One of the questions was "How did you go above and beyond in your workplace for your company. They'll ask you to list the key responsibilities of the conductor which you should try and memorize. It is 3 people interviewing you but its not as scary as it sounds. Easier said than done. They notified me maybe a week after to say I passed the interview. Feb 2023 was the physical exam. If you're fairly in shape you will pass its really easy. If you fail that I don't know . Then finally March 2023 they told me I was in the class for April. Pretty long but not bad id say. I believe most of the training is out of grand central. It is about a year of training in class and on the field. Great benefits good starting pay starting at 30 . From what I hear the quality of life is pretty good and you end up making 6 figures with a chance to move around the company.

Edited April 4, 2023 by Brivera0529

[BloomSmall]

10 hours ago, Brivera0529 said:

@BloomSmall I applied for the test August 2022. I didn't receive an email till November 2022 and that email sent me the test date and the notes id have to study for the test. I recommend making flash cards of all the definitions. It really helped me a lot. On top of the definitions you also have other sections on the test which aren't hard but the math portion caught me off guard. The math itself is simple math problems but definitely keep that in mind to brush up on adding, subtracting dividing and multiplying  .The test was December 19 2022. I received my test results around January 14th. Then they invited me to the panel interview. Keep cool on the panel interview. They want you to speak clearly and relate the responsibilities of the conductor to your past jobs. Use examples from your old job. One of the questions was "How did you go above and beyond in your workplace for your company. They'll ask you to list the key responsibilities of the conductor which you should try and memorize. It is 3 people interviewing you but its not as scary as it sounds. Easier said than done. They notified me maybe a week after to say I passed the interview. Feb 2023 was the physical exam. If you're fairly in shape you will pass its really easy. If you fail that I don't know . Then finally March 2023 they told me I was in the class for April. Pretty long but not bad id say. I believe most of the training is out of grand central. It is about a year of training in class and on the field. Great benefits good starting pay starting at 30 . From what I hear the quality of life is pretty good and you end up making 6 figures with a chance to move around the company.

Thank you so much for your reply the information is very helpful. If you don’t mind I have a few more questions. How many definitions is it in total and does it have to be learned verbatim or is the test multiple choice? Are there signals on the test as well and what is the tone they give you to complete the test? Do you have to get a perfect score to pass? How many weeks did they give you to study? How many weeks is the training once you pass the test and interview/physical etc? I apologize for so many questions but there isn’t much information about it on the forums. Thank you again and congratulations on getting into the April 19th class I’m hoping to be right behind you!

[Brivera0529]

@BloomSmall No problem I wish there were more metro north conductors on the forum to help out. It was something like 70-90 definitions. You didn't need to know them verbatim but it definitely helped. It was mostly multiple choice but you also had some where you had to match a word with a definition. But flashcards helped with getting them down verbatim. They give you 3 hours but I was out around 2.Everything you need to know is in the packet they send I believe there was 8 signals I had to memorize. I honestly didn't get a score so I don't know how scoring works. They just emailed me to tell me that I passed. But that packet they send is everything no tricks. Get those down and the test is really easy. They give you about 3 weeks to study. I believe the training is about a year between classroom and on the job training. Glad to answer any questions and help. Hope you are in the class behind me 

[BloomSmall]

thank you this is really helpful I will be sure to use flash cards to study when they send the packet. Three hours is more than enough time so it doesn’t feel rushed. 

[Brivera0529]

On 3/31/2023 at 6:29 PM, Nyctransitorhotels said:

Seems you've already been selected to attend the class. I just applied for the position yesterday. I got the rate of pay breakdown. Just curious if you or anyone else would know, if they put you mandatorily in a conductor program? And if so how long is the program?  How long does it then take to get to full rate of pay for conductor or do you just get the full rate effective as soon as you get the conductor job? 

yes the promotion is mandatory. You are in a classroom setting initially for 4 months. Then you mark up and go out to work for 12-16 months depending and then you come back for promo which is another 5 months.so in total 2 years about. 6 years is top pay. but once you get promoted to  conductor you get an extra raise as well.

[Brivera0529]

On 3/29/2023 at 6:03 PM, Positivelady021 said:

I recently have taken the exam, but hopefully since there's not a lot on here about this particular position, you can update us as you go along?

hopefully you get called . They are looking for more conductors i believe

[2ride]

1 hour ago, Brivera0529 said:

hopefully you get called . They are looking for more conductors i believe

I know the test scores are valid for 2 years, but if you don’t get an offer after first interview, how long do we need to wait before we can hit apply on the job posting again? 1 year?

[Brivera0529]

1 hour ago, 2ride said:

I know the test scores are valid for 2 years, but if you don’t get an offer after first interview, how long do we need to wait before we can hit apply on the job posting again? 1 year?

im not too sure. But if you get the interview thats a good sign. Dont  mess that up

[Jalonzo203]

On 4/4/2023 at 12:12 PM, Brivera0529 said:

@BloomSmall No problem I wish there were more metro north conductors on the forum to help out. It was something like 70-90 definitions. You didn't need to know them verbatim but it definitely helped. It was mostly multiple choice but you also had some where you had to match a word with a definition. But flashcards helped with getting them down verbatim. They give you 3 hours but I was out around 2.Everything you need to know is in the packet they send I believe there was 8 signals I had to memorize. I honestly didn't get a score so I don't know how scoring works. They just emailed me to tell me that I passed. But that packet they send is everything no tricks. Get those down and the test is really easy. They give you about 3 weeks to study. I believe the training is about a year between classroom and on the job training. Glad to answer any questions and help. Hope you are in the class behind me 

How long did you wait for an interview? I got my passing result yesterday. 

[Brivera0529]

44 minutes ago, Jalonzo203 said:

How long did you wait for an interview? I got my passing result yesterday. 

niceeeeeeeeeee. you're in it brother. the ball starts rolling fast. you may have in interview within a month. I got my passing grade late December and my interview was in the beginning of January 

[Jalonzo203]

36 minutes ago, Brivera0529 said:

niceeeeeeeeeee. you're in it brother. the ball starts rolling fast. you may have in interview within a month. I got my passing grade late December and my interview was in the beginning of January 

What questions did they ask you?

[Brivera0529]

42 minutes ago, Jalonzo203 said:

What questions did they ask you?

try to memorize the duties of assistant conductor. They're gonna ask you to name them. Talk about  a time in your past job where you went above and beyond. what would you do if a co worker wasn't in uniform?( say you'll pull them to the side and speak with them ask them what's going on because you are a TEAM could also say if they're not cooperating then you would have to speak to upper management). talk about a time when you dealt with a bad customer? deescalate as much as you can never fight never yell.  What is good customer service to you? its basically questions about customer service. how you would handle certain situations. how you achieved goals in your last job or how did you help improve your last job. Theyre gonna ask what you know about metro north . you can say you've rode the train you can say theyre responsible for moving millions of people around the new york city area. try to remember the 3 lines and some stops on there (hudson, harlem ,new haven lines)  do alittle research on them. my interview started at 8;30 am via zoom . 3 person panel. 2 others dont really speak they black there screens and listen but the hr woman will be asking questions. i finished around 9;10

[Jalonzo203]

3 hours ago, Brivera0529 said:

try to memorize the duties of assistant conductor. They're gonna ask you to name them. Talk about  a time in your past job where you went above and beyond. what would you do if a co worker wasn't in uniform?( say you'll pull them to the side and speak with them ask them what's going on because you are a TEAM could also say if they're not cooperating then you would have to speak to upper management). talk about a time when you dealt with a bad customer? deescalate as much as you can never fight never yell.  What is good customer service to you? its basically questions about customer service. how you would handle certain situations. how you achieved goals in your last job or how did you help improve your last job. Theyre gonna ask what you know about metro north . you can say you've rode the train you can say theyre responsible for moving millions of people around the new york city area. try to remember the 3 lines and some stops on there (hudson, harlem ,new haven lines)  do alittle research on them. my interview started at 8;30 am via zoom . 3 person panel. 2 others dont really speak they black there screens and listen but the hr woman will be asking questions. i finished around 9;10

you've been helpful! How has class been going for you?

[2ride]

3 hours ago, Brivera0529 said:

try to memorize the duties of assistant conductor. They're gonna ask you to name them. Talk about  a time in your past job where you went above and beyond. what would you do if a co worker wasn't in uniform?( say you'll pull them to the side and speak with them ask them what's going on because you are a TEAM could also say if they're not cooperating then you would have to speak to upper management). talk about a time when you dealt with a bad customer? deescalate as much as you can never fight never yell.  What is good customer service to you? its basically questions about customer service. how you would handle certain situations. how you achieved goals in your last job or how did you help improve your last job. Theyre gonna ask what you know about metro north . you can say you've rode the train you can say theyre responsible for moving millions of people around the new york city area. try to remember the 3 lines and some stops on there (hudson, harlem ,new haven lines)  do alittle research on them. my interview started at 8;30 am via zoom . 3 person panel. 2 others dont really speak they black there screens and listen but the hr woman will be asking questions. i finished around 9;10

They need to stop discriminating applicants and pick people who have good qualifications. I’m kind of sick of this game with HR

Edited July 1, 2023 by 2ride

[Brivera0529]

26 minutes ago, Jalonzo203 said:

you've been helpful! How has class been going for you?

its kindof hard not gonna lie to you. A lot of testing constantly. I feel like I have no time but to study. i cant wait to be done then i can breathe 

[Brivera0529]

21 minutes ago, 2ride said:

They need to stop discriminating applicants and pick people who have good qualifications. I’m kind of sick of this game with HR

what do you mean? its kind of a lottery man. very random it felt like 

[Jalonzo203]

51 minutes ago, Brivera0529 said:

its kindof hard not gonna lie to you. A lot of testing constantly. I feel like I have no time but to study. i cant wait to be done then i can breathe 

It'll all be worth it! What hours and days are you going to school?

[Brivera0529]

13 hours ago, Jalonzo203 said:

It'll all be worth it! What hours and days are you going to school?

mon-fri 7-3pm

[Jalonzo203]

6 hours ago, Brivera0529 said:

mon-fri 7-3pm

How is the structure? A lot of homework?

[Brivera0529]

2 hours ago, Jalonzo203 said:

How is the structure? A lot of homework?

homework everyday. tests every other week sometimes 2 in one week for 4months