IRSE Exam Module A

I am writing this ‘in conjuction’ to the closing date for the registration of the exam, which is tomorrow, but if you are reading it later than that, please take whatever you can from this.

If you have been working in the railway industry for some time, I strongly suggest taking the IRSE Exam Module A. It is objective (multiple choice answer, mostly) and the question covers a certain reading text. I wouldn’t say it is easy, but it is convenient because there will be no (or very little) question that is outside of the set text.

Preparing for the exam

The best way I think is to join a study group, because

1. There’s a bit of peer pressure involved,
2. You can share the load, as some person can focus on one aspect, while the other on another aspect,
3. Normally there would a structure, and the group would stick with it.

I myself joined study groups and I enjoyed the sessions spaced out over the months, with weekly sessions. So the study group needs to be started early, since the start of the year.

Self Study

If you haven’t joined a study group, it is a bit too late to do so now. It is still possible to do the exam, by doing self study. The way I would recommend doing it is by revising all the set text supplied by IRSE. In general:

1. Do a quick read of all the articles; get a brief understanding of what you need to read, what the exams cover,
2. Read one or a few article, and time yourself,
3. Plan how much time you need to finish reading all the articles, with additional time to revise,
4. Pace yourself – i.e. if you have 30 days to read 24 articles, read one every day.
5. Don’t forget to register for the exam

Focus also on aspect that are foreign to your job. For example if your background is from Metro, mainline signalling would need require more attention. In my experience, the challenging topics are mainline conventional signalling (the red, amber, green aspect), ETCS and telecommunications.

Other than that, familiarize yourself with the software needed for the exam. A monitoring software need to be installed and IT issues might crop up.

Do register for the exam and good luck!

Thank you for reading.