Taking the plunge

[fil]

Hi,
I have decided the best way for me to learn the 'black art' of railway signalling is to set myself a target of passing the Irse exams (namely 2,3 in 2011).
I'm not interested in just the decoration of the exam on my CV. (no disrespect intended). I want to have goals to strive towards for my continuing development, and to test my understanding of the industry.
I have set a revision target of approximate 10 hr per week, but currently averaging about 5hrs due to work ect. (12hr days!)
I've worked as a testing engineer for 8 years, I so I believe I have a good foundation to work from.
Feel free to let me know if I am in the right frame of mind and position to be attempting the exams.
Cheers ppl,
Fil

[PJW]

Hi,
I have decided the best way for me to learn the 'black art' of railway signalling is to set myself a target of passing the Irse exams (namely 2,3 in 2011).
I'm not interested in just the decoration of the exam on my CV. (no disrespect intended). I want to have goals to strive towards for my continuing development, and to test my understanding of the industry.
I have set a revision target of approximate 10 hr per week, but currently averaging about 5hrs due to work ect. (12hr days!)
I've worked as a testing engineer for 8 years, I so I believe I have a good foundation to work from.
Feel free to let me know if I am in the right frame of mind and position to be attempting the exams.
Cheers ppl,
Fil

Seems sensible to me; to be honest that is the true purpose of the exams so exactly right. There will be peaks and troughs and obviouly the time you need depends on where you already are and how fast you are but even 5 hours a week is quite a level of committment that ought to bring useful progress. The trick is to gain as much as you can to help for exam from whatever you are being to paid to do anyway whilst at work!

Depending on what you actually do testingwise I'd have thought mod 5 more close to your normal activities, but no harm leaving that one until another year and couple it with mod1.

You say you are Derbyshire based, but probably beiing a tester you'll find yourself working everywhere else. Assume that you are aware of the Study Group being run at Delta Rail, in case you are ever able to get along to it.

We haven't really thought about further weekend exam events beyond the one we are doing for mod1 in London next month, but I'd hope we'd manage a mod2/mod3 session as we have in previous years.