Toronto Transit Commission Assessment Tests, Hiring Process & Interviews Online Preparation – 2024

What Is the Toronto Transit Commission?

Established in 1921 the Toronto Transit Commission operates the public transportation services in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They operate 4 rapid transit lines, with 75 stations. There are 11 streetcars and 149 bus routes. They also operate Wheel-Trans, which provides transportation services to the disabled and elderly. They manage an average of 1.69 million passengers a week and are the third largest mass transit system in North America. TTC boasts over 12,000 employees and offers a wide variety of career opportunities, from fare inspectors, transit operators, and seasonal maintenance, just to name a few. They also offer summer positions to students through their Summer Student Program. The benefits they offer include:

• Health and dental plans
• Group life insurance
• Pension plan

What is Toronto Transit Commission’s Hiring Process?

Application

To begin the process, create a career profile on the TTC website. After your profile is created you can begin searching for jobs. When you find the position that suits your skill set you can upload your resume and apply. Uploading your resume will prefill some of the fields on the application form. After filling out the application and submitting, you can track the progress by clicking on the “Job Management” button.

Aptitude Tests

Job-seekers whose applications are deemed suitable will be called in for an information session. You will be given an explanation of the job and the way things work at TTC. During this session, you will be asked to take an online aptitude test. The Wonderlic Cognitive Ability Test is a psychometric test used to measure potential employees’ cognitive reasoning skills, and ability to adapt. The test is timed and you will have 12 minutes to complete 50 questions. Incorrect answers will be counted against your score, so accuracy is important. The Wonderlic test has questions that test your abilities in four areas:

• Logical Reasoning – This will measure your non-verbal skills, and test your ability to think logically. You will have to identify patterns, sequences, and spatial recognition to determine the rules within a data set and use all this to answer multiple-choice questions.
• Verbal Reasoning – For many of the positions with TTC, the ability to understand verbal or written instructions is extremely important. The verbal reasoning questions use synonym recognition, interpreting analogies, and proverb comparison to measure your verbal skills.
• Word Problems – Without using a calculator you will need to prove your skill at completing basic mathematics questions. You will need to solve percentages, ratios, and simple algebraic problems.
• General Knowledge – Some questions will focus on dates and general facts

Shadowing

Applicants for transit operator positions will be required to complete a shadowing assignment. You will be required to ride a variety of transit routes. While shadowing you will have to take several different routes using different modes of public transportation. Taking notes about your experience, and what you have noticed about the responsibilities of the transit operator you are shadowing, is extremely important. You will have to answer questions and turn in a report based on your observations.

Interview

Interviews will be behavior-based and for some jobs, touch on some technical questions. Applicants for transit operating positions will need to answer questions about their experiences on the shadowing assignment. Since many of the positions with TTC are heavily customer-facing, you will be questioned extensively on your customer service skills and experience. To give an insight into your personality and working style, answering questions using the STAR Method (situation, task, action, result) is best. Answering questions in this way gives the interviewer a more thorough understanding of your answers and can help you highlight relevant job experience.

How to Prepare for Toronto Transit Commission’s Assessments?

Psychometric tests can feel intimidating. Taking time to study so you are as prepared as possible will have a positive effect on your test outcome. The Wonderlic test is purposely designed to be difficult to complete. Focus on accuracy, rather than on completing the test. Incorrect answers will be counted against you, so if a question is giving you problems, move to the next one. If you feel your mathematics or reading skills are weak, take the time to practice and study to ensure you are mentally prepared for the test. Most importantly, do not get nervous because the test is timed. This test is also a way of measuring how well you perform under pressure. Preparation for this test is an important part of your application process since you will not be selected to move on without an adequate score. Studying will put you at an advantage, and help you make it through the hiring process and all the way to a job offer.