The MTA (Metropolitan Transportation Authority) operates in Greater New York, providing local and express bus, subway, and commuter rail service. It also oversees the functioning of New York City’s toll bridges and tunnels. The MTA is a desirable employer, and competition for jobs is fierce.
To become an MTA bus driver, candidates must complete the BOSS Exam and the MTA Multiple-Choice Exam. A Bus Operator Selection System (BOSS) Exam assesses personality, while a Multiple-Choice Exam tests cognitive ability.
Here is what candidates need to know about these MTA exams and how to ace them:
Preparation Is Necessary For Success
There is nothing worse than walking into an exam situation with no knowledge of what to expect. The odds of blanking out or panicking are far higher when you are unprepared. To give yourself an edge, try the MTA bus operator exam practice test free so that you are forearmed and familiar with the assessment before you write it.
Anyone planning to go into this exam and ‘wing it’ might be in for a nasty surprise as fewer than a third of those who take it pass. Knowing this and understanding the time constraints and stress you will be working under during the exam should indicate how necessary test preparation is for success.
The BOSS Exam – What You Should Know
The BOSS Exam gives the MTA a personality profile that determines your eligibility to work in a job that bears as much stress and responsibility as a bus driver. This exam contains 75 questions, and candidates have 75 minutes in which to complete them.
Each question consists of a statement that you must rate according to whether you strongly disagree or strongly agree with it. Considering this test’s time constraints, you have one minute per question to select and indicate an answer. Some statements are duplicates, although they are phrased differently. This is deliberate as examiners want to see how consistently you answer them.
Each statement aims to establish that you are dependable, understand and adhere to safety regulations, and remain courteous and calm regardless of how challenging the circumstances. The questions are sophisticated, designed to get to grips with who you really are.
Preparing For BOSS
As mentioned before, your best chance lies in practicing taking personality tests. It relieves much of the stress of being placed in an exam situation where you are observed. When you are prepared, your focus improves.
You cannot change your personality, nor should you try to, as the exam will reveal this. However, while people have one personality, they adopt different personas depending on where they are. Focus on your professional persona when taking a BOSS test. That is the part of you that is responsible, even-tempered, and organized. Your home persona might not be identical, but this does not mean you conduct yourself like that all the time.
Contrary to popular belief, there are right and wrong answers in personality tests, as they are unlike questionnaires. This test determines if your suitability for a position, and you will either pass or fail it.
MTA Multiple-Choice Exam
This test focuses on cognitive ability, which is your ability to learn new things, solve problems, and adapt to differing environments. The passing score is 70%. It is structured on ten principles. They are written comprehension, written expression, inductive reasoning, deductive reasoning, information ordering, problem sensitivity, spatial orientation, visualization, mechanical aptitude, and short-term memorization.
This test is timed, and your responses should be quick and accurate. Time-saving techniques, such as using practice tests, are vital for completing it within the allocated time and scoring a passing grade.
Other Preparations For The MTA Multiple-Choice Exam
Brush up on your reading techniques by checking that you can reword a paragraph while maintaining its meaning. Brush up on your physics knowledge for the mechanical aptitude section. Play memory games as they help with short-term memorization, information ordering, and visualization.
During this exam, manage your time efficiently to ensure that you do not waste too much by spending it on one question when so many others await you. Focus on questions that are easier for you as they appeal to your strengths. Leave the others for afterward when you can devote some more time to them.
