Free Signaller memory grid practice — “the dots”
Applicants call this one “the dots”, and those who get it consistently name it the hardest part of the assessment. A sequence of positions lights up on a grid and you have to reproduce it in order — but between seeing it and recalling it, a second task interrupts you. That interference is the whole exercise: remembering the grid is easy right up until something else demands an answer. Our version runs the same structure, lengthens the sequence as you get them right, and lets you set how hard the interruption is.
Read the full memory grid guide →
Worth knowing: Reports differ on which grades get this. Applicants describe it on Grade 8 and Grade 9 applications, and at least one describes not getting it on a Grade 2 trainee application — though others say it appears on lower grades too. If you are applying for a trainee post, treat this section as worth an hour rather than as certain to appear.
Try it free
Hold the sequence through the interruption
Squares light up one after another. Then something else asks you a question. Then you tap the squares back in the order they lit up. Get it right and the sequence gets one longer; get it wrong and it gets one shorter, so after a few goes it settles on the length you can genuinely hold.
Unlock all 5 Signaller assessment sections
One payment unlocks every section of the Network Rail signaller online assessment — multi-tasking, concentration, job simulation, memory grid, behaviour questionnaire — with full question banks and unlimited mock tests. One-time payment, no subscription.
These are original practice exercises written to reflect the assessment format described by recent Network Rail signaller applicants and by Network Rail's own careers material. Network Rail does not publish the contents of its assessment, so treat the format as reported rather than official, and always follow the guidance sent with your own application. These are not the official exercises, and this site is not affiliated with or endorsed by Network Rail.