Reading Comprehension and Written Communication
What this domain tests
Reading Comprehension and Written Communication tests your ability to read rules, bulletins, and procedures accurately and to write a factual incident report. The exam looks for conditions, exceptions, and sequence, not just general meaning.
Reading for rule application
- Identify the who, what, when, where, and exception in every paragraph.
- Watch for unless, except, only, notwithstanding, and when authorized. These words change the action.
- In a procedure, note the order: what must happen before the next step, and what must be confirmed.
- In a bulletin, note the effective date, affected lines, and whether it supersedes a prior instruction.
Writing a clear report
Use plain, chronological facts: time, location, train number, what you observed, what you did, who you notified, and the outcome. Avoid speculation about fault or blame. Write so a supervisor who was not there can reconstruct the event.
Worked example
A bulletin says: Effective Monday, northbound trains must operate at restricted speed between 14 St and 23 St unless the track supervisor grants permission. A question asks what you do Monday. The correct reading is not always restricted speed and not normal speed; it is restricted speed in that segment unless the track supervisor grants permission.
Traps
Skipping the exception; treating a bulletin example as the rule; writing that the door was broken instead of describing the indicator failure; and leaving out the time or location.