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Amtrak Mechanical Reasoning Test, Personality Assessment, Hiring Process & Interviews Online Preparation – 2025

Aptitude Written Exams

What Is Amtrak?

Amtrak is a passenger railroad service. It provides service in the United States and 9 Canadian cities. They operate over 300 trains a day, providing service to 46 states and 500 destinations. More than 87,000 people a day make use of Amtrak’s services, which range from travel between cities and medium distance to long-distance travel.

Amtrak employs 20,000 people, in a variety of career fields. Engineering, operations, mechanics, conductors, and customer service are just a few of the opportunities available with Amtrak. Amtrak offers their employees competitive benefits that include:

  • Medical and Dental Coverage
  • Retirement Plans
  • Flexible Spending Accounts
  • Education Assistance

 

What Is Amtrak’s Hiring Process?

Application

The Amtrak application process takes place entirely online. Make a profile on the Amtrak career page so you can upload your resume, and save jobs you may be interested in. Amtrak will disregard resumes that are not submitted as part of an online application. You can search for jobs by title, location, or by using keywords. You will receive verification by email that your application has been received. You will be contacted again if you are chosen to move on in the hiring process.

 

Amtrak’s Psychometric Tests

If your application matches the qualifications, you will be contacted to complete the Amtrak assessment tests. These tests are used to short-list the applicants and determine which job-seekers seem to have the best chance of long-term success and should be interviewed.

 

Amtrak Culture Fit Assessment

The Culture Fit is a behavior profile developed specifically for Amtrak. This is the test that the majority of Amtrak applicants will be required to take. It acts as a combination of situational judgment test and personality survey.  It uses multiple-choice questions to determine your work style, drivers, and key personality traits. This is a useful tool in identifying which candidates have the right set of behaviors and personality traits to have a successful career with Amtrak.

 

Amtrak Mechanical Aptitude Test

Mechanical reasoning aptitude tests are used to test the skills of applicants for technical positions. This test is used to evaluate your understanding of basic mechanical principles and simple physics. You do not have to have any special training to do well on this test. You do need to have an understanding of physics concepts such as force, velocity, and fluid dynamics. Mechanical aptitude tests will also question your knowledge of optics, electricity, thermodynamics, wheels, gears, and pulleys. You will not need to use math to answer any of the questions, and they will all be multiple choice. The test will use diagrams, and you will either need to predict what will happen next in the image based on the described action or determine how something works.

 

Interviews

If your scores on the assessment tests are high enough you will be called to schedule an interview. Amtrak is transitioning to virtual interviews where possible, so be prepared if you are asked to participate in a virtual interview. Your interview may be a panel interview with 3 members of management. Behavior, skills, and safety questions are frequent topics brought up in Amtrak interviews.

 

How to Prepare for Amtrak’s Mechanical Reasoning Test?

You will not move forward in the hiring process without doing well on the assessment test. To make sure you keep moving toward the job you want, refresh your skills, and study any concepts you feel you may be weak in. Get out your old textbooks, and review subjects like force, momentum, levers, and pulleys. Study simple mechanical diagrams and make sure you are comfortable interpreting how things work. Find a way to quiz yourself on the mechanical concepts you think will be most important to the job you are testing for. As you get more comfortable with your practice, start timing yourself when you do a practice quiz, that will help you get used to working under pressure and testing while timed.