I am looking into getting my company to put me through the Operators CPC later this year.
How hard is it? Admittedly it will be the Passenger one as i am currently working for a coach company but i doubt it is that different?
I am a fairly intelligent chap, i pick things up pretty quick, but am a little worried about returning to studying.
Is it best to do a home based course or push for an intensive course at a training provider?
It’s a RSA level 3 exam which means it’s equivalent to an A level. I took it under the old format but I believe the new format is no easier or harder.
As for home study or intensive, it’s up to you. Home study is cheaper but I did the course because I wouldn’t have had the self discipline to do home study.
Here’s the Case Study from the March 2012 Passenger Transport exam.
pdf.ocr.org.uk/download/pp_12/oc … p2_mar.pdf?
And here’s the question paper. This will give you a fair idea of what they want.
pdf.ocr.org.uk/download/pp_12/oc … p2_mar.pdf?
There will also be a multiple choice exam.
Here’s the Examiner’s Report on the March 2012 exam.
pdf.ocr.org.uk/download/rep_12/o … ep_mar.pdf?
Read all three of these and you will see where people go wrong, lose marks etc.
I can only talk about the LGV CPC basically you have a multipule choice and case study exam to pass. The old system used to publish the case study in advance but not the questions. Now they do not do this but the case study is an open book exam but the multi choice is not.
If it is the same you have to do national and international now. I would always say do the class and not home study as you have others to bounce off and help you through.
Is it hard all depends on what you are like at exams the biggest bit of help i can give you is RTFQ Read The F@#%&/g Question.
Look out for words like list. Explain describe a lot of people fail as they write to much and run out of time
Good luck mate.
Harry Monk:
Here’s the Case Study from the March 2012 Passenger Transport exam.pdf.ocr.org.uk/download/pp_12/oc … p2_mar.pdf?
And here’s the question paper. This will give you a fair idea of what they want.
pdf.ocr.org.uk/download/pp_12/oc … p2_mar.pdf?
There will also be a multiple choice exam.
Here’s the Examiner’s Report on the March 2012 exam.
pdf.ocr.org.uk/download/rep_12/o … ep_mar.pdf?
Read all three of these and you will see where people go wrong, lose marks etc.
Thanks Harry, will have a read through.
Having done both my National and International through “study” weeks I would definatly recommend this method - you will get bogged down doing it home study, and you will probably revise the wrong stuff - I tried to do the National first by home study - and after a month I had not really progressed as I needed someone to drive me in the right direction,
Check out local knowledge about the places that offer these intensive courses - some are Cr@p and others are really good - but you do have to put the work in.
Good luck
Make no mistake, it is an enormous amount to take in, most people will agree it’s mind-splitting. I did enjoy doing it though, and made some useful contacts when I did.
DonutUK:
I am looking into getting my company to put me through the Operators CPC… it will be the Passenger one as i am currently working for a coach company but i doubt it is that different?
I’ve got both the freight and the passenger CPCs and was surprised at how different they were.
Obviously the principles are the same i.e. keeping the vehicles roadworthy, adhering to drivers hours, etc. but there are surprising differences.
I found I had to unlearn a lot of the freight in order to do the passenger.
Interestingly, there seems to be tighter regulations to transport sheep than passengers.
How scary is that?! 
Good luck with your studies! 
Edited for spelling