Not sure if I’m posting this in the right place but…
I’m interested in doing my Transport Manager CPC. Partly because I enjoy learning, partly because it’s something I’d consider as a career as I get older.
I like the idea of doing it remotely / at my own pace rather than in a classroom.
Anyone else have experience of doing this and / or can recommend a decent provider?
This is what I’m currently looking at but don’t know anything about the company.
Happy to take on board any advice!
Thanks
FatLarry68:
I like the idea of doing it remotely / at my own pace rather than in a classroom.
You might like the idea, but speaking as someone who has some involvement in teaching it, I would not recommend this. Caveat emptor!
There is so much more to be gained from being in a group, in person, bouncing thoughts, ideas, and problems off each other as you struggle to get to grips with it, not to mention the spot quizzes, practice exams and one-to-one critiquing the classroom offers.
Compare that to bouncing off the walls in your house, on your own, struggling to get to grips with the massive diversity of material.
For £128 you can get yourself a copy of the (only one worth having) course material, which has MCQ tests and case study tests for each of the 30 modules.
eostraining.com/product/roa … tudy-pack/
Thanks for the link! I take your point about classroom training… but my learning preference are well suited to studying alone!
So, despite what you said, you didn’t actually want any advice it seems.
Caveat emptor…
Here’s a typical comment from a TCMPC examiners report regarding pass rates; first for the case studies paper and second for the MCQ paper. As you can see more that half of all candidates across the country failed their case studies exam, and more than a third faild the multi choice.
"The PASS MARK for this examination was 32 and the PASS RATE was 45%
The PASS MARK for the multiple-choice question paper was 42 and the PASS RATE was 59%."
Just to give the other side…
It’s a very long time ago now, but I did my CPC remotely - in fact, I did it in the lorry while on deep sea containers. I’m also someone who learns better that way, and I passed it first time, so it can be done. Module 4, as it was then, the case study paper, was difficult to practice for, but there are plenty of past papers out there, and these days you have video resources online as well. The only thing I will say is that I was actually already running six trucks by then, real life experience that made many of the principles easier to grasp.
I gave myself three months to learn it all in, then procrastinated like a fool and ended up cramming it in one, having first removed any other source of entertainment from the truck…but I was younger then and that was when you could do Freight National as a standalone, so that’s one approach I wouldn’t recommend now! 
Yes, potential candidates may not be aware that the modern TMCPC includes the international component, whether it interests the candidate or not, and it’s been a fairly common cause for complaint in the classroom, but there are no options not to do it.
So do I take it there were four papers when you sat your exams? Was it three MCQs and a fourth Case Study?
“National” was two MCQs plus the case study back around the mid-2000s, with International as a separate option, now it’s down to two papers and is all-inclusive.
TMCPC is a regular part of my work, so I take great interest in reading people’s requests for assistance - usually on FB groups. There are A LOT of people these days who struggle with the MCQ, far, far more since OCR bowed out of delivering the qualification and SAEG took over that system. CILT’s Paper 1 appears to be more challenging than the older OCR R1, the simple MCQ style, probably because CILT’s Paper 1 can require short answers rather than simply ticking a box as OCR did.
CILT don’t offer any past versions of paper 1 or paper 2, OCR never offered any R1 MCQ past papers but were very forthcoming with past R2 Case Study papers. OCR’s detailed Examiner’s Reports (which CILT also do not subscribe to) were very helpful for those teaching the course by shedding light on precisely how they wanted the answers to be. TTBOMK these ERs were not available to candidates, just to the training providers.
Of course it doesn’t help that there’s a significant portion of candidates who, because it is a vocational qualification, just do not take things seriously enough. There are those who (initially) focus on doing the least amount possible, planning just to scrape a bare pass 
rather than knuckling down and giving it their all.
There are even more people who have no idea of how to study effectively, and even more who have no idea of how to revise effectively. The first mock exam under strict exam conditions tends to come as a massive wake up call to many candidates.
Zac_A:
TTBOMK .
Can’t you just say “I think”?
I genuinely can’t remember whether there were two or three MCQs, but I do know we were one of the first cohorts to have to do the dreaded case study, if that helps date it. I can also tell you I was living in a Series 3 Scania at the time, too!
Interesting to hear how it’s changed, mind you. I fear I was one of those people who just soaked facts up like a sponge, an ability neurological disease has since stolen from me - I was one of those kids who got good GCSE grades with minimal effort, but they could have been great if I’d only done some work in my final year at school.
stu675:
Zac_A:
TTBOMK .Can’t you just say “I think”?
Probably because those terms have substantially different meanings:
“I think” can mean all kinds of things, such as “Thats not a bridge strike, I think it’s just an interference fit”. Anyone can think anything they like, even when it is clearly completely hatstand.
Whereas TTBOMK, means: “I have knowledge, I am confident this is accurate, but I am allowing for the possibility that I may not necessarily have the most up to date or most accurate information.”
FatLarry68:
Not sure if I’m posting this in the right place but…I’m interested in doing my Transport Manager CPC. Partly because I enjoy learning, partly because it’s something I’d consider as a career as I get older.
I like the idea of doing it remotely / at my own pace rather than in a classroom.
Anyone else have experience of doing this and / or can recommend a decent provider?
This is what I’m currently looking at but don’t know anything about the company.
Happy to take on board any advice!
Thanks
I did my TMCPC with Enterprise Training online around 18 months ago and passed first time.
The first thing I’d say is its not really “at your leisure” because you’re working towards the exam date. So make sure you’re requesting an exam date far enough out to give you time to study.
There’s a few things that I found really useful about online - All the classes are recorded so if you didn’t understand something you can go back later and watch the class again. There’s lots of previous classes all grouped into subject areas taught by different people.You can watch them all if you want. I found one particular guy who’s teaching style I really understood so I watched his classes online and went into the live classes as well to ask questions for anything I didn’t understand or needed clarification - ferry hours was my Achilles heel!
They also have short animated videos to hammer home the really important stuff like drivers hours, 9/10 hour driving, ferry crossings, reduced breaks, split breaks, etc etc
The ‘live classes’ are just that. They’re live. You’re in a virtual room with lots of other people where you can see their faces and they can see you. We had guys doing European work, skip lorries, fridge work, traction work, pallet network multi-drop there was even a guy from Scotland that did radioactive work. It was lively and interesting and I made a couple of friends from it I still chat to. You’re not watching a blank screen or listening to a pre-recorded teacher. It’s live. You can ask questions or listen to other people ask questions. Be honest and say if you’re struggling in an area and the teacher and classmates will offer advice.
There’s lots of test modules online that you can try to see where you’re at. In the beginning I was getting fails but it shows you the areas you’re passing and the areas you’re failing so you know where to focus your study - no point just doing more Driver hours if you’re scoring 90% and you’re scoring 25% on the trip calculations.
I found it really convenient to watch a class while I was sat waiting to be loaded or at the end of the day.
You’ll get three massive booklets when you enroll. Looks pretty daunting at the beginning but they are life savers when you’re doing TMCPC for yourself because all the information is there. It’s a reference guide once you’ve passed.
I saw lots of people on my course who I knew were going to fail. They saw the letters ‘CPC’ and thought it was going to be like a Driver CPC course where you log on and watch telly for 7 hours and get a pass. TMCPC is NOT that! It takes work and study to pass.
Personally, I don’t think I would have been able to absorb that much information in a week of class room learning. I needed it to be like a Netflix series where I could jump in and out at my convenience while working and having a family.
In my experience online offered way more than a classroom ever could…and I didn’t have to leave the house.
I did my training online with NTP. It was fine, did what it said on the tin but I was self-motivated as I didn’t use the online support much, although they did respond in a timely manner when I did use it.
Had I known at the time you could have just bought the study material, I may also have taken this route in hindsight.
Training - it’s very much horses for courses.
I bought a home study National TM CPC course pack in 2006 and completed it all in a few months, sitting the exams at a local college that I only attended on exam days. I failed one of the multiple choice exams first go and passed it second time around in next exam diet.
Not sure if it is still possible to do it like this but I would recommend this way for saving money and also studying at your own convenience, but only to a person who can study on their own. Class room would be a benefit for some but not necessarily for all.
Cheers.
There’s been lots of changes since 2006, only one MCQ exam, not two, and the Case Studies exams covers International, whether or not that is of interest, this makes the syllabus broader. The big issue is that there’s A LOT of extra knowledge taught on a course that can’t be gained from just the study material alone, such as how to study effectively, how to revise efficiently, and how to conduct yourself and manage your time during the exams.
Zac_A:
There’s been lots of changes since 2006, only one MCQ exam, not two, and the Case Studies exams covers International, whether or not that is of interest, this makes the syllabus broader. The big issue is that there’s A LOT of extra knowledge taught on a course that can’t be gained from just the study material alone, such as how to study effectively, how to revise efficiently, and how to conduct yourself and manage your time during the exams.
Understood.
The merging of the National & International TM CPC syllabi was a natural move and makes sense. However, no offence intended but nothing you have said would suggest that my original comments do not still stand; it’s still horses for courses with respect to abilities & learning styles and a person who can study on their own could still do it without a face-to-face course, should they want to. As I stated, anyone looking at that option seriously would need to be able to study effectively ‘on their own’ or they’d be better doing a f2f course, as you seem to be very strongly suggesting, to the exclusion of any other method.
At the time I completed mine I did not think I would have gained any additional benefit from taking a f2f course…I have not changed my mind on that in the intervening 16 years. However, everyone is different.
Best of luck for anyone undertaking it.
Cheers.
I did the National and International TMCPCs in classrooms back in 1997 when all the exams were multi-choice.
IIRC, the National was 2 multi-choice exams, which I did with Chemfreight in Runcorn, but there was no case study.
Chemfreight cancelled the International on me, so I did that in Warrington with Friendberry, again there was no case study.
I did both courses and exams in the same exam rotation, so I have National and International CPC certs from RSA, who were the awarding body before OCR.
I went on to teach TM CPC 2006-2009 for various providers, and I’ll just add that I generally agree with Zac’s comments in this topic.
It depends how you feel comfortable way of learning.
I done a intense 1 week course with the RHA and passed both modules first time.
All I done was revised the multiple choice questions so I knew them parrot fashion.
Then the written test all the answers are in the books. It’s an open book exam. You can’t remember the whole transport bibles. You need to know where to find the answers or information in the books and work out any formula and calculations or anything you need.
If you have done any higher studies as a adult and can learn information your self you should be ok mate.
FatLarry68:
Not sure if I’m posting this in the right place but…I’m interested in doing my Transport Manager CPC. Partly because I enjoy learning, partly because it’s something I’d consider as a career as I get older.
I like the idea of doing it remotely / at my own pace rather than in a classroom.
Anyone else have experience of doing this and / or can recommend a decent provider?
This is what I’m currently looking at but don’t know anything about the company.
Happy to take on board any advice!
Thanks
My mate and I did ours at Friendberry in 2017. They are doing a hybrid thing, it’s a virtual classroom over the internet (so you have the benefit of interacting with the instructor and other attendees) and then plenty of time around the course to study for yourself and raise questions if needed. They also include a couple of mock exam papers to get used to the exam situation. Worth chatting to them to suss them out.