FlyerTalk Forums - Majority of TSA workers at BWI, Dulles fail recertification test

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- - Majority of TSA workers at BWI, Dulles fail recertification test (https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/practical-travel-safety-security-issues/968215-majority-tsa-workers-bwi-dulles-fail-recertification-test.html)

Those numbers are unacceptable. Travelers at BWI and Dulles are lucky that the screeners are going to be retrained, well maybe not that lucky. The x-ray tests are going to be another story though, you fail you're fired.

Quote:

Originally Posted by RadioGirl (Post 11966055)

Half of the screeners at BWI passed??? :eek:

Unfortunately, that was my first thought. This thread would have been a lot more surprising if it had been "80% at each airport passed."

Mike

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spiff (Post 11961829)

"TSA employees believe that many of them are being intentionally failed on the Practical Skills Evaluation recertification test so that the agency doesn’t have to give them raises and bonuses. A letter send by the American Federation of Government Employees to Homeland Security Sec. Janet Napolitano and House Homeland Security chairman Bennie Thompson calls for a nationwide investigation into test standards and the training of TSA screeners."

Awwww! The test is SO hard!!! :(

Fire them!!! :mad:

It's all a joke.

If people failed, they aren't even told or shown what they missed. Simply that they failed. There is no repercussion for it, because they retest you a few days later, and if you pass that, you just take a hit on your PASS score for the year.
Of course, you can go as slow as you want in the test as well, so you can take 30 minutes in a pat-down and no one will bat an eyelash.

No matter how you slice it is all a joke.

Their job is repetitive, same as robotic. If they talk long enough in their sleep, the person lying next to them should be able to figure out that job and pass with flying colors.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Coralreef Lover (Post 11976685)

Their job is repetitive, same as robotic. If they talk long enough in their sleep, the person lying next to them should be able to figure out that job and pass with flying colors.

That is why I am suspicious of the 50% fail rate.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spiff (Post 11961829)

Time to go back to the local Wendy's at shift change and recruit new "officers".

--PP

Quote:

Originally Posted by N965VJ (Post 11967538)

Interesting. So the labor union that’s trying to organize the TSOs, and claiming the tests are unfair, just basically wants to lower the standards.

That's what labor unions DO, dude! The goal is to make as much as possible for as little as possible for as long as possible. They exist to lower standards, protect incompetent workers and get MONEY for themselves.

Welcome to organized labor.

--PP

It's all so mind-numbingly ridiculous.

On one hand, the TSA wants to put on this face to the public that they're this organization that wants to eliminate every single possibility of something passing by the checkpoint.

Yet the people being paid to seek out such prohibited items, whether it's on a person or in a bag get multiple chances to make up for their errors (including GAO tests).

Does the TSA realize you don't get "do-overs" or "remedial testing" in real-life?

Quote:

Originally Posted by LessO2 (Post 11977411)

Does the TSA realize you don't get "do-overs" or "remedial testing" in real-life?

Well said. ^

Quote:

Originally Posted by Good Guy (Post 11977526)

Well said. ^

Unfortunately, though, Kippie thought it was ok that TSA's failure rate was so high because those tests are hard. Welcome to the real world, Kippie.

Quote:

Originally Posted by LessO2 (Post 11977411)

Does the TSA realize you don't get "do-overs" or "remedial testing" in real-life?

y-y-y-y-you don't? ;)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bart (Post 11966379)

I encounter this with TSOs a lot. There are two measures for thoroughness. One is a matter of judgment (i.e. did the TSO apply sufficient pressure to theoretically detect a hidden item?). The other is pretty straightforward (i.e. did the TSO find the hidden knife?).

It is not unusual for a TSO who found, say a hidden knife for instance, to still fail the evaluation. If they found the knife strapped to the upper torso but never bothered to pat down the legs, for example, then the overall performance is a failure.

The evaluation process isn't perfect. There is room for improvement, and I'm putting together a set of recommendations (may be pissing in the wind with that, but I think I've established a degree of credibility within TSA). However, it is a fair process. TSOs fail because they did not follow procedures correctly. I have absolutely no uncertainty, doubts, second-thoughts or question about the officers I failed. Conversely, I have no uncertainty, doubts, second-thoughts or question about the officers I passed.

It is what it is.

How about including a video recording of the of the whole Recert test scenarios? That way Tso's can at least see what their doing is in fact correct/in-correct according to the SOP.

Also when it comes to the IMA's' there should be (through sheer common sense) a report of the assessment shown to TSo's, That way if they fail they can at least see what areas to improve on.

Just food for thought