Could you introduce your respective roles at SNCF Réseau?

Julie: "I lead the Maintenance & Works Instructional Engineering Department, managing a team of around ten instructional designers. We design training programs for operators, technicians, and managers working on railway infrastructure, including tracks, switches, signaling systems, and overhead line equipment. These programs are then delivered across our three training campuses in Nanterre, Bègles, and Saint-Priest."

Jérôme: "I am an instructional designer specializing in Railway Operations and serve as the Experquiz coordinator for all Railway Operations trainers at SNCF Réseau. I support our training teams in designing assessments and continuously improving our instructional practices. Today, nearly 80 trainers use Experquiz within this specialization."

What were your main objectives when you started using Experquiz?

Julie: "Our primary goal was to modernize our assessment process. At the time, assessments were created in Microsoft Word, making it difficult to keep exam content confidential and requiring a significant amount of manual grading. We were looking for a solution that would secure our assessments while simplifying the work of our trainers."

Jérôme: "We also wanted to rethink the way we assessed knowledge. Our exams relied heavily on written responses and were becoming less suited to the profiles of today's learners. After seeing how Experquiz was being used in other SNCF Réseau departments, we realized it could help us modernize our assessment practices while making life easier for our training teams."

How do you use Experquiz today within your training programs?

Julie: "All of our assessments are designed centrally and then deployed across our three campuses. This organization ensures that every learner is assessed according to the same standards, regardless of where they are trained."

Jérôme: "We use Experquiz both for placement tests and for the theoretical certification exams taken at the end of training. Practical assessments are still conducted on our professional simulators.

For our theoretical assessments, we rely on an extensive question bank. The platform automatically selects different questions for each exam session, significantly improving exam security and reducing the risk of question leakage.

Over time, we continuously expand this question bank. This enables us to create constantly renewed assessments without having to rebuild exams from scratch while maintaining a consistent level of quality and difficulty."

What has changed the most in the way you assess competencies?

Jérôme: "The biggest change is how we design our assessments. Previously, learners were often expected to reproduce regulatory texts from memory. With Experquiz, we've introduced new question formats that allow us to assess understanding rather than simply written expression.

For many trainees, this is a real improvement because they can demonstrate that they have mastered the required knowledge without being disadvantaged by difficulties with writing.

These new question formats also allow us to diversify assessment scenarios. Depending on the competency being evaluated, learners may be asked to identify an element on a diagram, arrange steps in the correct order, or complete a text."

Julie: "The benefits are equally significant for our training teams. Grading is immediate, and both our instructional designers and campus teams quickly recognized the advantages of this new way of working, which greatly facilitated adoption of the platform."

How did your training teams adopt Experquiz?

Julie: "The adoption process was quite natural. It started within our instructional design team, who immediately recognized the platform's value. We then worked closely with trainers across our three campuses, and they quickly appreciated the benefits as well, particularly because they no longer had to spend an entire day grading papers after each training session."

You have also worked with Experquiz to adapt the platform to your operational needs. Could you share a few examples?

Jérôme: "Over the years, we have progressively adapted the platform so that it better fits the way we operate.

Initially, all trainers could access data from every campus. Together with the Experquiz team, we introduced role-based access so that each trainer now only sees assessments and learners from their own campus. This improves usability while also helping us meet GDPR requirements.

We have also refined user permissions so that everyone only has access to the features they actually need. These improvements have been developed collaboratively with the Experquiz team as our needs have evolved. It has truly been a co-development process."

How would you describe your collaboration with the Experquiz team?

Julie: "We've always been able to rely on a responsive and supportive team. Whenever we had a question or a specific need, we received a quick answer. That responsiveness genuinely makes our day-to-day work easier."

Jérôme: "What I particularly appreciate is the customer-oriented mindset of the Experquiz team. Whenever we encounter an issue, we know we can count on them.

Even when an incident originated from their hosting provider rather than the platform itself, they immediately took ownership of the situation and supported us until it was fully resolved.

Over the years, we've built a strong relationship based on trust. Whenever we have a new requirement, we know we can discuss it with their team and move things forward together."

How do you see your use of Experquiz evolving in the coming years?

Jérôme: "Today, Experquiz has become an essential part of our training ecosystem. We started with a few training programs before gradually extending its use to other specialties, and that momentum will continue.

Going forward, we'd like to further develop practice and self-assessment activities and take even greater advantage of the platform's capabilities."

Julie: "Beyond the platform itself, what we value most is the quality of our relationship with the Experquiz team. It's a long-term partnership built on attentive listening, mutual trust, and a shared commitment to continuously improving our training practices."