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Driving Skills to pass the test

If you have a driving test booked, and are praying or hoping to get lucky on the day, then you are not ready or prepared to be taking the driving test.



Many candidates have failed the driving test due to external factors which they had no control over, and if only that pedestrian had not stepped into the road at that time or that other car was not driving so fast, I would have been able to pass! The truth is that you have not gained enough experience, as no matter what happens during the 30 minutes or so that the driving examination lasts, if you are at the test standard, you should be able to deal with it safely!

Part of your job on the day is to convince the DSA driving examiner that you possess the right skills to be given the right to drive on the UK roads without supervision no matter the external factors. Remember the hazard perception portion of the theory test? The purpose of those videos was to test your anticipation and planning skills, so because you've passed the theory test, doesn't mean you have to forget all the information you gained from the hazard perception videos.

Observations on the Driving test

It is very important during your driving test, that you concentrate fully on the task at hand, if you just made a mistake, you need to forget about it, and deal with what is happening at present, that mistake might just be a driving error, and not enough to have failed you, but if your mind is still thinking about it, then your confidence could be knocked, but more importantly, you are not fully concentrating on the remaining of your driving test, and this could lead to a serious driving error!

Driving test manouvers
Don't fail your driving test because you don't take effective observations before starting or during your manouvers! There is no reason you should be in a hurry during your manouver. If it is not safe, wait until the danger passes! If you've had enough practice, you would have done your manouvers under various conditions of traffic, and thus should know how to deal with different situations, when you should STOP, when it is okay to continue, and when you should get out of the way of other road users.

Make sure you've had enough practise before going for the driving test, and that your experience is varied enough to deal with whatever comes your way, while you might not be able to control what other road users do, you surely CAN control the way you react to them.

So don't rely on luck to pass your driving test, trust in your skills.

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Driving directions on the Test

You need to be familiar with the way the driving examiner will give you directions in the car while you are are on the driving test. A few pupils have failed their tests because they either did not understand the driving directions or have misunderstood them and failed to clarify these.



It is important while on your driving test that you know which way the examiner wants you to go when you are given directions, if in doubt you should ask for the driving direction instructions to be repeated. You will not fail the driving test for going in the wrong direction, but a lot of test candidates fail either because they don't warn other road users of their intentions, or give misleading signals to other road users.

Examiner Driving Directions

The first driving instruction you will be given once you get in the car and are ready to drive off is 'Follow the road ahead unless road signs indicate otherwise, if I need you to turn I will let you know in good time' This is a very important instruction to remember, as there will be times while on the test when the examiner might not give you any driving directions because there might be signs on the road or up ahead directing you which way to go, a typical example is a compulsory left or right turn at the end of the road. A lot of pupils fail to check their mirrors and indicate at these junctions because the examiner didn't give the driver directions! You MUST ALWAYS indicate at a junction.

The other driving directions you might be given are in respect of roundabouts, at mini roundabouts the directions are usually at the roundabout follow the road ahead, turn right or turn left. On the other hand if it is a major roundabout, the examiner might mention the exit you need to come of at: 'At the roundabout turn right it's the 3rd exit signposted Barnet'. Don't forget that traffic lights take priority over roundabout rules when in operation, and you need to stop at the solid stop line, not the broken give way markings.

Sometimes the examiner's might also give you an idea of the distance to the junction: 'In half a mile we will be turning right at the roundabout'

If you have a driving instructor (ADI or PDI), then you should be familiar with these driving directions which would have been used while navigation around town during your driving.

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Learning to drive without ADI or PDI

Currently there is no DSA requirements for any Driving Test candidates to have learnt to drive or taken a set number of driving lessons with a registered driving instructor (ADI or PDI), therefore it is possible to take the driving test and pass without using the services of a professional instructor or driving school, as you don't need an instructors ADI number to book the driving test. However in my opinion, the chances of passing the current DSA practical driving test without having driving lessons with an ADI are slim, and you WILL NOT pass first time without professional help.

Reasons you need a Driving Instructor to pass the DSA Test

1. Outdated information. Anyone teaching you to drive legally must have held their driving licence for a minimum of 3 years, this means that their knowledge is at least 3 years old, and with the DSA constantly revising the standards for the driving test, only Driving Instructors or DSA examiners will have the full knowledge of what the current DSA requirements are. Just this year 2008, there have been 2 changes to the Driving test, the theory test questions were increased to 50, and the Show Me Tell Me basic maintenance questions at the beginning of the practical part where amended, with a few more questions added.

2. Bad habits. Many drivers pick up bad habits over their driving career, and they unknowingly pass these on to the people they teach to drive. Many of these habits affect the safety of either the car or other road users, and are potential failling points on the driving test.

3. Ability to teach. Just because you know how to drive a car, doesn't meant you have the ability to teach someone else to do so! More importantly would you be able to teach someone to drive according to the DSA standard? Will your current teacher pass the driving test if they sat for it today? If not why are they teaching you to drive?

Private Practice for driving test

There is a big difference between having a supervising driver with you while you have some private practice of the tasks you have learnt during driving lessons with an ADI or PDI and privately being tutored by a parent or family friend, and you should make sure that you only follow the advice your instructor has given you, and not that of a supervising driver when you carry out your private practice for the driving test.

I know there might be financial reasons for many people not learning to drive with an instructor, but for you to have a real chance of passing the test, you need the correct knowledge and skills and the best person to give that to you is a registered, approved DSA driving instructor (ADI or PDI).

Don't play driving test games, gambling on luck to get you through, use a driving instructor.

If you are in the UK, you might be interested in Focus Media's Driving Test simulator for the PC, which has a virtual driving test simulator.



Note: If you would like to use a honest, patient and experienced driving instructor to help you prepare for your test in the NW London area, then give me a call on 07956233032. While I can't guarantee that you will pass, I will give you the best driver training at affordable rates (£23 per hour), passing on all my years of experience and local knowledge to give you the best chance of passing, with everything recorded on DVD free if you want, so you can revise over and over again. Please note I only offer manual driving lessons.

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Novelty Driving Licences

I'm not sure why a learner driver should be looking for a fake provisional licence, but if you are looking for a fake full driving licence, well there are sites out there offering what are supposed to be Novelty UK driving licences, and from some reports on some forums, these fake licences are quite good replicas of the real thing.

Can I just warn you now that it is a criminal offence to drive a car in the UK without a valid driving licence, and if you are thinking of passing off these fake novelity licences as the real thing, the relevant authorities are aware of them, and know what to look for on these fake documents.

There are genuine people out there who just want these novelty licences for nostalgia reasons, if however you are a learner driver who can't be bothered to put in the effort to pass the driving test and get a proper and valid document for driving cars, then sooner than later you will be caught.

You can not also use these fake driving licences for identification purposes or to impersonate another individual.

Stop looking for fake uk driving licences, pass the driving test and get the real McCoy.

I can offer you affordable manual driving lessons in the Mill Hill or Hendon Test Centre areas, and get you on the way to acquiring your full UK driving licence, so call me on 07956233032



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DSA informs DVLA of illegal plates on cars for driving test

Having illegal number plates on a car presented for the driving test will not cause the DSA examiner to terminate the test, but the details of the car and the pupil will be passed onto the DVLA.

Illegal number plates are those that do not conform to the DVLA standard, and are usually cherished private number plates that have been made to look like the car owners name or a popular word.

Also note that the police can stop a driver at anytime if the number plates are illegal or there is anything about the car that does not conform to the road traffic act.

Make sure your car is road worthy and not carrying illegal number plates when presenting yourself for the driving test.

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Own car on driving test

If you are using your own private car on the driving test, there are currently a few cars that the DSA require supplementary documentation for before they can be used for a test.

The following cars are among the most recent models that the DSA will not allow on the driving test without a dealer certificate that the safety issue has been rectified:

Toyota Yaris with specific VIN numbers

Renault Clio II and Renault Campus

Vauxhall Corsa D Model

Peugeot 206

The DSA also require additional information if a secondary speedometer has been fitted by the ADI or PDI unless they are on Vauxhall Corsa or Seat Ibiza models.

For full details of these safety requirements, visit the DSA website before using your private car on the driving test

DSA Cancelled Driving Test

If you turn up for a Driving Test and are informed that the test has been cancelled due to unavailability of a DSA examiner, did you know that you could claim up to 2 hours of vehicle hire expenses (based on your driving instructors hourly lesson rate) and up to a half day's wages if you had to take unpaid leave to attend the driving test?



While there is no statutory requirement for the DSA to reimburse learner driver's out of pocket expenses, they do refund the expenses mentioned above if a driving test has been cancelled at short notice for reasons other than short notice.

The above DSA driving test cancelation compensation policy does not apply to tests cancelled if the pupil is more than 5 minutes late for an appointment, or if the test is terminated due to defects on a private car (or instructors) presented for the driving examination.

Check with the DSA staff at the time of cancellation for a form and any documentation required for these late notice driving test compensation claims.

Another Driving Test Tip

How many driving lessons before test?

What to Expect during the Driving Test

A lot of learner drivers preparing for the driving test seem to think that there are some kind of special driving test secrets that they need to know in order to please the DSA examiner and thus pass the UK practical car assessment, or that what goes on in the car during the driving test is something they haven't done before. I'm going to use this article to go through exactly what happens during the 40 minutes of the DSA car driving test.

It is a good idea to arrive at the test centre about 10 minutes before your appointment time, reverse into a parking bay if the centre has them, and try and get yourself relaxed either in your car or in the waiting room. It is natural to be nervous, but don't allow the nerves to get the better part of you.

At the appointed time, the DSA examiners will come into the waiting room, call your name out, and check your driving licence or identification documents to make sure they are in order. You will be asked to sign an insurance declaration to say the vehicle you are presenting for the driving test is properly insured and that you are eligible to take the test by virtue of your residency in the country. Once this is complete, the examiner will ask you to lead the way to your car. Before you get to the car, the DSA driving test examiner will stop you and ask you to read a number plate of a car at the required distance of 20.5 meters for the old-style number plates, or 20 metres for the new-style number plates. The new style number plates were first issued on 1st September, 2001 and are easily identifiable because they start with two letters ie UK51 ADI.

If you fail this test, then you will not be allowed to get into the car for the practical bit of the driving test (you will be asked twice to read the number plates, then the driving test examiner will actually use a tape to measure the distance before terminating the test).

If you pass the eye test, you will go to your car and the examiner will then ask you the two basic car maintenance show me tell me questions. This may or may not include questions that would require you to open the car bonnet.

The driving examiner will ask you to get into the car while he takes details of the car being used for the driving test, if you are using your private car on the driving test, make sure it meets all the DSA requirements, as I have heard of and seen tests being terminated because cars being presented for the test were faulty in one way or the other.

The practical part of the Driving Test

If your car is roadworthy, then the driving examiner will get into the car, give you a brief idea of what is going to happen during the practical part of the driving test, including if you might be asked to do the emergency stop.

During the practical part of the driving test which will last between 30-35 minutes you will be taken on a route that was pre-chosen before the driving examiner met you, and will cover a wide variety of roads and driving conditions to demonstrate that you can handle a car safely and carry out all the pre-set exercises. Out of the four pre-set exercises(turn in the road, reverse parking, bay parking, reverse round a corner), you will usually be asked to carry out 2 or more, and you might also be asked to perform the emergency stop.

As long as you have prepared properly for the driving test, you might start off a little nervous, but as you start to do what you have done so many times before with your instructor (ADI or PDI) or supervising driver, you should be able to settle down and concentrate on the tasks at hand. Many pupils fail the driving test because they have not had enough practise, and are hoping to pass either because they get an 'easy' driving test route or a lenient driving examiner.

Driving Test Routes

A lot of pupils preparing for the driving test like to go over the test centre routes until they have memorised them, thinking that this will ensure they pass the test first time, but the truth is there are a lot of things that you can fail on during the 30 minutes or so that you are driving with the DSA examiner. Remember the DSA want to see a safe drive, and not just being able to get from A to B (something many foreign licence holders don't realise), so just knowing a route doesn't mean you will have the required skills to deal with every single thing that might happen on the road. What happens if an accident occurs, and diversions are in place, will you be able to cope with the additional traffic and narrow roads? I like to vary the routes my test standard candidates use by going on un-familiar roads checking to see how they use their anticipation and planning skills, know their road signs, and are able to meet traffic, etc.

To summarise, the DSA driving test examiner is in the car to check that you have reached the required standard to be allowed to drive on UK roads unsupervised, and that you are not a danger to other road users. They will not trick you just to fail you, and as much as you may think, they do want you to pass the driving test.


If you are in the UK, you might be interested in Focus Media's Driving Test simulator for the PC, which has a virtual driving test simulator.



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Driving Instructor life - The bad side

One of the things any driving instructor never likes happening is turning up for booked driving lessons and finding out that the pupil is not there to take the booked hours of driving tuition.

Any driving instructor appreciates that emergencies occur, but surely courtesy demands you at least phone the driving school to let them know you will not be taking the driving lesson, and thus save a wasted journey, time and fuel costs for the instructor!

I've just returned from a pupils house who had a driving lesson that was booked straight after last week's driving tuition, only to be told the pupil is not at home. What makes this worse, is that I had sent a reminder text this morning about the driving lesson, had not gotten any cancellation and turning up, I get a no show! Most of my London driving lessons are within 10 minutes driving distance from my Mill Hill driving school base, so it wasn't that bad for me, even though I might have been able to book another person instead if I had been given early notice, still this happens to driving instructors all over the UK, and sometimes the distance travelled in rural areas can be quite far.

In these days of rising UK petrol prices, high living costs, a driving instructor needs to minimise costs just as much as pupils would like cheaper driving lessons.

Personally if pupils persistently cancel lessons late or do not show up for driving lessons, I put them on a low priority list when it comes to booking my diary, if they can't make the effort of turning up for driving lessons, they I'd rather book in someone else in their place.

Are you a No show pupil when it comes to driving lessons?

Driving without Licence 16 year old

You don't need a provisional licence to drive a car on private land or property, many 16 year olds have gotten their first taste of driving by going on special under 17 year driving experiences conducted on private land all over the UK.

If you are a 15, 16 year old who can't wait to turn 17 before getting into a driving seat, then going on these under 17 driving courses could wet your appetite, and get you on the way to learning to drive a car.

You should however note that while supermarket car parks are private property, the public generally has access, and while technically you might not need a driving licence to drive in a supermarket car park, you DO NEED to be insured to legally drive there. The other day while practising how to bay park with a pupil in a supermarket car park, I noticed a young man and probably his dad practising in the car park. The car was not displaying 'L' plates, which made me wonder if the driver had a provisional licence. If your are driving in a supermarket car park without a driving licence, then you won't be insured, and if you hit someone or even if someone hit you, then you would be in big trouble, so don't drive in a supermarket car park without a driving licence and insurance!

The under 17 driving experiences I mentioned at the beginning are conducted on private property that the public does not generally have access to, and even these driving courses do have insurance not only protecting those learning to drive, but the vehicles, the property they drive on, and the instructors.

You have been warned, you can't as a under 17 year old drive on a supermarket car park without a provisional licence and car insurance.

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Are you learning to drive and have just started taking driving lessons aged 50, and find the whole affair though and hard going, you are not alone.

I currently have 2 women aged around 50 who are taking driving lessons because they want to learn to drive and pass the driving test.

One of the women taking driving lessons is a complete beginner, with no previous driving experience whatsoever, and I remember her first 2 hour driving lesson where we did the cockpit drill, car controls and finally moving off and stopping. The theory bit was okay, but once the time came to actually start the practical bit of the driving lesson, she became nervous at the thought of being in control of the car. Having reassured her that we would not be doing anything radical, we proceeded through the lesson briefing for moving off and stopping, started the engine, began the POM routine, and her feet were literally shaking while trying to find the biting point! To cut the story short, we went on to do moving off and stopping several times during the driving lesson, repeating things just to build her confidence, while trying to get her to remember the sequence of things.

We have now had over 15 driving hours of tuition, but are still dealing with junctions approaching to turn left and right, emerging right and left. We haven't been able to have lessons every week either due to work commitments or other things, and if the gap is long, then we usually find out that we have to take a lot of time revising and practising what has been covered in the past. The point I'm making is that it is not going to be easy learning to drive at 50, 40 or 30 for that matter compared to being a 17 year old. Whether you like it or not, the body and mind slows down the older you are, unless you have trained it all along while growing old.

The other woman taking driving lessons with me also aged 50 or so has a foreign driving licence, but needs to pass the driving test here, as the licence is not exchangeable.
Now she can handle a car, and drive from A to B, but she is not safe, and does not use the MSM, POM routine while driving, and to be able to pass the driving test I'm trying to help her retrain those bad habits she has learnt over 16 years of driving, and she also is find it hard. What even makes thing more complex is she is thinking about the financial implications of having to take professional driving lessons to pass the driving test!

If you are an elderly learner driver be you aged 50, 40 or even 30, my advice would be continue to give it your best, use all the resources you can find (I record the lessons of my 50 year old learner drivers onto DVD so they can watch at home) to help you achieve that goal of yours, the road might be though, but if you stick with it, then you will achieve your dream.

Don't give up driving lessons because you are aged 50 and finding it difficult.

Tips to help pass the theory test

The UK driving test consists of two parts, the theory test and the practical driving test. You will not be able to obtain a full UK driving licence until you have passed both tests. You have to pass the theory test before you can book the practical driving test.



The theory test is a computer based test, and consists of a multiple choice element, you'll be asked 50 questions in 57 minutes and the pass mark is 43 out of 50. You are then allowed up to a 3 minute break before the video based hazard perception test is begun. During the hazard perception test, you will be shown 14 video clips each of which will have one developing hazard, but one of the clips will have 2 hazards. You have to click the mouse when you think you spot the hazard, with a maximum of 5 points being awarded if spotted in the earliest window, and zero score if the click is too late. The Pass score is 44 out of 75.

You need to pass both elements in the same sitting for you to be awarded a pass certificate on the theory test.



The Theory Test was introduced in July 1996 because the driving standards agency wanted to make sure that pupils had the right attitude and knowledge to be able to drive a car unsupervised on UK roads before being issued a full driving licence.

Many learner drivers see the theory test as just a hurdle that needs to be overcome before taking the practical driving test, and will cram all the knowledge required to pass the test, and once they have passed the theory test will forget about all they learnt, thinking that they need to concentrate now entirely on the practical driving test.

I have lost count of the number of people who have failed the practical driving test because they did not apply the knowledge they had gained to pass the theory test during the practical test. Simple things like knowing bus lane operating times, knowing the national speed limit sign, what to do at a pedestrian crossing!

If you are preparing for the practical test, you still need to read the highway code and those books you used to prepare for the theory test, can you allow all the hard work you put into learning to drive go down the drain just because you failed to notice the national speed limit sign on a dual carriageway?

Don't fail your practical driving test because you forgot the knowledge from the theory test.

Recommended resources for passing the theory test.

Driving Instructor Marketing on the Internet

If you are a driving instructor, and don't have a driving school website, then you are missing out using a very effective marketing tool to promote your driving school business. Most of your target customers in the learning age bracket of 17-40 will have access to a computer either at home or work/college, and if they don't have a driving instructor recommendation from a family member or friend, then the internet is the next place they are going to search looking for a driving school. Can you therefore afford not to have a website that is passively promoting your driving instructor skills? The good thing about marketing your driving school via a website, is that anyone finding it via a search engine is already looking for a driving instructor so there is a better chance of a conversion as opposed to placing a driving school classified advert in a local shop (I'm not saying you should stop that), where you advert will be competing for attention among various other services.

Not just any driving instructor website

Before you rush out and spend your money on putting up a driving instructor website just to make sure your driving school is not left out of the modern technology race, there are a few things you need to be aware of when setting up your driving instructor website.
There are millions of pages on the internet, and for your driving school to have any chance of being found you need to know what a potential client will be looking for and target that with your website.
I'm a driving instructor based in Mill Hill, London, and I know that a potential client will either be looking for driving lessons mill hill, driving instructor mill hill, driving school mill hill, or learning to drive mill hill, and guess what, they will find my website/driving school blog, because it has been targeted for those type of searches on the internet!
This is what you want your website to be able to do, so it is important whether you setup the website yourself, or get someone to do it for you, that your driving instructor website is not lost among the millions of pages out there.

Your driving school website is not going to end up on the first page of a google search for driving lessons shenley overnight, but with the right setup, and a bit of work on your part, it could be there in 4 months.

So before you pay anyone money to setup a driving instructor website for you, ask for examples of their work, do a search on google, and check to see where the website falls when looking for a driving instructor in the area that the website is meant to market. Can you imagine how many enquiries a week you could be getting with a well designed and optimised driving instructor website?

Driving School Blog

As an extension to your website, or even instead of a website, did you know that having a driving instructor blog could help market your driving school business? Blogs are pretty simple to setup, are optimised for search engines, and with a little work on your part could help you establish an online presence that could not only drive traffic to your website, but increase your potential driving school clients.

It takes time to break into the driving school market, but having a driving instructor website or blog could help make that break quicker, as long as you are ready to put in the work. Get a good, well designed and optimised driving school website today.


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The new DSA Show Me Tell Me questions take effect today the 1st of July 2008.

Your driving instructor should have made you aware of these questions, and you can now be expected to answer some more basic car maintenance questions about the head restraint, fog lights, ABS system, etc.

If you have been preparing for the driving test without an instructor, you should check the driving article referenced above for full details of the changes to the show and tell questions that the DSA introduced this july.

Note: You can't fail the driving test presently if you fail to correctly answer these show and tell me questions, you will only get one driving error, leaving you with 14 more for the practical part of the driving test.

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New Driving Test Changes for October 2010.
Theory Test 2009, case study questions.