Driving Lessons - Extra work in between

No matter how many driving lessons you take a week in your preparation towards passing the UK driving test, there is always something extra that you can do between your appointments with your driving instructor or supervising driver that could give you that extra edge that could mean the difference between you passing and failing the DSA practical car assessment. One thing that I keep telling my learner driver pupils is that you can never over prepare for the driving test, but you can always be underprepared, and a lot of people who present themselves to a DSA Examiner are! They attend their appointment hoping that they don't get taken on a difficult test route, are not asked to do the parallel parking or left reverse round the corner, the end result being failure and they add to the statistics of the low 40% pass rate!

So what is the extra work that a test candidate can do in between driving lessons that will better prepare them and increase their chances of them pass the driving test and earn them that highly coveted full british licence? You will find out that some of the following advice and tips that I'm about to give will not cost you a lot in terms of money, can easily be done on a daily basis as long as your are disciplined and willing to dedicate some time to the tasks and could actually end up saving you money, be it from passing the driving test, making better progress during your lessons and thus needing fewer.

Learner Driver Journal or Diary: Not everyone will remember every single thing that they learnt during their driving lesson, and keeping a driving journal which you can fill out after your 1hr or 2hrs tuition with your ADI will give you a record of things that you learnt, tips you were given, and skills you need to work. I remember when I was in college not taking notes in class during particular subject lectures because these were hobbies of mine which I had magazines or practical experience of, some other students copied me, but where surprised when I always did better than them during tests, what they failed to realise was that I had an unfair advantage over them, because I wasn't learning the subject in class, but was just getting a reminder of the knowledge I already possessed from the magazines which I probably had read cover to cover 2 or 3 times and the practical experience I had gained from the club workshops I attended. By revising your journal notes, you will be using your driving lessons for practice, and will be more relaxed and this will produce a smooth drive which can only improve or boost your confidence.

Know your road traffic signs: As part of the driving test preparation for my learner driver pupils I take them on some country roads or dual carriageways where the National Speed Limit applies, and I'm always amazed at the number of people who either fail to recognise the NSL sign or don't know what the speed limit translates to on the specific road they are driving on! You should continue to read your highway code book in between driving lessons even if you have passed the theory test, as any of the knowledge could be tested by the test route chosen by the DSA examiner. Simple things like who to give way to at a roundabout (many test candidates under pressure give ways to vehicles on the left!), who has the right of way when turning right at traffic lights with oncoming cars, the purpose of hatched areas marked on the road! Yes you can ask your driving instructor or supervising driver, but suppose you encounter something on the test which you can't remember how to deal with because it was long ago that it happened? Reading the Highway Code on the bus or train while going to work in the morning, or returning home in the evening is much more productive than newpapers or gossip magazines and while people might know you are learning to drive, surely your pride can take a backstage if you are really serious about passing the UK driving test.

Use the internet to your advantage: If you are reading this article, then you are already doing this, but make sure you have everything covered. My driving test tips blog has a lot advise, videos and tips to help with the DSA test, but there are many other resources you there that can cover any gaps in your knowledge. The DL25 report form is a good document that you should familiarise yourself with, it explains the skills you will be tested on, and the standard expected of you by the DSA.

Learn from Driving Standards Agency resources. As the government agency that is responsible for conducting the UK driving test, they have a few books that you could also read when not taking driving lessons, and you could get tips on things that you could practise with your instructor or supervising driver during your next lesson. As has been said before the more you know about what the DSA requires of you during the practical car assessment, the better placed you are to satisfy that requirement and the little work you put into reading a £5.99 could be key to your success at the next driving test attempt.

Finally for those of you who prefer to use computer based games to prepare for the test, you might want to try the driving test simulator which is a very popular educational software for the PC that simulates the DSA test and contains additional videos to further suppliment your knowledge gained during your driving lessons. By trying one or two of these tips, I'm sure you will have the extra confidence, knowledge and skills required to get that pass certificate required to apply to the DVLA for your full UK driving licence.

For quality manual driving lessons in NW London call me on 07956233032. Please note that while I'm fully knowledgable of the Hendon and Mill Hill test routes, I don't confine learner drivers who are taking a 2hr assessment to use my car on a practical to these areas only.



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Hendon Test Centre is Moving

From Tuesday 24th March 2009 Hendon Driving Test centre will be moving.

The new address will be

3 Aviation Square
Beaufort Park
Hendon, London
NW9 5TZ

The new place which promises to offer improved services to both DSA staff and its clients is located just 25 yards from the old premises on Aerodrome Road



The last test at the old address will be Thursday 19th March 2009.

The test routes will remain the same, and as usual, the telephone number to use for contacting the office with be on your test appointment letter.

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Female Driving Instructor

I got an enquiry to my Driving School mobile phone recently, and the conversation goes something like this:

Me: Hello, how can I help you?
Caller: Do you have a Female Driving Instructor working for you?

The person making the enquiries was a lady.

Me: No, I'm an independent school, and currently work alone, are the lessons for you, and do you live around Mill Hill, NW7?
Caller: Yes, and I want to take driving lessons with a female Instructor.
Me: Sorry, but you can still have tuition with me....
Caller: Click, the phone was dead.

I know there are some women who for religious reasons have to take lessons with a female driving instructor, but apart from that, personally I don't think that a lady taking tuition with an ADI of the same sex guarantees a better service or learning experience.
If you as a woman just prefers to deal with a same sex ADI as a personal option, that is fine, but as I said in my AA Driving Lessons post, the quality of service you get depends totally on the individual teaching you to drive, and you can have a bad experience with a female driving instructor just as you could with a male counterpart no matter what organisation there are with!

DSA code of conduct

All instructors must abide by a code of conduct that has been agreed between the Driving Standards Agency and ADI representative bodies and part of it states:

"Personal Conduct.
The instructor will at all times behave in a professional manner towards clients. Clients will be treated with respect and consideration. The instructor will try to avoid physical contact with the client except in an emergency or in the normal course of greeting. Whilst reserving the right to decide against giving tuition, the instructor will not act in any way which contravenes legislation on discrimination."

As a learner driver you must be treated professional by your ADI, and note the bit about physical contact, your driving instructor should not be touching you unnecessarily, whether they are male or female, so don't tolerate this, tuition can be given with demonstrations or detailed explanations/talk through to enable you to learn any difficult skills.

You don't need to go with a female driving instructor to avoid sexual harassment (which could be a crimminal offence anyway), change to someone else, this also applies if you are not getting value for money tuition or a good service. You shouldn't be afraid to change instructors if you are not happy with you present one, loyality should be not come into it, because it is your money, neither should the fear of change, you might find it actually does wonders to your learning experience.

If you are looking for Driving Lessons in London around Mill Hill, Hendon, Kingsbury, Colindale and Burnt Oak and looking for quality, honest and reliable service conducted in a professional manner, then I would like to welcome you onboard as a pupil, but I'm not a female driving instructor despite my name, but I can give you the advice and help you need to pass the driving test, and get a full UK licence whatever gender you are.

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Test Tip Bay Parking

If you are asked to do a bay parking exercise either to the left or right during the DSA practical car assessment, this driving test tip might save you failing.



If possible always choose a bay where you don't have cars parked next to the space that you will be reversing into (the examiner will not specify which direction or space to use).


I've seen people failing their driving test while doing the bay park maneuver either for hitting the stationary car (yes it does happen) or getting too close to the other vehicle.

There is nothing wrong with doing the exercise between 2 cars (and some might prefer this), but you must be confident that you can control the car and not end up too close to the parked cars, also you will need to be very observant because the occupants of the car could open the doors at anytime (an example would be if you are doing the bay park as the last part of your test, and someone has just failed, they might be too upset to think safety and might open the door without looking!).



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Left Bay Parking Video

Driving Test Habits pass or fail you

If you want to pass the UK driving test, then you need to understand that it is your good or bad habits that you exhibit while in the car with the DSA examiner that will eventually determine whether you pass or fail the driving test.



I have mentioned this before many times in my blog, if you want to pass the driving test, you first need to know what is required of you by the DSA, attain that driving skill standard on a consistent basis (level 5 in the drivers record) without help from your instructor, then you can be confident that you are ready to book your driving test.

If you've learnt to drive or prepared for the dsa assessment without the help of a dsa approved driving instructor (ADI), then you are most likely to have picked up some bad driving habits which could fail you on the test. Over the years that I've taught learner drivers, I've seen many people who have followed this route, taken a driving test failed and then sought the help of an instructor before their next attempt. Typical bad driving habits exhibited include not taking effective observation before moving off, failure to use the handbrake when appropriate, with the car always rolling back slightly when moving off up hill. Other bad habits include putting the car into neutral gear just before the car stops when stopping either at junctions, traffic lights or even pedestrian crossings!
Many of these bad driving skills are done automatically because they haven't been corrected by the family or friends who supervised them, and because they haven't had any incidents in the run up to the driving test and they can successfully get from point A to B, they think they are ready to present themselves to the DSA examiner, but are surprised when the hear those dreaded words 'I'm sorry but you haven't passed".

Even if you are learning to drive with a driving instructor, you still need to put in the effort to build good driving habits and you must not do anything on a driving lesson that wouldn't be acceptable on the test. The number of times I've had to caution pupils for doing something on a lesson that they knew was wrong and they say "I won't do that on the test, but that car driver pressurised me into doing it"! If you don't develop a habit of dealing with situations the proper way during your lessons, you will not be able to 'put on a show' for the dsa driving examiner, especially with all those test nerves. This is one of the reasons why a lot of people fail the test, they have not had enough practice and developed those good driving skills that they can automatically apply under pressure!

The purpose of your driving lessons are two fold. You learn the required driving skill at the DSA standard, and then practice that skill until it becomes a habit! You must not take short cuts either because you want to save time on lessons or because you are finding the skill hard. If you can't automatically demonstrate a particular driving skill at the dsa standard over and over again without thinking too hard about it, you aren't ready for the test!

Remember the bad habits I mentioned at the beginning which a lot of learners especially foreign licence holders come to me with? When we start working on correcting these bad habits even with me prompting them, they still would automatically put the gear into neutral while stopping despite me saying 'keep your hands on the wheel until the car stops'. We could spend the whole lesson working on correcting this driving error, and if the instructor is not vigilant, the learner will go back to his/her old ways by the next lesson because it is a habit that has been formed over a period of months! You need to be that way with your good driving habits - always taking effective observations before moving off, using the handbrake when waiting at junctions, stopped at a traffic light or pedestrian crossings, be able to perform a reverse round the corner slowly under control while still taking effective observations and reacting properly to other road users (remembering that pedestrians are road users).

All these skills require time to become a habit, so because your instructor introduced it in the last driving lesson, and you were able to do it sucessfully without any errors doesn't mean you've mastered the skill and will be able to do always without problems, especially on the driving test. Many learner drivers think their driving instructor just wants to rip them off when her/she says you still need more practise before taking the DSA driving test, when what the ADI is trying to achieve is a level of consistency with your driving skills especially when you don't have the option of private practice with your own private car.

The current DSA driving test is of a high standard, and is going to be hard for you to pass if you don't put in the time, effort and money (yes I know that is one of the factors that makes us want to take the test sooner than later) to develop the good driving habits at the required DSA standard and there is a lot that is required of today's learner drivers by the driving examiner, so the better prepared you are, the more likely you are to be among the 40% pass rate. You will also find out that if your good driving skills are habits rather than concious efforts, test nerves will have less effect on you on the day.

Have a look at the following video which illustrates why you need to build up good driving habits during lessons.



Some people would say the DSA driving examiner was harsh if a test candidate was failed for not using that bus lane if the test was at 11am, but the information you needed was displayed, but you didn't notice it. Don't be a lazy learner driver, work on being an A class candidate and not just do the bare minimum hoping to pass!

Are you building good or bad driving habits for the test?



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Who is teaching you to drive a car?

If you are currently learning to drive a car with a family member or friend, have you ever thought of asking yourself the question: Will my current teacher pass the driving test if they took it today?

I remember watching a programme on television sometime ago where I think 6 people who had full UK driving licences where asked to re-take the DSA test again as part of an experiement, the ages of the people varied, so did their sex and how long they had been driving for. One thing was common with all of them, they thought they were safe drivers because they had not been involved in an accident, and had full no claims bonus on their insurance. Only 2 out of the 6 passed the DSA test!

How are you sure that your Dad, Friend or Spouse is giving you the right tuition while you are learning to drive with them? The fact that they've never been involved in an accident doesn't mean they are very safe, more importantly it has no bearing on whether they can drive at the current DSA driving test standard, which is why I would recommend that they get a copy of the AA book supervising a learner as it lets them know how to prepare a provisional licence holder for the driving test.

Now if the person who is teaching you to drive can not pass the test, how are you the learner driver going to do the same? Obviously you will learn how to move a car from A to B, have an idea what the manuovers are, and how to carry them out to an extent, but how you can think of booking a driving test without learning to drive properly with a driving instructor beats me! Yet everyday many test candidates go to a driving test centre having only been taught to drive by a friend or family member, no wonder the current pass rate is only 40%.

Now don't get me wrong, learning to drive with a DSA approved driving instuctor is no gurantee that you will pass the driving test, but at least the ADI can pass the current test because they are aware of what the DSA requires, drive at that standard everyday (well they should be), and will not get you into unsafe driving habits.

If you are learning to drive, you should think about your teacher, whether an instructor or not, are you confident that they are giving you the right tuition and developing the right driving habits, if not, then it is time for change! Even the driving standards agency that conducts the test in the UK, recognise that many people will prepare for the pratctical with friends and family, and have written a book to help with this process.


It is designed to give the much needed guidance to the specifuc standards that the examiner is looking for on the test, something which your dad, mum or friend can easily teach you even if they don't currently drive that way. So don't waste that expensive driving test fee and all that practising time, get the full facts before going to the test centre!

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Driving Test Dont follow the leader!

While you are on the UK driving test, it is important that what ever you do, first of all you make sure that it is safe. You must not proceed just because the car in front of you does so, don't play driving test games of follow the leader.

I've been on driving tests where candidates have used Bus Lanes just because the car in front went into it, others have gone into roadabouts because the car besides them entered even though it was not safe, turned right at a traffic light with oncoming vehicles following the car in front.

As a potential full UK licence owner, you must convince the DSA examiner that you are a safe driver according to their standards. It doesn't matter what motorists generally do, you must abide by the road traffic act and the highway code if you want to pass the driving test.

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