Are You Ready for Your UK Driving Test?

Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010 | local info

The cost of the UK driving test is not particularly cheap so you will want to be as prepared for it as you can. If you are not ready for your driving test the examiner may decide, in the interests of their own and public safety, to abandon the test. The examiner will leave you on the side of the road and walk back to the test centre.

It is important therefore to be ready for your driving test so it is highly recommended that you seek driving lessons / crash course from local driving schools with qualified driving instructors before taking the test.

The Practical Driving Test lasts about 40 minutes and is conducted by a Driving Standards Agency examiner from your local Driving Test Centre. It is up to you which test centre to use. It can be booked online using the DSA website or by telephone.

You will be tested on the following:

-Eyesight (The distance requirement for the old-style number plate is 20.5 metres. The distance requirement for the number plates that were introduced on 1 September 2001 are 20 metres.)
-Vehicle Safety Checks (Show Me / Tell Me)
-Control
-Moving Off
-Use of mirrors
-Signals
-Response to signs and signals
-Progress and use of speed
-Junctions
-Judgement
-Separation Distances/ Clearance to obstructions
-Pedestrian Crossings
-Parking
-Road Positioning
-Awareness and planning
-Ancillary controls

In addition to the above checks, you will also be tested on any two of the following manoeuvres:

-Turn in the road
-Left Corner Reverse (Right Corner Reverse for vehicles with obscured rear vision e.g. vans)
-Reverse Parallel Park
-Reverse Bay Park (dependent on your local driving test centre’s facilities - this could be at the start or end of your test)

Some tests (normally 1 out of every 3 tests) will additionally be asked to complete the emergency stop exercise.

If you complete the test with a maximum of 15 driver errors (no serious or dangerous faults) you will be the proud owner of a UK driving licence.

If you are unsuccessful, you will have to wait a minimum of 10 clear working days between your original test and any future retest. Whilst you will no doubt be eager to take your test, thorough preparation will undoubtedly help you achieve a pass far quicker than rushing to take it.

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