“Anne, thank you so much for helping me to pass first time and believing in me when I didn’t feel confident enough. I felt oddly calm on my test day and it was because you had prepared me so well!” Lauren

On Test day…

You must bring your valid provisional driving licence – don’t forget it!

Arrival at the Test Centre – Arabesque House, Monks Cross

We will arrive at the test centre 5-10 minutes before your test time and after reverse bay parking, we will head in to the waiting room where there are toilet facilities if you need them. The examiner will come out shortly and call your name.

Smile and be polite! Remember, first impressions count. The Examiner always needs to see your licence, so have it ready in your hand. You will need to sign the insurance and residency declaration form on an I-Pad. The Examiner will ask if you want your instructor (me) to come with you. I always advise to say “yes please,” as having me in the back of the car can be really useful, because it allows me to see first-hand where you may have made mistakes. It is also good for moral support.

“I have really enjoyed our lessons because you gave me confidence and helped put me at ease when I was nervous at the start, and for my test.” Rory

Eye-sight Test and the Tell Me Question

Firstly the Examiner will conduct the eye-sight test with you. If you fail this, your test will not continue. The eyesight test requires you to read a number plate that is approx. 20 metres away. The Examiner will ask you one of the possible fourteen ‘Tell Me’ questions from the ‘Vehicle Safety’ list to ensure that you have a basic knowledge of keeping your car legal and safe. The Examiner will ask you one of the possible seven ‘Show Me’ questions when you get on the move.

Find out more information about the Vehicle Safety questions here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/car-show-me-tell-me-vehicle-safety-questions

Watch this useful You Tube video: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uh8slnP76-w

Instructions

The Examiner will ask you to get into the car whilst they record the registration number, driving instructor number and check the car is legal and roadworthy. When you get into the car, make yourself comfortable and put your seat-belt on. Is it a gloomy day, or is it raining, or very cold? When you are asked to start the engine, you may need to consider whether you need headlights, wipers or demisters. Make sure you are seated comfortably. When the Examiner joins you in the car, they will go through the instructions for the test. LISTEN carefully! They will say something like the paragraph below…

“This is a test of your practical driving ability. The test will last around 38-40 minutes and will take in various roads and traffic conditions. I will ask you to complete one manoeuvre and you may carry out an emergency stop, so the sorts of things you have been practising with your instructor. Today you will be following road signs for the independent driving section… OR… Today you will be following the directions from a Sat Nav for the independent driving section. It does not matter if you go the wrong way, as long as you go the wrong way safely. Unless I say otherwise, please follow the road ahead. Any questions?”

The Driving Section

The driving part of your test will last about 40 minutes. The examiner will be looking to see that you can drive safely, that you have a good knowledge of the Highway Code and that you can drive independently for 20 minutes, either with or without a Sat Nav. There will be an angled start, a hill start, one reversing manoeuvre and potentially, an emergency stop. The Examiner will ask you one ‘Show Me’ question whilst on the move.

This is a very important 40 minutes of your life, so CONCENTRATE like you never have before. If you focus hard then you can pass first time, I promise. Ideally, you only want to go through this once, and positive thinking can help a lot. If you think you have made a mistake, just keep driving as it may only be a driving fault, not a serious or dangerous fault.

Examiners now mark driving tests electronically, using a tablet in the car rather than using a paper marking form. The tablet has a privacy screen so you can’t see what the examiner is marking. Do not worry if you see the examiner tapping the screen; they are not necessarily recording a fault! They also record-keep as the test is in progress.

Examiner Feedback

At the end of the test, the examiner will ask if you want your instructor to listen to the feedback. Say “yes please”! The examiner will then tell you whether you have passed or failed. Should you be unsuccessful, the examiner will give you verbal feedback on your test. This is useful as it will help you to prepare for your next test and show you where you made any mistakes. A copy of the test sheet is emailed to you following the test.

If you are successful, the examiner will tell you why you scored any driving faults and will give you a pass certificate to prove you passed your test. The examiner will take away your provisional licence and the DVLA will then send you your new full licence by post within four weeks of you passing the Practical Test. You do not have to wait for the licence to arrive, you can drive immediately once you inform your insurance company you have passed.

Whether you pass or fail, it is Mrs D’s policy that I drive you home after the test.

You can make up to 15 driving faults and still pass your test. (We always aim for ZERO faults though!) If you have made 16 or more faults, or if you commit one serious or dangerous fault, you will fail your test. If at any time your examiner considers you to be a danger to other road users your test will be stopped.

Driving faults:

A driving fault is sometimes referred to as a ‘minor fault’. A driving fault is usually a mistake on procedure that the examiner judges to have had no bearing on the safety of the drive.
For example: You are turning left and your signal timing is late. You have made an error, however there has been no effect on other road users and the junction was otherwise taken correctly. The fault would be recorded as a driving fault.

Serious faults:

A serious fault is one that is serious enough to mean an instant fail for your test. This will be an error that the examiner judges could lead to confusion of other road users or even a potential crash.
For example: You are approaching a roundabout and you have got into the wrong lane; your positional error forces other traffic to change speed or direction to avoid you. You have committed an error that affects others directly. The error is serious because potentially it could have led to an accident.

A serious driving fault can also occur as a result of repetitive driving faults. Let’s take the example of the driving fault from earlier, a late signal. Although this did not affect any other road users at the time, if you are repeatedly signalling late the examiner will deem that at some point this habitual fault will lead to an instance where you will affect another road user and potentially cause an accident. If you get more than three driving faults in the same area it could convert to a serious fault and you will fail the test.

Dangerous faults:

A dangerous fault is where the examiner has to take physical action to prevent an accident from occurring during your practical driving test.
For example: You are about to enter a roundabout, you have not noticed a car approaching to your right that you need to stop for and the examiner has to use the dual brake to prevent an accident.

Watch this quick video about the current 2019 driving test…