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The Driving Test was last updated in December 2017
What changed?
1. The Independent Driving section of the test changed from 10 minutes to 20 minutes - roughly half of the test.
2. Following directions from a Sat Nav - 4 out of 5 test candidates are asked to follow directions in the Independent Drive from a Sat Nav.
3. The reversing manoeuvres changed - you are asked to do one of the following: A parallel park at the side of the road or drive into a parking bay and reverse out or pull up on the right-hand
side of the road, reverse for two car lengths and rejoin the traffic.
4. The Show Me question is asked while the candidiate is driving, the Tell Me question is still asked at the start of the test before the candidate starts driving.
What did not change?
1. The pass mark did not changed - you will pass the test if you make no more than 15 driving faults and no serious or dangerous faults
2. The examiner still assesses the test in the same way as before, the same things still count as faults - so it still does not matter if you go the wrong way as long as you don't make a fault
when doing so.
3. The overall time of the driving test stayed the same - approximately 40 minutes.
4. The cost is still the same - £62 for weekdays and £75 for evenings and Saturday tests (only when provided by the DVSA)
All Learn in a MINI pupils will be fully trained in all aspects of the latest test and of course much more as well!
How will you know when you are ready?
When you have passed your theory test - you will have two years in which to pass your practical driving test.
You will be ready when you can show that you have reached Level 5 (independent and able to reflect on your driving performance) in all of the key skills on your Driver's Record. If there is a
long waiting time for tests at a particular test centre then an estimate of the progress you will make over the length of time of the wait will be taken into account to give you the best estimate of
when you will be ready.
The national pass rate for the practical car test last year was 48.2% - the reason for such a low success rate is because candidates are not properly prepared. The pass rate for Crewe test centre for
the same time period was 44.7% - the 62nd lowest in the entire country!
You must be able to drive consistently well with confidence and without help or guidance from your instructor. If you can't - then you are not ready.
DVSA research has shown that those who pass their driving test have had, on average, about 45 hours of professional training, combined with 22 hours of private practice. We are, of course, all
different so the actual amount will depend on you.
Who books the test?
When you are reaching Level 5 on all of the key skills we will discuss suitable timescales for booking your practical test. I book all tests for pupils using a direct link to the DVSA national
booking service, this allows us to change your test more easily if required, beat the queues on the public system and often pick up cancellations without having to pay for a third party service via a
website or an app.
I cover the Crewe Driving Test Centre. The current price for the practical test is £62.00 for weekdays and £75.00 for weekday evenings and weekends.
For the public test booking service, follow this link: www.direct.gov.uk/bookpracticaltest
What happens on the day of the test?
Most pupils have a one hour lesson before the test - which is approx. 40 minutes long, meaning that a 2 hour booking is usually enough to get you to the test centre, have the test and back home
again within the time. If you live a long distance from the test centre this may need to be extended. If you wish to only take the test with no warm up lesson on the day, this is also
possible.
What is an Observer on Test?
The Examiner will ask when meeting you in the waiting room if you would like your instructor to accompany you on the test. This can be useful to ensure that the feedback from the examiner at the end
of the test is heard - if you have passed - you tend not to listen and if you haven't passed - you also tend not to listen! I sit in on most of the tests with my pupils at the moment and will
continue to do so, but it is your choice if I go with you or not.
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