Practical Test

The practical driving test lasts for about 40-minutes and will take place in one of the Driving Test Centres within the North West of England, on the last day of your course*.The important thing to remember is that there will be no surprises in it The examiner will be looking at your general driving skills and your ability to carry out two of the four set manoeuvres. Reversing into a parking bay, parallel parking, turning the car in the road and reversing round a corner. You will have covered all these required skills during your course and will have practised all the manoeuvres many times .

DSA examiners are taught to look for a perfect drive, whilst accepting that they will rarely find it, because of this you are allowed some driving errors, whilst still gaining a pass. Your instructor will have explained the marking system to you during your course so that you will not panic if you see the examiner putting pen to paper.

Before sitting your practical test you will have passed at least one mock test with your instructor, so that both you and your instructor will know that you are more than capable of passing. Most candidates are nervous about taking the test and this is taken into account by the examiner. After a short period of time you should settle down and your confidence and training will take over, you may actually start to enjoy yourself

 *Subject to a driving test being made available by the DSA. You will normally have a test date arranged well before your course begins. In the unlikely event that a test is not available we will arrange a driving test at the the test centre of your choice. Should the Pupil fail to reach a satisfactory standard of driving and is likely to be a danger to other road users, or is in an unfit condition through substance or alcohol abuse, the ADI has a responsibility to the DSA examiners not to allow the use of the training vehicle for the purpose of the Driving Test.  This is in the interest of the pupil, the examiner and other road users and is a precautionary safety measure. Driving Standards Agency guidelines do not allow for a pupil to take a practical test just for the experience.