Testing your driving ability

The driving part of the test to assess if you are safe to let on the roads is called the practical test, and it lasts in the region of 40 minutes in total. The purpose is to assess if you can drive to a sufficient and safe enough standard in order to be able to be ready to drive independently, in the view of the examiner. A range of manoeuvres that you perform are also assessed which helps to see your control of the vehicle and arrangement of the space around your car - for instance when performing reversing etc.

If you are having lessons with a driving school, then they will ensure that the vehicle you use is one that can be used in a driving test, but if you are not and are using your own vehicle then you need to ensure that it is one that can be used in a driving test: there is a list of makes and models that you can't use on the DirectGov website here:

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Motoring/LearnerAndNewDrivers/PracticalTest/DG_173040

Many people get very nervous when it comes to the practical test, and some people are shaking so much before they get in the car, and others are unable to keep their food down the morning before! Whilst people get nervous for the theory test too, for some reason the practical test seems to bring out even more nerves in people.

To some extent this is because you can't control other road users and what they do, and we've all heard stories of people who are really unlucky when confronted with some very awkward situation whilst on their driving test that, in normal road conditions they would not have come across and therefore would not have had that opportunity to fail their test.

Also of course you might panic about your ability to control the car and whether you are ready for the test, but remember that your driving instructor would not have recommended you take the test now if they did not think that you had a good chance of passing if you drive to your ability.

Related Articles...

driving theory test
Car Driving Test Fees
This article looks at the costs, which were correct as of October 2009. A standard car and motorcycle theory test costs £31. In terms of the practical test, the price is a good deal...

Penalty Points
There are different offence codes for different types of offences, and penalty points come in lumps from one single point right up to eleven, depending on the type and severity of an offence that...

What to do if horses are on the road
It may sound quite rare, but actually on country journeys you will from time to time encounter horses and their riders using the road. And you may also come across other animals too. When you...

Selecting low gears when driving
When you are driving, you will just learn to change gears without really thinking about what you are doing and when. But generally you will change up gears the faster you are going, and this is...

What details to get at an accident
When you swap details with a driver, here are the things that you should be sure to obtain from the other driver: You need to of course get their name, their address and a contact telephone...

What time of day should I book my driving test?
This is entirely up to you and so there is no right or wrong answer to this. Many of us function either better in the morning or in the afternoon. If you are a morning person then you will...

What causes accidents: overtaking
When you overtake a vehicle, there are often many things to consider. First of all you need to ensure that it is, as far as you are aware, safe to do so. Therefore don't overtake close to...

Tips on driving with a heavy load
When you have passed your test and been driving for a while, you might find yourself driving with a heavy load. For instance if you are going on holiday then you might have lots of stuff that...

Regular car checks to perform
In addition to the daily checks that you should perform on core elements of your car such as the tyres (see article entitled 'what to check on your car daily') there are various other elements that...

Your vehicle's age is important
The age of your car is important for several reasons. The main reason is that if your car is under three years old, there are four documents that you must be in possession of in relation to...


Back to home page of driving theory test questions