A 28-year-old woman from Southwark has spent £3,410 sitting her theory test 110 times and is still yet to pass her test. After that, she then has to attempt the practical test.

The driving theory test, costing £31 a time but set to drop down in price, comprises multiple-choice questions and a hazard perception exam.

Although no learner has come close to this incredible number of theory test attempts there a number of learners who have taken significant attempts to pass. A 41-year-old from Birmingham passed on his 80th attempt whilst a 27-year-old man from Pembrokeshire failed 64 tests and a 46-year-old male from Reading failed 61 times.

Figures from a Freedom of Information request to the DVSA also showed that even when learners managed to pass the theory test, they still struggled to master the practical exam. The highest number of practical test attempts comes from a 40-year-old man from Stoke-On-Trent who took 37 attempts to pass the practical test. A high proportion of the top 20 of highest number of practical test attempts taken come from candidates of the Heckmondwike test centre, renowed as the worst test centre. In London, Hendon and South Norwood feature with the learner taking 33 and 32 attempts respectively. The majority of these learners were aged over 35 whilst those candidates struggling with the theory test range in ages.

A DVSA spokesman stated that ‘It is essential that all drivers demonstrate they have the right skills, knowledge and attitude to drive safely.’

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It is very common for learners to be fitting their lessons into a schedule around school or work. The result of this is that learners will tend to take their lessons at the same time each day and even the same days each week.

This is not the productive way to take lessons since you must get used to all driving conditions to prepare you for the road. Over the course of the day, there are a number of different conditions – quiet roads in the early morning, the rush hour commute, steady daytime traffic, the evening rush-hour and night-time.

It is important to experience all these conditions before going for your practical test. In particular, tests take place during the day and so only having lessons in the evenings will not prepare you for the conditions when you take your test. Even if you work during the week, most driving instructors work weekends and so you should be able to take a lesson in the weekend in addition to your evening lessons during the week.

If you can experience as many conditions as possible once taking your lessons, you will become a much more confident driver once you pass.

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You’ll pass your practical test if you make:

– 15 or fewer driving faults
– No serious or dangerous faults

Once the driving test has ended, the examiner will ask whether you want to call your instructor over. The examiner will then tell you whether you passed or fail your test and give you some feedback on how you did during the test.

There are 3 types of faults that could be marked during your test:

-A dangerous fault – this would involve actual danger to you, the examiner, the public or property
– A serious fault – this could potentially become dangerous
– A driving fault – this is not potentially dangerous, but if you make the same fault throughout your test it could become a serious fault

If you pass your test, the examiner will give you a pass certificate and will immediately take your provisional licence to get your full licence sent out to you automatically. You do not need to wait for your full licence to arrive before driving; you can drive straight after passing your test.

If you don’t pass, you will have to wait another 10 working days before you can take another test.

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Good luck from Britannia!

Radical plans to change the driving test have been put on hold by the government. The Green Paper which outlines the stricter rules for young drivers was meant to be released last year. It introduced the idea of a 12-month probationary licence which amongst other restrictions included a curfew between 10pm and 5am unless someone over 30 was in the car. It also advised that learners be tested on motorway driving.

Critics of the delay says that reforms should be top priority as these changes are imperative for the safety of new drivers and then learner drivers need a minimum number of hours behind the wheel.

Some young drivers thought the plans were however too restrictive – the extra number of hours needed before the practical test could be difficult to fund by younger drivers. This could lead to an even greater rise in the number of people leaving learning to drive to later.

Many driving instructors and motoring groups believe that some restriction on young driver should be welcomed but the ones proposed are impractical – additional training on the motorways are important but radical restrictions would not help young drivers.

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