KISS Driving School

Mock Tests

We would recommend you get into your car with more than just the person teaching you to drive ,so you don’t feel uncomfortable with an examiner getting in the car.  Driving test examiners are normally quite sociable people although the practical driving test does mean both they and the candidate meet in  usual circumstances.  They may well remain silent as you drive to allow you to concentrate , which in itself ,can be un-nerving and if someone can give you the experience beforehand, it will benefit you.

Your Practical Driving Test

Driving test centres operate staggered test times, they may operate on Saturdays and during the summer months (British Summer Time) a few begin testing at 07.30 with the late ones beginning at 16.10 and 16.40. Some have car parks, others require you to park on a street nearby. Your email confirmation from the DSA should provide details of the Driving Test Centre address and any parking arrangements you will need.

The deadline for cancellating your practical driving test is three clear working days, although usually any decision to cancel needs to be made a week before. The DSA will sometimes re-book a test cancelled with less than three clear working days notice if the cancellation was for medical reasons.

The DSA has introduced a number(19) of SHOW ME, TELL ME questions that you will need to be able to answer before you start the practical part to the test.  These are fairly basic and vehicle checks that any driver should routinely make to ensure their vehicle is roadworthy and safe on the roads.  Your examiner will ask you one SHOW ME question and one TELL ME question, if you get either or both wrong YOU WILL NOT fail the practical test, it will possibly make you more nervous though.

Paperwork

Two weeks before the test, make sure you check you have the correct appointment date and time, the theory test pass certificate and BOTH parts of your provisional licence. If you have lost the paper part of the photocard licence you MUST obtain a replacement from the DVLA – you WILL NOT be allowed to take the test without it. If your address has changed complete the lower section of the paper licence giving their new address and postcode before you get to the Driving Test Centre.

Test Routes

The Driving Standards Agency, up until recently published the test routes for every driving test centre in the country. Recentlyhowever (2010) and to coincide with the introduction of the independent driving assessment they withdrew this information and amended the routes. This shouldn’t affect the outcome of the practical driving test if you have been taught well and are a skillful driver.

On The Day of Your Practical Driving Test

Your Car

Present yourself in the best possible light – i.e. a clean, tidy and vacuumed car with nothing rolling around loose on or under the seats. Be careful if you use air fresheners as they can be overpowering and some examiners may not like the fragrance!

On the day of the test you, along with your driving instructor/supervising driver must first check to make sure your vehicle is roadworthy and legal. This means a valid tax disc must be on display, wiper blades must work, oil, coolant and windscreen washer fluid levels need to be topped up. Tyre’s must not only be road legal they must not have cuts and/or flaps of rubber hanging off the sidewalls and the pressures must be correct.  All external lights must be working to include headlights, sidelights, number plate lights, indicators and brake lights and warning lights on your dashboard go out with the ignition on.

Modern cars are not designed to make bulb changing easy – even if you have a set of spare bulbs in the boot, it can take some time to change one. It may well be necessary to remove the light unit which will require tools just to gain access to the bulbs. You will usually be given a maximum of five minutes to rectify any problems before the examiner abandons the test.  Even if you could change a tyre in this time, many cars only have space saver wheels, the use of which would not be allowed on test because of their 50mph speed restriction.

If the test is abandoned because of a defect on the car the DSA will not offer any form of compensation.

At the Test Centre

Candidates are generally allowed into any available parking bays ten minutes before the due time therefore you should plan to arrive at the test centre no sooner than this. If you need the toilet before your practical driving test be aware that many driving test centres do not provide tiolet facilites. So, if you need the toilet or a nerve calming cigarrette allow a further ten minutes for this so you don’t arrive late. Examiners are permitted to wait a maximum of five minutes for late arrivals.

Be aware of any practical driving tests that may be leaving or returning late, it’s important to be considerate to others and stay as far out of their way as possible.  Examiners are easy enough to spot as they usually wear high visibility jackets. If you see someone ‘on test’ try to stay out of the wayas much as possible without putting other road users at risk.

Accompanying Tests

Examiners are sometimes accompanied by their Supervisor or a quality manager reasonably often as part of their quality monitoring procedures. The second examiner os watching how the examiner assesses you and not testing you – they are unlikely to say anything to you about your test.

The DSA actively encourages any supervising driver to accompany the candidate on the practical driving test which normally takes an average of 35 minutes. Pass or fail this helps the supervising driver should any clarification of faults be needed.  Before thepractical driving test begins the examiner should ask the candidate if they would like their supervising driver to come with them and if they wish them to be present at the debrief. Examiners will not be able to offer a second debrief once they have left the car because of their obligations under the Data Protection Act.

Be aware your car may perform differently when accelerating, braking and on hills with three people in it.  on hand for any debrief as the Data Protection Act does not allow an examiner to give a second debrief.

Paperwork

Whilst you are in the driving test centre waiting room get both parts of your provisional driving licence ready for when the examiner appears.

Cancelled Tests

In the case of sickness or industrial action the DSA will offer limited compensation and automatically rebook a test within three days for you. Adverse weather conditions are considered beyond their control and therefore the DSA does not offer compensation but will rebook a test free of charge within three working days.

TOP TEN FAIL POINTS

Observation at road junctions

Not checking before making the decision to go. They must check Right, Left, Right before crossing the doted lines.  If they need to peep and creep they must see clearly up and down the road before committing to go.

Reverse/Bay Parking

Ineffective observation and/or a lack of accuracy. Be sure when teaching either of these manoeuvres your pupil is looking predominantly out of the rear window (70% of the entire time, and regular checks around throughout).  As for “lack of accuracy”, make sure your pupil understands and uses reference points and is looking where they are going.  If it starts to go wrong, make sure they know how to, and can, fix it.

The car must be inside the lines when ‘bay parking’ and reasonably parallel, if the white line is clearly underneath the car the pupil should not allow the front wheels to enter the bay, they should ‘shunt’ forwards to correct it.  The tyres are allowed to be on the lines but must not be outside the bay.  They can go forward and back as many times as is necessary providing they are “making progress” each time.  With the reverse park they should finish a tyre’s width from the curb, reasonably parallel and within two car lengths.

Use of mirrors

Not checking the mirrors at all, in time or the appropriate mirror or combination of mirrors. A pupil may be marked down for ‘checking the mirror but failing to act property on the information’.  Watch your pupils to make sure they do not have such a problem, ask them ‘is it clear’ and ‘what can you see’.  Pupils rarely ‘over use’ the mirrors, however they do hesitate as a result of taking too long to make sure it is safe to move off.  They must always know what is going on behind and to the side, to make decisions about going forwards.  On the test pupils need to demonstrate to their examiner their awareness of any activity around them.

Reversing round a corner

See Reverse/Bay Parking for the problems and solution. Reasonable accuracy could be considered to be no more than one metre from the kerb and in any case they must not cross the centre line.  Of particular concern is a pupil’s decision making ability when dealing with approaching traffic.  So create opportunities to practice this with them.

Incorrect use of signals

Not cancelling or giving misleading signals. Teach pupils to move off in busy situations where they have to think.

Moving away safely

Yet again the problem here is simply observation. Is your pupil checking the mirrors and blind spot properly before moving the vehicle?  Watch their eyes as it is not always obvious if they are going through the motions of checking the blind spot because they know it’s expected.  Can you see their right ear, if not they aren’t looking.

Incorrect positioning on the road

At roundabouts and/or on bends. There is a difference between a look and a glance.  Get them to look early and identify which lane to be in, minimise gear changes – why do something twice when you can get it right first time.

Lack of steering control

Steering too early or leaving it too late. Plan ahead using LADA and control using MSPSL or they won’t have control and turn accurately.  Quantify the steering in quarters, halves, full lock, one-handed steering improves dexterity.

Incorrect positioning to turn right

At junctions and in One Way streets. Look ahead-plan ahead. What are the dangers of cutting corners?

Inappropriate speed

Travelling too slowly or being hesitant. For ‘L’ Test the pupil should reach speeds which are no more than 10 to 15 per cent below that of the maximum for the road.  Use your own experience on the Part Two Test as a benchmark for what you teach your pupils.  The standard is the same only the test duration and complexity en-route differ.