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driving school eastleigh

PRACTICAL DRIVING TEST

    

The practical driving test is designed to see if you can drive safely in different road and traffic conditions and know the Highway Code and can show this through your driving ability
 

If you show the standard required, you’ll pass your driving test.
 

There’s no minimum number of lessons you must have or hours you must have done before you take your test. There are no pass or fail quotas.
 

Before you start the driving ability part of your test, you’ll have an eyesight check.
 

The driving part of your test will last about 40 minutes. Throughout the test your examiner will be looking for an overall safe standard of driving and will cover the following areas: -

  • ‘show me, tell me car safety questions

  • General driving ability

  • Reversing

  • Independent driving

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INDEPENDENT DRIVING

You will have to drive for about 20 minutes by following directions from a sat nav or traffic signs.  The examiner will tell you which you have to follow and if using the sat nav will set it up for you.  You cannot use your own sat nav.

 

It doesn’t matter if you don’t remember every direction, or if you go the wrong way.  The examiner will help you get back on the route.
 

Driving independently means making your own decisions - this includes deciding when it’s safe and appropriate to ask for confirmation about where you’re going. The examiner will confirm the directions to you if you ask for a reminder of them.

Carry on if you make a mistake, because if it’s not a serious mistake it might not affect your result.

DRIVING FAULTS AND TEST RESULTS

There are 3 types of faults you can make:

  • a dangerous fault - this involves actual danger to you, the examiner, the public or property

  • a serious fault - something potentially dangerous

  • a driving fault - this isn’t potentially dangerous, but if you keep making the same fault, it could become a serious fault

 

You will pass your test if you make 15 or fewer driving faults and no serious or dangerous faults.


When the driving test has finished you can call your instructor over if you wish so that they can listen to the result and help you with any feedback afterwards.


The examiner will tell you if you passed or not and explain how you did during the test.


If you pass your test your examiner will give you a pass certificate straight away. They will also ask you if you want your full licence to be sent to you automatically.


Once you have passed you can drive straight away – you do not need to wait for your full licence to arrive.


If you fail you must wait 10 working days before you can take another test.

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