Westdrive Tuition

The practical driving test lasts around 40 minutes but before driving you will be asked to complete a vision test to make sure you can read a number plate from 20 metres away. 

You’ll also then be asked a “tell me” question, where you explain how you’d carry out a safety task such as checking tyre pressures or tread depth, before you start to drive. Later in the test, you’ll be asked a “show me” question where you have to demonstrate how you’d carry out a safety task, such as how to wash and clean the windscreen. 

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Around 20 minutes of the test will be “independent driving” without instruction from the examiner, where you’ll have to follow either traffic signs or directions from a sat nav.

As well as your general driving ability, You might also be asked to carry out an emergency stop. 

 

You’ll also be asked to carry out one of the reversing exercise. This will be either: parallel park at the side of the road; park in a parking bay - either by driving in and reversing out, or reversing in and driving out (the examiner will tell you which you have to do); pull up on the right-hand side of the road, reverse for around two car lengths, and rejoin the traffic.

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What are major and minor faults and how many faults are you allowed?

There are three categories of faults you might make during the driving test.

A dangerous fault involves actual danger to you, the examiner, the public or property. A serious fault involves something potentially dangerous.  A driving fault is not potentially dangerous, but if you keep making the same fault, it could become a serious fault.

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Dangerous and serious faults are sometimes known as “major” faults and even one means you’ll fail the test. You can have up to 15 driving or “minor” faults.

 

The examiner will only stop your test if they think your driving is a danger to other road users. Otherwise, you will only find out if you have passed or failed once you’ve completed the test and are back at the test centre. 

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If you pass the examiner will give you a pass certificate and tell you what, if any, faults you made.

 

If you fail, the examiner will tell you and explain what faults you made.

 

If you fail, you must wait at least 10 days until you can resit the test. 

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If you pass, you can start driving immediately as long as you have the correct insurance.