Practical Test Centre
About the Practical Test
The aim of the DVSA (Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency) is to produce a test format that can be applied consistently throughout the U.K.
However it can not be exactly the same everywhere.
London traffic conditions cannot be reproduced in the heart of Scotland, and while it's easy to be able to find a hill for hill starts in Wales, this cannot be done in the Fens.
So Examiners have to take the areas as they find it, but the same standards are applied nationally, with the content of the test varying from area to area.
We have put together a page on 
What to expect on your Practical test day which includes all the driving test changes from December 2017.
In the UK Learners driving a car must hold a valid provisional licence.
They must be supervised by someone at least 21 years old who holds a full licence and has held one for at least three years.
Official DVSA guide Video
This video is the Official DVSA guide to what happens during the driving test and what it takes to pass it - including the eyesight test, 'show me, tell me' questions, reversing exercises, and independent driving parts of the test.
Driving Lessons Video Tutorials
Visit our Driving Lessons Video Tutorials page.
Lots of free Videos to help you to get a better idea of what you need to know when you're starting out on your practical driving.
These show you Basic Skills such as Gear changing, Steering, Moving off,Stopping, all the Manoeuvres, Emergency Stops etc
Answering a vehicle safety question while you’re driving
The examiner will ask you 2 vehicle safety questions during your driving test - these are known as the ‘show me, tell me’ questions.
From 4th December 2017 you will now be asked one ‘tell me’ question (where you explain how you’d carry out a safety task) at the start of your test, before you start driving
and then while your driving during the test, the driving examiner will ask you one
‘show me’ question (where you show how you’d carry out a safety task) for example, showing how to wash the windscreen using the car controls and wipers.
List of all the new questions:-
Tell Me - Questions asked at the start the Car Driving Test
Show Me - Questions asked during the Car Driving Test
Structured learning
To help you learn in a structured way, the DVSA (Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency) has produced a Driver's Record. You could have received a Driver's Record with your provisional driving licence, if not you can get one from your instructor, your local test centre or download one from the link below:-
PDF file Download Driver's Record for learner drivers
If you are having trouble driving a manual car,
Why not try an Automatic!
Dealing with Nerves and Confidence
Exams can be nerve-wracking at the best of times, and driving tests appear to be more harrowing.
Knowing that a person, you are not familiar with, is watching and judging your every move can be very nervy.
So if you’ve got your test coming up and you’re feeling anxious about it, then remember you’re not alone.
Most people suffer from nerves to some extent and they can in fact be beneficial by raising your adrenaline levels and making you more alert.
The challenge is keeping them under control.
Check out 15 Ways To Overcome Your Test Nerves
The examiner just wants to see what you would normally do - nothing that you do not already know.
So now go and show the examiner that you deserve to have those L plates removed.
Should you take your instructor on your driving test?
Driving examiners will ask you, at the time you take your test, if they would like your instructor (or another observer - preferably the person who has taught them to drive) to sit in on your test and listen to the feedback at the end.
It is purely your own choice.
Watch this video and see if it helps you with the right choice.
