Driving test route and lessons

onomatopoeia99 · 3 October 2017 at 10:59AM

After about my third lesson, when I was able to drive confidently enough from my home to the area around the nearest test centre, my instructor took me on the routes used by the test centre for my lessons. When I got to the test, apart from one double parked road that was always difficult to negotiate throughout all my lessons, which was used right at the start of the test, the examiner ten sent me off to a completely different part of town so it was all new to me.

You need to be able to pass the test on unfamiliar roads, because even if you practice on common test routes, you might not get one.

I started learning in June and had my test in February, because there was a six month wait for appointments on a Saturday at the time ( I was doing A levels, so no possibility of taking a day off ) and had a total of 17 one hour lessons, plus practice with my parents. The practice part was important with getting confidence as hours driving do matter in building that up, and my dad wouldn't let me get away with anything while I was driving!

takman · 3 October 2017 at 11:03AM

neha9 wrote: »

I have actually taken 50 lessons in total. 12 lessons when i was in london. Then i moved to birmingham in july. It is just that she has never taken me to any new roads. We have just been practicing local.

If you have had 50 lessons and still feel unsure of driving then you really need to stop wasting money on lessons. You need to get your own car or get insured on someone else's car and do lots of driving outside of lessons which will build up your confidence. There is no point in paying someone £20+ an hour to sit next to you when you can go driving with a family member/friend for a fraction of that cost.

Herzlos · 3 October 2017 at 12:23PM

You're probably better doing the test somewhere you don't know - you won't be making any assumptions about what's coming or the route, so will have to act on the instructions and signage. Especially for the free-driving part.

Jackmydad · 3 October 2017 at 2:03PM

Long time ago when I took my test, but didn't it used to say something about staying away from the test course until your actual test?
I think it was to try to stop there being too many learners on the roads around there.

I didn't know the area where I took my test at all really. As others have said, if you're not confident to drive anywhere, then you're not ready for a full licence yet.

As you've had a fair few lessons I'd stop worrying about it, and go with what the instructor says.

Robisere · 3 October 2017 at 4:57PM

It's all about confidence. Not just your confidence, but the confidence, in your instructor's judgement, that you are ready to drive on all roads, not just the ones you know. You need to practice on all roads, with different signs and different motoring conditions. Can you ask an experienced driver - family member or friend with a full licence - to accompany you?

Driving is a matter of brain and muscle memory: the more of it you do, the more it becomes integrated within your mind and body. The fact that you cannot understand that you need to drive on other roads in other areas and conditions, means that is exactly what you need to practice.

Warwick_Hunt · 3 October 2017 at 6:44PM

neha9 wrote: »

Hi All,

i am taking my driving lessons and in total have taken around 30 lessons with the current instructor and 8 lessons with my previous instructor. My concern is i have my test booked at garretts green and i m not familiar neither with the test centre or the test routes. My instructor doesn't want me to practice at the test routes as she thinks it is important to be able to drive on new roads and not just test routes. We already had so many lessons on 2 to 3 routes near my house but nothing at the test centre routes. the other day she took my mock test and i failed because it was a totally new road. She wants me to take more 15 lessons. I have asked her to take me to the test routes for the last few lessons but she refused.

I have my test booked on nov 3rd.

Any reviews would be helpfull.

Let's hope you turn right and not left when you hit the Meadway. You don't want to be heading towards B10 on test. :rotfl:

walwyn1978 · 3 October 2017 at 8:59PM

Jackmydad wrote: »

Long time ago when I took my test, but didn't it used to say something about staying away from the test course until your actual test?
I think it was to try to stop there being too many learners on the roads around there.

I didn't know the area where I took my test at all really. As others have said, if you're not confident to drive anywhere, then you're not ready for a full licence yet.

As you've had a fair few lessons I'd stop worrying about it, and go with what the instructor says.

Agreed on the first point - my instructor (22 years ago) didn't take me anywhere near the test centre bit of town unto the day itself.

matttye · 3 October 2017 at 11:08PM

neha9 wrote: »

Yes i totally understand my instructors point of view. We have always praticed on the same roads in all the lessons and but when she took my mock test was on new route. The first 45mts of the test everything was ok and no majors including independent driving. She then extended the test to more 30mts of independent driving following the road signs. She failed the mock test for not following the road signs. The next 30 mts of independent driving was on big roundabouts and dual carriageway. She didn't show me any map.

Going the wrong way on a driving test isn't a fail so I don't think this would be the reason why your driving instructor failed you on your mock test - perhaps clarify that. If you forget the directions you've been given you can ask the examiner to repeat them.

On my driving test the examiner told me to follow the road ahead unless told otherwise. At some stage the road split into two lanes and I remained in the left hand lane. Quite late I saw a road sign telling me the left lane was for going left and the right lane was for going straight ahead. I simply checked my right mirror, narrated that it was too late for me to safely pull into the right hand lane to carry straight on (due to traffic) so I would have to go left instead. He gave me a minor for that.

Car_54 · 4 October 2017 at 7:25AM

matttye wrote: »

Going the wrong way on a driving test isn't a fail so I don't think this would be the reason why your driving instructor failed you on your mock test - perhaps clarify that. If you forget the directions you've been given you can ask the examiner to repeat them.

On my driving test the examiner told me to follow the road ahead unless told otherwise. At some stage the road split into two lanes and I remained in the left hand lane. Quite late I saw a road sign telling me the left lane was for going left and the right lane was for going straight ahead. I simply checked my right mirror, narrated that it was too late for me to safely pull into the right hand lane to carry straight on (due to traffic) so I would have to go left instead. He gave me a minor for that.

Are you sure? Taking the wrong turn is not a fault. More likely it was for failing to check your left mirror, ot to signal left.

onomatopoeia99 · 4 October 2017 at 8:48AM

We had an example of why driving the test area is a bad thing when learning at work recently. One of my colleagues failed her test due to driving in a bus lane while it was active. She drove the same road a lot during her lessons, but always at weekends when private cars could use the bus lane. Come the test during a weekday rush hour, she did the same thing, headed into the bus lane without thinking and though she realised immediately it was too late and of course failed. Familiarity in this case causing an error.

Driving test route and lessons

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