8 Driving Test Tips to help you pass first time!

8 Driving Test Tips

1. Don’t forget to bring your driving licence

   It can easily happen, you get distracted before leaving for your driving test. You put your driving licence down and forget to put it back on your person. Ensure you bring all the documents required and check them before you leave your property. The driving test will not go ahead if you forget your Driving licence. From my experience examiners will still take you out on test if you don’t bring your theory test certificate. If you can find your theory test certificate then bring it to your test. If you are taking your own car to test find out what you must do here!

2. Create lesson goals for each driving lesson

   This will give you a target to aim for and make you try that little bit harder on your driving lesson. Once you have reached your lesson goal, change it to meet another personal target.

3. Ask questions on your driving lessons

   Make sure you understand the explanation to your questions. If not ask your instructor to explain it using diagrams or images. It’s important you fully understand feedback from your questions, if not your decision making will become indecisive.

4. Using mirrors

   Become reliant on using mirrors. Don’t check just for the sake of the examiner. Train yourself to understand what you are actually looking at and for. The centre mirror is the easiest out of the mirrors to use so start with this one and work in the exterior mirrors throughout your lessons. If you are proficient with mirror use you will have a better understanding of your surroundings which will lead to better decision making. Check out our link to see the driving test report sheet explained.

5. Clearance

   This is probably the reason most learner drivers fail their driving test. Clearance means being too close when passing vehicles. Try and get the best technique which works for you. Understand your safe passing distances. Try not to overly focus on the approaching traffic. Get more information here on what to do when you encounter parked vehicles on side streets.

6. Right turns at traffic light controlled junctions

   Again this is another top reason why learner drivers fail their driving test. Right turns can confuse drivers quite easily. What to do on the approach when the filter light goes out? Should I wait in the junction? Make sure before your driving test you practice plenty of different types of yellow box controlled junctions. Check out this link for more information.

7. Mini roundabouts

   Mini roundabouts look easy but many learner drivers travel too fast on the approach and brake sharply. It’s very important to reduce your speed well before this type of junction. This will give you the time to access the risk properly. Take a look at how to approach and understand priorities at mini-roundabouts.

8. Roundabouts

   Large roundabouts can cause lots of stress for learner drivers. One of the reasons for this is a lack of understanding of how to navigate when reading the traffic sign on the approach. Speed is also a major factor, getting down to a speed at which you feel comfortable is the best way to approach this junction or any hazard. If you leave your braking too late you will have little time to risk access or understand priorities. Check out this link for more information.

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Driving test in Manchester

Taking your driving test in Manchester can have many challenges. There are a number of driving test centres to choose from ranging from low pass rates to high pass rates. Getting a test centre of your choice is more difficult due to the ongoing pandemic. Be prepared to take your driving test in Manchester at these test centres as test slots are very difficult to get!

• Cheetham Hill (35% pass rate)
• West Didsbury (45%)
• Bredbury (46%)
• Sale (50%)
• Hyde (57%)

Do not let pass rates at the test centres put you off when booking your driving test. Watch our YouTube Channel for actual driving tests from the test centres and see how to pass your driving test. Being well prepared will help you feel more confident before you take your test.

Planning your drive

Planning your driving test in Manchester will dramatically improve the chances of passing the first time. This in turn will help you become a safe and confident driver. Forward planning is probably the hardest part of learning to drive. The list below generalizes and helps break down the areas and routes you are expected to drive. It should help and improve your forward planning into a more logical process. All these key skills when combined should maximise your driving performance when you are training or near the test standard stage.

Residential zones

These areas consist of housing estates. The roads are normally tighter with lots of t-junctions and crossroads. The junctions are controlled with road markings and from time to time no road markings. The reason for fewer road markings is less traffic. The four key skills in these areas when driving forward are:

• Closed fields of vision
• Clearance
• Moving off at angles
• Meeting traffic

All of the above are listed on the test sheet report.  Examiners are testing these criteria. A good understanding of these four key skills will help improve you as a driver. Each time you enter a residential zone, risk assess for these hazards, they are frequent and often. Prioritize the risk as you drive. When each risk is identified follow your procedure in other words what you should do next. This technique will help improve your overall drive, the risks are frequent and often.

Non-Primary Routes

These roads generally consist of single carriageways with medium traffic flow. The traffic information sign will have a white background and a black border.  On Approach to a junction with this information sign expect traffic lights to control the junction. The volume of traffic will be greater at these junctions compared to residential zones. The typical risks in addition to the residential zones key skills on these roads when driving forward which happen frequently and often are:

• Traffic light controlled pedestrian crossings
• Traffic light controlled junctions
• Progress
• Use of signals
• Buses
• Mirrors

The examiner will use the above criteria to monitor your driving on these roads. You can have additional hazards but the above are generally happening frequently and often. As you drive forward it should become easier to identify the risks. Again prioritize the risks and then follow the procedures. The residential zones key skills are also linked to these areas.

Primary Routes

The background colour of this information sign is green. Primary routes generally are a lot wider than non-primary routes. There is a greater volume of traffic to deal with and the traffic controlled junctions can seem more complex. The typical types of risks in addition to residential zones key skills and non-primary key skills to deal with driving forward on these roads are:

• Bus lanes restrictions
• Cycle lane restrictions
• Stationary traffic in the bus lane
• Changing direction
• Traffic light controlled pedestrian crossings
• Traffic light controlled junctions

The examiner will use the above criteria to monitor your driving on these roads. You can have additional hazards but the above are generally happening frequently and often. As you drive forward it should become easier to identify the risks. Again prioritize the risks and then follow the procedures. The residential zones key skills are also linked to these areas, also non-primary route key skills. This is why when you break the roads down into different categories it’s easier to understand the risks and forward plan.

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