Practical Test

Eyesight Check
You’ll have to read a number plate from a distance of:
  • 20 metres for vehicles with a new-style number plate
  • 20.5 metres for vehicles with an old-style number plate
You can write down what you see if you can’t speak English or have difficulty reading.

Vehicle Safety Questions: ‘Show me, tell me’
You’ll be asked 2 vehicle safety questions. These are also known as the ‘show me, tell me’ questions.

The examiner will ask you one ‘show me’ question, where you’ll have to show them how you’d carry out a vehicle safety check.

You’ll also be asked one ‘tell me’ question, where you’ll have to explain to the examiner how you’d carry out the check.
The Driving Ability Part
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.

Your General Driving Ability
During your test the examiner will give you directions that you should follow. You’ll drive in various road and traffic conditions. You should drive in the way your instructor has trained you.

It should include:
  • normal stops
  • an angle start (pulling out from behind a parked vehicle)
  • a hill start
You might also be asked to carry out an emergency stop.

Reversing Your Vehicle Safely
You’ll have to show how well you can reverse your vehicle. The examiner will ask you to do one of the following exercises:

  • reversing around a corner
  • turning in the road
  • reverse parking - either into a parking bay, or parallel parking at the side of the road

Independent Driving Section
Your driving test will include around 10 minutes of independent driving. It’s designed to assess your ability to drive safely while making decisions on your own.

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