How to pass your driving test?

Before you are able to sit the practical driving test, you are expected to have completed the theory test with hazard perception to ensure that you are familiar with the Highway Code and can notice driving dangers well ahead for the safety of everyone including you. With all the knowledge you have gathered and the driving skills you have acquired through hours of practice, you are finally ready to give the driving test a go with the hope to pass first time round.
To maximise your chances of passing your driving test, here are a few things that you need to keep in mind before going for the test:

• Make sure you’ve had enough driving practice and you are confident enough to drive by yourself
• Sleep well the previous night and have your breakfast so that you’re full of energy for the test
• Try to do the driving test routes a few times so that you are familiar with them
• If you’ll be using your own car, make sure that it’s clean and tidy and suitable for testing purposes
• Sit your driving test in a car which you’re familiar with (vehicle controls such as indicators, wipers are often needed, so you need to know where they are and you need to be comfortable with the size of the car)
• Master all the manoeuvres (turn in the road, parallel parking, reverse parking, emergency stop, bay parking)

Here are a few tips to remember during the actual driving test:

• Observation is the key – check your mirrors regularly and don’t forget your blind spot
• Adjust seat and mirrors according to your height and body style
• Remember to bring all necessary documents (eg provisional licence with counterpart) to avoid panic
• Signal using your indicators when appropriate (eg before turning into a road) to let other people know what you intend to do
• Always use your parking brake (handbrake) when you stop instead of leaving your foot on the brake pedal for a long time
• Maintain driving speed so that you do not disturb the flow of traffic (don’t go too fast and then brake severely to change lanes or drive too slowly causing a queue behind you)
• Know where your lane is before you get there
• Focus on your driving and not the examiner (don’t try to see what he’s writing on the marking sheet)
• If you make a mistake, don’t worry about it – just carry on with your driving, otherwise you’ll get nervous and make more mistakes
• Be polite to the driving examiner

The information given here should be used as a guidance to help you pass your driving test. The more practice you have is usually better but if you’re practising something wrong over and over again, then that’s going to inhibit your capabilities and work against you. You should always learn from a reputable driving instructor to know the right driving techniques and practice what you’ve learnt as much as you can.