“Nervousness is a natural reaction to tests and exams. And driving tests are no different. Driving examiners know this, and they’ll do their best to help you relax.”
Basic tips to help manage your nerves
Talk to your driving instructor about the ways you might be able to manage your nerves. They’re used to teaching people who are nervous about taking the driving test.
Here are some other basic tips that can help.
1. Plan ahead
Do not take your test when other stressful things are happening in your life, such as school exams.
2. Get a good night’s sleep
Get a few good nights of sleep before your test – you’ll feel more stressed if you’re tired.
3. Avoid caffeine
Avoid too much caffeine before your test: it might make you feel jittery and nervous.
4. Be positive
Focus on passing your test rather than worrying about failing it. Stay in the moment and concentrate, avoid thinking back to what has just happened.
Taking your driving test
The DVSA have put together three official videos to help you fully prepare to take your practical driving test,
Driving test "tell me" questions
Driving test "Show me" questions
Driving test guide
Reasons for failing your driving test
How to use this guide
You need to be a good driver to pass the driving test. If you regularly make any of the mistakes explained in this guide during your driving lessons or private practice, you’re not ready to take your driving test.
Use the examples with your driving instructor and supervising driver to help identify any areas where you still need to develop your knowledge, skills and understanding.
1. Not making effective observations at junctions
Failing to judge the speed of an approaching vehicle
When you turn either left or right from a minor road, you make observations but fail to judge the speed of the approaching vehicle. You move off, forcing the vehicle to slow significantly.
Entering a roundabout with a vehicle approaching from the right
When you approach a roundabout, there’s a vehicle approaching from the right. You still enter the roundabout, causing the vehicle approaching to slow down.
Making no effective observations at all
When you emerge from a junction, you make no effective observations at all. This causes:
- a vehicle approaching from either the left or right to do an emergency stop to avoid hitting you
- the driving examiner to use the dual controls to brake
Making no observations when joining a dual carriageway from a slip road
When you’re on a slip road to join a dual carriageway, you enter the dual carriageway without making any observations, or you do not give way to the traffic on the main carriageway.
2. Not using mirrors correctly when changing direction
Not using mirrors when exiting a roundabout
You need to take the right-hand exit on a large multi-lane roundabout. When you move from the right-hand lane to the left-hand lane to exit the roundabout, you make no rear or passenger-side observations or mirror checks.
Causing a vehicle to slow when changing lanes on a dual carriageway
When you’re on a dual carriageway, you check your mirrors when changing lanes, but there’s a vehicle approaching in the lane you want to move into. You start to change lanes anyway, causing the approaching vehicle to slow down.
Trying to change lane on a roundabout when a vehicle is directly alongside
When you’re driving on a roundabout, you try to change lanes when there’s a vehicle directly alongside you. The driving examiner has to take control of the steering wheel to stop a collision.
Exiting a roundabout without checking mirrors
When you exit a roundabout, you do not check your mirrors and cut across the path of a closely following vehicle to the left-hand side of the car.
3. Not moving off safely
Moving off from behind a parked vehicle into the path of an approaching vehicle
When you move off from behind a parked vehicle, you check your mirrors and blind spot, but still move off into the path of an approaching vehicle. This causes the vehicle to significantly slow down.
Repeatedly moving off from the side of the road with no blind spot checks
Throughout the test, you repeatedly move off from the side of the road with no blind spot checks in situations where they’re needed.
Pulling off from the right-hand side of the road, causing an oncoming vehicle to slow or stop
After the ‘pull up on the right’ exercise, you move off with either an oncoming vehicle or a closely approaching vehicle from behind. This causes the vehicle to severely slow down or stop.
Not making any rear observations when moving off following an emergency stop
After you do the emergency stop exercise, you move off without making any rear observations, having been stationary in the middle of the lane for some time.
4. Incorrect positioning when turning right at junctions
Positioning in the left-hand lane when turning right at a roundabout
When you need to turn right at a roundabout, you use the left-hand lane when it’s not appropriate, and continue around the roundabout in that lane. This causes confusion to several following vehicles.
Obstructing traffic when you wait to turn right
When you want to turn right into a minor road, you position your car too far to the left while you wait for oncoming traffic to clear. This causes severe delays to the following traffic on a road where it was wide enough for the traffic to pass you on the left.
When you want to turn right at the end of the road, you incorrectly position to the left
When you reach the end of a wide road with no road markings, you position in the left of your lane when you’re actually turning right.
5. Not responding appropriately to traffic lights
Failing to react to red traffic light
When a red light is clearly showing, you attempt to proceed through the junction.
Stopping after the first white line when there are advanced stop lines for cyclists
At a signal-controlled junction with an advanced stop line to allow cyclists to be positioned ahead of other traffic, you stop beyond the first white line in the area for cyclists.
Not progressing when you’re waiting to turn right at a junction and it’s safe to proceed
When you need to turn right at a junction, you continue to wait in the middle of the junction when the repeater light has turned red and the oncoming traffic has stopped. This causes you to completely block the junction controlled by traffic lights.
Not going ahead when a green light is showing and the junction ahead is clear
When a green light or a green filter light is clearly visible, you continue to wait at a clear junction. You make no attempt to proceed.
Going ahead when a green light is showing but the junction is not clear
When the traffic lights are green, you go ahead, even though the junction is not clear. This then means you’re then blocking the junction when the traffic lights change.
6. Not having proper control of the steering
Repeatedly not steering enough or steering late on the approach to junctions when turning left
Throughout the test, when you turn left, you repeatedly understeer, not following the shape of the kerb. This means there’s not enough space for vehicles turning right to fit alongside your car.
Not steering enough when going around a bend
When you drive around a bend at an appropriate speed, you do not apply enough steering. This causes both passenger-side wheels to mount the pavement.
Steering late when turning right into a minor road
When you turn right into a minor road, you steer late and not enough. This causes a ‘swan neck’ effect, and you drive fully onto the wrong side of the new road to correct your position.
Repeatedly mounting the pavement when pulling up on the left
Throughout the test, when you pull up on the left-hand side of the road, you mount the pavement with both passenger-side wheels before the car returns to the road.
Steering late when moving out to pass parked vehicles
When you approach parked vehicles, you steer late and get too close to the parked vehicles.
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