Fact vs Myth
'The information listed is provided in good faith and is correct to the best of our considerable knowledge, however the driving test is marked by a driving examiner, who like everyone else has personal preferences and opinions. Examiners are given considerable discretion when marking a test and are told to consider the overall drive when deciding whether or not a particular fault will cause a failure. Therefore something that fails one person in one situation may not fail someone else in a different situation. As always common sense should prevail.'
Examiners are trained to watch you until you look in the mirror after giving a direction
Your examiner will already be making an assessment of your ability before you even pull away by looking at the way you do the pre-start checks and answer the show me tell me questions
Examiners don't like surprises - keep your driving smooth, gentle and predictable
If there is an unexpected event, such as a blocked road, while you are on test you may be asked to "turn around by any means" and told that "this won't be counted on your test", you may also sometimes need to mount the kerb to pass the obstruction, only do so when you have made sure it is absolutely necessary and safe to do so
As soon as you leave the test centre, before you reach your car, the examiner will normally ask you if he can call you by your first name
If you can't read a chosen number plate by the third attempt, the examiner will go back in and get a tape measure to measure out the exact distance required. If you can't read it then you will fail your test. There is only one tape measure per test centre
Taking the wrong direction and going off route is not a fail
You will only ever be asked to reverse into a parking bay at the driving test centre. If a test centre does not have its own car park then you will not do the bay park manoeuvre
People who fail on emerging usually do so because they haven't looked left sufficiently before crossing the line
The emergency stop is only performed on one in three tests - most people fail on the emergency stop because either they don't brake hard enough or they don't react quickly enough
If you get stuck in a traffic jam you will still drive the whole test route - you will just have a longer test
Getting both maintenance questions wrong will not fail you - you will just get one minor fault
It is very difficult to fail on a manoeuvre if you have the confidence to stop, take your time and shunt forwards if necessary.
Technically if you commit a dangerous fault the driving test should be terminated at that point, although it is seldom done except when the examiners are working to rule because of an industrial dispute
Stalling the car on test is usually only a minor fault unless it is somewhere dangerous
You can be on the lines on a bay park manoeuvre and still pass. You can finish at an angle as long as you are not over the line either side
Hitting the kerb lightly on a turn-in-the-road will not fail you, and the turn doesn't have to be done in 3 movements
When a driving test is terminated because of a serious mistake the examiner will get out, tell you to stay with the vehicle, and he will walk back to the test centre.
If you reach the end of a one way street and are supposed to turn right, and you suddenly realise you are in the left lane: You can salvage your test by changing your indicator to left, and turning left. This should only give you a minor fault for timing of indicator
Three to four minor faults within the same category will normally fail you
If you do not agree with the way your test was conducted you can make an appeal against the result. However if you win the appeal the result will not be changed, you will just get a retest
Examiners like confident drivers - show him/her that you know what you are doing
You can fail for not using the windscreen wipers if they are needed
The examiner's union is pressing for the banning of non dual-controlled cars on test
Certain cars such as mini convertibles are not allowed to be used on test
If a manoeuvre is going wrong, or you don't like the way it is going, you can shunt forwards at least twice to alter it
Many examiners have never been instructors. They take a one month training course to qualify as an examiner
Test examiners have many more accidents than instructors - an examiners job is not to keep you safe but to examine
You can have a friend accompany you to sit in the back on your driving test
Your examiner will tell you which lane to get into at a roundabout by the direction he gives - “take the third exit right” means get in the right lane and indicate right
If your examiner mentions a direction (left or right) then indicate that way
Newly trained examiners normally allow you to cross your hands on the steering wheel in some circumstances, it’s about your overall control
You can change from 2nd gear to 4th and 3rd directly to 5th gear when accelerating
You can fail for not driving up to the speed limit if it’s safe to do so ( eg.driving at 40mph in a 70mph limit for no reason)
You can use your own car on the driving test (there are conditions to this however that can be found on the official DSA website)
Steering whilst stationary (dry steering) is not a fault
Driving examiners often don’t make up their mind as to which test route you are going on until after your test has started.
In a potential accident situation the examiner will not intervene until the last possible moment, and that may be too late. This is because he is afraid of being accused of intervening unnecessarily
Your instructor is assessed by the standard and ability of his pupils that he takes to the test centre