The practical driving test will be conducted at your local Driving Standard Agency test centre.

The current test fee is £48.50 (£58.00) at weekends.

It consists of an eyesight test, some questions relating to general vehicle maintenance (show and tell questions) and the drive. see below for further details.

A5Drive recommend that immediately before the test you have at least an hours lesson with your instructor. The test will then be taken in your instructor's car. This would mean booking your instructor for two hours.

Your instructor will give you guidance on when you are ready to book your test. Please listen to him/her. Your instructor will want you to pass first time and would not want you to waste your money on a test for which you are not ready. Furthermore, instructors can and will refuse you the use of their car if they consider you are not fit for test.

When booking your test, liaise closely with your instructor regarding his/her availability. Better still, book it with your instructor, or ask him/her to book it for you. This would prevent the problem of booking a test when your instructor is not available.

To assist you and your instructor in determining whether, or when you are likely to be ready, for a test A5Drive can give you a mock test. It will be conducted by our senior instructor, under test conditions. Apart from helping to determine your readiness, this is an invaluable benefit, which will allow you to experience what a test is really like. It also provides you with confidence when subsequently taking the real test, helping you overcome those dreaded nerves. Comprehensive feedback is provided to both you and your instructor. This can form the basis of an action plan for subsequent lessons to ensure you are driving to the best of your ability come the real test.

Eyesight test

At the start of your test the examiner will ask you to read a car number plate from 20.5 metres (67 feet). This should not be a problem for you as your instructor would have asked you to do the same thing on your very first lesson. If you normally wear glasses when driving you must wear the glasses when performing the eyesight test.

General Vehicle Maintenance questions

These are commonly referred to as the 'show me - tell me' questions.

You will be asked two questions, one of which the examiner will ask you to show him/her how to conduct the safety check, the other you will be asked to tell him/her the answer.

These are questions about basic safety checks that you should carry out to ensure the vehicle is safe for use. Although some checks may involve you opening the bonnet to identify where fluid levels would be checked, you will not be asked to touch a hot engine or physically check fluid levels.

As vehicle technology advances, more and more vehicles are being equipped with electronic diagnostic systems, which inform the driver of the state of the engine fluid levels and tyre pressures. It will be acceptable for you to refer to the vehicle information system (if fitted) when answering questions on fluid levels or tyre pressures.

The questions are very straight forward and your instructor will go through them with you before your test date and make certain you can answer them correctly. To further help you, follow the link on the left to Show me/Tell me questions where the questions and answers can be found.

The Drive

The practical driving test is a test of your ability to drive a car, without any guidance from your instructor.

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