Preparation for your Test Day
Use the app to prepare for your theory test, but also take time before your test day to ensure you know where the test centre is and how you’re going to get there as well as making sure you have your UK photocard driving licence ready to take with you.
You MUST take your UK photocard driving licence to your test – if you have an old style paper licence, you must also bring another form of photographic identification, such as a passport, with you. You no longer need to bring your test letter or email confirmation with you on your test.
If you have a licence from Northern Ireland, you will need to bring the photocard and paper counterpart licence.
It is important that you know exactly where the test centre is located and that you arrive in plenty of time. If you arrive late or don’t bring the right documents with you, your test will be cancelled and you will not get your money back.
But most importantly of all, it is critical that you are fully prepared so that you arrive 100% confident that you will be leaving with a pass!
Test Day Nerves
Suffering from test nerves is normal, but to help you out, here is a first-hand account of exactly what happens on the day of your Theory Test.
Usually, when we’re nervous it’s because we don’t know what to expect.
The uncertainty of knowing exactly what will happen causes some of us to tense up and start fretting, so to ease your nerves we can tell you exactly what to expect on the day of your Driving Theory Test.
Arrive 10 minutes early for the test
Make sure you are at least 10 minutes early so you can comfortably find the test centre and provide the staff with your provisional driving licence.
The administrator will check your details and confirm that you are booked in to have a Theory Test.
You will be asked to sign a digital display, and then handed a locker key to store your belongings.
Before you put your mobile phone in the locker you must have it switched off and confirmed that it is switched off by the administrator.
Before your test, you will be handed a rules document, which needs to be read and handed back to the examiner.
Depending on how busy the Theory Test centre is, you will be asked to go through to the examination room with the administrator.
This person will check your photocard provisional licence, assign you a computer on the system and point to where you need to sit in the room for your computer.
They will usually have screens in front of them showing different angles of the test room to make sure nobody is breaking the rules.
What happens when you sit at the Theory Test computer?
Once you are seated at your assigned computer the screen will switch on and you will be logged in.
The first screen you will see will contain general information on the theory test such as the number of questions, the amount of time that you have to complete etc.
Before you start the multiple-choice theory test you will have the option of doing 5 practise questions to get used to the format. You can choose to skip this and go straight to the test.
During the multiple-choice Theory Test, you will be able to flag some questions which you can go back to at the end before submitting your answers for assessment.
Once you have completed the multiple-choice Theory Test the screen will now bring up general information on your Hazard Perception Test.
You will be given the option of doing some practise clips to get used to how the test works.
You can skip this and go straight into the Hazard Perception Test if you feel confident.
There will be a total of 14 clips each varying in length but lasting approximately 1 minute each.
Once one clip ends there will be a count down timer starting from 10 seconds before the next Hazard Perception clip starts.
After the Theory Test is completed
Once you have completed the Hazard Perception test you may be asked to answer some feedback questions to provide for the DVSA.
You do not have to answer these.
When you have completed your multiple-choice and Hazard Perception Test you will need to get up and leave quietly to go back to the administration desk.
You will need to hand back the photocard part of your provisional licence to the administrator so they can retrieve your test results.
You will now be able to retrieve your possessions from the locker and hand back the locker key.
Once your test results are ready the administrator will call your name and hand you your test results.
How long will I be at the test centre?
The total time your Theory Test takes will vary from person to person but you should prepare to be in the test centre for at least 90 minutes.
What happens if I pass?
If the paper you receive says you have passed, first you need to give yourself a high 5! Secondly, this now means you can book your practical test!
You can do this online here.
Note: You will need to use your Theory Test certificate number to do so.
What happens if I fail?
Similarly, if the paper you receive says you haven’t passed this time, you needn’t worry; more than half of learners fail their Theory Test.
The first port of call is to check which area you scored less on (either Theory or Hazard Perception), then you can focus your revision going forward.
It may be worth reflecting on how much time you spent revising, if this was less than 4 weeks, the chances are you probably need to do a little more revision.
Give yourself a few extra weeks to revise the entire question bank again (730 questions) and then rebook when you are feeling confident.
By using our Driving Test Success Theory Test 4 in 1 app, you can track your progress throughout your revision and use the progress monitor to identify when you are test ready.
At only £4.99, can you afford not to invest in making sure you’re getting the best practise?
