Weekday price, £62.00, Weekday Evening and Weekend price, £75.00.

Official Direct.gov Practical Driving Test Booking Site. Click below To Book, And Not Pay Any More Than You Have To!

• Click Here to Check, Change or Cancel PRACTICAL DRIVING TESTS.

Fees correct as of 30th March 2009. Practical driving test fees do not include the hire of the tuition vehicle. The Aim of the driving standards agency is to produce a test format that can be applied consistently thoughout the UK.

 

The Driving Standards Agency (DSA) offer tests outside the normal test times at a number of test centres.

Simply Learners Driving School Preston Practical tests in Preston, Lancashire are generally available at all permanent test centres. Saturday and weekday evening tests, subject to resources being available, are offered at a premium rate. Non premium rate tests are available at various times between 7.30 am and 3.27 pm Monday to Friday.

 

The driving test is straightforward and has been designed to see if you:

 

• Can drive safely.
• Know The Highway Code and can demonstrate this through your driving.

During the Practical test you can make up to 15 driving faults and still pass (16 or more results in failure). However, if you commit one serious or dangerous fault you will fail the test. If at any time your examiner considers you to be a danger to other road users your test will be stopped.

 

When you book your Simply Learners Driving School Preston Practical tests in Preston, Lancashire, the booking service will ask you if you would like the confirmation emailed to you or sent to you through the post. When you receive it you should check:

 

• The date and time of your allotted test.
• The test centre and the type of test e.g. group category, see table below.

Description	Category	Min Age
Light Motorcycles not exceeding 11kw	A1	17
Motorcycles up to 25 kw	A	17
Any size motorcycle	A	21
3 or 4 wheeled light vehicles	B1	17
Cars	B	17
Automatic Cars	B	17
Cars with trailers	B+E	17
Mopeds	P	16

• Check the cancellation date. Unless a cancellation is received on or before the cancellation date you may lose your fee if you do not attend the test.

On the day of your test you must bring with you:-

• Theory test pass certificate.
• Your photocard and your counterpart provisional driving licence,

You must take BOTH parts of your licence with you to the driving test centre. If you do not, the test will not take place and you will lose your fee. If you have an old style Driving licence, not a photocard, you will need to take along your valid passport as well.

Arrive at the test centre in good time. Each examiner works to a tight schedule, with up to seven tests carried out each day.

 

If you are late the test may not be carried out and you may lose your fee. You will wait in the waiting room with your Simply Learners Driving School Preston instructor in Preston, Lancashire until the examiner arrives. They will then call your name and ask you to sign the insurance and residency declaration on the driving test report to confirm that the test vehicle is covered by a valid policy of insurance and that you have lived in the UK for 185 days in the last 12 months.

 

While you are doing this the examiner will check your licence and your signature against your photocard licence. They may then ask if you are still living at the address stated on the licence. If your address differs to the one on the licence they will ask you to fill in your new address at the bottom of the counterpart driving licence.

 

After this they will ask you if you want your instructor or accompanying driver to come along on test. You are allowed to take someone with you on the test; this person must be over 16 years old and cannot take any part in the test and preferably would be the person who taught you to drive. If you say no the examiner will then ask if you want them present at the debrief.

 

When the formalities are over the examiner will ask you to lead the way to your vehicle. When you get outside the examiner will then ask which car is yours.

 

In the car park the examiner will then do the eyesight test which will be to ask you to read a number plate at 20 metres or 66 feet or 20.5 metres or 67 feet for the old style number plates. If you fail this the test will not continue and you will lose your fee. You can wear glasses to take the eye sight test but you must then wear them for the rest of the driving test.

 

Then you will have to answer two questions about checks that you should make before driving, known commonly as show me tell me questions. These include questions on the Lights, Tyres, Lubricants, and Brakes etc. If you answer one or both questions incorrectly you will incur one driving fault.

 

The examiner will then walk around the car to check to see if it is roadworthy, checking there are no broken lights, the tyres are in a satisfactory condition, the windscreen is clean, the wipers are in place and that the L plates are correctly displayed. They will then make a note of the vehicle registration on the driving test report and if they are happy they will then join you in the vehicle.

 

The examiner will then tell you that they wish you to follow the road ahead unless traffic signs tell you otherwise or unless they ask you to turn.

 

They will then ask you to move off when you are ready.

 

Test routes are designed to be as uniform as possible and will include a range of typical road and traffic conditions.

 

Throughout the test you should drive in the way your instructor has taught you while on your Driving Lessons Preston. If you make a mistake, don't worry about it, it might be a less serious driving fault and may not affect your result. The examiner will be looking for an overall safe standard of driving.

Every test route includes a pedestrian crossing so you will have to take appropriate action at pedestrian crossings.

 

The examiner will ask you to stop at various places along the driving test route so you will have to choose safe, legal and convenient locations to stop. Typically these will be a move off at an angle from behind a parked car and possibly a move off on a hill. It will be after one of these stops that the examiner will ask you to do one of the set exercises or they will inform you that you are about to begin the Independent Driving phase of the test.

 

Currently the D.S.A. is only asking 1 in 3 test candidates to carry out the Emergency stop exercise. The examiner will explain to you that you will have to stop the vehicle in an emergency. He will tell what you need to do in order to complete the exercise.

 

During the test you will be asked to do at least one reversing exercise which the examiner will choose out of the following four manoeuvres which you would have learned on your Driving Lessons Preston:

 

• Reverse into a limited opening on the left or right, known as the Reverse around a corner exercise.
• Turning the car around using forward and reverse gears, known also as the Turn in the road exercise and formerly known as the three point turn.
• Reverse park from alongside a parked car to behind it to within two car lengths of the parked vehicle, also known as the Parallel park exercise.
• Reverse into a Parking Bay at the test centre car park, known as the bay park exercise.

The Independent Driving section of the test is tasking you to drive either following a series of directions or traffic signs. It will last approximately about 10 minutes; this will include the necessary brief(s).

 

The Independent driving can be either all directions or all signs or a mixture of both. In all of these cases the Driving Examiner will begin by pulling the you over on a set section of road and informing you they are about to begin the Independent driving. The Independent driving always has to start stationary but they can end it on the move.

 

'Follow the directions' is the most complicated of the two. The route will be split into 2 or 3 sections consisting of 3 or 4 junctions, or maybe a couple more if it isn't too demanding. Each section will have its own "schematic" which will be a basic map so you can visualise the route. The Driving Examiner will have to pull you over at the end of one section before giving you a new schematic and giving the next brief.

 

Click Here To See An Example Of What The Schematic Looks Like.

 

‘Follow the signs’ is more straightforward. The Driving Examiner will simply ask you to follow a certain sign and they are able to change the sign you are required to follow on the move.

 

If the Driving Examiner is required to mix some signs in with the directions (for whatever reason) then the sign directions can be given on the move but the direction directions have to be given when stationary again.

As far as the marking is concerned, the Driving Examiners cannot fault you for not following the route as long as you go wrong safely. They would then be expected to manage you to ensure they don’t go too far off route.

 

When you have returned to the test centre the examiner will then tell you to switch off your engine while they finish marking your report. They will then tell you that “That is the end of the test” and either “I’m pleased to tell you, you have passed” or “I’m sorry you haven’t passed”. They will then go through your performance during the test. Either way you will receive a copy of the driving test report.

 

Test Debrief

 

The examiner will then give you an explanation of any faults that may have occurred during the test. Because of Data Protection laws it is your decision whether you want your instructor present for the test debrief. If you agree to the instructor listening to the debrief, you waive your protective rights under the data protection act.

 

Even if your instructor accompanies you on the test you may ask that they do not listen in on the debrief.

If you decide not to have your instructor present on the debrief there is a chance you may not fully understand the examiners wording.

 

If you pass...

 

And you have a photo card driving licence issued after 1 March 2004 the examiner will ask you if you want your full driving licence issued to you automatically.

 

If you want to use this service, the examiner will take your old licence off you, scan the details and send them electronically to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA). You will then be given a pass certificate to prove you passed your test. DVLA will then send you your new full licence by post within four weeks of you passing your practical test.

 

If you do not want to use this automatic service, or have a licence issued before 1 March 2004, you will be given a pass certificate by the examiner. On the back of the pass certificate it tells you what you need to do next. This involves sending your licence and appropriate fee to DVLA who will then check your application and issue you with a new full licence.

 

If you do not want to use this service you will have to apply for your provisional licence within two years of your pass date or you will need to take the driving and theory tests again.

 

If you fail...

 

Your driving report form will show you where you made any mistakes. You can take another practical test 10 working days after your car or motorcycle test.

 

Driving Test Standards

 

All examiners are trained to carry out the test to the same standard, they do not have pass or fail quotas. So as long as you demonstrate the standard required you will pass your driving test.

 

Weather Conditions/Mechanical Problems etc

 

DSA do not conduct tests in bad light or in adverse weather conditions For the safety of the candidate and the examiner. They will arrange another appointment at no further cost. Candidates should call the telephone number quoted on the appointment letter to check whether their test will go ahead.

If the driving test is not completed for reasons attributable to you or your vehicle, you will have to take another test at your own cost.

 

There is no magic formula for passing the driving test but here is some advice that may be helpful:

 

• Get a good nights sleep before the test.
• Make sure you eat some breakfast, even if you are nervous and not in the mood for food, research has shown that the brain needs food to concentrate.
• Dress comfortably.
• Have confidence in your ability.
• Arrive in plenty of time.
• Listen carefully to the examiners instructions.
• The examiner just wants to see how you normally drove on your Driving Lessons in Preston so be careful of taking advice from well meaning friends and family.
• If you make a decision that may be misjudged by the examiner explain your reasons while you drive.
• Plan well ahead think about what you may have to do next, what is around the next corner.

Pass Plus

 

The DSA recommends that new car drivers who have just passed their practical test consider taking Pass Plus. Pass Plus is a course of six extra modules taken with your Simply Learners Driving School Preston driving instructor in Preston, Lancashire after passing your test.