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Myths of the driving test and driving lessons

Over the years that we've been teaching, we've heard many strange and bizarre tales about the driving test and lessons. Let us look at some of the strange and mysterious things that people say and think about the dreaded driving test and driving lessons in general...

"I don't want my test at the end of the week or month, the passes will have run out"

Absolute rubbish, passes don't run out! They don't pass people on a Monday to Thursday and then fail them on a Friday. We've done hundreds of tests and had people pass on Friday, fail on Monday, pass at the start, end and middle of the month. It makes no difference when you take it, don't listen to this stupid myth.

There are lots of conspiracy theories saying that tests are all about making money and they get more by failing you. They'd make more if you passed and paid VAT on fuel (about £20 per tank), insurance tax (about £50), road tax (£130+).  The test is a safeguard against you killing yourself, it's there to help and make sure you're safe. It's not about making money, many people have passed 1st time because they've taken lessons, practiced hard and only gone for a test when they're ready.

This is just something said by people who didn't pass and want an excuse instead of admitting they made a mistake or weren't good enough. Here's an example - we had a pupil once who failed for driving the wrong way down a one way road. They tried to go straight through a no entry sign but insisted that they'd only failed because the examiner had to meet his pass quota, even though we took him back to the road and showed him exactly what he had done.

"I want an instructor with a high pass rate because then I'm more likely to pass" 

Pass rates mean nothing for one reason - there is no proof of them. No official records are kept and pass rates are rarely anything more than made up figures to impress people. If an instructor says their pass rate is 80% or 90%, how do you know? Lots of schools claim "The highest pass rates!" or "Excellent pass rates!" but can they prove it? Ask for proof and see!

When a pupil goes on test the examiner writes down the instructors number on their badge and then the result is supposed to build up a pass rate for that instructor. However it's not  compulsory for instructors to leave their badge in the car for a test  so very often the results aren't recorded. An instructor only has to display their badge when giving paid tuition. Instructors used to get sent their pass rates every January but this hasn't been done since around 2003.

Here's a good example of how confusing pass rates can be. There's a new instructor and their first ever pupil passes on their first attempt. For all future tests the instructor removes their badge from the car so the results never get recorded. They could have 200 fails in a row but they still officially have a 100% pass rate because none of the fails were recorded! 

If you look closely into the small print of people who claim 90% or 100% pass rates you will see many catches. They often only include people that went on to pass with them, saying that people who went elsewhere or quit don't count. Of course they do! They also often say 100% pass rate of those that passed, well what about the ones that failed? Many schools base pass rates on how many pupils eventually passed with them. Each pupil could have failed 4 times then passed but they still count that as a 100% rate because the pupil eventually passed.

All this just shows how silly pass rates are, they can be manipulated and made up so easily that they aren't worth anything. Please don't be fooled.

"What car do i do my test in? Examiners have cars at the test centre don't they?"

It's strange how many people think there're special cars for tests. There are no cars at the test centre, you do it in your instructors car.  It has been known for people to turn up at test centres without a car, thinking the examiner will let you use their test cars. There aren't any!

It's worth pointing out here that it is your responsibility to provide a car for a test, not your instructors. If an instructor wants to refuse the use of their car because you aren't ready then they can.

"Do you want to be an examiner one day?"

Believe it or not, not all driving instructors dream of being examiners! It's not a promotion, in fact examiners earn a lot less than instructors. An examiner earns around £20,000 a year for working full time and only has 4 weeks of holiday in a year. If we work 25 hours a week at £18 an hour that's £450 a week. If we only work 44 weeks of the year (so we have 2 months of holidays) we'd still earn £20,000. Examiners also don't get a new car every year as we do!

Examiners only ever get to meet pupils who are fully trained so there's no getting to know people, no challenge of running a business, no sense of satisfaction when a pupil you have taught passes. Does it take more skill to teach someone how to drive or to watch them drive for 30 minutes and say they're a good driver?

There are advantages such as not having to worry about damage to your car, they get a nice pension and their hours are regular. Examiners are good people doing a good job, we'd just rather do this.

"Why don't any instructors teach in smart cars?"

It's a good question. Smart cars aren't allowed because they only have two seats and DSA rules state there must be room for someone to sit in the back of the car for when we need to be examined or for if an examiner is being checked while conducting a driving test (sometime you have two examiners go on your test with you and one checks the other).

"Learners are exempt from motoring laws so it's ok if you kill someone or speed"

Being a learner doesn't make any difference in the eyes of the law. It's surprising to us how many learners comment on it being ok to crash or hit pedestrians because learners can't be prosecuted. It's totally untrue and you have just as much responsibility as any other driver. Anyway, would you really feel ok about killing someone!?!

"I'm going down my local test centre to book my test"

There is nothing at test centres others than a waiting room with some chairs in. There is no reception, no booking service, no staff. Test centres are just literally rooms with chairs in where examiners meet pupils and instructors sit and wait so please don't go down your local centre because you can't book anything there. 

"If you cross your hands on the wheel or stall then you fail instantly"

No you don't. Crossing your hands isn't marked on a test, it hasn't been for decades. So long as you are comfortable and remain in control of the steering at all times then why does it matter if you cross your hands? The paragraph below is a quote from an assistant chief driving examiner.

 "Learners can steer the car using whatever method they're most comfortable with. We always used to recommend the 'push-pull' method, but it was never essential. We're more concerned about the outcome than the method a learner uses to steer.”

Stalling is not a problem so long as you don't stall when pulling out on to a major junction or stall repeatedly. Of course by the time you go for a test you shouldn't be stalling at all but driving test nerves can often cause these problems.

"Can you show me the test route I'll go on?"

Many people think that there's just 1 route that everyone does on the test. There're actually at least 20 pre-planned routes for each centre but they change every day. The examiner is free to take you anywhere you want, there is no rule saying that they have to stick to the same routes. Anywhere within a 10 mile radius of the test center could be on your test. If you can drive then you can drive anywhere, don't try and remember all the roads. A test route is just like a lesson route, we can't plan them because you never know how traffic is going to be or where roadworks/accidents will be. A good instructor/examiner makes up a route as they go.

From October 4th 2010 there will be even less "test routes" because all the examiner will do is ask you to drive somewhere and you must find your own way using signs and maps. See our page on the new test for more information.

"My friend passed after 3 lessons"

Even if you get a pupil who is a complete natural and does everything well first time then it will take at least 20 hours to teach them. There is so much to learn and so much to cover that there is no way anyone ever passes these days after 3 or 4 hours of driving. Years ago in the 60's and 70's this was true but the test was easier then and the roads were nowhere near as busy. 

"The examiners are all mean old men who don't speak and want you to fail"

Examiners are just human like the rest of us. They have good days and bad days but they're generally nice people. The test isn't done in complete silence either, the examiner may often ask you things about yourself or your job to put you at ease. Many people are often surprised at just how nice the examiner was on their test. They aren't all men, women do the job too and examiners ages range from 21 up to late 60's. 

"The test can be cut short by the examiner"

This one is true, if you are driving too dangerously then the examiner has to pull you over and stop the test. This is known in the trade as a "walk back" because the examiner is not insured to drive the car and has to walk back to the test centre, even if they are miles away. This very rarely ever happens but it has been known. It will not make you popular because instructors then have to walk to wherever you are and cancel lessons if they're late, examiners also have to cancel tests because of it.

"If i book a test then the instructor has to take me because I've paid for it."

Wrong. It the responsibility of the person who books the test to provide a car, nobody else's. If an instructor refuses the use of their car for a test because you aren't ready, you booked it without telling them or for any reason, then you are not entitled to a refund and we do not have to take you on test. Your test may cost £62 or more but our cars cost £15,000+ and peoples lives are priceless. You can't just turn up and have a go for the sake of it.

"It's good to drive as slow as you can to show you're being careful"

Driving too slowly and being too hesitant is the official number 1 reason that people fail tests. Driving slowly gives the impression that you don't know what you're doing and can't handle the car. You don't want to speed and be reckless but driving slowly will only result in you failing. You should drive as you normally do on lessons, don't change anything. If you are constantly stopping at give way lines and letting everyone else go first all the time then it can be dangerous and annoying to everyone around you.

"They're putting the minimum age of driving up to 18 or 21 soon" 

This is a popular rumour that does the rounds every year at colleges and universities. It's not true and there are currently no plans at all to increase the minimum age of learners. It's often started by big schools that feed out false information to panic people into booking lessons before the age goes up.

"You have to do the test on your own"

This isn't true, you can take your instructor with you if you like. We're always happy to sit in the back if you want us to and sometimes this can make the test seem a lot less daunting. As from April 5th 2010 the examiners will always ask you if you'd like your instructor to join you on test.

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