Dan will usually arrange to pick you up from either your home, work or college and the normal routine would be for you to have a two hour lesson, the first hour will be arranged as a final practice session to prepare you for the next part being your driving test which normally takes up about 45 minutes and then the last 15 minutes driving you back to either your home, work or college again.

I feel a bit anxious about the test day

Most people show some degree of nerves leading up to their test however there is nothing really to worry about. Driving examiners are fantastic at putting you at ease so just treat your driving examiner as if it was your instructor giving you a mock exam and driving independently by yourself.

Dan will get you to park up in a parking bay at the test centre and then accompany you into the waiting room. Your examiner will enter the waiting room and introduce him/herself to you, you will then show your licence to the examiner and you will be asked to sign a declaration, normally at this stage the examiner will ask you if you would like your instructor to accompany you on test, this decision is entirely yours. After going outside you will be asked to read a number plate of another vehicle. You will then be asked one 'tell-me' safety question about your car, this is often referred to as the tell-me part of the test, then later on during your test and while driving your examiner will ask you a 'show-me' question, this can be something quite simple like being asked to wash and clean your rear windscreen, however don’t worry because Dan will have already gone through all the various questions with you on your lessons.

Once you've answered the 'tell-me' question you will be asked to get in the car and the examiner will briefly explain the procedure of the test before asking you to get ready and start the engine. Make all necessary cockpit adjustments and safety checks and then start the engine. Move away from the parking bay slowly and safely but remember that other learner drivers from other driving schools may be moving off at the same time as you, so make eye contact and make a safe decision. Once you get out on the road keep calm and read the road well ahead, use the MSM/PSL procedures and all the safe moves as you drive along. Remember that safety is your main objective, if you are in doubt about something then it's normally better to hold back. During your test if you feel that you've made a mistake then just try and correct it and then concentrate on your next move, an example of this could be that say you were moving off from the side of the road and you stall the engine, the safest bet would be to very quickly apply the footbrake so that you stop the car from rolling, then apply the handbrake and put the gear lever into neutral before starting the engine again. You need to realise what caused the stall in the first place and then what you need to do to prevent it from happening again. Then just get on with your test and don't dwell on the previous fault.

Your examiner will give you route directions and also from time to time ask you to pull up at the side of the road, remember that its up to you to find a safe place to park, always look for the safest place to stop and just because the examiner asks you to pull up doesn't necessarily mean that you've got to pull up within the next 5 metres. After stopping in a safe place your examiner may just want you to drive on again, or maybe perform one of the control exercises. You will also be asked to perform a single reverse manoeuvre selected by the examiner from the following list.

• Pull up on the opposite side of the road and reverse back two car lengths .
• Drive forward into a parking bay and then reverse out of it safely.
• A reverse around a parked vehicle on the left known as a parallel park.
• A reverse into a parking bay.
• You could also be asked to perform a controlled stop although this exercise is not tested on every driving test.

Independent Driving / Sat Nav

At some point during your driving test your examiner will explain about the independent driving element of the test. This part of the test will last about 20 minutes and will involve you having to navigate your own way around the route by receiving the directions either from a satellite navigation device or direct from the examiner asking you to follow a series of directions or road signs. You will not normally be given any other directions from your examiner during this 20 minutes. While following directions from the Sat-Nav you will also be expected to drive correctly and safely using the MSM/PSL routines as well as giving clear signals, choosing the correct lanes, driving at appropriate speeds and not making any serious or dangerous errors.

At the end of your driving test your examiner will ask you to switch off the engine and then you will get the result. If you have driven in the same way as you did on your driving lessons then you should pass quite easily, however if you've made any serious or dangerous errors or accumulated more than 15 driving errors then you will have failed your driving test. The driving examiner will offer you a debrief and if you wish your driving instructor may also listen to this debrief.

Driving Examiners are very good at putting pupils at ease, most people come back from a driving test and say that the examiner was very nice.

Some examiners have probably been instructors themselves so they will have a good understanding about how you feel on test day.

OUR PRICES FOR DRIVING LESSONS IN BOLTON

Manual Lessons - £30 per hour

Block Bookings in 10 hour payments - £290

CONTACT US

To book lessons just CALL or TEXT us on 07892 913302

When you call or text us we will require all of the following info please:

* Your name, address and postcode
* The days and times you are available
* If you have a driving test already arranged then we also need the date, time and at which test centre