Practical Driving Test Guildford
Practical Driving Test information, Help and Support
Tips and Advice to help you pass your Practical Driving Test.
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) are the agency that set the Theory Driving Test and Practical Driving Test.
Please contact the DVSA directly
if you have any enquires regarding your theory test and practical test.
What to expect on test day
Official DVSA guide to what happens during the practical driving test
and what it takes to pass it - including the eyesight test,
'show me', 'tell me' questions, reversing exercises,
and independent driving part of the test.
Tips to help you pass your practical test first time
Click on any tips buttons for help and advice to pass your practical test.
What to take to your practical test.
You must take the following to your practical test.
UK Driving Licence
Theory Pass Certificate
Car - This can be your own or your driving instructors.
What happens during your test.
There are 5 parts of the driving test.
Eyesight check.
Show me, tell me vehicle safety questions.
General driving ability.
Reversing your vehicle.
Independent driving
Eyesight check
Practical driving tests will start with an eyesight check, you will be required to read an old style number plate at 20 meters or 20.5 meters if the new style number plate is used.
If you are unable to read the number plate you will fail the test.
Show me tell me questions
During your driving test you will be asked one show me and one tell me question.
The following videos are from the official DVSA youtube channel and Gov.uk website and explain the show me tell me questions.
Show me questions
Official DVSA online guide to the driving test ‘show me’ questions (where you show how you’d carry out a safety task) while you’re driving.
Tell me questions
Official DVSA online guide to the driving test ‘tell me’ questions (where you explain how you’d carry out a safety task) at the start of your test. You’ll do this before you start driving.
General driving ability
Practical driving tests will last for approximately 40 minutes and you can take your driving instructor with you on the test if you want to.
You’ll drive in various road and traffic conditions, but not on motorways.
The examiner will give you directions that you should follow.
Driving test routes are not published, so you cannot check them before your test.
During the practical driving test the driving examiner will be looking for an overall safe standard of driving.
You’ll be asked to pull over and pull away during your test, including, normal stops at the side of the road, pulling out from behind a parked vehicle, a hill start.
You might also be asked to carry out an emergency stop.
Reversing your vehicle
The examiner will ask you to do one of the following exercises:
Parallel park at the side of the road.
Park in a parking bay - either by driving in and reversing out, or reversing in and driving out (the examiner will tell you which you have to do)
Pull up on the right-hand side of the road, reverse for around 2 car lengths, and rejoin the traffic
Independent driving
You’ll have to drive for about 20 minutes by following either:
Directions from a sat nav
Traffic signs
The examiner will tell you which you have to follow.
They’ll set the sat nav for you.
You cannot use your own sat nav.
If you cannot see a traffic sign (for example, because it’s covered by trees), the examiner will give you directions until you can see the next one.
Going off the route
The examiner will not give you a fault for taking a wrong turning.
They’ll help you get back on the route if you do.
If you make mistakes during your test
You can carry on if you make a mistake.
It might not affect your test result if it’s not serious.
During the practical driving test you are allowed to make up to 15 driving faults, (16 or more results in a fail) however if you commit a serious or dangerous driving fault you will fail the test.
If at any time during the driving test the driving examiner considers you to be a danger to other road users then the test will be stopped.
After the test the driving examiner will tell you if you have passed or failed and you can request feedback on your test from the examiner.
Practical Test Centre Guildford
Driving Test Centre, Slyfield Industrial Estate of Moorfield Road, Guildford, Surrey, GU1 1SA
Booking Your Practical Test
Your driving instructor will inform you when to book the practical test.
Pupils that have taken driving lessons with MGM Driving Tuition will need to take a mock driving test before a practical test can be booked.
Pupils that wish to take the driving test in their own vehicle or have not learned with MGM Driving Tuition can use the link below to book the practical test.
Please make sure that when you book your practical test you book with the official DVSA website to avoid a booking fee.
Some website will offer a booking service and charge extra for this service.
The link below will take you to the official DVSA website to make your booking.
When doing any reversing exercises you will find a blind spot mirror to be extremely useful.
All of MGM Driving Tuition cars are fitted with these extra mirrors to help with the manoeuvres.
During the parallel park manoeuvre it will help you see the kerb so that you can make any adjustments if required.
When doing the reverse bay park it will help you see the lines of the bay to check you are in.
If you are doing the test in your own car and would like to buy some then the link below will help.
During the independent part of the practical driving test you will be asked to follow signs or the examiner will set up a Sat Nav up for you to follow.
Tom Tom Start 52 is the Sat Nav that the examiners will use for the independent part of the driving test.
All Sat Nav’s are different so it is good to get used to the one the examiners use.
All MGM Driving Tuition Instructors are supplied with the same Sat Nav’s that are used by the DVSA so that you will be familiar with them when you come to do the test.
If you have your own car for private practice you may want to purchase one to help with your training.
The link below may help.
Approved Instructors
Registered Instructors
Enhanced Checked
