Driving Test Information.

Getting ready for your driving test

You must make less than 15 driver errors and zero serious or dangerous faults to pass your driving test.

With the correct training you can pass your test first time.

Preparing for your Practical test

Once you’ve passed your theory test, your instructor will tell you how ready you are for your Practical test. Naturally, we want you to pass the first time, so here are a few tips we can give you that extra edge.

Your Track Record, that we complete at the end of your driving lessons keeps tabs on your progress – showing us where your strengths are and what skills you’ll need to improve.

The DVSA regularly publishes the top 10 reasons learners fail their practical tests. Please use the link for further information.

To maximise your chances of passing first time, here are some of the big things to look out for:

Look carefully to judge when best to come out of side roads.
Use the controls correctly and demonstrate good observation when reverse parking.
Use the mirrors effectively long before you change direction or slow down
Use the controls correctly and demonstrate good observation when reversing around a corner.
Use signals correctly, including how to cancel them and not give misleading ones.
Move away correctly from stationary positions, including good observation.
Use the correct road position, particularly on bends, and show good lane discipline on roundabouts.
Have good steering control when making left or right turns.
Get in the correct position when turning right early.
Don’t hesitate or cause a delay. Always pull out promptly at junctions when safe.

When Booking your driving test

When appropriate, I will discuss booking your driving test, taking into account the current waiting time for a driving test. When we book your driving test, we will need:

• Your provisional driving licence
• Your Theory test certificate number
• A debit or credit card for payment
• Your preferred dates and times for the test
• Details of any special requirements, such as an interpreter.

I tend to book your driving test for you, and this allows me to have the option of moving the driving test forward / backwards relevant to your standard of driving as we get closer to the test date.

example – You maybe ready for a test and a different client with a earlier test date is not ready, I can swap the tests around with both parties consent.

The current Practical test fee for car drivers

£62.00 during weekdays
£75.00 for Saturday and weekday evening tests.
Extended driving tests during the week are £124.00 and at the weekend £150.00

The driving Test

The driving test is around 40 mins in duration (70 mins for an extended driving test)
You will need to read a number plate from 20 meters away.
Answer a ‘show me’ and ‘tell me’ question. The ‘show me’ will be while you are driving.
Your general drive will be on various roads and may consist of – Town driving, rural country lanes, and dual carriageways.
You will be asked to perform one reversing excerise from, Reverse or forward bay park, Parallell park or parking on the right and reverse.
The Independent driving part of the test will last approximately 20 mins and may involve following verbal instructions or following a route on a satnav
You may be asked to perform an emergency stop
Park on the left around 3 times and drive away again.

Here are some useful website relating to the driving test.

Ready to Pass your driving test.

Skills you need to pass your driving test.

Tips from driving examiners

Control your driving test nerves

How to beat driving test anxiety

Manage Test day nerves

Testimonials

Here’s what our happy drivers had to say about our services:

Mascott Ayere

Awesome! Job, I am very impressed; I passed the first time. I highly recommend Gary. He is One of the best driving instructors. Mascot

Christian Omango

I have just passed my driving test for the first time.

I got a lot of guidance and help from my instructor, Gary, which I will not forget.

I have an older sister looking to start their lessons soon, and Gary will be my first recommendation to her!

Richard Adamson

City Way School of Motoring was recommended to me.

I found the driving lessons, quite straight forward and was enjoyable overall.

Their teaching methods were effective and mostly positive.

I will be recommending City Way School of Motoring, because they get the results which is important.

Overall great instructor, very professional and very pleased overall.

Ansen Coothen

Was hard on me at first, But I understand why? he was tough..

Great teacher, thank you for making me a safe driver.

I passed first time .😎 ..the hard part is when your on your own without Gary.

Thankyou again.

Henry Freeman

I was able to pass my test first time, thanks to the support I was being provided with whilst learning to drive.

Gary was always happy to help me with any problems or questions I had regarding driving outside of lessons, too.

I would definitely recommend City Way School of Motoring and Gary as an instructor.

Jessica Coulson

“I decided to do my driving lessons with Gary at City Way School of Motoring, as he offered Automatic driving lessons and my sister also passed with him”.

“Having had a bad experience with a previous instructor, Gary was completely the opposite, always encouraging and helping me to improve.”

“Reviewing the dashcam footage was very helpful, as we could discuss the issues that had arrisen, and strategies to improve.”

“I would recommend Gary as he is very professional, provides constructive feedback and encouragement in equal measures. Ultimately sets you to be a confident safe driver.”

Bryan Osborn

Strict instructor, but very good and precise to the point. Good teaching methods.

Colin Williams

” I decided to use City Way School of Motoring for my driving lessons, due to the reviews they have on their website “

” I have had some driving lessons in the past with another driving school, but I felt like the instructor wasn’t really helping me apart from emptying my bank account “

” I wasn’t really expecting much due to the bad experience I had with the other driving school but Gary really knew what he was talking about, plus his style of teaching was second to none.”

” I will be recommending Gary to friends and family and in fact my wife is due to start with you shortly ”

” It feels great to have passed my driving test ”

Paul White

I Would give Ten stars if I could. As an older driver, Gary was patient with me and had faith, even when I didn’t myself. He had a great sense of humour, too! I passed first time with him. I would 100% recommend him!

Sophie Wadhams

Very helpful and friendly… thanks to Gary I passed my practical driving test first time!!!

Mark Mann

I find that the driving lessons at City Way School of Motoring, are more methodical and much better at encouraging independence than had previously been achieved with my previous Driving Instructor.

I will be recommending Gary and City Way School of Motoring to my friends, as I feel that I’m learning a lot in each and every driving lesson, that i’m being continually challenged and pushed, to develop my skills further.

Sophie O’gorman

My experience learning to drive with City Way has been amazing. I started off as a VERY nervous driver and had gone through 2 instructors because of this. Gary was extremely patient and explained things in a way that made sense, taking the time to make sure I fully understood. When I made mistakes, he never made me feel stupid for making them, which drastically improved my confidence.

Feedback was never negative, always helpful and constructive with a positive outlook. I’ve found that Gary doesn’t just teach you how to pass your test, but also how to drive safely and confidently once you pass. Lessons covered a wide range of scenarios, and feedback was always detailed, which gave me the best chance of passing my test. He’s very professional both in the way he teaches and communicates, for example when booking lessons over the phone, and I would have to strongly disagree with some of the reviews written that state otherwise.

I cannot recommend City Way enough, I’ve gone from not being able to drive over 5mph to passing my test and (most importantly) had fun in doing so! :)

Ben Harridge

Great for learning to drive. The lessons are very well structured as they are made to help you whatever your level of competency.

I found that the demonstrations provided by the instructor were very useful as they showed me not only how to do something, but why I was doing it.

The instructor is very friendly and understanding if you have a problem with any aspect of driving. I would definitely recommend this instructor to others.

Angel Wale-Ajasa

I would definitely recommend City Way School of Motoring to anyone learning to drive, whether that’s a complete beginner like myself or those looking to perfect their skills ready for their test.

I had an amazing instructor, Gary, who was incredibly professional and supportive throughout my training.

As a learner, of course, I made many mistakes, but my errors were fully explained to me, so I was able to make the necessary corrections and passed my test first time!

Sophie Jarrett

I passed first time with Gary, I would recommend him highly.

I enjoyed my lessons as we always had a laugh and felt very confident on the day of my test.

Every lesson I had Gary was helpful and patient with me when making mistakes.

He took the time to go over my mistakes, explaining them clearly so I could understand what improvements needed to be made. I definitely recommend.

Daniel Morison

I had no prior experience with driving and was quite anxious about learning. After lessons with Gary, I passed with just one minor.

All lessons are recorded to help address problem areas, the car itself is quite pleasant to drive, and practical tests are booked through Gary himself, which made life a bit easier.

He was happy to provide extra lessons to focus on weak points (like driving for 2 hours around a roundabout!) as well as before the test itself, and tailored the lessons to best suit me, like allowing me a warm-up period, as I couldn’t get any driving practice in between lessons”

If you want to follow in Daniel’s footsteps, call Gary on 01634 420103 to take the next step to pass your driving test.

Stephanie Chamberlain

Gary is an amazing driving instructor. He was kind enough to fit me into his already busy schedule…. all the other driving schools were fully booked.

As a first time driver I was extremely nervous.. but Gary calmed me down. He is patient and passionate about his students getting the best of teaching.

Never fails to make you laugh when one is panicking. I cannot fault Gary. A friendly, polite and patient individual.

Oliver Mepstead

I came to Gary having failed two tests with a previous instructor, and I went with an intensive course.

I passed with no minors in a matter of weeks, a lovely service and very good teaching styles and taking time to explain and being very calm and patient

I would 100% recommend to anyone.

Mitch Finch

Great instructor, great at his job and he’s easy to learn with. Passed 1st time thanks to him.

Ben Aldridge

I passed my test for the first time with Gary at City Way School of Motoring, and I would recommend Gary to anyone looking to start their driving lessons. He’s very patient and professional. I recommend him to everyone.

Macauley Halmkan

I Passed my Driving Test under the guidance of Gary at City Way School of Motoring.

He was so helpful, kind and very patient with my driving Lesson Journey.

He was very thorough and understanding and I don’t believe I would have passed without his assistance..

I would 100% recommend Gary and City Way School of Motoring, to anyone looking to learn to drive.

Sam Rose

I used City Way School of Motoring, because it had good rating and I wanted a fast way to pass my driving test.

The teaching methods are really good and the methods change to suit you and your way of thinking to make it easier for you.

I think that the video footage is useful as when I thought i done something that was right the footage proved that it was wrong so that you can learn from my mistakes.

I would recommend City Way School of Motoring to my friends, as they are very reliable and very good at teaching you to drive. They will make sure that you pass first time.

Thank you Sam for your comments.

If you would like to start your driving lessons, Please do not hesitate to contact City Way School of Motoring on 01634 420103.

Julian Fitz

Being an older learner driver, I was quite nervous learning to drive and struggled with anxiety.

Gary was absolutely incredible, He went out of his way to educate himself on how to approach lessons with someone who suffers with anxiety and adjusted each lesson to accommodate my needs.

Not only is Gary a very good driving instructor who aims to make you a safe and responsible driver, he is also a very kind, caring and genuine person. I cannot recommend him highly enough.

Caitlin Jefferies

As someone who was super nervous about my driving test and driving, after learning with Gary I felt more confident which allowed me to pass my driving test first time.

I made mistakes in almost every lesson but Gary always helped me to realise how to resolve the errors and drive both confidently and safely.

I am so excited to start driving independently which has been a goal of mine for a long time and I almost didn’t think it would happen when I first started my driving journey

edit –

I got out in my car for my first solo drive and loved it. It’s scary that I can go wherever I want and not rely on Ubers or buses. I can finally prioritise training for my running, by taking myself to my run routes.

Nikki Royle

I would definitely recommend Gary as an instructor!

He was very patient with me and positive which helped me get through my lessons and my test! Even on my test day, I had a couple of hours before hand and was messing everything up and had a mini melt down. Gary took me for a cup of tea and spoke to me calmly and helped me get back in my mental state the way I normally drive.

I passed first time and couldn’t thank Gary enough for helping me. Very friendly, very professional polite person. Couldn’t recommend him enough!

Hannah Martin

Gary took the time to explain things properly and encouraged me to think for myself.

Sam Ellett

I have just finished my third lesson with Gary. From the first lesson, he made me feel at ease, and his manner and instructions were clear and direct.

I think that is what you need to learn and re correct your mistakes I highly reccomend Gary as a driving instructor.

Thanks, Gary (Top Man)