Drive 4 Life                     School of Motoring

Before you can take your practical driving test you will have to take a theory test, Your theory test will consist of a Multiple Choice element and a Hazard Perception element. Aspect of the theory test are: - Alertness and concentration - Courtesy and consideration - Care in the use of the controls to reduce mechanical wear and tear - Awareness of stopping distances and safety margins in all conditions - Hazard awareness - Correct action concerning pedestrians and other vulnerable road users - Dealing with other types of vehicle in the correct manner - Rules regarding speed Limits and stopping restrictions - Road and traffic signs. You will also be expected to know: - The law regarding you and your vehicle - What to do in the event of an accident - The effect extra loads have on your vehicle and the effect motoring has on the environment.

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You should study your copy of the Highway Code and the publication The Official Theory Test for Car Drivers and Motorcyclist. If you are well prepared you won't find the questions difficult.

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Do not worry if you have not used a computer before, you can work through a practice session to get used to the system before starting your test. Staff at the test centre will be on hand to help you if you have any difficulties.

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If you have any Special Needs - You must inform the booking clerk when you book your test. The test can be taken in various languages; the booking clerk will explain all.

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First you will be shown a Confirmation Screen which confirms your name and the category of test you are taking. You have the choice to Start or Exit the test.

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The Multiple Choice Element

Multiple Choice Practice Session - The practice session on the computer will explain to you how to work through the multiple choice element of the test and how to choose and check your answers. Candidates taking a foreign language or British Sign Language version of the test will be instructed on how to use the audio/video features of the test. The practice questions should allow you to become comfortable with how the test will work. These questions do not carry a mark towards your test result.

Multiple Choice Element - This part of the exam will consist of 50 multiple choice questions. It is computer based and you select your answers by simply touching the screen. The touch screen system has been carefully designed to make it easy to use. Only one question will appear on the screen at a time. You will be able to move backwards and forwards through the questions and flag questions that you want to look at again. It is easy to change your answer. The system will alert you if you have not completely answered a question.  You will have 57 minutes to complete your test and you must answer at least 43 questions correctly to pass. You will be notified whether you have passed or fail on completion of the test.

The Situational Awareness Element - Some car and motorcycle multiple choice questions will be given as a case study. The case study will show a scenario that five questions will be based on. The subject of the scenario focuses on real life examples and experiences that drivers could come across when driving.

Optional Trial Questions - After you have finished the multiple choice element of your test you may be offered trial questions to complete. You do not have to complete these, and they do not count towards your overall score.

Short Break - You can take up to 3 minutes break before starting the second part of your theory test, Which tests your hazard perception skills. You cannot leave your desk during this break.

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The Hazard Perception Element

Hazard Perception Tutorial Video - At the start of the hazard perception part of the test you will be shown a short instruction video. This video will tell you how the hazard perception part of the theory test works. You can watch the instruction video twice if you need to. You will need to wear headphones to listen to the instruction video. You can take them off at the end of the video, unless you prefer to keep them on, or you are a candidate taking a foreign-language or British Sign Language version of the test. There is no sound on the test clips.

Hazard Perception Element - The hazard perception element tests your ability to look at and understand the whole road scene and to recognise possible traffic hazards at an early stage, as they develop. Your result tells whether you have learned the hazard perception skills you need to avoid hazards, or to deal with them safely.

During the test you will see film clips of traffic scenes from a driver's point of view. The film clip in the instruction video is just like the ones used in the test. This clip, and the ones in the test, contain one or more hazards that show a situation developing that involves other road users.

As the clips in the test are filmed on real roads they contain all types of hazards. The only hazards you will be scored on are the developing ones. Don't worry, you won't lose points for responding to other hazards.

The hazard perception part of the test will contain 14 film clips and score-able hazards. In one of the film clips there will be two score-able hazards that you need to respond to.

Each developing hazard may require the driver to take some form of action such as changing speed or direction. You should respond by pressing either the left or right mouse button, whichever you prefer, as soon as you think, from the clues in the clip that this might happen.

You will only see the test clips once, so you will need to concentrate. You cannot go back and you cannot change your response.

When you press one of the mouse buttons the video will not stop or slow down, but you will see a red flag appear at the bottom of the screen each time you press. This red flag shows that your response has been recorded.

Your responses to the clips will be automatically recorded by the computer. They will be compared to marks set by DVSA driving experts. The marking for each score-able hazard is split into 5 parts. If you respond in the first part you will get 5 points, in the second part 4 points, and so on down to 1 point. If you fail to respond within the marked area of the clip, or are responding in an unacceptable manner, 0 points will be given for that clip.

The earlier you pick up on the clues and press the mouse button to record that you have seen a hazard the higher your score. But, if you have pressed the button to show you have noticed a hazard and the situation changes, for example because another vehicle comes into view, you may need to press the button again.

You do need to be careful though. Because if you make lots of unnecessary responses in a very short space of time, or throughout the clip, you will score 0 for that clip. If this happens you will see this warning message on screen at the end of the clip.

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Optional Trial Clip- After the hazard perception element, you may be shown a video clip that DVSA are trying out for future tests. This does not count as part of your test. DVSA would like you to respond to this clip as it helps them in developing the test.

After you have completed your test you will be offered DVSA Voluntary Customer Satisfactory Survey.

Test Result - At the end of the test you will leave your desk and make your way to the Administrator's desk to sign the signature log. You will then be given your result letter. The letter will contain your score on both elements and the test result. If you have been successful, you will be given an Official Driving Theory Test Certificate in addition to the result letter.