Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Next up on our blog we are talking about how long it takes you to pass your driving test.
Learning to drive is a ‘life skill’ and the amount of time it takes to complete your training can vary depending upon:
- The number of hours tuition you take each week
- Your age
- Your previous on-road experience
- Your aptitude (ability to learn the skills required to pass the test)
- Your knowledge of the rules of the road (Highway Code)
- Your attitude and confidence level
- Your driving instructor
According to the DVSA an average pupil takes around 45 hours of tuition with an instructor but is more likely to pass their test if they are also completing some private practice as well. Some pupils require a little less and some a little more, but a pupil who takes a test before they are ready will fail.
Actually what is important to many people taking lessons is “how quickly can I complete my course?”
Well surprisingly taking an intensive course can actually reduce the number of hours you may need to take as compared to taking weekly lessons.
This happens because when you take a weekly lesson there is always a brief period of around 15 to 20 minutes at the beginning of each lesson that you will recap or go over the skills that you learnt in your previous lesson. Shorter lessons of 1 hour or less also mean that you may have less opportunity to practice the skills required to complete your training, we recommend a minimum of 1.5 hour lessons as this improves progress significantly but will not overwhelm you.
The same approach is used for intensive Driving courses. Although you will have around 5 or 6 hours of driving experience in a day, these are always broken down into smaller lessons so that you can assimilate your learning.
Looking at this from an investment point of view you probably wish to get a quick return on your investment by being able to learn to drive in the shortest amount of time possible. You can actually complete a driving course and take a test all with a couple of weeks if you can spare the time and are able to pay for your course up front.
But we would advise before taking your practical test that you sit a mock test with another instructor first. This will help you understand how you perform under the pressure of a test and can help you improve and focus your lessons further before taking a “real” practical test. Pupils who pass a mock test are 25% more likely to pass at their first attempt.
We also recommend that you practice with the help of a friend or family member if this option is available to you. Learners can now apply for their own insurance policy for weekly, monthly or annual periods.
