driving theory test

[Oliversmumsarmy]

My friends ds has failed his theory test again (4th attempt).

The issue is the questions on stuff neither myself or his mum or anyone I know who drives has ever come across ever in rl.

There is a whole section on what I would say refers more to being a paramedic.

How to perform cpr and how to treat a burns victim if you find one lying in the road.
Personally the questions are too simplistic.
Re the burns victim. It doesn't say how the person got the burns, if it was an electrical burn, is the exposed power supply still in the vicinity in which case pouring water on the burn could kill the person and yourself. If it is an acid burn it could be caustic soda so unless you have an unlimited supply of water you could make it worse.

In the latest attempt there was virtually uproar in the test centre as no one passed and he said people were complaining that they had taken the test 10 or 12 times and still not passed

The last time he took the test the questions were all about car engines. Again no one I know even looks under the bonnet.

He is a very good driver, his driving instructor is itching to put him in for his test, has been since August. His mum is shelling out hundreds on driving lessons just so he can keep up the practical side. He spends at least an hour every evening looking at the highway code and doing the tests on the app. He passes them because they are about mainly driving.
He is passing the hazzard perception bit with flying colours

How many burns victims has anyone come across in their years of driving.

5 of us having spent 150 years of driving have never come across a single victim

[Sparklingbrook]

Unfortunately he will just have to keep retaking them. There's nothing else he can do if he wants to take the practical test.

If his driving is good there's probably no need to keep shelling out loads of money on those lessons.

IIRC when DS1 learnt to drive there was a bit in the practical test that involved opening the bonnet and pointing stuff out.

[Oliversmumsarmy]

On the tests he has taken so far there seemed to be the majority of questions on either engines or then it would be about treating people you would find in the middle of the road.
Road signs or stuff that as a driver you would find handy to know was only a few questions.

[Oliversmumsarmy]

Just wanted to know if others who have done their theory test recently came across this and if changing test centres could change the obsession with cpr and finding bodies in the road or car mechanics

[WaxOnFeckOff]

My DS is just about to apply but he has friends that have passed firts time, a friend of mine has a daughter who has sat it 4 times now and failed and now refusing to do it again even though her instructor says she is a good driver. He stopped giving her lessons though as he said ot was a waste of money until she passed the theory and said it would only take a couple of lessons to get her back up to speed for the practical test.

[Oliversmumsarmy]

I would like to know from the ones that passed first time how many questions were there about bodies in the road

[gamerchick]

There was a mixture in my theory test and I passed it.

Is he practising at home with mock tests? I studied until my eyes bled and I wanted to throw the laptop off the wall. But it was worth it.

Theory test pro behaves nearly exactly as the real test.

[gamerchick]

The test is changing in December though, I’d have thought the theory test would have changed to accommodate it before the time.

[WaxOnFeckOff]

I have no idea OP but DS2 runs with a very academic crowd, lots of Oxbridge candidates for STEM subjects. Not saying that your friend's DS isn't clever, just that these boys are very logical plus study and remember details well. One of his friends passed first time and hadn't taken any actual lessons yet!

[TeenTimesTwo]

We bought my DD a book with all possible 900+ questions in it.

After she failed the first time, DH went through it with her literally question by question. There are various questions they won't know through general driving so this seemed the best way.

You can also get apps but I don't know if they force you through every question.

80% may be 'common sense' but you need higher than 80% to pass, so you have to put the effort in on the more obscure questions.

[TeenTimesTwo]

(plus I suspect friends son is exaggerating ...)

[Oliversmumsarmy]

Friends son is badly dyslexic so comparing him to Oxbridge types is no comparison. He barely scraped through GCSEs.

If it is supposed to be an academic test then he has no chance of ever passing.

[sweetheart]

My dd really struggled with school etc. She passed her theory test on the 3rd attempt. 1st time she was 4 marks off, 2nd time she was 2 marks off. She got questions about medical stuff and also her 2nd failure was down to questions about towing a caravan.

Unfortunately it is what it is and they have to get the marks to pass. There is no changing that no matter what any of us thinks.

There is an app which simulates the test well with a wide variety of questions. I would just suggest using that.

[sweetheart]

FWIW she took her practical recently and passed 1st time with flying colours - it just took her a while to get past the theory part.

[Oliversmumsarmy]

He says the test centre know everyone's name they have been there so often.

Someone was kicking up a stink that they had done it 10 times and another had taken it 12 times.
Because he says the piece of paper saying you have failed with your driving licence on top is laid out on a table. (if you pass you get a few bits of paper) he could tell no one passed

[Leatherboundanddown]

I found the theory test really hard. I have a MSc and am doing a PhD. I still had to take it FIVE times.

Similarly I was fine with the hazard perception but it was the questions I kept failing by a tiny margin each time. They really are completely different each time.

The first I failed as it was lots of questions about rural driving which I had never done as all my lessons are in the city where I live. Things about horses etc and I just guessed but got them wrong. After I failed it I started revising much more but I do think that the way the questions are worded sometimes are just ridiculous. Really ambiguous wording that on more than one occasion meant that more than one of the answers could apply to the question.

I think I was really overthinking the exact structure and wording of each question, maybe due to my work background but I think you need to approach each question simply and imagine they have been written by someone who can't write well at all.

Read it once and go with your initial reaction and move on.

The final test where I passed I did get a series of first aid questions and the situation questions were also about accidents. I did well on these as I am first aid trained but if not the only way is to memorise the whole book of questions.

[gamerchick]

OP is he practising the mock tests at home?

[Jimbobjovi]

If he does enough mock tests at home, he will be able to parrot the answers in the real test having answered the questions multiple times at home. It's the best way to ensure a pass. Hope he manages it soon.

[Jimbobjovi]

I speak as someone who has passed the theory 3 times practical is my downfall!

[BeyondThePage]

They do a book of ALL the questions.

If they fail when you have a book with all the questions in - then surely they are just not studying enough/correctly.

(yes I have done it recently, yes I got bodies in the road questions, and rural driving questions - I still got them all right - but it mattered to me, I need my license, there is no-one to drive me.)

After failing twice you'd change the way you study or get help. Can't believe people fail 10 times! when there is a book with all the questions in

[Oliversmumsarmy]

There might be a book with all the questions but he is similar to my own ds who could read that book 50 times over and it still wouldn't sink in.

I think it will be just be down to luck when he passes.

Bit like me taking my driving test 35 years ago.

I could not do the right hand turn without hesitating too much.

The time I passed the examiner said at the next junction make a right hand turn.
I got to the junction and it was traffic free. I nearly blew it by going into celebration mode so quickly made the turn

[safariboot]

I don't remember an excessive number of non-driving questions when I took mine, but that was some years back. The test has changed since then and the pass rate has dropped, it's now barely higher than for the practical test. The pass mark is pretty high.

There is not a book with all the questions in it any more! The DVSA stopped doing that in 2010 because they felt some people were just learning the questions and answers by rote and not actually learning the knowledge needed for safe driving.

Ultimately it comes down to basic study skills. Learning, revising, practice tests. If you've got them then passing the test won't be hard. If you haven't then you might struggle.

[safariboot]

Correction 2012

[TheSecondOfHerName]

DS1 passed recently. He had a look through the Highway Code and the book of traffic signs and then did practice tests (using an app). He thinks there are fewer than 1000 possible questions, so if you keep practising, you get to know the correct answers to all of them.

[gamerchick]

If he’s practising mock tests (which I’m assuming he isn’t because I’ve asked twice now) then he should pass the theory because they’re laid out like the test and it just sticks. They’re just multiple choice questions.

If he isn’t practising then it might take a while longer.

There are a load of sites and apps to use. It’s jist a case of picking one and cramming.

[safariboot]

PS: Tried my hand at a practice test on www.safedrivingforlife.info/take-official-free-practice-driving-theory-test/ . I passed it, but dang OP you are right there are some obscure questions there! Quite a few educated guesses. On the other hand there are some really bleeding obvious questions too.