Can't find a driving test

It's become ridiculous but my son used the Lidt app. He failed the first one and they had multiple tests available, even before the requisite 2 weeks or so that he had to wait to resit.

It's crying out for regulation but I guess you either join the madness or wait months...

You are booking directly though, the apps just alert new tests becoming live, you still have to go through and rebook via DVLA website. Using Testi is free, they made not a penny from me but really really helped find a cancellation.

I have the Testi app set to the four nearest driving test centres and have never been offered a test. My DS ended up having to wait six months between his first and second test. On the plus side, by the time he took it the second time he was such a good driver that he didn't get any minors at all. It's reassuring to know that he's a safe driver but it did cost a lot in driving lessons while we were waiting for the second test.

There are 10 released each Monday at 6am where I am, they are all gone by 1 minute past. They are currently releasing tests for May.

It's just crazy. Testi hasn't been at all worth it for us as it triggers the DVLA security check every time and then the test is gone.

Once they're ready for a test they shouldn't need more lessons in between Just get booked in again ASAP.

DVLA need to cancel any tests that have been booked in anyway other than the official site. As long as people kept on using third party applications, the problem will never be solved.

The third parties make money by adding to the chaos, bookers make it worse by using them. It’s like being scalped by a ticket reseller.

I believe work is ongoing in DVLA at the moment that will stop this little racket

I don’t see how this is true though.

You have to book the test with your name, you can’t sit a test with someone else’s name on it. Who are the bots booking tests for? Anyone claiming to get you a test is probably a scammer or using the same free chrome extension anyone can use.

I just think there are a lot of people that want tests and are really good at getting them! For example DP was able to get his 3 months earlier with the chrome extension.

Probably what happened is that there was the Covid backlog so people started booking their test as soon as they started lessons, meaning more people are failing so there are more tests required.

Also, if you get blocked (as I did many a time!) unplug your router for a few hours and then you get a new IP address and can get back on. My son thought it was hilarious that I got blocked for being a potential bot!

Oh I hear you - booking driving tests has been the bane of my life for my son who has his 4th test in a few weeks! Our local test centre covers a huge urban area so tests go very quickly.

Every time I booked anywhere (Worcester is good). Then sat on Testi for hours and leapt on anything that came up. Notifications were useless as the test had long gone by the time I got it. You can change your test up to 6 times so I just kept slowly pulling it back. Started with April and got it back to end of Nov.

He can also only do Saturdays’s until his annual leave refreshes in Jan - and they are like rocking horse poo! But I got him one through brute determination 🤣!

DD used Testi too. First in Surrey, then at Uni in Exeter for her second go. Worked both times.

Word of warning though, if you accept and cancel too many times it blocks you and you have to phone DVSA. They will re-book you manually though.

They don't have enough examiners - not much surprise as it pays far less than being a driving instructor.

My cousin got hers through paying backhanders to an instructor who knew the testers. Not condoning that but absolutely ridiculous that we've ended up in a situation where there's a black market for bloody driving tests.

Used an app and got one easily for ds1.

We used Driving Scout.. booked a test in Devon (live in SE) for a random day ages away. Signed up to Driving Scout and got a local test booked the next day. You can select auto book and it moves the date for you without you having to log in and risk losing the date to someone else. You can set parameters on the app for dates and places.
Used Testi for my eldest a few years ago bur that didn't work this time around..

I got mine from going on the app literally every couple of minutes all day long.Eventually got one.

Dd (and several friends) gave up looking for a local test (Bucks). She ended up booking one two hours away and luckily passed. She did have her own car though which makes this easier. She actually found it easier taking it somewhere she hadn't driven before and she said the instructor was far nicer and encouraging.

Book a random test anywhere in the country

use the Testi app to then get a cancellation

(don’t use the paid for “driving test now” app - it completely failed to snipe two cancellations for us and we got it manually on Testi instead, so that was a total waste of money!)

Are you looking farther afield? We couldn’t get a test in London but eventually got a cancellation in Hampshire.

I used testi (its free if you are only looking at one test centre) it was great and i was always getting pinged. If you’re ready to go and flexible with times you’ll get something but you must have notifications on and click on them immediately to secure a cancellation. I ran out of a meeting to get one for my son, otherwise we were looking at a six month wait.

You can set the app to book it automatically for you.

Book a test at any location in the country as it seems to be easier to change it to a new date when a cancellation comes up rather than start from scratch.

Also, if she's nearly test ready can you stop paying for weekly lessons and reduce to once a fortnight (but keep practising in between).

You have to book a test in a different location. Newport has loads available. Then you specify your preferred centre on the app. I booked a slot in Newport and got it in my preferred centre three weeks later. It was first thing in the morning on the 2nd of Jan and, I assume there are loads of cancellations as nobody wants to do it after festivities.

That's the other problem,lining up a test on the day the instructor is free if you are using their car.

You can hire cars. Some test centres have information on it which is how I found out about it when a friend of DD's told her.

I got my money back for Testi as it didn't work for me either. My oldest did her test three years ago and it was ok then.

You can book a test anywhere in the country as a way if getting in to the system.

I've booked a test for February half term where my mother lives (Newcastle - Gosforth test centre) as there are tests there.

Where I live, there are no tests at all even at 6am on a Monday at our nearest test centre and now the second closest test centre, where dd has never been, hasn't had any for the last month either.