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Original poster

Booking a driving test

38 replies

Miljea · 07/09/2020 12:47

Does anyone have any advice?

My DS would have been ready to take his test over the summer, he's got his theory etc, but obviously the ability to book disappeared.

He's off to uni next week.

I gather they've restarted bookings; his instructor has told him to book a test for the latest possible over the Xmas holidays and have 3 lessons beforehand, which sounds sensible.

Trouble is, he was 168,000 in the queue to book this morning.

Do you just hit refresh every 5 minutes for 24 hours, or is it futile?

OP posts:
ExclamationPerfume · 07/09/2020 13:13

They are reopening next Monday with 375000 tests up until January. It's an absolute nightmare and you are given a place randomly not in the order you joined the queue. The government needs to get this sorted out.

Original poster
Miljea · 07/09/2020 16:57

Gosh! 😳 if you don't mind me asking, what's the source of that info- about random allocation, not place in queue? Not that that surprises me!! 🙄😂

OP posts:
ExclamationPerfume · 07/09/2020 21:04

This is the message you get when you log in. I have tried for the last three weeks to book but haven't got anywhere near.

Booking a driving test

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RosieLemonade · 07/09/2020 21:33

Last week I was in the queue for 8:12. I was 61,000 in the queue. I kept checking the page all day. Which was awkward as I was a theme park. At 5:20 I was finally able to book a test and this bit went quite smoothly. I checked how many people were still in the queue and it was 210,000. A few minutes later the queue was shut down so I believe if you joined the queue after half eight you had no chance of getting a test.

Original poster
Miljea · 07/09/2020 22:31

Thanks for the information! Do you 'check' or 'refresh' in order to stay in the queue?

OP posts:
BluebellsGreenbells · 07/09/2020 22:33

The tests are centralized and you need to be allocated near your location

Can DS book a test close to university?

ExclamationPerfume · 07/09/2020 22:35

You don't do anything it keeps you in the queue.

netflixismysidehustle · 07/09/2020 23:33

We tried today. Number 80k in the queue, got in about 1:45 and everything was gone.
Will be trying again next Monday. Desperately hoping we'll get one of the 375k slots being released.

netflixismysidehustle · 07/09/2020 23:34

Omg at the random allocation Angry

Original poster
Miljea · 10/09/2020 23:14

@ExclamationPerfume

You don't do anything it keeps you in the queue.

It throws you off once all allocation is gone.

You do have to 'do something', rejoin the queue.

OP posts:
ExclamationPerfume · 11/09/2020 06:46

@Miljea your post wasn't clear. I thought you meant how do you stay in the queue on a particular day. The system starts afresh each week.

Sheknowsaboutme · 11/09/2020 06:53

Its beyond ridiculous. My DD has been trying to no avail.

Get this farce over with. Wear gloves. A mask. Get the driving test done.

cptartapp · 11/09/2020 07:03

DS instructor did it for him last week and has his test next month. I don't know what his instructor has access to that's different, but something about more slots are released each Monday. Maybe he felt sorry for him due to suspended lessons.
He did have to travel to the next town for his theory though. That was booked up too.

Cardent · 11/09/2020 07:06

Refreshing doesn’t help.

Last week we were in the website before 8am. With two iPads. If there before 8am you are randomly allocated a place....the website tells you that. One ipad was 72,000 the other was 9000. We got a test after about a 70 min wait.

The week before we were there a bit after 8am and were 160,000 in the queue, it went down by 5000 an hour and mid afternoon they’d run out of spaces while we were still in the queue.

Get there before 8am.

Original poster
Miljea · 12/09/2020 11:28

Yes, we had a 60 mile round trip for a theory test, too.

The nearest centre is 6 miles away...

OP posts:
chickenortheegg · 14/09/2020 08:22

Has everyone got a nice low number in the queue this morning?

pandafunfactory · 14/09/2020 08:28

Sounds awful. Dd2 was due to do her test on 20/03. Cancelled on the day but she was prioritised for a new date when they opened up and she resumed lessons in June and passed first time on 28/08. I didn't realise the queue was so grim!

Justonedayatatime11 · 14/09/2020 09:56

I have 20,619 people in front of me Sad

chickenortheegg · 14/09/2020 10:06

If have 49k and thought that was good

chickenortheegg · 14/09/2020 10:07

We ldon't fed in with 7 devices and that's the one with the lowest queue number

chickenortheegg · 14/09/2020 10:07

There was 350k slots up for grabs so I hope you get one

Sheknowsaboutme · 14/09/2020 10:40

DD got through!! Test in her chosen location in 4 weeks.

£62 😨 how much!?

backaftera2yearbreak · 14/09/2020 11:04

I was 98,000 in line this morning. I’m currently 50,600. It’s a nightmare!

Sheknowsaboutme · 14/09/2020 11:30

Jesus, her instructor has told her he’s got a test else where that time and she needs to change. Its a farce.

chickenortheegg · 14/09/2020 11:45

45k tests booked ...

Booking a driving test
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