To the think the driving test is so hard for young people

[Sunnyday1203]

I learnt to drive over 30 years ago boy how things have changed. DS 18 has just failed his theory for the 3rd time, missing out by 2 points. Can't help thinking that that is has almost become yet another why for the Government to generate revenue. One of the questions was what is the speed of a mobility Scooter, whaf. He is great driver and really needs to pass so he can get to work, we live in a rural area with no public transport, so very frustrating

I passed my theory test first time in 2013 and I didn't think it was hard at all. Passed my practical test first time too, as did a lot of my friends/family who were taking theirs around that time. Some people are going to find it easy and some people are going to find it hard. We're not all the same. Some people would say they can't believe I find it hard to crochet or play the piano, well I do!

If he keeps failing he needs to study, I passed my hazard perception and theory test first time with one practice on a friend's CD (before the app) it's really not that hard, it's multiple choice so even if you don't know the answer is usually fairly easy to work out. One of the questions on mine was about passing a horse and rider safely, one of the options was to beep the horn and drive past as quickly as possible!

Ds1 passed the hazard bit first time

But thats cos he pressed the button constantly

Car hazard
Pavement hazard
Person hazard
Lamppost hazard

I thought the theory was very easy. Not hard enough if anything. I did mine coming up to 5 years ago and with a lot of revision I breezed through it.

Unless you have significant special needs, with revision it really isn't difficult to pass the theory. A lot of it is common sense with the multiple choice questions so I don't believe it is difficult, but people just don't revise.

It took me 4 goes to pass my driving test though!

Everyone I know (including myself) passed the theory first time, it’s the easiest bit. If you revise properly you shouldn’t fail. There’s a hazard perception test now but my friend used an app to help him pass that part.

The actual driving test is far more difficult than it used to be but as PP’s have pointed out, it is necessary. There’s far more cars on the road than there was 30 years ago for starters.

Second time DH went through every single of the ~963 possible questions with her.

Every question is available on line

This isn't true any more. The DVSA stopped publishing the actual theory test questions, probably because they felt some candidates were learning by rote instead of actually understanding stuff.

There's still loads of good practice tests available, but the real test can ask different quest.

Given the quality of driving you see on the roads, I wish they would force drivers to retake their test every 10 years.

Have literally just passed my theory test. Every question is still available on the most popular apps, as is tons of hazard perception prep. I have 3 kids, very little time to practice, am neither an experienced driver nor especially smart and was able to pass comfortably first time.

If he didn't pass after 4 tries then he either needs to work harder, or doesn't belong on the roads.

I suggest he takes a year off and has lots more lessons. Maybe try again when he's a bit more mature and understands that you need to know about all kinds of road users and grows some common sense!

The DVSA have theory and hazard practise tests online. The cheap option is around £5-£7 for a few weeks.

He would be best just to use that over and over again until he is consistently passing on the practise tests.

I took my theory test in May 2018 and the questions were exactly the same as the DVSA's practise test online so I passed first time after doing tge practise about 15x the night before. I passed my practical first time last month.

Good, keeps the standards as high as possible, enough idiots on the roads

Not trying to be goady, I'm really not, but having done the theory recently I can safely say it really isn't what hard. There's an app you can get on your phone which is almost exactly the same as the test. Once you can pass that then you can easily pass the theory. I found it really easy and it's just common sense/Highway Code.

The practical test is REALLY hard now and I passed second time. I think this is a good thing. Why would we want easy driving tests?

Is he failing on the actual questions or hazard perception? Theres so many good revision resources, boring af, but they get the job done. Theres a knack to passing the hazard perception, you can fail if you click in a repetitive pattern or too late on identifying the hazard for example. You have to revise for it in the same way as any other exam, perhaps your son is too relaxed about his preparation for it.

I always just thought it was an idiot filter

I have to admit having done the theory and hazard awareness a few years ago, it was so easy! Used the app to learn on the commute and passed with ease first time.

I use the app or a cdrom (remember them!). There is only a set number of questions and it quickly repeats itself.

When I was practising the theory I did multiple mock exams most nights for months and months until I wanted to throw the laptop at the wall.

It's usually study that lets them down. Do it often enough and the questions brand themselves on your brain.

I did an online sample test. I cannot drive and am almost never in a private car, but I passed. Perhaps maturity is important?

He can practice the test by getting the programme off the dvla website, or if he's a library member most libraries have it as a free service.
It's def worth practicing, about 10% of the questions aren't totally obvious, but if you get a few of those through bad luck you are stuffed (speed of a mobility scooter for example!!)

Sorry OP, but another vote for the theory is very easy to pass BUT only if you put in a decent amount of revision. There’s really no way round it.

I passed my theory test first time (49/50) and hazard perception with no problems at all. I also passed my practical first time with 2 minors with 26 hours of lessons 3 years ago.

The problem is not the test....

Ignore all the idiots showing off about how easily they passed - obviously some people will learn quicker than others that doesn't give us a decent means of comparison.

It has certainly got a lot harder, even in the 15 years between me starting initially learning and actually getting round to passing the test. Yes the theory test is difficult in that you have to learn quite a lot of useless information that you will instantly forget. If you learn it well you'll pass though. The hazard perception test is somewhat silly in that it's more to do with your judgement in what crosses the boundary between being something to be aware of and a genuine hazard. I found a way of somewhat cheating the system to get good marks - doesn't make me a good driver.

I have found being overly cautious is a good way to ace the test (I passed first time with few minors and I'm an awful, nervous driver!). Perhaps that's a good thing though. There are far too many overly confident drivers who think passing the test puts them on the same level as an experienced driver.

Both my DS’s passed their theory and practicals first time.

They did an awful lot of revision using the app for the theory.

The driving test success CD rom is good for practicing hazard perception. I found I was clicking too early each time and missing out on getting the higher number of points. That can really drag your overall score down. Once I got the knack, I did ok, but I had to work quite hard to grasp that section of it. I probably did more revision for my theory than most of my GCSEs, but I learnt to drive in my 30s and wanted make sure I wouldn't need to re-sit the theory.

I downloaded one of the apps on the app store, it had all the official questions on it, and you could do a mock test, and if you got one wrong it told you the correct answer. I repeated the test over and over for about a week before my theory until I was answering every question correctly. Passed first time.

The test needs to be strict, more people are driving, roads are more complex, and with satnavs and other distractions people aren't used to paying as much attention to where they are actually going, rather than just turning suddenly when the satnav tells them to. It's obvious when someone is following one, no planning ahead. So yeah, the test needs to be harder. It's about safety.

I passed both tests first attempt. The theory test I passed after one day of doing mock tests. It's easy peasy. I did this earlier this year BTW so very recently.