Can't find a driving test

[Jobs4kids]

DD unfortunately failed her driving test after a year of lessons. This was partly due to being unable to find an earlier test date as she had been ready for a while but made a silly mistake on the day annoyingly. Since then we've been online multiple times a day to find a new test (hopefully a cancellation) but can't find anything, even months away. I know they release new dates at 6am Monday morning and yet again I've been online as soon as bookings opened and still nothing. I did actually find one test for next month which would've been perfect but the system wouldn't let me complete the booking even though it said I had 15 mins! (Next step remained greyed out so the system must've crashed/frozen). I'm so frustrated as meanwhile it's costing us a fortune in lessons. We live in greater London which I guess must been busier than most but this is ridiculous. I struggled to book her last test but its got much worse since then, I literally can't find ANYTHING, even months away.

I know there are apps that are meant to alert you of cancellations but I've no idea which ones are any good, if any. Instructor has no idea, just said keep trying 😡

Help!

Yes it’s a big problem as they still haven’t caught up from Covid. My son needs to get a test booked as his instructors car broke down morning of test and he then had to resit his theory as it was more than 2yrs. Apparently DVLA are driving to add more tests and stop these apps that book all the tests but their tech isn’t great to prevent the apps. I guess that’s her option, pay £20 to one of these apps that book them for you.

Thanks, it's a case of which app as there seem to be loads so it's finding the most reliable.

It's nothing to do with Covid. It's the system that's broken, with bots somehow allowed to hoover up all the bookings and re-sell. Ridiculous.

So it seems you either join in the nonsense and pay for an app to look for cancellations, or pay the charlatans.

DC taking theory again this week as it's expired, so will be in the same boat.

Yeah I didn't think it could be Covid after all this time! They do seemed to have upped their security since I booked her last test, and a couple of times it's blocked me thinking I'm a bot, I've been on the site that many times! It's definitely got worse since I booked the last test, as at least I could get a test by logging on at 6am, it was just months in advance. This time, nothing!

In same boat here with two kids unable to get a test ( have tried 5 counties) despite passing theory in May. As far as I can tell you can only use the cancellation apps if you have a test booked from the gov website first so as we can’t even do that we can’t use a cancellation website. Please correct me if I am wrong and point me n the direction of a worthy app!
My MP has also taken up this issue on my behalf but I’m not holding my breath as indeed the whole system is broken…….

Oh god, is that right? I can't even get a test months away so looks like I can't even use an app! As I said, previously I could at least eventually get a test by logging on 6am on a Monday, but now, zilch, nada!

My daughter has just passed her driving test after 2 failed attempts, she used Testi app. She rebooked her final test 2 weeks after her last failed test she actually passed in my car as her driving instructor unfortunately was unable to take her on her test as he was booked up so I got her insured on my car, got an extra rear view mirror and L plates and we both went to the test centre and she passed!
My daughters next test date would have been March next year!

We have the testi app, but even if I click through as soon as the notification appears, the date has always gone. It's an absolute joke. My daughter waited 5 months for her first test date. She failed and now looks like having to wait 5 months for another one. I am surprised there is not more noise being made about this

DVSA recently did a huge recruitment drive for around 500 examiners. Goodness knows how successful they were, or if it will make any difference.

I booked my son at test at any location so I could then book a cancellation via one of the apps. Was useless for us because every single one that came up at the test centre we wanted was already gone when we tried to book. Total waste of £35 odd.

Finally managed to get one, but it was cancelled on the day due to a shortage of examiners. However, there was an instructor hovering around who offered to get a test date for £175 - in addition to all other standard charges. We ended up booking similar with a local driving school and paid them £110 extra. I hated doing it, but was wasting money on lessons just to keep DS test ready, so reluctantly became part of that system.

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.

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.

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.

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 can set the app to book it automatically for you.

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.

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

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!)

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.

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

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..

Used an app and got one easily for ds1.

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.

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

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.