How to pass a driving test without lessons

[Bilster]

My daughter is keen to pass her driving test. Her dad lives a 8 miles away, can’t drive for medical reasons and the bus there takes ages, so I drop her off and pick her up with her doing the driving and me sitting next to her. We’ve been doing this for a while and she’s a natural. She’s driving perfectly now.

She’s booked a test for 2 months time amd ever since she booked it I have been trying to get her driving lessons. There are just no instructors near us with any availability. I’ve been trying for a few months with no luck. What would it take for her to pass her test with no lessons? What is she likely to fail on? Any tips very welcome cause I’m feeling desperate and don’t want to have to ask her to put the test back.

Is this theory or practical in two months time? Can you book her onto one of those intensive driving courses where she does a week of loads of lessons and driving practise? A lot more expensive than traditional lessons but there may be more availability.

I wouldn’t recommend it tbh…it’s just asking for disaster imo

Have you been going through manoeuvres with her?

There are some good youtube channels but with how hard it is to book a test I’d find some lessons somehow to not waste the opportunity

I know a few people my age and older who passed their driving test having been taught in this way but I suspect its become a lot harder to do that now!

Things that jump to mind would be signalling and road position.

I don't know how possible it would be tbh.

The issue you will have is doing all the things they expect on a test that you as a long term driver don't do / wont have taught her.

Is she checking her mirror (clearly so it can be seen) every few seconds.
Does she know what the specific manoeuvres they ask you to do on a test are and has she practiced those (I am out of date so may have changed but previously, bay park, parallel park, reverse round a corner, emergency stop, may have been others)

Those are the things a few lessons with an instructor will be very valuable for.

Why? A couple of my friends passed with no lessons. They just drove everywhere with parents for a year then took a test. Passed first time.

If you've passed the theory test then you should know the "rules of the road" and the rest comes with plenty of driving experience. I'm assuming the OP is a competent driver so has been giving their DD pointers.

Just make sure she can do all the manoeuvres correctly. Plenty of YouTube videos telling you what examiners are checking for.

Practice reversing into a space, around a corner and emergency stop. She needs to know the show me tell me questions too and be able to independently follow a sat nav

I would also do lots of driving around the test centre area, just to and from one place all the time won't necessarily translate the skill to busier junctions etc

I’d buy the Highway Code, do loads of hazard perception practice and also buy one of the driving instructor guide books on Amazon. That might give you a guide as to what skills she needs.

has she been driving lots of different routes or just to/from her dads?

have you taken her round the test routes so she’s familiar with them?

I believe the guide is 40 hours lessons plus 25hrs practice for an average, but obviously some learn much faster or slower!

also remember that you have probably picked up bad habits over the years - everyone does! So what you think is a good driver possibly isn’t to pass a test.

I passed my test last year, so relatively recently. I think it would be things like safely checks that driving instructors drill into you she would be most likely to fail on.
for example MSM (mirror signal manouvere in that order) every time you indicate and being able to successfully answer the safety questions. Can she do all the current manoeuvres as they changed last year? If so, also making sure she does all the blind spot checks at the correct time when carrying them out. Not necessarily things you will do every time as an experienced driver, but need to be done on the test.
also if she’s not already - YouTube revision allowed me to pass my test with minimal lessons. Clearview driving is a good one. Also most test routes are now also on YouTube, get her to familiarise herself with it.

My ExH learnt with his dad. He failed first time because his dad had taught him to do some things that were actually illegal.

so - look up what’s on the test - manoeuvres etc. the way you drive is almost certainly full of bad habits and sloppy. If she drives like a carbon copy of you (or any other long time driver) she’ll fail.

I recently passed my test first time, having had only two lessons. A relative showed me the basics, then I just drove my elderly parents everywhere for a few months. The lessons were to identify any bad habits etc but the instructor told me I was test-ready, and he was right.

My grandson drove everywhere with his parents and passed his test 2 months after his 17th birthday.

No, she probably needs at least one practice with an instructor. She needs to drive to a much higher standard than a normal driver: signalling at just the right distance, stopping at just the right distance, being confident driving at speed, changing lanes, various turning and parking manoeuvres within a limit of X no of moves (eg parallel parking within 3 moves). She needs to be able to follow a sat nav and/or instructions on the fly. She needs to be able to answer theory questions and questions about the car on the fly (eg. where are fog lights switch, what gear to use in snow, how to reduce petrol use in a queue, car tax and insurance questions, drink limits etc). Some of this is easier if she chooses to be tested in her own car. I passed my test a few years ago.

One of my kids was learning in 2020/1 when you couldn’t get lessons and passed after only going out in her dad’s car.

She watched a lot of YouTube driving instructor videos so knew which of her dad’s habits not to do in a test. Ideally she would have had lessons but luckily she passed.

can you book an intensive course for her? Try the AA website, they do lessons where they will send someone out to your area to do them.

I wouldn’t waste the lesson trying to do it with absolutely no lessons.. or do you just mean by a driving instructor? Do you take her out? If so then it’s possibly doable. Things to be super clean on are things like hesitation, mirror checks, me emergency stop, being in the right gear and speed limits, don’t worry so much on direction.. going the wrong way doesn’t mean much as long as you can drive safely,

Are you taking her on different routes or just to her dad's house and back, she needs to experience lots of different situations and roads, not just the route she knows. Has she passed her theory test, I don't think it was mentioned in the OP

I supported both of mine with minimal lessons. We accrued loads of driving hours practice. I recognised that I didn’t know everything required - mainly the test routes, manoeuvres etc but there a a couple of really good YouTube channels that are really informative.

DS found the test routes from his centre on You Tube, definitely worth watching those if they have them and then you can practice the hot spots

Of course it’s possible, lots of people do. As others have said google/you tube to find the most recent specific maneuvers, things like parallel parking in 3 maneuvers, three point turn etc.

I think it's possible.

Where she might fall down is observations/mirrors and lack of familiarity with test routes. Some are not well marked or have awkward junctions or road signs and it's a lot easier to drive if you have an idea of what's coming.

I passed my test very recently. As long as she can do the manoeuvres without having to reposition, and can drive confidently following a sat nav or road signs, I think she will be fine.

If you can find out what the test routes are just smash them out over the next couple of months.

Oh and remember "tyres and tarmac" - she should be able to see tarmac under the wheels of the vehicle in front whenever she stops. That's an easy one to get wrong.

Personally, I’d say no chance. Instructors teach you how to “pass the test” if you see what I mean. There are plenty of things in there that people generally stop doing and forget after they pass their test. BUT other posters are saying otherwise, so maybe?

My DC passed 1st time with no lessons other than with me during covid.

We choose to book a test in a town with a higher pass rate and DC drove all routes possible through the that town for months.

Currently doing the same with younger DC and I have to build myself up to get in a car with them, they're slowly getting better but it's going to be a long slog and I might end up getting them lessons.

Everyone is different.

If she can be in the car practicing regularly for hours with someone who will act just like an instructor and make her be as adherent and safety conscious as one, and she reads everything she can and watches videos, then maybe?