have just skimmed this thread. I think many poeple could pass a test after 52 lessons, nutcracker, but I wasn't one of them. I had over 100 and went through three or four instructors.
IME if an instructor puts you down as a slow learner, they don't treat you as well. I imagine that their performance record looks better if their pupils pass the test, so they concentrate on the better ones. As a total struggler, I got used to having appointments cancelled at the last minute, or a stand in instructor substituted for my regular one. And I found it difficult to book extra lessons just before my test - that they knew and I knew I had a big chance of failing. Bear this in mind when you start lessons.
I think it's really good to be able to practice in a private car, doing things like three point turns and parking in a deserted car park. If you have no access to a car, this will slow things up.
The good news is that on my third attempt I did pass. I hardly drove for 5 years and all my confidence melted away. I very slowly picked u the threads when I was forced to. I was running a market stall and my driver moved away, so I had to sort out my transport myself.
After lots of practice, I will now drive across London, go on motorways, drive abroad, without too many butterflies in my stomach. But it took years, and passing my driving test was just the beginning of it. I am really pleased I stuck at it since I was such a no hoper and more that one instructor gave up on me.