So, you have earned your driving theory test and are ready to practice your driving skills. You may want to include car driving in this learning process and want to know if you are eligible or not. Simply, you are not allowed to drive a vehicle unsupervised with a provisional driving license that you get after passing your car driving theory test. Instead, you will need to attempt and pass the car theory test to start practicing this skill.
Continue reading this post to learn more about this theory test and if you should take it.
What is a Car Theory Test?
The theory test is considered the first step towards getting licensed for car driving in the UK. You can take this test before or after your compulsory basic training (CBT). After taking this test, you will have to take the practice test to get the license.
This test consists of two parts. One of these is based on multiple-choice questions and has 50 questions. You must answer at least 43 questions correctly within 57 minutes to pass this test.
The second part is called the Hazard Perception test and consists of 14 videos. Out of these 14 videos, 13 present single hazards, and one video presents two hazards. This part attracts 75 marks and you must obtain at least 44 marks to pass it. Also, understand that you must pass both sections of theory tests individually to get the pass certificate.
Who Needs It?
Any normal citizen in the UK or Northern Ireland who wants to drive a car must get this test as well as CBT before taking his vehicle to the road. Completing this training and getting this test will make you eligible for a practical test for car driving.
You must also understand that the certificate of this test is only valid for two years after a successful attempt. You must attempt the practical test within this period, or you will have to retake the theory test before attempting the practical test.
Eligibility Criteria
You face two restrictions on taking this test: age and residence. You can take the moped theory test if you are older than 16 years. For the car driving test, you must be at least 17 years old.
This test is not available for foreigners so you must be a normal resident of the UK to take it. Note that if you are a foreigner, you may drive a car based on your driving exposure and licenses in your home country.
Normal residents and citizens of the UK and Northern Ireland can take this test if they want to get a driving license.
Requirements for Booking Your Theory Test
If you fulfill the eligibility criteria mentioned above, you can take the test after obtaining your provisional license. You may not need a provisional license if you already hold a driving license from the UK.
Other than the provisional license, you will need your identity and residence documents. After you have passed the theory test, you will need to take eyesight and medical tests to get the license.
This test costs £23 for every attempt. You can book your test online using the DVSA website, via telephone or post. Online registration is most common these days and you get the exam information – place and time – via email. But if you don’t use the internet much, you can also request them to send you the acknowledgment in the mail.
Preparation and Attempt
The test requires you to understand your vehicle, safety, and road rules. You will get plenty of free resources from the government website and other platforms. Plus, the CBT training will also help with understanding the concepts and passing the test.
Make sure you dedicate enough time to understanding and remembering the concepts. You should know all the road signs that relate to driving. You need an understanding of hazards that you might face while driving to pass the hazard perception section of the test.
Don’t consider the information and guides available on the DVSA website as sufficient and make the exam-taking process efficient and straightforward by getting help from trusted study and revision partners.
Rebook Your Test
As you can see that the passing score of the driving theory test is high and stands at 86% for the multiple-choice question section alone. In other words, you have fewer chances of mistakes. At the same time, you only have 57 minutes to attempt this section which may force you to increase the number of mistakes because of time pressure.
With this difficulty level, the success rate of this test isn’t high and people have failed it one or more times in the past before getting their theory test pass certificate. If you fail this test once, you can retake it only after three days of your latest attempt.
This gap of three days ensures that you prepare for the test and increase your chances of success in the subsequent attempt. Rebooking will cost the same £23.
After Passing This Test
As mentioned above, you can take CBT before or after passing your theory test. But you must pass both the theory test and CBT to attempt the practical test. Use the test certificate you earn from passing the theory test to book your practical test.
The practical test consists of two modules for off-road and on-road skill assessment. The first module costs £15.5 and the second module costs either £75 or £88.5 depending on the time of assessment.
Takeaway
This post talks about the importance of the theory test and who can take it in the UK. Note that one can only start the licensing procedure once he/she is at least 15 years and 9 months old. At that time, you start with a provisional license but you can only start training after your 16th birthday.
