The honest answer to that is a both YES and NO.
I don’t know how much you knew about the old test – but to summarize it for you, it included:
Getting instructions from the examiner to tell you were to go with 10 minutes of that involving following signs or maps AND
Five manoevures including reversing in a bay, parallel parking, reversing around a corner, turning in the road and doing an emergency stop stop
They Removed Some Manoevures.
In the new test, which started in December 2017 they got rid of all the difficult manoevures and only the bay park and parallel park remained.
And from my experience, this has made it easier for people to feel comfortable in the final few days, hour, or even minutes before the test.Why?
Because they only have to remember two manoevures.
The new test also introduced the use of sat nav. You can now either drive independently for 20 minutes following a sat nav or follow signs for 20 minutes.
So Does That Make The New Test Easier?
The manoevures are easier – But the long independent drive especially the use of sat nav has made the test much harder.
And this is not an exaggeration. Let me explain…
Now almost the entire test is done under independent driving. They say that its 20 minutes minutes but its much longer than that. Because during independent driving, they can stop you to do a manoevures and then carry on.
And all this is done in total silence. Examiners don’t talk to you the way they used to. They simply sit there and watch you drive.
And some times you can drive throughout an entire test without stopping to do a manoevure.
So if you can’t handle the silence, you’ll be in trouble.
On top of that, they have also expanded the routes at every test centre. Now they could take you through busier and unfamiliar areas and they expect you to drive safely and comfortably at all times.
The main theme of the new driving test is to keep you on the move as much as possible. So if you can’t drive or not ready for the new test you will be found out.
The main point is this: You need to know how to drive perfectly and in all situations to pass a new driving test.
So What Does All this Mean For You?
Choose your driving instructor very carefully.
Choose an instructor that will teach you to drive safely not just to pass a test but all throughout your driving life.
You want an instructor that will teach you to think for yourself – because that’s the only way you will develop the mindset to pass the new driving test.
There are methods specialist instructors use to teach students to think for themselves and to take full responsibilities for their actions. In my experience only 3 in 10 instructors are able to do this.
You want a driving instructor that will allow you to drive for very long periods without stopping. You need to sit in a car and drive and drive.
Because that’s the only way you will get the experience to be comfortable to handle a new driving test. But you don’t drive aimlessly, you drive with a purpose and a clear goal.
If a driving school is offering you cheap lessons, there is a big chance that they limit the amount of time you will spend on the move.
Any driving school offering 1.0hr even 1.5hr driving lessons are not preparing you for the new test. They are wasting you time and money.
Thanks for reading
Amir
I am Your Instructor
07739 914005
We are a driving school in East London, offering:
Driving Lessons In Ilford, Driving Lessons in Chigwell, Driving Lessons in Woodford and Driving Lessons in Walthamstow.
We pride ourselves for teaching students from beginner to test standard in 8 weeks or less. And we achieve this by doing only two 2.0hr lessons per week.
If you already have some driving experience you could be ready in just a few weeks. And we find and book you an early test.
We also allow you to try us for one lessons at a reduced rate. And we give a full refund if you don’t like the lesson.