Theory test: preparation

Before you can take your practical driving test, you need to pass your theory test. It’s a really important part of learning to drive: when you get to your practical test, you’ll need to show that you can use what you learn for this test when you’re driving on the road.

The car theory test costs £23 Visit GOV.UK to find out more about the theory test.

It’s vital to prepare for your theory test: there’s a lot to learn about the rules of the road. The better prepared you are, the more likely you are to pass first time, which will save you the time and money that retaking the test will cost.

There are two parts to the test

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• the multiple choice part  -    you'll need to score at least 43 out of 50.

• the hazard perception part  - you'll need to score at least 44 out of 75.

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Preparing for the multiple choice test

The questions in the multiple choice test are taken from three books

• The Official Highway Code

• The Official DVSA Guide to Driving – the essential skills

• Know Your Traffic Signs.

You’ll need to use all of these when you’re preparing. There are lots of products available that contain practice questions, but it's really important you don't just learn the answers without understanding fully why it's correct because the questions on the actual test aren’t exactly the same as the practice ones.

Using official publications will help you get the most out of your preparation. You can find these on the Official DVSA Learning Zone.

To help you get used to how the multiple choice test looks on-screen, you can practice doing the test online.

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The multiple choice test covers the following topics

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• alertness

• attitude

• safety and your vehicle

• safety margins

• hazard awareness

• vulnerable road users

• other types of vehicle

You can also test your understanding of road signs, with a free practice quiz.

Tips to help you learn

There are various methods you can use to help you learn what you’ll need to know for your test. Here are a few ideas

• Link what you’re learning to your own experiences: for example, think about where you’ve seen an example of a road sign and use this to help you remember what the sign means.

• Use mnemonics: these are sayings or stories that help you remember something – for example, ‘Richard Of York Gave Battle In Vain’ reminds you of the colours of the rainbow (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet).

• Practice the question formats: as well as knowing all the information, you’ll also need to know how the questions are asked in the test. Use the practice test and the self-assessment questions in The Official DVSA Theory Test for Car Drivers.

• Plan your study: set yourself some timelines and targets. This will help you to see your progress and make sure you haven’t missed anything. Plan to do your studying somewhere you won’t be disturbed and at a time when you’re fully awake.

• Get help: use friends, family, your driving instructor or your colleagues from work to ask questions and share driving experiences.

You can also test your understanding of road signs, with a free practice quiz.

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Preparing for the hazard perception test

This part of the test checks you can recognise and respond to hazards that could happen while you’re driving. Being out on the road with your instructor will help you prepare for this part. There’s also The Official DVSA Guide to Hazard Perception, available as an interactive DVD-ROM or as an online subscription from the Official DVSA Learning Zone.

 

In the test you’ll see 19 film clips, each shown from a driver’s point of view. You’ll need to spot the developing hazard in each film: this is something that might need you, as the driver, to take some action such as changing speed or direction. For example, a car pulling in to the side of the road ahead of you is a developing hazard because you’ll need to slow down and manoeuvre around it.

You can test your hazard perception skills with a  free practice test.