I tried to pass a driving theory test a decade later

More than a decade has gone by since I passed my practical driving theory test on my first attempt. Yes, you read that right, first time. It was a great feeling.

I may or may not have gone on to fail my driving test soon after with several majors, but that’s neither here nor there. The best drivers pass the second time anyway, I tell myself late at night. Last year we reported on Britain’s most persistent learner driver who finally passed their theory test at the 60th time of asking.

The driver spent an eye-watering GBP1,380 at a test centre in Redditch[1], before finally conquering their goal. With so many years having gone by since I walked into a test centre, I wondered if I could still pass my theory in 2024. As a fun experiment I sat a mock test on the DVSA website, without any revision beforehand, to see if my road knowledge was still up to scratch.

If you don’t read on any further here’s a spoiler: it wasn’t. I failed. (Though not miserably.) A big red screen of doom informed me I’d answered 40 out of 50 questions correctly but it wasn’t enough to get me over the line.

Though a ‘Good Try!’ message somewhat softened the blow.

I failed my test with only 40 of 50 questions correctI failed my test but was greeted with a ‘good try!’ message

Before sitting the exam, which you’re given 57 minutes to wade through, I had wondered if the questions were going to surprise me. How much had the test changed? Could I still identify necessary road signs?

Did I know the correct traffic light sequence? I mean, I had hoped so. Clearly from a safety point of view, but also because there’s a page on social media called ‘Journalists Posting Their Ls’.

None of us really want to appear on there. Yet here I am, ‘posting my L’.

The test

Some of the questions were slightly bonkers. One read: “You’ve been involved in an argument that’s made you feel angry.

What should you do before starting your journey?” My choices were: ‘open a window’, ‘turn on your radio’, ‘have an alcoholic drink’ or ‘calm down’. I pray no-one ever gets that wrong.

But most of the questions, and those short video clips identifying hazards, matched with what I had remembered. I suppose that’s because the law of the roads need to remain consistent; a universal language that everyone can speak and understand. What to do when moving from behind a parked car, how to act when someone is on a zebra crossing, identifying road signs correctly, it’s all still there.

But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t all brush up once in a while. I clearly need to, and I’ll be taking the test again until I pass. In the meantime, I hope publishing this story doesn’t see me yanked off the road.

Click here[3] to have a go at the mock theory test yourself.

Let us know your score in the comments below.

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References

  1. ^ Redditch (www.birminghammail.co.uk)
  2. ^ Video shows shocking M6 crash as trucker escapes with his life (www.birminghammail.co.uk)
  3. ^ Click here (www.gov.uk)
  4. ^ Try BirminghamLive Premium for just GBP12 for 12 months (www.birminghammail.co.uk)

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