Roads today are more congested and potentially more dangerous than ever before. Therefore it's even more important that all road users have a wide knowledge and clear understanding of safe driving principles. With this in mind, learner drivers and motorcyclists must pass both the theory test and the practical test to get their full licence.
In
the Multiple Choice Questions part of the test you are tested on subjects such as your attitude to
driving, your awareness of hazards, safety and your vehicle and vulnerable
road users. The Highway code (recommended reading) covers topics that
you are also tested on such as road and traffic signs, vehicle handling
and rules of the road. They allow up to 57 minutes for this part of the test and it consists of 50 multiple
choice questions taken from the official question bank. In order
to pass you must get 43 correct. Most questions will ask you to mark
one answer out of the choice given, whereas some will ask for two,
three or four correct answers, therefore make sure you read each question
properly.
You can listen to the test on headphones to help candidates who do not understand or read English or those who wish to take the test in their first language. These languages are Albanian, Arabic, Bengali, Cantonese, Dari, Farsi, Gujarati, Hindi, Kashmiri, Kurdish, Mirpuri, Polish, Portugese, Punjabi, Pushto, Spanish, Tamil, Turkish, Urdu and Welsh. Information for those needing special assistance is available on the information line.
You must make any requests for special assistance when booking your theory test.
It is essential for your future safety that you transfer the theory knowledge that you gain to your actual driving. There are various books available for study - The Highway Code and the DSA official question book being just two of them.
Once you've completed the multiple choice part of the test you can have a three minute break before starting the Hazard Perception part but you cannot leave your desk during this break.
Hazard Perception
At the start of the hazard perception part of the test you will be shown a short instruction video. This video will tell you how the hazard perception part of the theory test works. You can watch the instruction video twice of you need to. You will need to wear headphones to listen to the instruction video then you can take them off at the end of the video, unless you prefer to keep them on, or you are a candidate taking a foreign-language of British Sign Language version of the test. There is no sound on the test clips.
The
hazard perception element tests your ability to look at and understand
the whole road scene and to recognise possible traffic hazards at
an early stage, as they develop. Your result will show whether you
have learned the hazard perception skills you will need to avoid hazards,
or to deal with them safely.
During the test you will see film clips of traffic scenes from a drivers point of view. There will be 14 clips and 15 scoreable hazards, so in one of the clips there will be two to watch for. Your responses are recorded by the computer and points are given depending on the speed of your reaction. A maximum of 5 points are available down to just 1 point, so a maximum points score of 75. If you do not react within the 'scoring window' you will score 0 points for that clip. The current pass rate is 44 out of 75.
Each time you press one of the buttons in reaction to a hazard, the video will not stop or slow down, but a red flag will appear at the bottom of the screen to show that your response has been recorded.The hazards will be situations that are developing that involve other road users. As the clips are filmed on real roads they contain all types of hazards but only the developing hazards are scoreable, but don't worry, you won't lose points for responding to other hazards.
Each developing hazard would require the driver to maybe take some form of action such as changing speed or direction. You should respond by pressing either the left or the right mouse button, whichever you prefer, as soon as you think that this might happen. If you press the mouse button in response to seeing a developing hazard but then the situation changes, for example another vehicle comes into view, then you may need to press the mouse button again. Be careful though because if you make lots of unnecessary responses in a very short time, or throughout the clip, you will score 0 points for that clip. You will only see the clips once so you will need to concentrate - you cannot go back and change your response.
Test Result - At the end of the test you will leave your desk and make your way to the Administrators desk to sign the Signature Log. You will then be given your result letter. The letter will contain your score on both elements and the test result and if you have been successful, you will also be given an Official Driving Theory Test Certificate.
