How to Pass the Theory – First Time

After you’ve received your provisional driving licence in the post, you can finally book your theory test. Both the multiple choice questions and the hazard perception must be taken together and you must pass both sections in order to pass the theory test.  You can take your theory test from your 17th birthday onwards. There is an exception to this where you may be able to take your test at 16 if you have applied or currently receive Personal Independence Payment. However, this is mainly for long-term health issues or disability.

You will have to take your theory test if you’re on the path to wanting to obtain a full driving licence. Although you will not have to take the theory test if you are wanting to upgrade from an automatic full licence to a manual. Furthermore, if you already have a 3-4 wheeled light vehicle licence you also do not need to take the test.

How to Study for the Theory Test

Everyone learns in a wide variety of unique ways, therefore there is no one correct method of learning the content and revising for your test. It all depends on how best you learn and what you feel comfortable doing. There is, however, a huge range of resources available which you should actively use in order to boost your chances of passing.

Multiple Choice Section:

The DVSA base their questions of three separate books, these are:

1. The Highway Code
2. Know your traffic signs
3. Driving – the essential skills

You will need to use all of these while preparing as it’s important that you not only memorise practice questions but also understand fully why it’s the correct answer. This is because the questions given in the test are never identical to practice questions available on the internet.

The multiple-choice test covers a variety of topics, these include:

• alertness
• attitude
• safety and your vehicle
• safety margins
• hazard awareness
• vulnerable road users
• other types of vehicle
• road conditions and vehicle handling
• motorway driving
• rules of the road
• road and traffic signs
• essential documents
• incidents, accidents and emergencies
• vehicle loading

The Highway Code

Study The Highway Code which is available for free on the government website. The rules of the Highway Code are legal requirements. By disobeying these codes you are breaking the law and so committing a criminal offence. This often results in points on your licence, or in the worst case scenario, prison. Knowing and applying the rules in the highway code significantly reduces road casualties and makes the road a safer place for you and other road users.

Knowing your traffic signs

Study the book “Know Your Traffic Signs which is the second book. This is especially important because traffic signs play a vital role in directing, informing and controlling road users and how they act. Knowing them inside and out will help make the road as safe as possible.

DVSA essential skills

This book contains everything on the essential knowledge needed to drive. It explains everything you need to know about maintaining safe driving skills for life. For example, it contains:

• sections of knowledge for motorcycle drivers, plus a free e-book for car drivers and full eBook for car drivers
• questions and answers for studying, which includes questions on exact case studies
• the official DVSA explanations for every revision question. Ensuring that you not only memorise the answer but understand exactly why that’s the case

The pass mark for the multiple choice section is 43 out of 50. A good rule is to allow a minute for each question. This ensures you have time at the end of the exam to check your answers. You can go back and change an answer at any time. Therefore it will increase your chance of passing by taking several minutes to double or triple check your answers. You can also flag questions you’re unsure about, so they’re easy to find later. Many find it’s easier to do this than rush a difficult question.

Theory Test Tips

Theory Test Tip 1 –

Plan your study time. You should set yourself some targets and guidelines to follow. Select a different topic to study each time and work through the list methodically. This ensures that you won’t miss anything vital and could show up during your test. Plan to do your studying in a quiet distraction-free environment and at a time when you’re fully awake. Taking regular breaks will also improve your memory retention as it gives your brain time to process and absorb the information you’ve been learning. The optimum time studying should be kept to a maximum of 40 minutes a session.

Theory Test Tip 2 –

Another useful tip is to link what you’ve been learning to real life experiences. The whole test is not just for theory, it all applies to real life scenarios. For example, thinking about where you’ve seen a sign will help you figure out what it means. Furthermore, thinking clearly about what the safest decision to make will often be the correct answer. The test is not about how best to drive, but the safest way of driving.

Theory Test Tip 3 –

A good method of doing this is using and testing what you are learning whilst you are in the car even when you’re a passenger. While driving yourself there is often too much going on to be tested on the theory questions or signs. However, if you’re in the car with a parent, ask them to test you on scenarios, or spot road signs and hazards as part of your trip.

Theory Test Tip 4 –

You should ensure that you’ve also practised all of the different formats of questions that could potentially come up during your test. Knowing all of the information may not be enough if you are thrown off by a strangely phrased question. Therefore knowing exactly how the questions will show during the test will be a huge benefit. This can be done by practising free online tests, which is further discussed later in this blog.

Theory Test Tip 5 –

Another great tip is that you should always ask for help if you require it. If there is a question which you cannot get your head around it’s best to ask friends, family or your driving instructor. They will often be able to explain why the answer is correct and this will further your understanding. They will be able to share driving experiences and give you real-life knowledge of how the rules of the road work.

Theory Test Tip 6 –

Finally, don’t stay up late night cramming all of the content the day before your test. Get to bed early so you’re fully rested for the next day, and leave in plenty of time to get to the test centre.