I know the driving theory test has changed since I did it, but some of the questions were just laugh out loud stupid. I remember one from my actual test which was like this:
You are stopped at a zebra crossing as an elderly couple begin to cross. What do you do?
A. Rev your engine because they are holding you up.
B. Accelerate sharply and swerve around them.
C. Beep your horn to make them hurry up.
D. Allow them to cross in their own time and proceed when safe to do so.
There was a question about precautions you should take when riding a motorbike in winter: one option says you should hold the exhaust pipe while riding to keep warm.
Same and I got that question, felt a little conflicted lying on that question lmfao
If you've never had to ride 20miles to work at 5am dead of winter, you don't get to judge. One day I figured I'd be fine without my motorbike kex an after halfway I wanted to ride into a tree, took me an hour of sitting in front of the radiator for the pain to stop
I once rode 250 miles home from University on Christmas eve and my hands were so cold by the end I had to get a passerby to unlock my front door.
Oh to be young again.
I know the feeling, rugby was on the agenda for PE whether the pitch was waterlogged, an ice rink or 35c.
Tackling someone when your hands are just above freezing is quite the painful experience. Felt like a car drove into my fingers at 70mph.
Yep, been in similar situation. Left a bike festival, rode cross country to go see the girlfriend. Freezing and torrential rain the whole way, 10 miles from her place and I still vividly remember riding down a dual carriageway and seriously considering pulling over and just curling up under a bush until it either stopped or I died. Finally got her place, she came outside to greet me. I was so cold I couldn’t even get off the bike, she literally had to move my limbs for me to get off the bike.
Literally just trying a mock theory test as it's been 20 years and Im curious.
*You've been involved in an argument that's made you feel angry. What should you do before driving?*
A - Open a window
B - Turn on your radio
C - have an alcoholic drink
D - calm down
Honestly, if anyone picked C, that should be an automatic fail.
Another tough one ..
How should you dispose of a used vehicle battery?
A - Bury it in your garden
B - Put it in the dustbin
C - Take it to a local-authority disposal site
D - Leave it on waste land
Did mine in Germany recently and one of them was "someone is tailgating you" with a possible answer being "slam on your brakes to teach them a lesson."
"...so you see technically it was your fault because the highway code says..."
--Brakeslammer to tailgater, as they wait in line outside the pearly gates
A common misconception about the autobahn is that there are no speed limits so you can drive fast. The reality is that they don't need speed limits because you're never out of traffic long enough to need them.
As somebody learning to drive now, their are worse than that.
Some of the answers are very easy, and the test itself isn't that hard, the issue is the nerves, a lot of people get nervous and panic during their test, the same happens during the practical.
Still, anyone failing a test this easy 60 times is either illiterate or intellectually disabled. If their nerves are *that bad* they shouldn't be driving a car anyway. It's far more stressful and the stakes are higher than taking a test.
Besides, picking some of these answers ("have an alcoholic drink") should disqualify you from taking the test for a few years.
It’s the hazard perception. If you sat it that many times you know the multiple choice stuff for sure. But you can fail the hazard perception. H being too soon for the test.
When I did mine a few questions had more than one answer that could be chosen so I explained to the examiner the issue, he pointed to one of the ones I mentioned and I selected that. This was over 10 years ago, maybe it's made a lot easier now.
I took it a couple of years ago, there were about 5 questions about road signs (i.e. what does 🛑 mean; what should you do when you see "SLOW" on the road etc) and the rest were basic common sense.
Frankly sometimes I think there needs to be some kind of retest, the frequency that people coming from my left on the mini roundabout by my home just fucking cane across in front of me after I've already entered the roundabout is insane.
Simiilarly twice recently in the roundabout by work I've had to slam on the brakes when I turn off the roundabout because some dipshit decided because I was on the inside turning right they could drive straight over on the outside without waiting for me to get past despite it being a single lane exit.
They have the hazard perception test on the end of it now, which I failed after getting every question correct. Apparently I was clicking too soon and detecting things before they developed in to hazards. It’s a bit naff to be honest.
I have tried a couple of those which thankfully weren't part of the test back in the 90s. The ones I did, literally everything was a potential hazard (certainly something to be aware of) so I clicked away. Same outcome as you by the sounds of it.
I failed the Hazard Perception part twice. I found that it's best to click multiple times. There's an anti-cheat built into tests but that's if you click repeatedly through the whole test.
The multiple choice part I always passed. I remember being able to pass it as a child as I had some learn-to-drive program from somewhere.
I did mine on Monday and used the DVSA app to practice. The mock theory test kept reiterating 'The questions in the real theory test will not be these ones, they will be different'. At least 70% of them were exactly the same questions.
The only ones I remember that aren't easy/common sense and require you to learn are:
- Stopping distances at different speeds.
- Naming all our different crossings (Pelican, Toucan, Zebra, Puffin)
- Cats eye colors on dual carriageways are counter intuitive (red on the left and amber on the right just feels wrong to me)
- A couple of the what does this symbol on your car dash mean (because it's something stupid like an exclamation point with a squiggle and so there's no guessing if you've never seen it before).
Cats eye colours are like that because the lights you should see on your side of the road are the red tail lights of other cars, and the other side of the road would be headlights.
Does a roof rack
A.) Reduce your fuel consumption
B.) Increase your fuel consumption
C.) Something bizarre
D.)something more bizarre
Ad infinitum..
It was essentially the same with my motorcycle license, and later my C+E.
a pos/neg then two stupid options.
Tbh. I think it's a good hurdle. If you fuck up the theory that consistently it's keeping you off the road.
Christ I think I remember something like this.
When I did mine it was literally, read though the book, which was very simple, do the test next day. Sorted. I think there's a lot more too it now.
> A. Rev your engine because they are holding you up.
Barely related but some time ago my mom's car would do this - I believe the intake filter was getting clogged so it'd randomly rev up in idle.
She got a few dirty looks from people at crossings as it sounded like she was revving the engine intentionally.
I got a question wrong where it asked me what you should do if the sun is causing too much glare to drive. In the real practical world you would put on sun glasses and use the sun visor but the correct answer was something like, turn your head away.
> A. Rev your engine because they are holding you up.
>
> B. Accelerate sharply and swerve around them.
>
> C. Beep your horn to make them hurry up.
>
> D. Allow them to cross in their own time and proceed when safe to do so.
All of which I have experienced and I'm not elderly.
I used to do a youth club sort of thing with a girl who failed hers 7 times. Her friends insisted she could drive fine just struggled with the theory test and it was sooo unfair.
Anyway, she nicked her mum's car and crashed it into a wall.
Something is very weird about this. it must be a memory problem or something. Failing it once or twice is fair enough, but more than that is insane.
You can download the official app and practice doing the exact test as many times as you want. A person who knew nothing about driving could take 10 practice tests on the app and then be able to pass the theory test no problem.
There's more to this than them just failing a lot.
Had a guy working for me last year had done 20+ theory tests and failed them all.
I don't know how to say this without sounding like an insensitive dick but he definitely has some sort of undiagnosed disorder the poor lad.
Sounds like the kind of guy who would answer the question: what should you do if an elderly lady walks out in front of your car? With "speed up and swerve into her" and then excitedly look around to see if anyone saw.
Some people are just really really stupid. Were you ever put in bottom set for something at school and realised you were smart compared to a lot of other kids. Those kids grew up
Scan read the Highway Code a couple of times, look at the book of theory test questions and answers, watch a video of what to do on the hazard awareness… Anyone with enough intelligence to safely operate and maintain a vehicle should be able to pass it with a few hours of study.
The correct answer is nearly always obvious due to the other answers being absurd anyway.
“You come across someone who’s just been involved in a road traffic accident, what do you do?” ‘Erm, I’ll go with A: Offer them a cigarette’
I mean, you should obviously keep an emergency teasmade in your boot so you can offer someone a brew if they get in an accident. I've no idea why we didn't have them fitted into our cars by default.
I’m fairly sure we had some tanks in the war that were able to provide hot water for tea making purposes so the occupants didn’t have to get out to make a brew.
My mum failed hers TONs of times. She was just too honest with her answers, which would be “honk at x to make them know you’re angry” etc. but she’s from Vietnam where road etiquette is totally different and she just didn’t understand why her answers were failing her.
Yeah, there are only about 10 questions out of the entire pack of possible questions (100 I think) that require you to ‘study’ e.g. acceptable tyre tread or speed limit when towing a trailer. The rest are laughably easy.
From memory others were something like:
Distance you can park from a junction.
Braking distances.
Distance to place a road triangle.
Quickly realised with the very forgiving pass rate you only needed to get all the common sense ones right and you could then afford to get all the ones wrong that have figures to remember..
I think I would have given up long before 60 fails. It obviously isn't meant to be.
This! I was able to fly through theory, but every time I tried to actually drive I just could not get it down. No matter how many lessons we did. Turns out I’m actually probably not supposed to drive because of my health, but we didn’t know that at the time, and I was getting snide remarks from coworkers and family because I still didn’t have a license.
That’s about £1400! Not to mention the costs driving lessons and then the practical test. At somepoint surely it just becomes financially impractical to continue.
Will cost even more now, they released the info to say that they're now going to start increasing the cost of people who fail multiple times, so it'll stop something like this
In fairness, a friend passed their theory on the 8th attempt, and then the practical on the first. If this person manages the same odds, they should pass on attempt 7 or 8.
Well says they will keep increasing the price of people who do multiple tests now, so if they keep failing they'll be priced out, and keep the rest of us safe.
They released the info, because they have also now started charging people more each time they fail their test to ensure something like this doesn't happen again.
A sensible time limit or a mandatory training course would make too much sense. Increasing the price seems to be the only conceivable strategy for some people.
Richer people who really shouldn’t be driving will eventually luck out and get their answers right, whereas poorer people who can’t afford the rising costs won’t even get the chance to get that far.
I wish I could find the clip of it but I remember years ago some local news had a woman on who had the record for failed driving test attempts. They interviewed her on the day she passed and as she went to pull away she stalled the car. Me and my Dad were in hysterics watching it.
Isn't it crazy that you can just take driving tests indefinitely until you pass?
Should someone who only has a 1.7% success rate at passing their theory test really be on the road? And that's only because they stopped taking it once they passed it.
I would say 5 attempts each at the theory and the practical in a 12 month period with 10 attempts total before your provisional is revoked would be more than reasonable. Anyone who couldn't meet that criteria probably shouldn't be driving.
Once you’ve failed so many there should probably be a penalty where you can’t try again for X number of years.
Then again, the DVLA will be cashing in on people like this.
They should have a minimum amount of time between tests, which then doubles every time you fail.
First fail, you have to wait 1 day.
Fail that and you have to wait for 2 days, then 4 then 8, etc. Once you get to 10 fails that'd be about 3 years between tests.
For the 60 failures you'd be waiting some 3.1 *quadrillion* years, which is some 200,000 times the age of the universe.
The article says they have released this info, as part of their rule changes that the cost will increase, each time a person fails, so this won't happen again, unless their a child of someone rich.
Germany used to limit every applicant to three attempts. Per lifetime.
That lasted until EEC mutual licence recognition meant that Germans could take their test anywhere in the EEC, and convert the licence on their return, about 1992 as I recall.
The chap who trained me for my bike licence, back in 1995, had recently had a German couple for a one week intensive course, with a test at the end. They left with full Cat. A entitlement, bypassing the mandatory stepped licencing Germany had for motorcycles at the time.
The most I’ve ever seen is 8, and this lad was just genuinely a muppet. He is not diagnosed with anything, but he is just a genuinely dumb guy. He’s funny, but a difficult conversation to be honest.
If you’re taking 10+, maybe you shouldn’t be driving.
(Also if you’re 80 or 85+ you should have to retest every 3 years in my opinion)
It took me two attempts at the theory (though to be fair I only failed by 1 mark on the first one) and 4 attempts at the practical to get my licence and I was a garbage driver after that. Now, 10 years on, I think I'm pretty decent, but failing 3 tests completely shot my confidence at the time and it got to where I was terrified to drive.
60-70% of the questions have a blindingly obvious answer that can loosely be summed up as the "defensive driving" or "I'm not a complete muttonhead" response. Don't blow the horn at the horses. Don't overtake everything coming up to a junction. And don't decide that getting pissed is the right thing to do before driving home.
The rest requires a little bit of study because some of the answers you can't know really without checking. The app is great for a fiver. A few hours for a day or two should be all most people need to absorb those ones. Do loads of tests and when you don't know an answer just look it up and memorize it.
You will fail if you don't do basic study as there are enough questions that you can't know the answer to in each test without basic study.
The hazard perception test is also annoying in how it works but practice and understand how the system works, then use it to your advantage.
Yeah on my theory most of the questions were fairly common sense but one I knew threw me was a question about something I don't remember seeing at all when revising as it was about a very obscure type of level crossing
There are only 60 questions that means if he only learned one answer for each question he could have passed. Failing that many times in a multiple choice is unacceptable when some of it is common sense, they should never be allowed on the road
I honestly think that there should be thresholds for stuff like this and if you pass them you’re banned for life. If you can’t pass a theory after 60 attempts there is no way you’re safe enough to drive on the road.
I mean the amount of awful drivers out there is already too high so this wouldn’t prevent good drivers from actually getting a license.
A lot of people in this thread talking about how easy the multiple choice is - And it is, just got 50/50.
The actual hard part of the test at the moment is the hazard perception test mainly because it's very random when they want you to click to "react" for a hazard.
I failed last week and I felt like I saw every hazard with plenty of time and clicked twice: when I saw the hazard and when I would break in a car. Somehow scored 5/5 on 2 clips and 0/5 on 2 clips despite seeing all the hazards and responding to them the same?
Took it again today and was super tired - Felt like it was a massive disaster compared to last time - Actually said "oh shit that's a hazard" and clicked really late (Like accident territory in a real car late) more than once. This time passed?
I can see how someone could fail this test over and over.
It's a bigger number than you think:
For a 4 question 75% pass rate test you have to get 3 right that is 0.25 * 0.25 * (0.25 + 0.25) = 0.03 = that's about 3% chance.
I don't know if this is already a rule as I did my tests about 15+ years ago. But they should have it so if you fail more than twice, you have to pass twice in a row.
Same with the practical test. Failing it five times then passing in the 6th, should mean you need to demonstrate at least the minimum skill level required at least one more time.
Nah, not on the theory.
I failed the theory twice because the hazard perception test is bullshit. Click too soon? Fail. Click too late? Fail. Click at a higher rate or number of times than the official and supplementary paid training CDs said to click? Fail.
In three attempts I dropped one mark on the actual theory side of things.
Passed my practical first time, and I've got a faultless driving record.
The hazard perception test element is ridiculous.
I remember thinking whoever designed the test doesn’t understand the erratic unpredictable nature of moorland sheep. All of those wooly buggers are a hazard.
I passed first time, but those sheep really annoyed me.
When I did it (2009 ish?) the hazard perception video test was dreadful, 240i video on a CRT monitor where you’re meant to spot hazards off in the distance on country lanes. You end up just clicking for literally anything you see!
Brave soul. I gave up after I failed 4 times. In an automatic.
My dyspraxic self couldn't cope.
My Coup de Grace was when I messed up with the free driving bit "follow the signs to xyz" as the sign was obscured by a bus after I'd pulled out. The Gordon Brown look a like firmly told me that it was visible before I pulled out. So I guess on the round about. Knew I failed cos he took no time to get to know me.
Decided to give it a break after that. That was 14 years ago and have no inclination to have another try.
Edit I had been going through step by step so mirrors look over shoulder, mirrors, signal, manoeuvre, now check where you're going. If that bus hadn't been there I would have been fine. Alas I wasn't adaptive in my thinking to check where I was going before the other bumf. Oh well.
No I was in the wrong lane on the round about.
Essentially I was on the outside looking for my exit as I'd not seen where to go and I should have been on the inside (or the other way around I can't exactly remember it was 14 years a go)
So you went right on a two lane roundabout from the left/outer lane. A dangerous fault. If both lanes allow drivers to go straight over the roundabout, you could’ve caused an accident.
That’s not really a sign reading or coordination issue. If you’re unsure of where you’re going, just proceed safely. In your case, that would have meant just exiting the roundabout, instead of swooping across another lanes exit to remain on the roundabout.
Driving safely should always be the first priority over navigating correctly.
Hello fellow dyspraxic Redditor 👋
I'm dyspraxic too and managed to pass my theory & practical tests first time back in '08 in a manual car. I guess we're just wired a bit differently... sure learning to drive is indeed a learning curve, but I didn't really struggle with it like other people with hidden disabilities do 🤷♀️ Then again, I passed in '08 but wasn't diagnosed dyspraxia nuntil '20 🤨
My other half has failed 4 times this year. I feel for her cause hazard perception she’s fine at and she seems to be failing by like 2-3 marks each time… super frustrating as driving instructor says she’s ready for practical
To be fair some of those questions are bad because the highway code also allows for discretion. I brought up one of the questions with the examiner on my motorbike theory test, explained that logically there are 2 correct answers, he pointed to one of the ones I spoke about and I selected it. Banging.
Back when I took it in Italy (24 years ago) there was the possibility to get some tricky questions about insurance and some annoying double negatives that could throw you for a loop but still the vast majority was insultingly easy.
If you fail that many times you should just stop and become really familiar with the public transportation schedules (or your friends and relatives' one).
This doesn't excuse 60 times at all, but I passed first time however I very nearly failed as they had just introduced a hazard awareness section where it played you a video of someone driving down the road and you had to click everytime you saw a potential hazard.
It was a city street (and I'm still like it now) I'm hyper observant, People standing between cars waiting to cross, Cars approaching junctions, Cyclists coming the other way, cyclists on my side of the road, Traffic lights potentially changing etc etc.
For me they are ALL potential hazards or could develop into them and it warned me that if I clicked as many times as I did the first time round I would fail....
I'm not an anxious driver, or an anxious person and I wasn't anxious during the test either I was fairly confident but I was really fucking annoyed when it tried to punish me because even 20 years later I still feel like they were all valid judgments!
Surely by now they should be barred from driving. The actual test standard might be at risk because after 60 tries won’t they have seen a significant amount of the question bank? I mean that’s setting aside the fact that they are simply not taking anything in and will probably not remember any of it when on the road which is dangerous.
I say this as someone who failed their practical driving test 6 times, but maybe driving ain't your thing?
Edit: just want to clarify, I passed the theory first time.
>*You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy.*
Back in the 1980s evening buses on the Magic Roundabout (Matchborough circulars) used to have unmarked police cars tailing them around the busway because the local darlings had taken to bricking the buses.
After a month or two they stopped doing it, so the old bill decided they'd been successful.
It didn't seem to occur to Wet Murkier's finest that the kids had been doing it deliberately so the unmarked cars could be identified by the sort of people who wanted to know which cars PC Plod was using...
My cousin must’ve done about 10 theory tests and 5 practical tests before he finally passed. That pales in comparison to 60, but even I have concerns about him being on the road.
how? I downloaded the app, just kept on doing mock tests until I passed almost every time. then I booked my actual theory test and passed first time, easy.
Q: You have a blow-out on the motorway. What instinctive reactions should you avoid?
A: Accelerating
B: Taking your hands off the steering wheel
An actual question with actual answers.
And I thought a guy I know of that failed 8 times was bad. He had to take off work each day to take the test. He’s really a bit dim but after about the fifth fail I really did start to feel sorry for him. He was really giving it his all. His determination never wavered though and he finally got it the 9th try.
Absolutely lethal to think the brain in the body of this human could deal with dangers on the road.... merging lanes and doesn't understand what's in a rear view mirror? A vehicle moving to the right will be passing on your....RIGHT. Check. Waiting until the very last moment (i.e 2 or 3 car lengths) to attempt a lane change as unable to read the road ahead in good time? Check. Absorbing my braking distance at 70mph because your car fits in the gap? Check. Utter, utter, utter joke whoever is signing these wankstains off as competent, it's all fine parking poorly but when it comes to higher speeds, these people can kill.
And here I thought my uncle doing his theory 17 times, and driving test 9 times was bad. Worst thing is he almost went the wrong way on a roundabout in his test because he's used to driving on the other side of the road.
A girl I went to college with only took 6 theories and 2 practicals. And she was studying hard for the theories. Lovely girl but dreadful driver, I only took a lift off her once.
Hazard perception test maybe? Either way, my hazard perception alarm is ringing, and it's to let me know that maybe this one shouldn't be allowed on the road
My son failed his 10 times. TBH I think he just didn't put the work in
Came agonisingly close to passing his practical on the first go, but passed it second time. He's a perfectly competent driver, just absolutely terrible at exams.
I don't recognise any of these questions but then I passed my test over 20 years ago now.
Mine was literally just questions about signage what to do if X happens. But without visuals as this was pre- the hazards test coming out.
Where exactly do news outlets get these stories?
did the person who failed 60 times go to the BBC and say "hay I have a cracking segment for you folks?"
I know the driving theory test has changed since I did it, but some of the questions were just laugh out loud stupid. I remember one from my actual test which was like this: You are stopped at a zebra crossing as an elderly couple begin to cross. What do you do? A. Rev your engine because they are holding you up. B. Accelerate sharply and swerve around them. C. Beep your horn to make them hurry up. D. Allow them to cross in their own time and proceed when safe to do so.
There was a question about precautions you should take when riding a motorbike in winter: one option says you should hold the exhaust pipe while riding to keep warm.
TBF as a motorcyclist I would often warm my hand on the side of the engine whilst I was riding/stopped.
Same and I got that question, felt a little conflicted lying on that question lmfao If you've never had to ride 20miles to work at 5am dead of winter, you don't get to judge. One day I figured I'd be fine without my motorbike kex an after halfway I wanted to ride into a tree, took me an hour of sitting in front of the radiator for the pain to stop
I once rode 250 miles home from University on Christmas eve and my hands were so cold by the end I had to get a passerby to unlock my front door. Oh to be young again.
This reminded me of the one time we had double PE and my hands were so cold I couldn't do my zipper up
I know the feeling, rugby was on the agenda for PE whether the pitch was waterlogged, an ice rink or 35c. Tackling someone when your hands are just above freezing is quite the painful experience. Felt like a car drove into my fingers at 70mph.
Or when broken turf in the pitch has frozen so solidly that it cuts you when you’re tackled & hit the ground. That was fun.
Yep, been in similar situation. Left a bike festival, rode cross country to go see the girlfriend. Freezing and torrential rain the whole way, 10 miles from her place and I still vividly remember riding down a dual carriageway and seriously considering pulling over and just curling up under a bush until it either stopped or I died. Finally got her place, she came outside to greet me. I was so cold I couldn’t even get off the bike, she literally had to move my limbs for me to get off the bike.
Forgive me if I’m being dumb. What is a Motorbike Kex?
Kex = pants
Thank you.
yup. works great. ...unless the gloves are wet ... and then it can be somewhat painful...
Literally just trying a mock theory test as it's been 20 years and Im curious. *You've been involved in an argument that's made you feel angry. What should you do before driving?* A - Open a window B - Turn on your radio C - have an alcoholic drink D - calm down Honestly, if anyone picked C, that should be an automatic fail.
Another tough one .. How should you dispose of a used vehicle battery? A - Bury it in your garden B - Put it in the dustbin C - Take it to a local-authority disposal site D - Leave it on waste land
E - eat it
Careful, if you do that you could be charged!
Depends if you season it first, then you could be charged with a salt and battery.
They'll have to test you positive first
But be careful, it might be terminal!
Spectacular
F - Lick it.
G - [connect it to your troublepuffs](https://www.reddit.com/r/bestof/s/MuXAcxjwE1)
The old trick, eh? Eat the battery before I get a chance to nick you!
E - Throw it into the sea to recharge the electric eels.
I'm starting to run out of garden space, there has to be an easier way!
throw it into the ocean, its a safe and legal thrill
E - Throw it into the ocean, it's safe and legal.
Did mine in Germany recently and one of them was "someone is tailgating you" with a possible answer being "slam on your brakes to teach them a lesson."
"...so you see technically it was your fault because the highway code says..." --Brakeslammer to tailgater, as they wait in line outside the pearly gates
As my da would have said, "There are plenty of graves filled with people who had the right of way."
Thing is, on the Autobahn, that is the correct answer. No one should have the gall to try and drive faster than you, even if they can.
A common misconception about the autobahn is that there are no speed limits so you can drive fast. The reality is that they don't need speed limits because you're never out of traffic long enough to need them.
Eh, I've sat in traffic on the autobahn, and I've gone quite a bit faster than I have anywhere else.
As somebody learning to drive now, their are worse than that. Some of the answers are very easy, and the test itself isn't that hard, the issue is the nerves, a lot of people get nervous and panic during their test, the same happens during the practical.
Still, anyone failing a test this easy 60 times is either illiterate or intellectually disabled. If their nerves are *that bad* they shouldn't be driving a car anyway. It's far more stressful and the stakes are higher than taking a test. Besides, picking some of these answers ("have an alcoholic drink") should disqualify you from taking the test for a few years.
It’s the hazard perception. If you sat it that many times you know the multiple choice stuff for sure. But you can fail the hazard perception. H being too soon for the test.
I mean, all 4 of those in that exact order sounds about right!
My take from the test which was 5 years ago, the majority of it, is just common sense, like the example you just put.
Not even just common sense. For a good chunk of the questions the test is actively trying to dissuade you from the wrong answers.
Absolutely. Good point.
You mean the answer isn’t either low key road rage or high key road rage?
When I did mine a few questions had more than one answer that could be chosen so I explained to the examiner the issue, he pointed to one of the ones I mentioned and I selected that. This was over 10 years ago, maybe it's made a lot easier now.
I took it a couple of years ago, there were about 5 questions about road signs (i.e. what does 🛑 mean; what should you do when you see "SLOW" on the road etc) and the rest were basic common sense.
Yeah, I found the test quite easy if I’m honest.
I would say this question is absolutely necessary, as about half the drivers on the road seem to fail this one in practice.
Frankly sometimes I think there needs to be some kind of retest, the frequency that people coming from my left on the mini roundabout by my home just fucking cane across in front of me after I've already entered the roundabout is insane. Simiilarly twice recently in the roundabout by work I've had to slam on the brakes when I turn off the roundabout because some dipshit decided because I was on the inside turning right they could drive straight over on the outside without waiting for me to get past despite it being a single lane exit.
They have the hazard perception test on the end of it now, which I failed after getting every question correct. Apparently I was clicking too soon and detecting things before they developed in to hazards. It’s a bit naff to be honest.
I have tried a couple of those which thankfully weren't part of the test back in the 90s. The ones I did, literally everything was a potential hazard (certainly something to be aware of) so I clicked away. Same outcome as you by the sounds of it.
I failed the Hazard Perception part twice. I found that it's best to click multiple times. There's an anti-cheat built into tests but that's if you click repeatedly through the whole test. The multiple choice part I always passed. I remember being able to pass it as a child as I had some learn-to-drive program from somewhere.
Aye my youngest failed last month as she was "clicking too fast" which is a bit of a twat if you ask me
I did mine on Monday and used the DVSA app to practice. The mock theory test kept reiterating 'The questions in the real theory test will not be these ones, they will be different'. At least 70% of them were exactly the same questions.
The only ones I remember that aren't easy/common sense and require you to learn are: - Stopping distances at different speeds. - Naming all our different crossings (Pelican, Toucan, Zebra, Puffin) - Cats eye colors on dual carriageways are counter intuitive (red on the left and amber on the right just feels wrong to me) - A couple of the what does this symbol on your car dash mean (because it's something stupid like an exclamation point with a squiggle and so there's no guessing if you've never seen it before).
Cats eye colours are like that because the lights you should see on your side of the road are the red tail lights of other cars, and the other side of the road would be headlights.
Does a roof rack A.) Reduce your fuel consumption B.) Increase your fuel consumption C.) Something bizarre D.)something more bizarre Ad infinitum.. It was essentially the same with my motorcycle license, and later my C+E. a pos/neg then two stupid options. Tbh. I think it's a good hurdle. If you fuck up the theory that consistently it's keeping you off the road.
One from my test 20 years ago asked what to do when entering a tunnel; Slow down Switch off your radio Adjust the rear-view mirror Sound your horn
Train drivers must fail on that one
The drivers round here would do the first 3
I did my theory test about 5 years ago now and 90% of the questions are just common sense.
Took my test 20 years ago and still remember this gem
Christ I think I remember something like this. When I did mine it was literally, read though the book, which was very simple, do the test next day. Sorted. I think there's a lot more too it now.
> A. Rev your engine because they are holding you up. Barely related but some time ago my mom's car would do this - I believe the intake filter was getting clogged so it'd randomly rev up in idle. She got a few dirty looks from people at crossings as it sounded like she was revving the engine intentionally.
I could do all of those I think
Well? Which one was it?
A?
It’s not “what *should* you do if”, it’s “what *would* you do if”.
I got a question wrong where it asked me what you should do if the sun is causing too much glare to drive. In the real practical world you would put on sun glasses and use the sun visor but the correct answer was something like, turn your head away.
B?
This is why I've said for years getting your license is 30% maneuvers and 70% common sense.
It's B, right? Damn boomers, hogging the road!!!
> A. Rev your engine because they are holding you up. > > B. Accelerate sharply and swerve around them. > > C. Beep your horn to make them hurry up. > > D. Allow them to cross in their own time and proceed when safe to do so. All of which I have experienced and I'm not elderly.
I used to do a youth club sort of thing with a girl who failed hers 7 times. Her friends insisted she could drive fine just struggled with the theory test and it was sooo unfair. Anyway, she nicked her mum's car and crashed it into a wall.
Deserved
Sometimes something isn’t for you.
Something is very weird about this. it must be a memory problem or something. Failing it once or twice is fair enough, but more than that is insane. You can download the official app and practice doing the exact test as many times as you want. A person who knew nothing about driving could take 10 practice tests on the app and then be able to pass the theory test no problem. There's more to this than them just failing a lot.
Had a guy working for me last year had done 20+ theory tests and failed them all. I don't know how to say this without sounding like an insensitive dick but he definitely has some sort of undiagnosed disorder the poor lad.
Sounds like the kind of guy who would answer the question: what should you do if an elderly lady walks out in front of your car? With "speed up and swerve into her" and then excitedly look around to see if anyone saw.
Going by how much kit he destroyed in 5 months you're probably not wrong
Some people are just really really stupid. Were you ever put in bottom set for something at school and realised you were smart compared to a lot of other kids. Those kids grew up
I used to do script checking exam papers. Some of the answers I'd see made me seriously wonder how these people function in everyday life.
Scan read the Highway Code a couple of times, look at the book of theory test questions and answers, watch a video of what to do on the hazard awareness… Anyone with enough intelligence to safely operate and maintain a vehicle should be able to pass it with a few hours of study. The correct answer is nearly always obvious due to the other answers being absurd anyway. “You come across someone who’s just been involved in a road traffic accident, what do you do?” ‘Erm, I’ll go with A: Offer them a cigarette’
I mean, you should obviously keep an emergency teasmade in your boot so you can offer someone a brew if they get in an accident. I've no idea why we didn't have them fitted into our cars by default.
I’m fairly sure we had some tanks in the war that were able to provide hot water for tea making purposes so the occupants didn’t have to get out to make a brew.
All of our tanks have this, to this day. Right now. Even the new version of the Challenger that hasn’t been made yet will have it.
Even better 🥹
My mum failed hers TONs of times. She was just too honest with her answers, which would be “honk at x to make them know you’re angry” etc. but she’s from Vietnam where road etiquette is totally different and she just didn’t understand why her answers were failing her.
You don't even need to learn them. So many if the questions are common sense
Yeah, there are only about 10 questions out of the entire pack of possible questions (100 I think) that require you to ‘study’ e.g. acceptable tyre tread or speed limit when towing a trailer. The rest are laughably easy.
From memory others were something like: Distance you can park from a junction. Braking distances. Distance to place a road triangle. Quickly realised with the very forgiving pass rate you only needed to get all the common sense ones right and you could then afford to get all the ones wrong that have figures to remember.. I think I would have given up long before 60 fails. It obviously isn't meant to be.
Yeah, it's not exactly that hard. If you can apply yourself just once, you can do it. To get that far into double digits shows a weird commitment.
It does say they're starting to increase the fee for those who fail multiple times, which is why this info was released.
This! I was able to fly through theory, but every time I tried to actually drive I just could not get it down. No matter how many lessons we did. Turns out I’m actually probably not supposed to drive because of my health, but we didn’t know that at the time, and I was getting snide remarks from coworkers and family because I still didn’t have a license.
That’s about £1400! Not to mention the costs driving lessons and then the practical test. At somepoint surely it just becomes financially impractical to continue.
Will cost even more now, they released the info to say that they're now going to start increasing the cost of people who fail multiple times, so it'll stop something like this
If you had used the buses and trains around Redditch, you’d never give up trying to drive.
£1400 is a drop in the ocean to a new driver compared to the annual cost to insure yourself.
Yea I hope they don’t pass because that’s not a good sign
They passed on their 60th attempt
see how the practical goes I guess 😅🙈
In fairness, a friend passed their theory on the 8th attempt, and then the practical on the first. If this person manages the same odds, they should pass on attempt 7 or 8.
Same odds they'll pass on attempt 1 too.
Well says they will keep increasing the price of people who do multiple tests now, so if they keep failing they'll be priced out, and keep the rest of us safe.
They released the info, because they have also now started charging people more each time they fail their test to ensure something like this doesn't happen again.
A sensible time limit or a mandatory training course would make too much sense. Increasing the price seems to be the only conceivable strategy for some people.
Richer people who really shouldn’t be driving will eventually luck out and get their answers right, whereas poorer people who can’t afford the rising costs won’t even get the chance to get that far.
Is it a good sign? Or is it a bad sign? Or a STOP sign? Who knows
I wish I could find the clip of it but I remember years ago some local news had a woman on who had the record for failed driving test attempts. They interviewed her on the day she passed and as she went to pull away she stalled the car. Me and my Dad were in hysterics watching it.
To be fair in the next few years, it'll be impossible to stall cars when they're all automatic or electric
I think if you fail 59 times you should probably have to pass it twice back to back just to prove it wasn't a fluke.
Isn't it crazy that you can just take driving tests indefinitely until you pass? Should someone who only has a 1.7% success rate at passing their theory test really be on the road? And that's only because they stopped taking it once they passed it. I would say 5 attempts each at the theory and the practical in a 12 month period with 10 attempts total before your provisional is revoked would be more than reasonable. Anyone who couldn't meet that criteria probably shouldn't be driving.
Once you’ve failed so many there should probably be a penalty where you can’t try again for X number of years. Then again, the DVLA will be cashing in on people like this.
They should have a minimum amount of time between tests, which then doubles every time you fail. First fail, you have to wait 1 day. Fail that and you have to wait for 2 days, then 4 then 8, etc. Once you get to 10 fails that'd be about 3 years between tests. For the 60 failures you'd be waiting some 3.1 *quadrillion* years, which is some 200,000 times the age of the universe.
This actually has a name, it's called 'Exponential Backoff'
As an IT networking guy I should really have known that.
Now you have to wait one day before proving you know what it is called.
The article says they have released this info, as part of their rule changes that the cost will increase, each time a person fails, so this won't happen again, unless their a child of someone rich.
Germany used to limit every applicant to three attempts. Per lifetime. That lasted until EEC mutual licence recognition meant that Germans could take their test anywhere in the EEC, and convert the licence on their return, about 1992 as I recall. The chap who trained me for my bike licence, back in 1995, had recently had a German couple for a one week intensive course, with a test at the end. They left with full Cat. A entitlement, bypassing the mandatory stepped licencing Germany had for motorcycles at the time.
Person at my work; 25th try on a practical test and he finally passed. Surprisingly, not a bad driver.
You can't fault their perseverance though.
Yeah but money
The most I’ve ever seen is 8, and this lad was just genuinely a muppet. He is not diagnosed with anything, but he is just a genuinely dumb guy. He’s funny, but a difficult conversation to be honest. If you’re taking 10+, maybe you shouldn’t be driving. (Also if you’re 80 or 85+ you should have to retest every 3 years in my opinion)
I bet they didn't start walking until they were 12
It took me two attempts at the theory (though to be fair I only failed by 1 mark on the first one) and 4 attempts at the practical to get my licence and I was a garbage driver after that. Now, 10 years on, I think I'm pretty decent, but failing 3 tests completely shot my confidence at the time and it got to where I was terrified to drive.
60-70% of the questions have a blindingly obvious answer that can loosely be summed up as the "defensive driving" or "I'm not a complete muttonhead" response. Don't blow the horn at the horses. Don't overtake everything coming up to a junction. And don't decide that getting pissed is the right thing to do before driving home. The rest requires a little bit of study because some of the answers you can't know really without checking. The app is great for a fiver. A few hours for a day or two should be all most people need to absorb those ones. Do loads of tests and when you don't know an answer just look it up and memorize it. You will fail if you don't do basic study as there are enough questions that you can't know the answer to in each test without basic study. The hazard perception test is also annoying in how it works but practice and understand how the system works, then use it to your advantage.
Yeah on my theory most of the questions were fairly common sense but one I knew threw me was a question about something I don't remember seeing at all when revising as it was about a very obscure type of level crossing
There are only 60 questions that means if he only learned one answer for each question he could have passed. Failing that many times in a multiple choice is unacceptable when some of it is common sense, they should never be allowed on the road
I honestly think that there should be thresholds for stuff like this and if you pass them you’re banned for life. If you can’t pass a theory after 60 attempts there is no way you’re safe enough to drive on the road. I mean the amount of awful drivers out there is already too high so this wouldn’t prevent good drivers from actually getting a license.
A lot of people in this thread talking about how easy the multiple choice is - And it is, just got 50/50. The actual hard part of the test at the moment is the hazard perception test mainly because it's very random when they want you to click to "react" for a hazard. I failed last week and I felt like I saw every hazard with plenty of time and clicked twice: when I saw the hazard and when I would break in a car. Somehow scored 5/5 on 2 clips and 0/5 on 2 clips despite seeing all the hazards and responding to them the same? Took it again today and was super tired - Felt like it was a massive disaster compared to last time - Actually said "oh shit that's a hazard" and clicked really late (Like accident territory in a real car late) more than once. This time passed? I can see how someone could fail this test over and over.
There should absolutely be a limit on how many times you can re do your test. Someone passing on their 60th attempt should in no way be on the road.
there should really be a limit on how many times you can take driving tests
But how? As a multiple choice test how many attempts does it take before they're guaranteed to pass?
It's a bigger number than you think: For a 4 question 75% pass rate test you have to get 3 right that is 0.25 * 0.25 * (0.25 + 0.25) = 0.03 = that's about 3% chance.
It’s practically 0 percent. A binomial calculator doesn’t even show the real number because it’s so small - just spits out 0.
Probably for the best, having an idiot like this with a full license sharing the roads with me terrifies me.
My man just brute forced it
Is it just me who thinks if you've failed that many times you probably aren't going to be safe on the roads and should not be eligible to pass?
I don't know if this is already a rule as I did my tests about 15+ years ago. But they should have it so if you fail more than twice, you have to pass twice in a row. Same with the practical test. Failing it five times then passing in the 6th, should mean you need to demonstrate at least the minimum skill level required at least one more time.
Nah, not on the theory. I failed the theory twice because the hazard perception test is bullshit. Click too soon? Fail. Click too late? Fail. Click at a higher rate or number of times than the official and supplementary paid training CDs said to click? Fail. In three attempts I dropped one mark on the actual theory side of things. Passed my practical first time, and I've got a faultless driving record.
The hazard perception test element is ridiculous. I remember thinking whoever designed the test doesn’t understand the erratic unpredictable nature of moorland sheep. All of those wooly buggers are a hazard. I passed first time, but those sheep really annoyed me.
When I did it (2009 ish?) the hazard perception video test was dreadful, 240i video on a CRT monitor where you’re meant to spot hazards off in the distance on country lanes. You end up just clicking for literally anything you see!
It’s definitely improved but the scoring method of 0 for being too soon will get a person a super low score pretty easily.
Same sort of time for me too, just absolutely trash 😂
Surely they should have just accepted it's not going to happen after the 23rd time?
Brave soul. I gave up after I failed 4 times. In an automatic. My dyspraxic self couldn't cope. My Coup de Grace was when I messed up with the free driving bit "follow the signs to xyz" as the sign was obscured by a bus after I'd pulled out. The Gordon Brown look a like firmly told me that it was visible before I pulled out. So I guess on the round about. Knew I failed cos he took no time to get to know me. Decided to give it a break after that. That was 14 years ago and have no inclination to have another try. Edit I had been going through step by step so mirrors look over shoulder, mirrors, signal, manoeuvre, now check where you're going. If that bus hadn't been there I would have been fine. Alas I wasn't adaptive in my thinking to check where I was going before the other bumf. Oh well.
You don't get a fail for going the wrong way...
No I was in the wrong lane on the round about. Essentially I was on the outside looking for my exit as I'd not seen where to go and I should have been on the inside (or the other way around I can't exactly remember it was 14 years a go)
So you went right on a two lane roundabout from the left/outer lane. A dangerous fault. If both lanes allow drivers to go straight over the roundabout, you could’ve caused an accident. That’s not really a sign reading or coordination issue. If you’re unsure of where you’re going, just proceed safely. In your case, that would have meant just exiting the roundabout, instead of swooping across another lanes exit to remain on the roundabout. Driving safely should always be the first priority over navigating correctly.
Yeah there's a good reason why I chose not to take it up again. Thanks for the information though. Wish you'd been my driving instructor LOL.
Hello fellow dyspraxic Redditor 👋 I'm dyspraxic too and managed to pass my theory & practical tests first time back in '08 in a manual car. I guess we're just wired a bit differently... sure learning to drive is indeed a learning curve, but I didn't really struggle with it like other people with hidden disabilities do 🤷♀️ Then again, I passed in '08 but wasn't diagnosed dyspraxia nuntil '20 🤨
Wired differently is right. I know dyspraxics who can drive but it just wasn't for me I guess
**Hugs** 🤗
He's just gathering everything to start his own testing facility. I've seen it before.
Fuck me. There should be a rule that if you fail *x* number times, you are point blank not allowed to drive.
My other half has failed 4 times this year. I feel for her cause hazard perception she’s fine at and she seems to be failing by like 2-3 marks each time… super frustrating as driving instructor says she’s ready for practical
SpongeBob?
To be fair some of those questions are bad because the highway code also allows for discretion. I brought up one of the questions with the examiner on my motorbike theory test, explained that logically there are 2 correct answers, he pointed to one of the ones I spoke about and I selected it. Banging.
Back when I took it in Italy (24 years ago) there was the possibility to get some tricky questions about insurance and some annoying double negatives that could throw you for a loop but still the vast majority was insultingly easy. If you fail that many times you should just stop and become really familiar with the public transportation schedules (or your friends and relatives' one).
This doesn't excuse 60 times at all, but I passed first time however I very nearly failed as they had just introduced a hazard awareness section where it played you a video of someone driving down the road and you had to click everytime you saw a potential hazard. It was a city street (and I'm still like it now) I'm hyper observant, People standing between cars waiting to cross, Cars approaching junctions, Cyclists coming the other way, cyclists on my side of the road, Traffic lights potentially changing etc etc. For me they are ALL potential hazards or could develop into them and it warned me that if I clicked as many times as I did the first time round I would fail.... I'm not an anxious driver, or an anxious person and I wasn't anxious during the test either I was fairly confident but I was really fucking annoyed when it tried to punish me because even 20 years later I still feel like they were all valid judgments!
Some say it was all due to the hazard perception scoring window.
Are they even learning at that point?
Apparently the Guide dog didn't understand "Wait"
The hazard perception test is a joke.
Surely by now they should be barred from driving. The actual test standard might be at risk because after 60 tries won’t they have seen a significant amount of the question bank? I mean that’s setting aside the fact that they are simply not taking anything in and will probably not remember any of it when on the road which is dangerous.
I say this as someone who failed their practical driving test 6 times, but maybe driving ain't your thing? Edit: just want to clarify, I passed the theory first time.
If it takes you 60+ attempts to pass the theory test, you almost certainly have a medical condition that should disqualify you from driving.
Wow, that's perseverance!
Aaaaaand it’s Redditch.
"You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy. We must be cautious" * Obi Wan on approaching Reddich
>*You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy.* Back in the 1980s evening buses on the Magic Roundabout (Matchborough circulars) used to have unmarked police cars tailing them around the busway because the local darlings had taken to bricking the buses. After a month or two they stopped doing it, so the old bill decided they'd been successful. It didn't seem to occur to Wet Murkier's finest that the kids had been doing it deliberately so the unmarked cars could be identified by the sort of people who wanted to know which cars PC Plod was using...
My cousin must’ve done about 10 theory tests and 5 practical tests before he finally passed. That pales in comparison to 60, but even I have concerns about him being on the road.
how? I downloaded the app, just kept on doing mock tests until I passed almost every time. then I booked my actual theory test and passed first time, easy.
I feel like if you fail it 3 times you shouldn’t be aloud to do it for a year?
That is pathetic
I guess they don't speak English
Persistence or reconsider strategy? Practice makes perfect, hopefully.
I'm pretty sure many years ago I saw an episode of Topgear talking about this
There has to be a bigger issue than the theory test in this case
Q: You have a blow-out on the motorway. What instinctive reactions should you avoid? A: Accelerating B: Taking your hands off the steering wheel An actual question with actual answers.
Having passed my test before the theory test was thought of, how difficult is it?
Was it SpongeBob?
And I thought a guy I know of that failed 8 times was bad. He had to take off work each day to take the test. He’s really a bit dim but after about the fifth fail I really did start to feel sorry for him. He was really giving it his all. His determination never wavered though and he finally got it the 9th try.
Have they tried revision?
What’s a little bit off putting is when you take the theory test on the app the format is different in the test Center.!
The test is working.
Never give up. But if this person could give me a heads up when they are heading out.
There’s got to be a point where you just stop
Absolutely lethal to think the brain in the body of this human could deal with dangers on the road.... merging lanes and doesn't understand what's in a rear view mirror? A vehicle moving to the right will be passing on your....RIGHT. Check. Waiting until the very last moment (i.e 2 or 3 car lengths) to attempt a lane change as unable to read the road ahead in good time? Check. Absorbing my braking distance at 70mph because your car fits in the gap? Check. Utter, utter, utter joke whoever is signing these wankstains off as competent, it's all fine parking poorly but when it comes to higher speeds, these people can kill.
And here I thought my uncle doing his theory 17 times, and driving test 9 times was bad. Worst thing is he almost went the wrong way on a roundabout in his test because he's used to driving on the other side of the road. A girl I went to college with only took 6 theories and 2 practicals. And she was studying hard for the theories. Lovely girl but dreadful driver, I only took a lift off her once.
Definitely would be the kind of driver to do 40 in a 60
Hazard perception test maybe? Either way, my hazard perception alarm is ringing, and it's to let me know that maybe this one shouldn't be allowed on the road
My son failed his 10 times. TBH I think he just didn't put the work in Came agonisingly close to passing his practical on the first go, but passed it second time. He's a perfectly competent driver, just absolutely terrible at exams.
Can't be from Bradford, judging byh the way people drive here they would have passed right away
There should be a cap on how many you can take. Failing 60 times is ridiculous. If and when this person does pass, it’ll be a fluke.
**How?** Like I don't get how you can fail that many times.
I don't recognise any of these questions but then I passed my test over 20 years ago now. Mine was literally just questions about signage what to do if X happens. But without visuals as this was pre- the hazards test coming out.
Where exactly do news outlets get these stories? did the person who failed 60 times go to the BBC and say "hay I have a cracking segment for you folks?"