Passing your theory test is the first big milestone towards getting your licence and being on the roads independently. You’ll need to get your theory test out of the way before you can think about getting your practical booked in, which can make it very tedious and time-consuming.
It is more than likely that most of the topics required to pass your theory test will be unfamiliar to you and they won’t be something you’ll have a whole load of knowledge on initially. There is a lot to memorise, which means it is vital to ensure that you carry out good theory test practice.
How To Carry Out Good Theory Test Practice
Many drivers find that they are great at learning and remembering the different sequences to carry out practical driving skills, but struggle a little to grasp the theory side of things or vice versa. Many topics will be included in your theory test from road signs to statistics, some of which you may be more familiar on than others. The great plus point of the theory test is that all questions are multiple choice which means that all you’ll need to do is remember the main feature of the answer and you won’t be caught out by clever wordings.
To give you a head start on theory test practice, we’ve put together some handy tips which will help you to pick up topics considerably quicker and easier.
Schedule Practice Sessions
Unfortunately, for the majority of learners, spending time practising your theory test isn’t going to be a very exciting task. It will take time, and it will be relatively dull, you’re not going to learn all topics overnight. Which does mean that it often gets put to the bottom of the daily ‘to-do’ list with the idea of “I’ll just do it tomorrow.”
Making a schedule of when you plan to spend time revising for your theory test will be incredibly beneficial and will encourage you to stick to a routine. Revision sessions do not have to be hours long like those required for school exams, 30 minutes or even less every few days would be enough to set you off on the right track.
The moments of the day that you set aside to revise for your theory test should be times where you are least distracted and have somewhere you can sit alone to put all of your focus onto retaining all new information. Aim to remove all potential distractions such as the TV or games consoles so that you can remain productive throughout.
Many of our learners who are taking driving lessons in Luton use free time in the day that is usually wasted scrolling through their phone to practice their theory. For example, sitting on the bus on the way to school, eating your breakfast and lying in bed at night are all moment where you could quickly complete a few practice questions. It won’t feel as much as if you are forcing yourself to learn; you’ll just be using free time to your advantage.
Use Journeys To Practice Road Signs
When you start driving lessons, you’ll notice that you will begin noticing certain aspects of driving and roads that you wouldn’t have paid any attention to in the past. You will start to spot different traffic signs and interpret them into instructions, rather than just seeing them as a symbol. This is an excellent way of helping theory test topics to stick in your mind, so aim to make every journey extra practice.
Whether you are a passenger in a family member or friends car, or you are on public transport, always keep a careful eye out for road signs, warnings and instructions. Each road sign you see, try to think about what this means and how you would take the instructions on board if you were the one behind the wheel. This will help a lot when it comes to taking mock tests as you will be able to visualise real-life situations you have experienced in which these signs have been put to use.
Another great tip when it comes to memorising road signs is to make the most out of the knowledge of the drivers you are accompanying. Obviously, if you are on public transport or taking a taxi, this probably isn’t the best idea, but if you are with a friend or family member, then it’ll be beneficial to ask how they remember what everything means. They are likely to have some handy advice and could even quiz you on each road sign as you pass them.
Practice During Driving Lessons
Your driving instructor is always going to be the number one source of knowledge when it comes to anything theory or practical test-related. You will not be the first learner to struggle a little with learning their theory, and you most definitely will not be the last. This means that your instructor will have plenty of different learning methods you could try out. Over their teaching years, they would also have noticed a pattern on the most common theory test questions that pupils get incorrect, so can also give you a heads up on questions you’ll want to do extra practice on.
Aim to incorporate theory test practice into every driving lesson. There are many different simple driving practices or skills that you regularly do that will be part of a question on your theory test. For example, the UK theory test includes questions such as:
- If turning left to enter a side road, which hazard should you watch out for the most?
- You want to turn left into a side street, but there are pedestrians crossing the road. What should you do?
- How close to a junction may you park?
These are all things that you are regularly faced with as a driver, even during lessons, so when carrying out actions, ask your instructor to quiz you on a theory test question that relates to what you are doing.
Hazard Perception Practice
Hazard perception is all about trying to spot a potential risk and acting on it before it becomes a danger. The downside to the hazard perception is that it is often very tricky to prepare for as it is less about memorising and more about how vigilant you can be.
Although websites such as Theory Test Online do allow you to take free hazard perception tests to practice, you must also, and most importantly, be able to react in real-life situations. We suggest, similarly to when practising road signs, look out for potential dangers when on any journey. If you do spot something you think may pose a threat, consider how you would react if you were the driver and what would be the best solution. Not only will this teach you how to spot hazards for your theory test, but also how to remain observant once you have passed.
Do Mock Tests
We cannot stress enough how important it is to make sure that you carry out several mock tests before your theory test. Mock tests should not be left to the day before your real test, aim to start as early as possible. The earlier you begin testing your knowledge, the better understanding you will gain on areas that will require extra work. If there are specific types of questions, such as those on The Highway Code or traffic signs, that you always seem to get incorrect, this should be the topic you focus on during next scheduled revision session.
In the weeks leading up to your theory test date, aim to spend time carrying out mock tests in test conditions. This means sitting in silence with the 57 minute time frame and answering the full 50 questions. The more times you practice in test conditions, the more you will get used to the situation, therefore making your actual test day less stressful.
Pass Your Theory Test The First Time
There are many different free resources that you can find online which will make practising for your theory test incredibly easy. From apps to online copies on The Highway Code, you will never be short on learning materials that you can use to your advantage. However, we always strongly advise that you invest money in downloading the Official DVSA Theory Test Kit as this will be the most accurate information. The questions asked will be the exact same as those that will appear in your real theory test.
We hope our article has been helpful and we wish you the best of luck with your theory and practical test!