Before you can hop in a car to take your practical driving test you must pass the theory test – so you’ll want to get it right first time.
Once you’ve applied for your theory test, the Driving Standards Agency (DSA) will send you a DVD called Are You Ready? which explains the theory test. You’ll need to know the Highway Code inside out, and the test has two parts: multiple choice questions and a hazard perception test.
Multiple choice test
Fifty multiple-choice questions to answer in 57 minutes on a touch-screen computer. Some questions are based on driving scenarios; you’ll read a case study and then answer five questions. To pass, you’ve got to score 43 out of 50.
Hazard perception test
You watch 14 film clips of everyday road scenes and each clip features at least one developing hazard. One of the clips contains two hazards. You identify each hazard by clicking the computer’s mouse; the quicker the click, the more points you score. To pass, you need 44 out of 75.
You can practise taking the multiple choice test on the DSA website. If you fluff a question, the site explains what you got wrong.
Other websites can help, too: at www.2pass.co.uk you can download theory test questions and watch a typical hazard perception test.