Getting your client ready for their practical test

At some point during the driving course you will have to decide when your client is ready to take the driving test. This can be quite difficult to assess and there may be a lot of additional pressure on you from the client and their family. Assessing their readiness

Assessing whether a client is at test standard is often not made any easier when their driving abilities fluctuate from driving lesson to driving lesson. At the end of one driving lesson you may have praised your client’s abilities, for example, negotiating roundabouts. You may then find that two driving lessons later, their standard has seemingly dropped significantly. Also during your assessment you will have to take into account the waiting list for the test centre, which can often be over a month long. Both you and your client will also be very aware of the time taken to arrive at this point.

When you feel your client’s driving is approaching test standard, consider giving them a mock test (see below). This will give you and your client a much better picture of the standard they are at under pressure, without your support.

Dealing with pressure to book your client’s test

You will sometimes come under pressure from your client and their family to arrange a test date earlier than you regard to be sensible. Considering the cost of driving lessons we should not be too surprised about this, but it does make you wonder whether they have considered the possible consequences to their loved ones (and others) of them being awarded a driving licence before they are really ready. Further, taking a test too early may mean a failed test with another test fee and more driving lesson fees. Nothing (regarding time and expense) has been saved in fact, quite the reverse.

Standing firm against such pressure

You have several points to consider:

You have a moral and professional obligation not to put a client in for the test until you are as sure as you can be that they will not be a danger on the road. Imagine how you would feel if one of your clients, by some lucky chance, scrapes through the test and then goes on to cause a serious RTA the following week.

The DSA (Driving Standards Agency) records your test pass rate so, if candidates fail on a regular basis, your record will obviously reflect this.

If your test candidates fail, they will most likely tell everyone and who their instructor is. Not a good recommendation. They may even blame you for the failure and go elsewhere.

If you feel they are not at test standard but you decide to let them take it anyway, you should consider the possibility of them causing injury and/or damaging your driving school car during the test.

If your client makes quite a few serious/dangerous faults, this may be commented upon by the driving licence examiner and perhaps not in a very complimentary manner. Someone else could have taken this test slot and passed.