Me and some freinds have a challange on the go (following a debate in the local).
We all have full clean UK driving licences for 10 years+. We are going to retake our driving tests to see if we can pass first time, and theres a cash prize for the winner / person with least 'minor' faults.
Couple of questions:
1 - if any of us fail the test, does it actually mean anything legaly?
2 - is it even possible to apply and take an offical test if we already have driving licences?
Cheers.
Edited by VR6 on 19/06/2008 at 00:25
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Why not go for the IAM test instead?
Kevin...
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The waiting list is months to take a driving test in most areas. I don't even think you can book a driving test if you already have a valid licence but I am not sure.
I would suggest booking a driving instructor for a couple of hours instead. Just be honest and explain that you each want to do a mock test to see if you would pass and to see how many errors you'd pick up.
At least one of you could ride as passenger to make sure no bribery of the driving instructor takes place!
It should be cheaper, and it would not involve using a genuine test slot thus depriving someone else of the slot. And you could do it tomorrow.
Edited by pendulum on 19/06/2008 at 01:00
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BSM do (or did) a 'check test' - I had to do one for an employer. I have to say mine wasn't particularly rigorous though - the 'examiner' read the paper while I drove him around for half an hour.
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I have read that if you fail, you will be off the road because that test will override your present licence.
There was a report in the papers a year or so ago about Britains's oldest peer, 96 or something, who voluntarily took a test just to prove that he could. He had never previously taken a test. He was warned that if he failed he would be disqualified.
He passed.
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I agree with Kevin go for the Advanced Driver Test instead, this will be a true reflection of the quality of your driving and has no negative effects on your current license.
Carse
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Of course, if you passed after 1.1.1997 you can take the B+E (car and trailer) test.
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I think you better not try. Even if you pass, it may cause havoc with DVLA database!! And if you are ever involved in any accident (then insurance etc.) DVLA might come back saying you have only 6 months of driving experience as per their record.
As everyone else said, go for advanced course instead.
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I've also heard that if your retake the test and fail, you lose your full licence until you pass again. After all, if you fail your test several times and then pass, the most recent test is the one that stands. Also, people are sometime ordered to retake their test after committing a traffic infringement. Again, it's the most recent test result that stands.
This doesn't include mock driving tests like journalists sometimes undergo on TV.
Edited by Sofa Spud on 19/06/2008 at 12:14
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I think retaking the test would be pointless.
Even for a learner, passing the test doesn't mean they can drive well, it just means they've been trained to pass the test. It's a bit like kids being trained to pass exams at school, yet they still don't know anything.
If you did the test without any instruction, there's a good chance you'd fail, or at least get a lot of minors, as you wouldn't know what instructors are looking for these days.
Best bet for fun would be to see if an examiner would do it out of hours, or else perhaps through your local IAM, but they may not take too kindly to being used in the circumstances you descibe - they tend to take their driving very seriously.
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Rather than wasting the time of the DVLA with all the risks given above, find a good driving school. Many give their prospective test candidates a full mock test before they take the real one - often with an instructor they do not know. You might have to ring around a bit to find one. It would also be cheaper than the real thing, as you would have to pay for both the Theory and the Practical parts if you did it your way.
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I remember a Karate enthusiast telling me that contrary to popular belief, a black belt represented the first step on the ladder of real expertise. Everything before that was just nursery and beginner stuff.
Now why would anyone who had ten years of driving experience want to pretend to unlearn all that and behave like an absolute beginner again? Barmy even by car enthusiast standards.
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Not on.
One of the first things, after the Theory Test, the certificate of which will have to be produced, will be that the examiner will satisfy himself that a current Provisional Driving lLcence is held. Producing a 'full' licence - no point in the test. End of.
Unless of course one is to join the criminal element and apply for a prov licence when already holding one.?
Give over.
More sensible, as suggested above, get someon from AIM to give a supervised test drive
and see who has the most faults.
dvd
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DWD - I doubt the system would let a full licence holder book a theory test, and you can't book a practical test without a theory test pass (and the unique pass code no.), so it'll fail before the first hurdle.
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I thought the IAM test was simply to show you that an annoying twerp with nothing better to do is convinced he knows more about driving than you do.
Or is that the speed awareness course?
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Why not take the test for a different vehicle type, motorbike, HGV, or PSV? As well as being a challenge, driving a different vehicle type will give you a completely new perspective on driving.
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I thought the IAM test was simply to show you that an annoying twerp with nothing better to do is convinced he knows more about driving than you do.
That annoying twerp may be driving the next police traffic car that you see.
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Ok, thanks for the input. I think the main point is that it may not be possible to take the test with a full licence.
The fact that failing the test may superceed any current licence has actually made the bet a little more interesting, but ultimatley not worth it, as we'll all probably fail!
The IAM test doesn't sound too appealing to me, but sitting a test for a different type of vehicle sounds like fun.
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OK maybe out of date but my recollection of my test some 30 years ago was that it was a joke. A set course around a local council estate and everything such as the bit with two cross roads where you had to slow down and look right then left widely known.
Further my bike test, the tester was on foot and you were required to ride pretty much in a circle for half an hour whilst 'being observed'. For my test he did the emergency stop in the first minute then disappeared. We then rendezvous back at the test centre where he informed me I had passed and I noticed he was carrying a large bag of seeds he hadn't had before...
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>>That annoying twerp may be driving the next police traffic car that you see.
Don't you just hate those ones ON?
:o}
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When I learned to drive with BSM many years ago, I went for a mock test with an unknown instructor. Pretty much like the real thing. So a lesson with BSM might suffice but you'd probably need 2 hour lesson and that's over £40 each. So why not give the money to charity?
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How many IAM instructors/tutors/whatever they call themselves are traffic cops?
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Wearing serious hat for a moment, a late cousin of mine, a woman, whose main interest in youth was ponies, was an exceptionally good driver having been taught by a Met Flying Squad instructor at her grandfather's expense. Good old boy he was, but a terrible driver himself...
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