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Nailing your driving test unlocks the keys to freedom and independence, but let’s face it – some rush into it like it’s a video game. The result? Failures, frustration, additional expenses, and delays in hitting the road.

So you’re feeling confident and just wanna have a little go at the test? Well…. nope.

If you are not completely ready to take your test, you’re not only putting your own life at risk, but that of your examiners and the public too, not to mention your instructors car.

At Shift, we will only send you for your driving test when your instructor agrees that you are ready and although we can’t prevent you from taking your own vehicle, we would highly discourage it if we haven’t gave the green light yet. Your safety is our number one priority, so this may even mean cancelling your test on the day.

As an examiner once said to us at Gateshead Test Centre, “you wanna know how you can pass the test easily? Be Ready!”.

 

52 out of every 100

driving tests were failed in Great Britain during October 2023

OK… Let’s check if you’re ready!

Are you ready to pass? You’ll usually be ready to take your driving test when you can say ‘yes’ to these 5 points.

1. You do not need prompts from your driving instructor

You need to be dealing with every part of driving consistently, confidently and independently – without any prompting from your driving instructor.

You’ll be getting ready for your test when you’re able to adapt to situations and see why developing your skills makes you safer and more fuel-efficient.

2. You do not make serious or dangerous mistakes when you’re driving

You need to be a good and safe driver to pass the driving test.

If you’re making serious or dangerous mistakes during your driving lessons and brushing them off as ‘silly mistakes’, you’re not ready to pass your driving test and drive on your own.

3. You can pass mock driving tests

Taking and passing mock driving tests with your driving instructor will help you understand if you’ve reached the standard that’s needed to pass.

4. You have practised ways of managing your nerves

It’s really important to be able to manage your nerves to be a safe driver.

Practise ways of managing your nerves to help you stay calm and focused when you take your test. This will help you in the vital months after you’ve passed your test, too.

5. Your driving instructor agrees you’re ready

If your driving instructor says you’re not ready to take your driving test, listen to them.

Driving instructors are specially trained road safety experts. They’ve got lots of driving experience – and they know what it takes to pass the driving test.

Remember, they want you to be a safe driver, keep your insurance costs low, and enjoy driving for years to come.

Not feeling quite ready?

It’s free to change your appointment time, as long as you do it at least 3 full working days (Mondays to Saturdays) before your test.

You can move your driving test back if you’re not feeling quite ready yet.

Change your driving test appointment
I had an excellent experience with Shift Driving School. My instructor, William Stanton, was professional, patient, and incredibly supportive throughout my lessons. He explained everything clearly, helped me build confidence step by step, and always made sure I understood not just how to drive, but why things are done a certain way.

Thanks to his guidance, I passed my test on the first attempt! I highly recommend Shift Driving School to anyone looking for a calm, knowledgeable, and reliable instructor.
Highly recommend Shift Driving School. They were an absolute pleasure to deal with from start to finish. Special shout out to my instructor Hassan, who taught me from scratch in just under 6 months. I had no previous driving experience at all and he talked through the steps and skills needed clearly, always supportively pushing me to be my best. Delighted to have passed at first attempt! Couldn’t have done it without the team at Swift and Hassan. Thank you!
Today I passed my test!! I've have really enjoyed my lessons with Shift! There was a little bit of a wait but now I know why. I passed first time with my instructor (I had two because my availability changed) and you can tell by the way all of the instructors are with eachother that this is just a great school. The app is really good too. Would definitely recommend Shift Driving School.
I 10000000% recommend this driving school my instructor has been appsalutly amazing he had so much patience and really helped me through all my lessons then he recommend me a nervous course which really helped me as I really struggled with my nerve on my test but I finally done it and passed my test and I wouldn't have been able to do it if it wasn't for lewis so thank u sooooo much :)
Absolutely amazing driving school! Simon was brilliant from start to finish, and I couldn’t have wished for a better instructor. I had a previous bad experience with a different driving school which left me feeling anxious and lacking in confidence, but from my very first lesson with Shift, Simon made me feel at ease and supported me all of the way through. He has such a lovely, calm manner, is suuuuuper patient, and has an amazing way of explaining things differently if you don’t quite understand or if something isn’t sticking. My work shifts changed quite a lot due to changing jobs mid-way through my lessons however Simon was so good at swapping things about in order to fit my schedule and really did whatever he could to allow me to get the most out of my lessons.

I Just passed my test first time and I owe all of my credit to Simon. Lewis also sat in for a mock test last week, and he was also amazing - super calm and made me feel really at ease. Could absolutely not recommend learning with this driving school enough, and I’m going to really miss my lessons with Simon going forward! This is such a big achievement for me and I can’t thank the driving school and Simon enough ☺️❤️
What a great company to not only learn to drive with, but to actually work with too. We would highly recommend Shift without a doubt.
Passed my test today on my first attempt and wanted to say a huge thank you to my instructor Ciaran! He was absolutely fantastic, really patient, and taught me to drive and manage my anxiety at the same time which was not an easy task! I would definitely recommend shift driving school, I started out with no experience driving and massively nervous and now I’m a confident full fledged driver!
I honestly cannot thank the team enough.

Simon was my instructor and I felt comfortable with him right from the start. He was incredibly flexible around my work schedule, always fitting lessons in when I needed them, and he adapted his teaching style to whatever helped me learn each new skill. He is extremely knowledgeable and always had great tips and explanations that made everything so much easier to understand. I genuinely never thought I would become a driver, especially learning in my 40s, but Simon gave me the confidence and belief that I could do it. We also had such a good laugh on our lessons and I will really miss them now I have passed. I would highly recommend him to anyone who is nervous, unsure or doubting themselves.

I also had Lewis for one of my mock tests and he instantly put me at ease. He is really easy to get along with and gave clear, helpful feedback that I really appreciated.

Alex was brilliant from the very beginning. I first dealt with him when I enquired about lessons and even though there was a waitlist he was really helpful with timings and getting everything organised. The app, payments and communication were all smooth and straightforward. He also took me out on a mock test and again I felt completely comfortable and I took all of his feedback on board.

One thing that really stands out about this company is the genuine positivity and support from everyone. Each instructor was rooting for me along the way and when you see them all out on lessons you can tell they have a real sense of camaraderie and team spirit.

I would recommend this driving school to anyone. They have been amazing from start to finish.
Can highly recommend Shift Driving School.
I passed today after having lessons with instructor Hassan. He was always patient, clear and friendly during lessons, and he’s someone who is clearly very diligent and cares about his work, which is extremely motivating for learners.
Thank you!
I was lucky enough to be taught by Alex who was brilliant! Alex was very supportive and honestly just seemed to know exactly what to say when it came to my anxiety around driving. I would definitely recommend Shift to anyone wanting to learn how to drive.