Skip to main content

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 passed my driving test last weekend, I want to say huge thanks to my instructor Lisa baour, she's been amazing mentor throughout the process. I'm from different country and I didn't have any driving experience before, so I had to learn everything from the scratch, she's been calm and polite from the very beginning, that help me lot to boost my confidence and take out my driving nervousness. Thank you so much Lisa and shift for making me a better driver, i higly recommend Lisa and shift, you won't be disappointed..cheers 🍻🍻
100% recommend Shift to anyone looking to learn. Simon is an excellent instructor, so calm and confident, took his time to understand me and how I learn best so that I could become a confident driver. Passed today with only 1 minor fault!
I highly recommend Shift Driving School Gateshead for beginners or anyone with some prior experience. Their website is excellent, and the app is incredibly user friendly, it makes booking lessons, tracking progress, making payments, and setting your availability so simple.

One of the things that impressed me most was how quickly Shift matched me with an instructor. Within a week of purchasing my package, I was driving. Other companies I contacted took over two weeks just to respond and told me I’d be waiting up to five weeks for an instructor. Choosing Shift was definitely the best decision I made.

I had Simon as my instructor, and he was fantastic. He was super flexible with my hectic schedule, gave me honest and constructive feedback, and used the app to track my progress so I could clearly see what I needed to work on and what I was already doing well. This made the lessons streamlined and efficient.

Simon also gave me the confidence to believe I was ready before I even felt it myself and he was right. Thanks to his teaching, I passed my driving test with zero faults (not even a single minor!).

Overall, Shift offers great cars (Mercedes 😉), an easy to use system, and most importantly, excellent instructors. Huge thanks to Simon for making the learning experience such a positive one!
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!
Passed with Simon today! He’s an outstanding instructor, so much patience and understanding, especially for neurodivergent learners. My confidence developed massively whilst learning with Simon. Also big shout out to the whole team, especially Lewis, for being so reassuring when I first reached out about lessons. I’d recommend these guys to anyone.
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 :)
Lewis is a great instructor very patient, clear, and encouraging he made learning to drive feel easy and enjoyable highly recommend.
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.
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. Delighted to have passed at first attempt! Couldn’t have done it without the team at Shift and Hassan. Thank you!
I just passed my driving test. With many thanks to Simon instructor at Shift driving school. I learned a lot and Simon was very patient and guide me well. I am grateful for the excellent teaching and kind lessons I had. Definitely recommend.