Everything you learn, in order
The 26 things you cover between your first lesson and your test day, grouped into the order most learners meet them. Each one links straight to the guide for it.
Before you move off
The checks and controls that come before the car goes anywhere. Covered in your first lesson or two.
Cockpit drill
SkillDoors, seat, steering, seatbelt, mirrors. The routine you run every time you get in.
Read itCar controls
SkillPedals, gears, steering and the hand controls, and what each one is actually for.
Read itVehicle safety checks
SkillThe show me, tell me territory. Lights, tyres, fluids and what the examiner can ask.
Read itShow me, tell me questions
EssentialThe full question list for test day, with the answers.
Read it
Moving and stopping
Getting the car moving safely and under control, and the observation habits that everything else is built on.
Moving off and stopping
SkillPulling away on the flat, on a hill and at an angle, and stopping under control.
Read itMirrors and observations
SkillMirror, signal, manoeuvre, and where the blind spots actually are.
Read itSignalling
SkillSignalling in good time, and the times a signal misleads rather than helps.
Read itRoad positioning
SkillWhere in the lane to sit, and why it changes with the road.
Read itUse of speed
SkillMatching your speed to the limit, the conditions and what you can see.
Read it
Junctions and traffic
Where most test faults happen. Reading the road early and dealing with everyone else on it.
Junctions
SkillApproaching, emerging and turning, using a routine that works at every junction.
Read itRoundabouts
GuideLane choice, signalling and priority, from mini roundabouts to multi-lane.
Read itDealing with other traffic
SkillCyclists, pedestrians, buses, lorries and how each one behaves differently.
Read itAnticipation and planning
SkillSeeing the hazard before it becomes one. The skill the hazard perception test is testing.
Read itAdvanced road positioning
SkillPositioning for the view, for the turn and around parked cars.
Read it
Manoeuvres
The four set manoeuvres, one of which comes up on test, plus the emergency stop.
All four manoeuvres
EssentialBay parking, parallel parking and pulling up on the right, with the reference points.
Read itParallel parking
GuideStep by step, with what to do when you end up too far from the kerb.
Read itBay parking
GuideForward and reverse, and how to correct a bay you have entered badly.
Read itEmergency stop
GuideStopping quickly and under control, with and without ABS.
Read it
Faster roads
Higher speeds mean the same skills, applied earlier. Learners can drive on dual carriageways, and on motorways with an instructor.
Dual carriageways
SkillJoining from a slip road, reading the lane arrangement signs, merging and lane discipline.
Read itMotorways
SkillJoining, lane discipline, smart motorways and what to do if you break down.
Read itMotorway signs
GuideGantries, red X lane closures, countdown markers and emergency refuge areas.
Read itIndependent driving
GuideThe 20 minutes of the test where you follow signs or a sat nav on your own.
Read it
Conditions and the rules
Driving when it is dark or wet, and the law you are responsible for knowing.
Night driving
GuideHeadlight use, judging distance in the dark and dealing with dazzle.
Read itRoad signs
EssentialEvery sign by category, including the lane arrangement signs learners find hardest.
Read itThe Highway Code
EssentialThe rules that matter most for learners, and what changed recently.
Read itLegal responsibilities
SkillLicence, insurance, MOT and tax, and what you must carry or display.
Read it
Reading about it only gets you so far
Every skill on this page is one an instructor can take you through properly, on the roads you will be tested on.