03/09/2026
My instructor says I’m not ready, but I thought I’d just give the test a go.”
Well, DVSA has something to say about that too.
From today, DVSA starts sending its refreshed Ready to Pass? emails to learner drivers, and I’m actually very pleased to see one particular message being reinforced throughout them.
Trust your instructor’s judgement.
Your instructor is the person sitting beside you week after week watching how you deal with junctions, roundabouts, meeting situations, pedestrians, cyclists, faster roads, decision making, planning and all the completely unpredictable things other road users throw at you.
We aren’t saying you’re not ready because we enjoy keeping you in lessons forever. Believe me, most instructors have waiting lists and another pupil ready to take the space.
Sometimes we’re simply telling you something you don’t particularly want to hear.
DVSA itself says learners should develop all the skills needed for safe and independent driving and think carefully about whether they’re genuinely ready before taking their test.
That word independent matters.
Being able to drive reasonably well when somebody is prompting you, reminding you which lane you need or helping you recognise developing situations is very different from being able to do all of it yourself.
DVSA’s Chief Executive has even acknowledged the frustration instructors face when we have that difficult conversation with somebody who isn’t ready, only for somebody else to tell them to “give it a go.”
A driving test isn’t a raffle ticket.
You shouldn’t keep buying another one hoping eventually you’ll get the right route, quiet traffic and 40 lucky minutes.
If your instructor says there are still things you need to work on, ask them what they are, practise them and become a better driver.
The aim was never supposed to be simply getting through a test.
It’s being able to drive safely when none of us are sitting beside you anymore
