Help applying for provisional licence

Well, now that I have my LLR it is time to apply for a provisional driving licence. DH picked up an application and the instruction pamphlet from the post and BOY am I confused.

1. Can I use my married name even though my LLR and passport are in my old name?

2. Do I use the date of my LLR as date of residency? I'm assuming yes as this was the first date I held legal residence in the UK.

3. I'm applying for a provisional licence and not an exchange, correct? I don't see anything on the application that makes a distinction between a normal provisional licence and one issued to a person who already holds a licence from another country.

4. Since I have been in the country less than 2 years I have to go to the DVLA Local Office to have my photograph certified, correct? I certainly can't get anybody of good standing in the community to do it because I've not known anybody here for 2 years other than DH and his family.

5. Do I have to surrender my Oklahoma driver's license (yes, meant to spell it that way)?

6. Any other advice I should know?

You people are a godsend on here. I consider myself to be a fairly intelligent, highly educated individual but some of the things I'm having to do right now are making my head spin, lol.

1. Can I use my married name even though my LLR and passport are in my old name?

Yes.  You'll just need your marriage certificate as proof of your married name.

2. Do I use the date of my LLR as date of residency? I'm assuming yes as this was the first date I held legal residence in the UK.

Yep.

3. I'm applying for a provisional licence and not an exchange, correct? I don't see anything on the application that makes a distinction between a normal provisional licence and one issued to a person who already holds a licence from another country.

You are applying for a new provisional license.

4. Since I have been in the country less than 2 years I have to go to the DVLA Local Office to have my photograph certified, correct? I certainly can't get anybody of good standing in the community to do it because I've not known anybody here for 2 years other than DH and his family.

Yep, if you haven't known anyone for two years, you can just take all of your stuff to the local DVLA office and they will certify your photo.

5. Do I have to surrender my Oklahoma driver's license (yes, meant to spell it that way)?

No.

6. Any other advice I should know?

Not that I can think of!  I think there's a thread in travel & transport that might cover any other info.

You people are a godsend on here. I consider myself to be a fairly intelligent, highly educated individual but some of the things I'm having to do right now are making my head spin, lol.

You're not the only one -- I have to figure out how the English do something (in a totally different way than I would do it!) at least a few times a month!  I'm wondering when that'll stop!   

It's fairly easy & quick...I sent mine in and got the stuff back within a week or so...so now I have my provisional license...YIKES!  Time to start taking lessons!

  Thanks ladies.

I took a couple of sample theory tests on the internet yesterday and failed both of them lol. Not horribly, made a 27/35 on both but that won't quite cut the mustard on the real thing so I'm now in the market for a good study guide. I want to get the theory part over with as quickly as possible so I can focus on the driving test.

http://www.2pass.co.uk/

Just keep taking the tests over and over...take the long ones that have more than 35 questions...after a period of time you just learn from the mistakes!  I went from knowing less than nothing to passing every time.  I am going to go and get two of the cds to study though (especially for the hazard perception...heard it's tough). 

If it's any consolation, I just took two of the tests and scored 32/35 on the first and 31/35 on the bonus questions --  And I grew up here and have held a UK license for 22 years next month! 

A few rules seem to have changed somewhere along the way, and I had to guess at a few questions. (How should I know how many points for running a stop light?  )

The theory test has only been in place a few years.  When I sat my test in '83 it was just the practical part then a half dozen "Highway Code" questions at the end with the examiner.  (I always found that odd.  Surely it would have made more sense to ask the questions before the drive?)

I remember looking at some of the sample questions when the theory test was introduced a few years ago just out of curiosity and a large number seemed to be either very vague, completely unrelated to one's ability to drive safely, or both. 

Let's hope they've improved since then.  Oh, and good luck to all of you taking the test! 

I find the 'How many points?' questions to be completely pointless (no pun intended!).  Surely that should be for the road enforcement officer's test, not for the driving test.  Shouldn't the point be to avoid speeding, running through red stoplights, etc altogether so you don't have to know how many points?

It's almost like a game where they're preparing you to break just enough rules so you don't accumulate enough points to actually have your license taken away.

Matt

Yep, it would be like asking an applicant for a gun permit if he knows the maximum penalty for armed robbery.   

A couple of the questions I looked at a few years ago were so ridiculous that there was no correct answer as such, and you would have to just know what answer was expected.    One was something along the lines of: 

Before setting off on a journey, which items should you check? 

(a)  Oil, water, tyres, fuel
(b)  Water, battery, lights, fuel
(c)  Lights, oil, tyres, fuel
(d)  Battery, oil, lights, fuel

I can't remember the exact combinations, but you get the idea.     They're all things one might check at some point, depending upon when they were last checked and whether the proposed jounrey is a mile to the supermarket or 300 miles across country. 

There was another question something about the environmental effects of diesel vs. petrol/gasoline-engined cars.   As scientists are still arguing over that issue, I couldn't help thinking it was a crazy question.  And what does it have to do with safe driving anyway?   

I hope, they've removed this nonsense from the test now.

no...there are still questions that seem to have nothing to do with driving...but, oh well...practice, practice, practice & I'll get the questions right!  Took my first practice test today (based on the actual questions that could be used) and I passed with a 31/35!  Taking my actual test on April 14th...fingers crossed!