Have you passed the driving test without lessons?

Our one-year deadline is coming up in August, so our thoughts are turning to driving lessons. We bought a used car (manual transmission) two weeks after we arrived and have been driving more and more over the past several months without too much trouble. Given the high cost of lessons, we're wondering...

Has anyone passed the practical driving test (the first time) without taking a lesson?

Thanks for sharing your stories.

Yes, I passed without lessons but I failed both the practical and theory tests once each, so it probably would have been slightly cheaper and less stressfull to have a couple of lessons. At least with the lessons they have you drive around the test route and let you know exactly what to expect.

I had been driving in the UK for almost a year on my US license AND I took driving lessons and still failed my test today.  There are manuvers you have to know, etc.  I really don't recommend taking the test without taking lessons. 

June

I had been driving in the UK for almost a year on my US license AND I took driving lessons and still failed my test today.  There are manuvers you have to know, etc.  I really don't recommend taking the test without taking lessons. 

June

That sucks that you failed. 
I recommend BSM!!  After my first lesson/drive he told me I would pass my first time and that I only needed 3-4 lessons.  I just needed to know what all the little differences b/w US and UK driving.  I passed the first time, with just 3 so it wasn't too expensive.  I also bought a cheapy theory and road sign test cd-rom from pcworld and that helped w/ passing the written tests.  I passed it on to a UKY member.  I hope it worked out for her.

Yeah, it's probably best to have at least a few lessons before you take the test over here. Mostly because there are certain ways you have to do the manoeuvres on the test and you'll need to know what these are (for example, for the reverse round a corner, you have to be a certain distance from the curb at all times and you have to check your mirrors and your surroundings at certain points during the manoeuvre).

It's definitely a good idea to be shown by an instructor what the examiner is looking for, rather than going in blind and hoping you pass anyway.

Thanks, everyone! That helped a lot. We'll give BSM a call and invest in a few lessons.

Sorry to hear about today's disappointment, JuneHawk. Hang in there and let us know how it goes next time around.

I took a load of lessons and still failed the first time! I would definitely recommend having lessons (I used the AA who were terrible and a local woman, who was brilliant)

I was arrogant and refused to take mutiple lessons. Passed the theory on 1st try, failed the practical 3 times - then finally took 10 lessons (found the BEST instructor for automatic - Steve [does Halifax, Bradford and Keighley]) and yesterday I finally passed my practical with very few minor marks.

I know I'm probably a sissy cause I did automatic, but I never learned manual in the states so I wasn't going to pile that on to everything else I have had to learn here.

We live in the Pennines, just off the Rishworth moors, so there are lots of steep hills and very small country roads (they look like sidewalks, not 2-way streets). I don't know what its like in the South (Cotswolds) but I hope the terrain isn't as drastic.

Best of luck!

Cheers
Rach

I know I'm probably a sissy cause I did automatic, but I never learned manual in the states so I wasn't going to pile that on to everything else I have had to learn here.

I did exactly the same thing. I needed to get my UK license in a hurry (left it rather late in the 12 months to start lessons!), so learning to drive a manual transmission as well sounded far too difficult. I had one series of lessons and passed on the first try.

I did exactly the same thing. I needed to get my UK license in a hurry (left it rather late in the 12 months to start lessons!), so learning to drive a manual transmission as well sounded far too difficult. I had one series of lessons and passed on the first try.

I'm planning on doing the same thing - because of various travel plans, I haven't been able to send my passport off for my provisional yet - I'm planning on doing this on June 1st.  I need my UK license by mid-September, and I haven't driven a stick shift in over ten years, so I've just signed up for ten hours of lessons (including the practical test) in an automatic with BSM.  We have an automatic car anyway, and I need a UK license, period!  I can worry about re-learning stick shift and testing for the full UK license at a later date, when I'm not under a deadline.

I am in awe of those of us that have passed the driving test on the first go!! That's brilliant!

It was a major psychological stumbling-block for me. I equated getting a license with fitting in here, and since I kept failing I thought it was an indication that I didn't belong (and that I was a loser).

But now that I've passed I must admit that it was worth the trouble. For everything I had built it up to be in my head, I felt that much better once I had achieved it. And now I can drive in any country in the world!

My instructor gave me a handout with all the show me/tell me questions and answers. I would be happy to share it with anyone interested.

Best of luck to everyone who's working at it!!!

Cheers
Rach

My instructor gave me a handout with all the show me/tell me questions and answers. I would be happy to share it with anyone interested.

Hi, Could you give me an idea about the handout and how to get it ?

Cheers

My instructor gave me a handout with all the show me/tell me questions and answers. I would be happy to share it with anyone interested.

That'd be awesome!  I've PMed you my email address.

Retyalor:
I'd like to get the handout as well! My deadline is August 1... I figure I can use all the help I can get.

SuzyQ

One good tip is to try to book your test during rush hour.  They usually try to avoid the busy areas so the test routes are limited and your instructor can tell you what to expect w/ more accuracy.  At least that's how it worked out for me.  I needed to take the test in the early morning as that's when I had someone to watch Squidge.  I had 3 possible routes for my time slot compared to 25+ during non-rush hour slots.  This was in Manchester so I'm not sure if this is any good for those living in more rural locations.