Need UK Driver License - How? And is it just written or road test as well?

Yes, I had to bay park.  So I had to do three. 

Yes, I had to bay park.  So I had to do three. 

How long ago was this? My instructor made a big point about telling me the advantage of independent driving, as it eliminated one of the two manoeuvres that had been required until independent driving was introduced. 

One tip in preparing for the Theory test:  check your local library for the exam preparation books and save yourself some cash.  My library had multiple copies of various books so I was able to choose among them and sample all of them.

Or check ebay, you'll often find people selling all their preparation materials including the magnetic L plates at a low cost when they pass.  

Also, check UKY! Members often want to sell or give away their old study materials once they pass their test.

Last year right before the introduction.  I was really surprised on my test when he said to reverse around the corner, as I had already bay parked AND did the emergency stop.

I was all, woo-hoo! No corner reverse and then I had to do it anyway.  It was only supposed to be 2, but I had to do three.  I still passed though.

I was all, woo-hoo! No corner reverse and then I had to do it anyway.  It was only supposed to be 2, but I had to do three.  I still passed though.

It's been a few years since I took my test, but I vaguely remember something about having to do 2 manouevres, but that they can add an emergency stop in at any time during the test if they like... so you might have got either 2 or 3 depending on if they decided to do an emergency stop or not.

In terms of the current requirements, the direct.gov.uk websites mentions the emergency stop as being separate to the other manouevres (http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Motoring/LearnerAndNewDrivers/PracticalTest/DG_4022540):

Your general driving ability

During your test the examiner will give you directions which you should follow. You'll drive in various road and traffic conditions. You should drive in the way your instructor has trained you.

You might also be asked to carry out an emergency stop.

Your ability to reverse your vehicle safely

You'll be asked to complete an exercise to show how well you can reverse your vehicle. The examiner will choose one exercise from:

    * reversing around a corner
    * turning in the road
    * reverse parking - either into a parking bay, or parallel parking at the side of the road

Independent driving section of the driving test

Your driving test will include around ten minutes of independent driving. This is designed to assess your ability to drive safely while making decisions independently.

It's been a few years since I took my test, but I vaguely remember something about having to do 2 manouevres, but that they can add an emergency stop in at any time during the test if they like... so you might have got either 2 or 3 depending on if they decided to do an emergency stop or not.

Yes, that's how it was for me too. I was hoping I'd get to do an emergency stop as they're loads of fun, but the examiner didn't ask me to do that one.

I think they won't ask you to do it if the road is wet.

Also,  if you take the test in a testing centre that doesn't have its own car park, you aren't asked to do the backing into a parking bay as they won't do it in a public car park.  I took my test in the town I worked in rather than where I live since I had more driving experience there and was more comfortable with the roads.  When my instructor knew I had decided on that city, he crossed the parking bay manoeuvre off the list of things to really practice.

I think I had him do it in a store car park once just for my own experience as he was really good at teaching me little tricks that made all the manoeuvres really easy and predictable.

Amberelle11,

Are you saying that if you are in England and apply for your provisional license before the one year expiration, your US license becomes invalid?  Do I understand you correctly?

So if I moved to England say in March and applied for my provisional license in April my US license would be invalid even though I have 11 months left on it?  Is that correct?

To everyone who commented on my post...At this point, I don't know for 100% sure if it's a rule or not. The information was something that one of the examiners at the Newcastle Under-Lyme location told my instructor, who in turned passed on the info to me to basically tell me that I've been illegally driving between the time I got my provisional vs. time I got my UK License. I never heard anything about that and neither did my instructor (he admitted it to me and said he would look into it as he has a few more from America that he would be working with soon)...So maybe the examiner was mixed up on the info he was passing on? (I tried to look up those specific rules and could never find anything stating rules and regs of the sort, so I'm assuming the examiner has got it wrong as well...So I don't know now! I just thought I would pass on info given to me just in case and figured it would be pretty sound coming from an examiner.) 

Sorry if I put anyone in a panic!x

When I started my lessons, my instructor asked about if I had my provisional.  I told him I did, but that I also had my driving license from the US and had been there for less than a year.  His reply was that I was fine then and that my US license alone would have been okay for us to be driving on.  I think you just got an examiner on a power trip.  Not that that's ever happened before . . . 

Also,  if you take the test in a testing centre that doesn't have its own car park, you aren't asked to do the backing into a parking bay as they won't do it in a public car park.

Er, yes they will. My test centre was opposite a public car park and I did the bay parking first thing in my test.

Wow! Looking at everyone else's experience, I'm lucky I had the examiner I had! I took my test the first week as last Decemeber (so a month ago! LOL!) and she only made me do 1 maneuver (a 3 point turn) and I did have to do an independent drive, but the route she took me on was an easy country loop! (I thought she would made me drive through the city or something!) and the whole time we were having a casual chat! (I'm pretty sure she wasn't even paying attention to my driving to be honest, I think she was just glad to be in the car with someone who wasn't in their teens! It sounded like she had a pretty rough day with the kids)...So I'm counting my blessings right now!

Wow! Looking at everyone else's experience, I'm lucky I had the examiner I had! I took my test the first week as last Decemeber (so a month ago! LOL!) and she only made me do 1 maneuver (a 3 point turn) and I did have to do an independent drive, but the route she took me on was an easy country loop! (I thought she would made me drive through the city or something!) and the whole time we were having a casual chat! (I'm pretty sure she wasn't even paying attention to my driving to be honest, I think she was just glad to be in the car with someone who wasn't in their teens! It sounded like she had a pretty rough day with the kids)...So I'm counting my blessings right now!

Mine was nice and chatty too! I think that makes all the difference - it really put me at ease.

Mine was very chatty too, with some juicy gossip to boot. Made me more interested in the conversation than the driving! After the test, my instructor told me this examiner was known for stopping the test if someone made a serious fault and walking back to the test centre rather than be driven back. Not your laid back chatty kind of guy, apparently! I put it down to me being older (I felt, at 46, like grandma in the waiting room).