Accomplishing the basics... finally!!

Yeah, don't be like me.  I arrived in February, 2013.  I got my license in April, 2017.  I could drive for the first year on my US license, of course, but then I was a "learner driver" for three years.  Not cool. 

Or me... Arrived Feb 2014 and got my license May 2018. Not being able to drive was killer and I felt like a child.

It's not,  once you know what you need to do.  As Nan said, you have to get a feel for when to click.  You watch the video clip, and when you see an "emerging hazard", you keep an eye on it and click when it becomes an actual hazard.  Like, if you see a person on the pavement as you're approaching, click when they step out into the road and become a hazard.

I think the clips I practiced from the DVD set were the same as, or nearly identical to, the ones on my test, so if you practice the DVD ones, you'll learn when to click.  You don't need to click any particular part of the screen (like, no need to point at the hazard).  Just click the mouse button to indicate you see the hazard.

They're different now. The hazard clips are CGIs and not videos. If you want to practice you can pay for specific amounts of time on the DVSAs website, which is pretty cheap. They just changed sometime this year. My test in Feb was CGI clips.

WHSmith has a £20 pack of DVSA guides and test questions. I asked for it for Christmas 

They're different now. The hazard clips are CGIs and not videos. If you want to practice you can pay for specific amounts of time on the DVSAs website, which is pretty cheap. They just changed sometime this year. My test in Feb was CGI clips.

Yeah this, they want you identifying it as it's a developing hazard. If you wait until its an actual hazard you'll get very few points. They give practice examples at the test site you can do as well, but it's a good idea to use the app/DVSA site for more practice ahead of time (it shows where you'd get 5 to 1 points based on when you click).

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I arrived October 2013 and got the license on May 2014. I decided to get an instructor and took about 8 hours worth of lessons. I decided on a drivers license for automatic cars only because it was easiest for me. I had already bought an automatic car when I first arrived anyway, to get to work. I remember when I took the hazards test. My instructor said to click when you first see the hazard, click again when they're about to become a hazard, and again when they're a hazard. So basically click 3 to 4 times as the "situation" is happening.

For NIN, I made an appointment at my closest Job Centre. It was quick and easy. Just sat down with a man that asked me questions and he filled out some form. A week later, got my NIN in the email.

So exciting to get things all done. Adding more normalcy to the situation!

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They're different now. The hazard clips are CGIs and not videos. If you want to practice you can pay for specific amounts of time on the DVSAs website, which is pretty cheap. They just changed sometime this year. My test in Feb was CGI clips.

Is the timing of the clicks the same?  Watch the potential ("emerging") hazard, and click when it becomes an actual hazard?

For NIN, I made an appointment at my closest Job Centre. It was quick and easy. Just sat down with a man that asked me questions and he filled out some form. A week later, got my NIN in the email.

So exciting to get things all done. Adding more normalcy to the situation!

Really?  You got to go to your nearest JobCentre?  I had my choice of one in Southampton or one in Swindon.  I lived just north of Salisbury, so had to take a train and a bus to get there.

Really?  You got to go to your nearest JobCentre?  I had my choice of one in Southampton or one in Swindon.  I lived just north of Salisbury, so had to take a train and a bus to get there.

I'm guessing that her nearest one was one of the larger ones that do it anyway?

I'm guessing that her nearest one was one of the larger ones that do it anyway?

That must be the case.  I have so much envy, even though this was 3 years ago, and I should be over it by now. 

That must be the case.  I have so much envy, even though this was 3 years ago, and I should be over it by now. 

We were lucky and were able to do it by post. Thank goodness! 

Really?  You got to go to your nearest JobCentre?  I had my choice of one in Southampton or one in Swindon.  I lived just north of Salisbury, so had to take a train and a bus to get there.

Closest to work at least. I went during my lunch break. Work in Cheltenham. This was back October 2013.

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I'm guessing that her nearest one was one of the larger ones that do it anyway?

I'm not sure if the one in Cheltenham is a large one, as it's the only one I ever went to!

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Is the timing of the clicks the same?  Watch the potential ("emerging") hazard, and click when it becomes an actual hazard?

The purpose is the same but the CGIs have a very different pace to the video clips. I hadn't done any CGI ones and they really threw me off. I passed fine but it was really different.

They're different now. The hazard clips are CGIs and not videos. If you want to practice you can pay for specific amounts of time on the DVSAs website, which is pretty cheap. They just changed sometime this year. My test in Feb was CGI clips.

Yeah, mine was CGI too. Loved the heavy wind blowing the CGI tree over, with all the CGI leaves blowing everywhere. And the freakish trashmen who walk out from behind the trash truck and give you their weird CGI robotic kind of stare....

That online practice thing was great. I'd really recommend that people use it to get the hang of the system. I did pretty well on the hazard test, and I think it was because I was able to practice with their system. When I was using the "free" sample ones I kept seeing a hazard too far in advance and clicking, and getting zero points because of that. You only get points if you click inside a very short window of time. So I developed a "click,wait,click" strategy. And ah one and ah two ah... and when in doubt, I repeated it.  Worked really well for me. So I clicked when I thought a hazard was coming along, and then the delayed "two-ah" was timed to where I'd get at least 3 points on the question. (Got 10 on the double hazard video, because I ran through the click sequence twice in a row.)

The theory test - I got one wrong. I wish I knew which one it was. There were two questions I flagged and went back to, because of the four possible answers for each, I knew two were definitely wrong. The remaining two for each gave me options that I had to flip a coin (mentally) on. One was worded so fuzzily that I'm not quite sure what they meant, and the other was something that is probably legal but that I wouldn't do on a bet because it's inherently unsafe.  On the other question I disapproved of both of the two "viable" answers, and had trouble sorting out what they wanted me to say.

My appointment was for 1:15pm and was out of there by 2:30pm with the "you passed" letter in my hot little hands.

Yeah, mine was CGI too. Loved the heavy wind blowing the CGI tree over, with all the CGI leaves blowing everywhere. And the freakish trashmen who walk out from behind the trash truck and give you their weird CGI robotic kind of stare....

That online practice thing was great. I'd really recommend that people use it to get the hang of the system. I did pretty well on the hazard test, and I think it was because I was able to practice with their system. When I was using the "free" sample ones I kept seeing a hazard too far in advance and clicking, and getting zero points because of that. You only get points if you click inside a very short window of time. So I developed a "click,wait,click" strategy. And ah one and ah two ah... and when in doubt, I repeated it.  Worked really well for me. So I clicked when I thought a hazard was coming along, and then the delayed "two-ah" was timed to where I'd get at least 3 points on the question. (Got 10 on the double hazard video, because I ran through the click sequence twice in a row.)

The theory test - I got one wrong. I wish I knew which one it was. There were two questions I flagged and went back to, because of the four possible answers for each, I knew two were definitely wrong. The remaining two for each gave me options that I had to flip a coin (mentally) on. One was worded so fuzzily that I'm not quite sure what they meant, and the other was something that is probably legal but that I wouldn't do on a bet because it's inherently unsafe.  On the other question I disapproved of both of the two "viable" answers, and had trouble sorting out what they wanted me to say.

My appointment was for 1:15pm and was out of there by 2:30pm with the "you passed" letter in my hot little hands.

That's so great! Bet you're so glad that's over with. So then it wasn't quite as painful as you expected??

Thanks for the advice. I will definitely use those online tools.