The Part 1 Theory and Hazard Perception test.

 

You are required to take a test which is presented in two parts, both of which must be completed successfully in order to pass.

If, for example, you pass the multiple-choice question section but failed the Hazard Perception Test (HPT), then you fail the whole test and would need to book and pay for, a re-test. There are various theory test centres around the country but please note, these are not the same test centres that we use for the practical driving tests. The theory test and HPT is conducted by a private company, on contract to the Driving Standards Agency.

The first part of the test is a multiple-choice question test of 100 questions, with a minimum pass mark required of 85.

Just to make things a little harder though, the questions are set in four 'bands', those being

* road procedure

* traffic signs and signals, car control, pedestrians, mechanical knowledge

* driving test, disabilities, law

* publications, instructional techniques

There is an additional requirement that you cannot score less than 20 out of 25 in any of the four bands, or you fail.

So, it would be possible to score an overall 94% and fail, if you scored 25/25/25/19, which would be harsh, don't you think? The idea of the banding is to make sure your overall knowledge is good enough. That's down to plenty of study.

When I was training myself for this career, I would sit at my computer and do 2 or 3 'mock tests' on the CD-Rom every night, noting down my wrong answers are trying to remember the correct answer for next time, and it worked.

The second part of the test is the HPT (Hazard Perception Test), a series of 14 video clips with 'staged' events for you to spot and, by clicking the mouse button, to register your reaction time. One clip contains 2 'developing' hazards, with all the others having just one 'developing' hazard. A developing hazard would be, for example, a cyclist travelling along the road in front of you who suddenly changes direction to go around a parked vehicle. As an experienced driver, you would expect that to happen. The clue as to 'when' the cyclist was going to move out might be when they had a quick look over their right shoulder. As they do this, you click the mouse button. A 'perfectly timed' reaction gives you a score of 5. Slightly later would give you a 4, 3, 2, 1, or worse, a zero. With 15 'staged events' from the 14 clips, you have a potential to score a maximum of 75 points (15 x 5 ). The minimum pass mark for potential instructors is 57 points.

I would advise AGAINST too much study / practice of this section, as many people who practice extensively at home and score well, find that they do badly in the 'real test'. I think this is because the DSA uses it's own film clips and their timings are probably different to the ones on practice discs, although you CAN find a few 'official' hazard practice clips online.

I normally recommend the 'Driving Test Success- All Tests' DVD-Rom pack from Focus Multimedia which retails at £10.

It is aimed at Learner drivers, but also has the full ADI question bank, in addition to road signs, the Highway Code and many, many more features. It was all that I used to pass my Part 1 exam (well, it was actually the older CD-Rom version).

Sit - Study - Learn. The are no short-cuts to this, but study enough and you should pass first time without a problem.

Onwards and upwards Click the link for Part 2