Over the last 2 years we’ve sent you letters, and emails to update you on what we are doing to reduce driving test waiting times.
I’m keen for us to continue to provide you regular updates on recovery and give you the opportunity to share your feedback on the actions we are taking, listen to any great ideas you have, and see the thoughts of other instructors.
You may have seen in this year’s business plan we have a target to reduce the national average waiting times car driving test from the current wait of 14 weeks to 9 weeks by the end of year.
Meeting this target is going to be a challenge as we currently have over 500,000 people waiting to take a car driving test. So, as ever, we continue to need your help and that of your pupils and our driving examiners (DEs) to achieve our target.
In this blog post I’ll update you on what we are doing to reduce driving test waiting times and tell you about the measures we are planning to take to help us to meet our target. This includes new and exciting things which I hope you and your pupils find useful to help prepare them for their driving tests.
Increasing the number of test appointments
As you know, we have already put in place many measures to increase the number of test appointments including:
- leave buy back for examiners that has increased test appointments by an estimated 13,000 since April 2021
- overtime, weekend and public holiday testing which has increased test appointments by an estimated 120,000 since April 2021
- additional tests carried out by those who do not normally conduct tests as part of their day job that has increased test appointments by an estimated 60,000 since April 2021
- tests conducted by recently retired examiners who have been invited back has increased test appointments by an estimated 4,000 since April 2021
- Tests conducted by examiners who have been recruited since April 2021 which has increased test appointments by an estimated 93,000
This has resulted in over 350,000 extra tests since April 2021 as a result of these measures.
Training course for new driving examiners
Our recruitment campaigns continue to be successful, but in some areas of Great Britain, we are struggling to recruit people. There are a number of challenges we face in trying to expand our DE workforce. Like many employers, we find that the jobs market is extremely competitive currently. The demographics of our current DE workforce mean that many colleagues have or are planning to retire in the near future. Therefore, whilst we have recruited a significant number of people, some of those numbers are replacing others who have left.
Our standards are challenging and this has meant that some of our new entrants are failing the driving examiner training course. Some have also left part way through the training, deciding that it’s not the role for them. Therefore we haven’t yet recruited enough additional resource to reduce driving test waiting times as quickly as we want to.
As we have moved through each recruitment campaign, we continually review and make changes and improvements to our recruitment and selection process and training courses. We are currently planning to pilot changes to the driving examiner course with the future trainees. The new course will focus more on the parts of the training that course participants have found to be more challenging including:
- standard setting for the initial driving standard assessment
- examiner training rather than driver training
We hope that these changes will help to increase the number of high quality, successful new entrants which will help us to reduce driving test waiting times even more quickly.
Recruiting additional examiners
We are also exploring options temporarily to contract in experienced driving assessors to qualify as driving examiners.
The Royal Society of the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) have offered to support us as we explore the feasibility of this opportunity.
We’ll keep you up to date on this area of work as it develops.
How we are using your feedback
Thank you if you made the time to respond to our consultation and the 6,381 of you who completed the ADI demand survey.
We received over 21,000 responses to the consultation and are still analysing the results.
We have analysed the results of the ADI demand survey and we plan to share these with you in the coming weeks. To inform our planning, we want to compare these with the previous results and design future ones consistently so we can continuously monitor the demand you face for lessons.
This means we will not include the results for the additional questions that were added to support the consultation when we report on the demand survey. The results for those questions will be in our announcement of the outcome to the consultation.
I also want to thank those of you who responded to the driving instructors’ National Associations Strategic Partnership recent survey on the use of ADI performance data. We will consider these results alongside the consultation feedback.
To get more information you can also read our blog post that explains how we use performance data to prioritise ADI standards checks and our engagement call.
Part 2 of this blog post will be published in the coming days, and will discuss the measures we’re taking to improve the success of pupils in the driving test.
93 comments
Comment by Craig Trickett posted on
Unfortunately I am not seeing this on the ground my local test centre has seen a 50% reduction in test with a 6 month plus waiting time 14 weeks would be a massive improvement on current offerings
Barry, south wales
Comment by Olivia (DVSA) posted on
Hi Craig, the booking window is only open for 24 weeks, so any waiting time over this is not possible. New tests are release within the booking window frequently, so it worth checking back often.
Comment by Craig Trickett posted on
Thanks for your reply but your answer is completely off track and not valid to the situation
Comment by Stuart Wilkinson posted on
I've tried several times to enrol as an examiner, I've 5 years left to retirement and would have loved to do this to finish off my career, I'm currently an Adi of 14 years, the enrolment process is too complicated for the older generation.
Thanks Stuart Wilkinson Adi
Comment by Olivia (DVSA) posted on
Thanks for your feedback Stuart, I will pass this onto our recruitment team.
Comment by Prashanth Sreekanta posted on
I'm in a similar situation Stuart, I have tried to enroll 3 times and I completely agree that the enrollment process is too complicated for the older generation. Surely it should be taken in to account the amount of time applicants for DE have been ADI.
Comment by Ruth Jenkins posted on
Can't we have similar feed back for the Vocational Testing Sector. ALSO can you flesh out some details about How Many new examiners have been recruited? And therefore How Many examiner are now actually Testing full time and How Many part time? i.e. What are the examiner numbers and what can the 'test' on (all categories, or only car)?
Comment by Olivia (DVSA) posted on
Hi Ruth, because the vocation pass rate is higher, and waiting times are lower, DVSA is concentrating on bringing the car pass rates up first, but I will pass on your request for LGV feedback.
Comment by Janet Woodhouse posted on
In which areas are the waiting times for tests 14 weeks? In my area its nearer 22 weeks
Comment by Olivia (DVSA) posted on
Thanks Janet, there are many centres with 14 weeks, some less, hence the average waiting time. Sometimes tests can be booked only a few days in advance of the test date.
Comment by Blair Robertson posted on
Hi , I operate out of 3 test centres in the highlands of Scotland, namely Aberfeldy which is only open on a Thursday.
Yesterday 3 tests were conducted, filling the day with tests might ease the situation, online no tests are available this year in the test centre, how can you possibly reduce waiting times if you don’t fill the current space available?
It’s not rocket science!
Comment by jameslindley posted on
Hi Blair, the limiting factor is the number of examiners, which we are recruiting more of. It may be that the examiner came from another centre, which was a longish drive, or they may have been testing at another centre.
Comment by David Featherstone posted on
14 weeks??? More like 25 weeks
Comment by Mark Jacobs posted on
Let’s hope some idiot doesn’t think it’s a good idea to penalise instructors for the mistakes of students,or make them display badges in tests under the pretence that it will “help”instructors give better lessons,try leadership for a change and set a minimum of lessons before students are eligible to take test,about 40-45 regardless of ability make that compulsory,outcome is high pass rates safer drivers safer roads,do your job properly.
Comment by Nic posted on
Why would you want to take your badge out? The only reason I can think of is because you know they are not up to standard.
Fellow ADIs bringing students up for test that are clearly not ready only adds to the waiting times.
Comment by David Andrews posted on
I appreciate the massive backlog you must have, but unfortunately in my area (North Kent) we have seen an increase in waiting times (5-6 months approx), if they are able to, many are having no luck at all. Maybe I'm being simplistic but opening the test centres longer and opening weekends and offering overtime for the examiners might help, none of which seems to be happening in the 3 test centres close to me
Comment by Donna Coleman posted on
Agree
Booked a test for my son in December 2021. It’s this coming Friday. 5 months! I hope he passes, can’t wait another 5 months for a re-test
Comment by David Andrews posted on
Unfortunately there in itself is a problem as the students are putting themselves under extra pressure to pass as if they don't they know they'll have to wait a long time for another test
Comment by Gary Porter posted on
Great to hear the dvsa trying to recruit more examiners , very disappointing to hear many quit into the training. I have been an instructor for eighteen years and mainly cover Bishops Stortford. Before the pandemic the waiting list for BS was around 12 weeks with four examiners on average in attendance, sometimes five. Very concerned that passing the test centre on a daily basis the average now seems two to three. Also I have monitored the recruitment campaigns and Bishops stortford has at present not been a test centre that has positions avalible even though the waiting time is twenty six weeks plus.
Comment by Kevin Gramson posted on
Not sure where the 14 week current wait is, my pupils are struggling to find any tests at all and that's with 24 weeks of test slots available.
Comment by Olivia (DVSA) posted on
Hi Kevin, this is an average, it will be higher in some areas, thanks.
Comment by Paul Lyttle posted on
I'd be interested to know how the "average ... current wait of 14 weeks ..." is calculated. In the four test centres that I check around Loughborough, the wait is 24 weeks - if one is lucky enough to find anything. And regular social media posts from around the country reflect a similar situation. Which test centres have a wait that is significantly less than 14 weeks to make that the average?
Comment by Olivia (DVSA) posted on
Hi Paul, this is an average, it will be higher in some areas, thanks.
Comment by Stuart Grant posted on
As an experienced driving instructor of several years and previously passing the special driving test to become a driving examiner, I was completely dismayed to find that I was not taken beyond the initial application which I apparently passed. I received no explanation and remain convinced I would have made a useful contribution in helping reduce the waiting list.
Comment by ANDY KELL posted on
Yet you still cancel tests because you sell the tests but cant fill the spaces.
the soon your run by a private company and not a government body the better.
all your figures are only estimates, so you really don't know
Comment by Iain Smith posted on
Most driving instructors will just tell you to put a stop to these Apps that book tests for pupils.
Everyday I notice pupils not attending for their tests. This is because these Apps are booking short notice tests and pupils are then ringing around every driving instructor and getting continuous NO’s from everyone. When pupils ring me with a test date I always say that nobody will help you. These same pupils then fail to attend and therefore making everything worse.
I’m sure the DVSA sent an email some time ago saying you had put measures in place to stop this, well whatever you did is certainly not working.
Iain Smith
PRN: 85544
Comment by Olivia (DVSA) posted on
Thanks Iain, the work to stop the apps is continual, there will not a be one solution, it will be an ongoing piece of work to tackle them
Comment by John Younger posted on
You are having a laugh!!!! Open up a diary extending 1 year and it will be FULL IN 1 DAY. 500k looking for test GET REAL!
Dvsa on a good year boasted 1.6milliom tests conducted!
Closed for 16 months over 2 years then worked 5 TESTS a day for the first 5months!
Meanwhile a 2 more years of truckers retired.
2 years of new 17 year olds 18 MONTHS OF WORK TO CATCH UP ON !!! THATS AT LEAST 1.6 MILLION PEOPLE LOKKING FOR TESTS!
ADI for nearly 30 years Diamond examiner. Blue lamp trust examiner,
I would be happy to work contracted for two days a week as long as I could keep my learner s going at the same time.
I like you want this waiting list down but can't see how it can be done without help from people like us.
Qualified Testing Officers (unless things have changed ) in the army could examin for the army and then still teach 3 or 4 days a week.
Comment by Steve Holmes posted on
Stop the apps taking test from the system . Get parliament to make them illegal and make tests only available through dvsa site . Ban any candidate who does not turned up for a test from getting another test for 6 months . And get examiners to use there brain when assessing a test . Eg , if a candidate has only a couple of driving faults and makes one silly mistake resulting in a serious / none dangerous fault . Pass them and give them a talking to about it . This would help to reduce waiting lists .
Finally recruitment seems to have increased examiners ant some centres but some have so few examiners than they should .
Comment by Olivia (DVSA) posted on
Thanks Steve, we’re working on the bots issue as we speak, and are strengthening our security. Legislating against the practice would take too long, so we’re looking at other measures.
Comment by Kev posted on
But I bet it won't take long to legislate to make the changes to rebooking tests (28 working days) and short notice cancellations losing their fee at 10 working days will it. Like the B+E changes which were rushed through at your (your meaning Governments) convenience.
Comment by Julia (DVSA) posted on
The 28 day and 10 day changes don’t require a change in the law and are therefore easier to implement.
Comment by Donna Coleman posted on
Agree
Comment by stephen OGGELSBY posted on
the booking system that only runs to 24weeks is a major problem.It is not fit for purpose. In my area it's been almost impossible to arrange a driving test for over two years.
Comment by Olivia (DVSA) posted on
Thanks Stephen, we’ve already increased the booking window from 16 weeks to 24 weeks to deal with the increased demand.
Comment by john hardy rennie posted on
!/ you need to get selling a test on as it currently stands to be an offence along the lines of ticket touting.
2/ The examiners have all the inside info on test fails etc. They could engage with us, and prep us for the tests, thus have less failsand shorter wating times.
Comment by Olivia (DVSA) posted on
Thanks John, we’re putting a lot of work into both the good points you make. We’ll have part two of this blog very soon, which addresses the failure point. We’re also working on booking apps and making security changes all the time.
Comment by Les Brigham posted on
Only let ADI’s book driving tests and get rid of the “PASS ME FAST” CRASH COURSE” & TESTI type ways of booking tests. Learner are being ripped off by these firms & apps.
An ADI tells a learner they are not ready but the learner gets a test from an app!
1. The learner might go in their own car with no dual Controlls!
2 or the learner just does not turn up & there goes another wasted test.
Comment by Olivia (DVSA) posted on
Thanks Les, we’re looking at ways into cancellation checking services. We’ve put in place measures to try and prevent bots from accessing our systems and regularly monitor this. We’re also making further changes to strengthen our firewall.
Comment by Russell Coleman posted on
You need to look at your computer system for booking and moving test.
I had 2 student book the same day/time.
I moved one of the test back 1 week and we turned up for the other test.
That day there was a no show so I gave the examiner my other students name and that was who they were waiting for. I then contacted the student to check their booking for a week later and everything was all ok and that second test went ahead as well.
It looks like it's your computer system creating the no shows..
When we swap test date around with students even if we call in there is a good chance we could lose one of the test. You must come up with a better way of doing this so no test are lost.
Comment by Olivia (DVSA) posted on
Thanks for commenting Russell, do you think you could email the details of this booking to social.media@dvsa.gov.uk so we can look into this? If there’s a problem with our boking system, it would be great to pin down what the issue is so we can address it, Thanks.
Comment by Tony Pearce posted on
I don’t understand how you have come to the opinion that the current wait time is 14 weeks? When ever I try and book a test anywhere in South Wales there are no tests available. When the new batch are put on the system 23 weeks away they are all gone within 2 hours.
Could you give me a list of the test centres that under 14 week waiting time?
Comment by Olivia (DVSA) posted on
Hi, the official measurement suggest 14 weeks is the average, but of course in some local areas, waiting times will be more.
Comment by Francisca Adereti posted on
A lot of people theory test is expiring due to suspension of driving lessons due to covid will there be any extension please
Comment by Olivia (DVSA) posted on
Hi, thanks, the government have confirmed there will be no change in the law to extend theory tests.
Comment by Lucy posted on
Would be great when you have a booed date and are able to bring it forward but absolutely not a chance as no dates available
Comment by Deborah Simmons posted on
We need a test centre in Whitchurch, Shropshire which you have closed. You have been offered an alternative venue free of charge - please take it. Rural communities need to be able to drive because the public transport is woefully inadequate and Whitchurch test centre also served many other rural towns and villages. Currently, you are not helping to level up our communities but doing the exact opposite if Whitchurch remains without a test centre.
Comment by Olivia (DVSA) posted on
Thanks Deborah, we are considering the offer of free accommodation in Whitchurch.
Comment by Richard Coyle posted on
You say you are looking to reduce waiting times from 14 weeks to 9 weeks. This is completely false in my area ( Loughborough & Hinckley) where there simply no tests available to book except scraps where cancellations happen. I appreciate it is a difficult situation, demanding drastic action. You need to increase the pay of DEs to attract sufficient numbers. There is also a need to improve test passes, or reduce the number of fails. The test fee has not changed in the 13 years I have been an ADI. I would encourage the DVSA to increase this to AT LEAST £100. Pupils will be inclined to have more lessons than winging it, it will be easier for ADIs to encourage more lessons and there will be funds for salary increases. Surely a win-win for everyone
Comment by Olivia (DVSA) posted on
Thanks Richard, part two of this blog will address the fail rate, it is something we’re putting a lot of work into. On the fees, we have recently consulted the industry about a rise the cost of a test.
Comment by Sajjad Ahmad Khan posted on
Hi, you are talking about short of instructors and examiners. There are so many experienced instructors to approach to become an examiner .but you have to change your and motoring industry’s rule and regulations.
Bank and building societies used to give mortgages for 25 years now they changed for 40 years. Being a senior and experienced driving instructor having problems to get insurance for giving tuition , age limit is only 69 years? There should not be any age limit as far as person is fit and healthy . That age bracket 69 to 79 can solve the problems of the tuitions industry. If they are allowed to continue to teach. No insurance restrictions! They have 35 or more years teaching experience and have put hundreds of competent and safe driver on the roads. And they are still fit and healthy and willing to carry on teaching or want to change to become examiners. Change the rules in insurance industry to solve the long waiting problems of Test waiting time .
Comment by Kevin posted on
I recently witnessed a youngster taking a test in Winchester. The youngster was given a "major" for a junction turning which was not the driver's fault due to illegally parked cars. I obviously know the youngster and know that they are a competent driver. My point is in this instance that the examiner was being too harsh and jobsworth and not helping the issue of long waiting times. The youngster now has to go to the back of the queue when really that should have been overlooked.
Whilst I am on the subject of Winchester, it is not like most towns in the UK. It has very narrow hilly streets and is much hard to negotiate than Farnborough, Guildford etc This should also be taken into account when conducting a test.
Comment by Keith posted on
You say reduce waiting times from 14 weeks to 9.
But current waiting is Oct from now, much more than 14 weeks, more like 24?
Comment by Andrew Hebditch posted on
My local DTC has no test available for the next 26 weeks!!! You should stop this ridiculous restriction of only releasing one week at a time. Let people book any date for a year ahead. Also, you need to do far more to prevent apps from automatically reserving cancellations when they come up. If you have a waiting list of 500k and have increased the number of tests by 350k it seems bizarre that the waiting times are still as high as they are!
You should also reconsider the extension of theory certificates as, through no fault of their own, many candidates are having to retake because they can't get a test date within the two years. A cynic might think this is just a way for the DVSA to push the problem down the line as well as being a bit of a cash cow!
Comment by jason posted on
open more test centres or reopen test centresfor e.g quinon
Comment by Steven Feiger posted on
The best way to reduce the waiting times are so obvious
1.. stop app bookings
2 Encourage instructors to get a business service and that they make the bookings themselves .. which allows more control as to who gives to test and when
3. Summer months (daylight hours )
Tests should be a fifty minute slot as you don’t need 57 minutes 8am 850 940 ..at 1020 examiner break
Then 1040 1130 .. first lunch break 1220-1300 then 1300 1350 1440
Alternate examiner 1040 1130 1220 then their lunch break 1310-1350, then Tests 1350 and 1440 .. 8 tests a day !!!!
Comment by Kev posted on
They tried 8 tests. PCS spat their dummy out and threatened strike action so it was quietly withdrawn.
Comment by Steven Feiger posted on
Must point out examiner break about 1020 /25 should be 15 minutes.
They always return within 40 minutes from test start in fairness
Comment by Unknown posted on
I think people who theory pass certificate expired because of the covid and the test centres were closed and its not fair on them as there certificate expired due to covid you should extend theres so it's fair on them and it will be better so they can take there test for driving you should be fair to them as I dont think this is fair
Comment by Peter Bromage posted on
It’s very easy to sort only allow instructors with a register number book tests , the DVSA does nothing to help instructors and we’re left wondering why we are paying a registration fee , why can the DVSA not implement a simple system as that , please please 🙏 don’t tell me your looking into it tell me why you’ve not implemented it already
Comment by Julia (DVSA) posted on
Thanks Peter, we need to keep the booking system open to everyone, because in motoring schools and similar, bookings need to be made by people other than ADIs, in other words the admin staff.
Comment by Peter Bromage posted on
It could work as long as only the ADI with their registered number does their own booking I’m afraid at this attitude towards planning is why the system is failing massively and why I had a chap contact me from another instructor who’d paid a booking company a lot more than the £62 .
Comment by Errol Aguiar posted on
Just recently the Croydon testing centre was closed adding to the backlog in the Mitcham centre. Currently the test slots are next to impossible to book. The booking system needs to be re-evaluated with possibly only the ADI allowed to book on the system when he feels the learner is ready. There should also be a stipulated minimum number of hours of compulsory driving lessons. The ADI could use his license number and details of the vehicles to be used for the test, whilst booking to avoid clashes. No show or frequent failures should automatically push back the next test booking date for the concerned individual in progressive increments of weeks. The system should block any attempt to re-book before the stipulated period has elapsed.
Comment by Julia (DVSA) posted on
Thanks for your comment Errol. When a test centre is closed, the instructors are not made redundant, they are moved to nearby test centres. So the number of tests available in the area does not decrease.
Comment by NA posted on
Do you have any plans to extend the One Year timeline for those relocating to the UK? Presently we can't apply for license until 185 days in country and thereafter get less than 6 months for all 3 steps (Provisional License, Theory & Practicals). Since there is few months waiting time for practicals appointment there is no way a person can meet the 1 year rule to get permanent license. Appreciate if DVSA can relax this rule until practical waiting time is reduced.
Comment by Julia (DVSA) posted on
Hi, thanks for your comment. It isn’t DVSA which makes the rules on this, but we do provide the tests, you may be able best to discuss this with your local MP, as this would require a change in the law.
Comment by Gabriel Bashir posted on
What is being done about the numerous driving instructors and companies using your online booking system to reserve an unlimited amount of tests only than to sell them on for several hundred pounds at a time?
This causes a false backlog and is raising the cost of a test which should cost £62, not acceptable at any time especially in this current climate, as usual the poor suffer.
Comment by Julia (DVSA) posted on
Hi Gabriel, we are taking constant action to block the bots and take action against anyone who abuses the system. We have recently introduced new behind the scenes security to tackle the bots/apps especially.
Comment by HEMASUNDARY Ramasamy posted on
If the website shows the nearest available dates / the waiting time for the particular test centre, it will be helpful for us to plan the test date. I continuously see 'No test available' for the dates until Jan'2022 for Milton Keynes and nearby areas.
I am not sure when will be the tests available in MK or nearby centres and its exhausting to keep on checking often.
Comment by jameslindley posted on
Hi, its worth checking back often, as new tests are released all the time, and not just ones at the end of the 24 week booking window.
Comment by Karen Foster posted on
My daughter passed her theory after 6 attempts then had to wait 2 months for her test unfortunately failed, Now has another 4 months till she can get booked in again! Shocking I just hope she passes before her 2 years theory test runs out. We live in a village buses are little and not often. No car, no job,
Comment by Ella posted on
I did my theory test twice because it's expired, I have 7 practical driving test last one i failed with one foult (control steering).I have 50 driving lessons, more than 3000 miles with my own car practised with friend.i can't past my test for last 3 years, peterborough driving test centre instructors intimidating, unprofessional, rude.you can see smile when they tell you you failed...it's not get better because we have to rebook test many times....
Comment by jameslindley posted on
Hi Ella, DVSA cannot extend the theory test, as it is set out in the law, and it would be detrimental to road safety if we could. The result of the driving test is only dependent on the candidate's performance on the day.
Comment by Ella posted on
There was a person who bearly parked car and he passed, driving instructors have they favorites,it's easy to see how they greets eatch other before tests,I lost hope....
Comment by Godwin Johnson-Igeli posted on
One major fault even with few or no minor faults is a fail. This is too harsh and can be overlooked to reduce waiting time
Comment by jameslindley posted on
Thanks for this, the standards set in the test keep Britain's road among the safest in the world.
Comment by Godwin Johnson-Igeli posted on
I agree with you but you don't have to be too rigid. Too much discretions given to the examiners.. The more you drive makes you more experienced and better. Driving shouldn't be too academic...
Comment by Gaynor posted on
Test waiting times are booking for late October in my area, we have had a reduction of examiners at our test centre from at least 8 to 5,
The pupils nerves are not the instructors fault- they can drive confidently on lessons a then have high anxiety in test situations and therefore ending up doing very silly things- this should not be held against the instructor.
Some examiners come out quite sternly and that does not put the pupil at ease-
Most are very kind and helpful.
Looking forward to your mock test info,
I am also concerned with parking manoeuvres in public car parks as ADI’s are receiving parking tickets when tests are are conducted within two hours of practicing in the same carpark- as we don’t know what route /carpark they will be taken to.
Comment by jameslindley posted on
Hi Gaynor, thanks, some areas will be experiencing such situations, but DVSA is recruiting and training more examiners as we speak.
We agree the nerves are not the fault of the ADI, but driving on a road is a very pressurised task which candidates must prove they can do, especially when being watched.
Comment by John posted on
Why do the DVSA not listen to driving instructors?
Comment by jameslindley posted on
Hi John, we do listen to instructors, mainly through their trade bodies such as NASP. If you have any particular views you should feed them back through your association, or you can write to us. Thanks
Comment by Barry Mellor posted on
There is a significant disparity between what driving students find, trying to book their first test, which is generally a 24 week wait and what DVSA claims is an average of 14 weeks. Could this disparity be explained by the use of averaging in this situation; I suspect most new tests do indeed take 24 or so weeks but a lot of re-booked, cancelled tests probably are only 1,2 or 3 weeks... when all of these are averaged it is unsurprising that the mean is about 14 weeks! It would be very interesting to see a graph of test waiting times - showing numbers of tests booked against waiting time!
Comment by jameslindley posted on
Hi Barry, yes, the waiting times are indeed an average/mean. It is not just cancellations which are released onto the system with with a few weeks' notice, tests become available for other reasons also, which is why we point out that it is a live system, and it is worth checking back frequently.
Comment by Alex Stevenson posted on
Take this responsibility off the government. When I took my tests you could rebook in about 4 weeks. Now, my sister failed in May. No bookings until November and that was at a centre 150 miles from her home. It's a discrace. Utterly useless just like the passport office.
Comment by Stuart Wilkinson posted on
Hi we have 6 local test centres I personally use, not a single test available at any at the moment, when one comes up the apps get them within seconds, I'm thinking the Dvsa own these apps, they have been out for years and nothing has been done about them, can anyone prove me wrong or put a name to the owners?
Comment by jameslindley posted on
Thanks Stuart, DVSA is clamping down on the bots which these apps rely on.
Comment by Paul posted on
I'm an ADI of 19 years and I have tried 2 times to apply for your role as an examiner and both times I have not been accepted beyond your multiple choice questions section in the initial on line application part. I really do not understand what answers you expect on that questionaire part, I answered with what I thought were sensible realistic answers the first time and was rejected, the second time I even asked family members their opinions of what they would respond to and so had different answers the second time and was still rejected, so I think you need to review the initial questionaire part as is doesn' t make any sense to me what you expect potenetial applications to reply with ?
Comment by jameslindley posted on
Thanks Paul, I'll collate the comments about recruitment and pass them to our recruitment team, feedback like this can ensure we tune the process.
Comment by Shelley clutterbuck posted on
Hi I've been trying to book a test for my son at the Avonmouth test centre, apparently new test dates get released on a Monday morning at 6 am, I have been on the site at 6.15 am and there is nothing for that test centre, he can only book that centre as it's the only one his driving instructor covers, there clearly isn't enough dates being released and it's getting very frustrating!!
Comment by jameslindley posted on
Hi Shelley, our priority is to provide as many tests as possible, hence DVSA employing more examiners, offering overtime and testing at weekends and bank holidays, but the work is ongoing.
Comment by EB posted on
I though by mid summer I will be driving on my own.Looked for next available test date for weeks. I finally booked in and it’s end of October. There has to be something you can do as waiting for that long is just unfair.
Comment by jameslindley posted on
Hi, we're employing more examiners, working overtime on weekends and bank holidays ensuring other staff are taking driving tests also. Its our priority to return to normal waiting times as soon as possible.
Comment by Ian Thomas posted on
The Driving Test is far from consistent. Examiners vary from being extremely pleasant and understanding to being abrupt, rude and unsympathetic. (jobsworth !) The only consistent thing about the Tests are the amazing low pass rates. Tossing a coin is far more accurate than a 47.2% pass rate.
Too often very good candidates are failed because of a single 'minor' error moment that is deemed to be 'serious' in the the context of an otherwise very good drive. General good control, confidence and being a capable, considerate driver counts for nothing. Increasing the pass rate by only 1%
will create 160000 more successful drivers. Too many are FAILED