Mock driving test in Balby

What happens on a mock test

1. Eyesight check. Reading a number plate from 20 metres before you get in the car.
2. Tell me question. One vehicle safety question answered before you drive.
3. The drive. Around 40 minutes, with roughly 20 minutes of independent driving where you follow a sat nav or the road signs.
4. Show me question. One task carried out while you are driving, such as switching on the rear demister.
5. One reversing exercise. It could be a parallel park or a bay park, or pulling up on the right and reversing about two car lengths.
6. Possibly an emergency stop, as happens on some real tests.
7. The debrief. Your marked sheet and a written summary to keep.

From Balby to roads like the test centre's

The Doncaster test centre is on Shaw Wood Business Park, over on the Armthorpe side of the city. A mock from Balby gives us a long enough drive to cover both sides of town. It starts with the A630 out of Balby and the city traffic beyond, then moves on to the sort of roads you will meet around the test centre. We plan a different route for each mock so you have to react to whatever is in front of you.

Independent driving may follow a sat nav set to somewhere you have never been, or the road signs towards a place such as Lakeside or Armthorpe. That gives a realistic idea of how you cope without turn-by-turn instructions from your instructor.

If you learn in an automatic, the mock is done in the same automatic car you have been driving, and the marking is exactly the same as for a manual.

How faults are marked

Your instructor fills in the same marking sheet that DVSA examiners use. Minor errors go down as driving faults. Anything that could have led to danger counts as a serious fault, while a dangerous fault means real danger was caused. The pass standard on test day, and on the mock, is no more than 15 driving faults with nothing serious or dangerous.

Most Balby learners find the debrief the most useful part. We go through the sheet together and point to where each fault happened, for example a late signal at the Woodfield Way roundabout or a hesitant emergency stop. You take home the written debrief to work from in your next lessons.

When to book a mock test

• In the few weeks before your practical test date, so there is time to fix what it shows up.
• After a test that did not go your way, to make sure the same faults do not come back.
• Near the end of an intensive driving course in Balby, as a final check.
• Before you book a test at all, if you want an honest view of how close you are.

You can also ask your instructor to sit in the back on the real test, which some learners find reassuring after a mock. For more, see our main mock driving tests page and the guide to what to expect on the Doncaster driving test. Learners in the city can book mock driving tests in Doncaster town centre, and the full Balby guide is at driving lessons in Balby.

Mock driving tests in Balby: your questions

Is the mock test the same length as the real test?

The driving part is similar, at around 40 minutes, but the whole session lasts about two hours. That extra time covers the pick-up in Balby, the eyesight check, the show me tell me questions and a proper debrief with your marked sheet.

Will my mock test follow the real test route?

DVSA does not publish test routes, so nobody can tell you the exact roads. What we can do is drive the kind of roads and junctions found around the test centre, as well as the busy roads between Balby and the city, so nothing on the day feels unfamiliar.

What happens if I fail the mock?

A fail on a mock is common and gives you a clear list of what to fix before the real test. Your written debrief shows where the faults happened, and your instructor will plan your next lessons around putting them right.

When should I book my mock test?

Ideally a few weeks before your practical test, which leaves time for lessons on whatever the mock shows up. If you failed a test recently, book one soon after so we can check the faults from that day have been dealt with.