Mock driving test in Stainforth

What happens on an Alma mock test

The session lasts about two hours, including the debrief. It follows the shape of the real practical test as closely as we can:

• An eyesight check, reading a number plate from 20 metres.
• One tell me question before you drive, and one show me question while you are driving.
• About 20 minutes of independent driving, following a sat nav or traffic signs.
• One reversing exercise, which could be a parallel park or a bay park. It could also be pulling up on the right and reversing about two car lengths.
• Possibly an emergency stop, as on some real tests.

During the drive your instructor gives directions only and stays quiet, so you get a feel for driving under test conditions without prompts.

The drive out of Stainforth

Most mock tests leave Stainforth along Station Road, through Dunscroft on Broadway and through Dunsville on High Street, then join the A18 through Edenthorpe towards the Armthorpe side of Doncaster. That part of the city is where the test centre sits, on Shaw Wood Business Park, so you spend much of the mock on roads like those around it.

DVSA does not publish test routes, and no one can tell you which roads your examiner will choose. The aim is to make sure nothing about the area feels new. For the independent section we might set the sat nav for somewhere you have not driven to before, so you have to read the road ahead without relying on memory.

How your drive is marked

We use the DVSA marking sheet. Minor errors are recorded as driving faults, while anything that could have caused danger is a serious fault, and actual danger is a dangerous fault. On the real test you pass with 15 or fewer driving faults and no serious or dangerous faults.

Learners are often surprised by where their faults come from. Things worth watching on this drive include late observation when emerging onto Church Road, drifting position on Broadway and hesitancy at the roundabouts where the A18 meets the A630.

The written debrief

Back at the car park or outside your house, your instructor talks you through every mark on the sheet. You get a written debrief to keep, showing what went wrong and why, and what to work on before your test. Instructors like Sergiu are good at explaining the reason behind each fault, which makes it easier to fix.

Getting the most from the mock

Treat it like the real day. Bring your provisional licence, eat beforehand and, if you can, book the mock for the same time of day as your test. A morning test means morning traffic on the A18 through Dunsville and Edenthorpe, and it helps to have seen that at the right hour.

Try to keep talking to a minimum during the drive. Asking your instructor for reassurance is natural, but on test day the examiner gives instructions and nothing more, so the mock is the place to get used to that silence.

When to book a mock test

• When your practical test is a few weeks away and you want an honest picture of your level.
• When you have failed a test before and want to know whether the same faults are still there.
• When test nerves are the main worry, so the real day feels familiar.

Our main mock driving test page has the general details. Learners in nearby towns book them too; see mock driving tests in Thorne and mock tests in Dunscroft. Our Doncaster driving test guide covers the day itself, and the Stainforth driving lessons page has the rest.

Mock driving tests in Stainforth: your questions

Is a mock test the same as the real driving test?

It follows the same format and is marked on the DVSA sheet. You have an eyesight check and the show me tell me questions. After that comes independent driving plus a reversing exercise. The difference is that the result is just for you. It cannot affect your licence, and the debrief is longer and more detailed than the feedback on a real test.

Can I take the mock in an automatic?

Yes. The mock is taken in an Alma dual controlled car that matches the way you have been learning, so automatic learners use an automatic. Keeping the car familiar means the only new element is the test-style format, which is exactly what you want to practise before your real test in Doncaster.

Can my instructor sit in on my real test?

Yes, if you ask. Your instructor can sit in the back during your practical test at the Doncaster centre. Some learners find that reassuring, and it means your instructor sees exactly what the examiner sees, which helps if you need to plan more lessons afterwards.