Mock driving test in Warmsworth

How the two hours are used

1. Pick-up and briefing. Your instructor collects you in Warmsworth and explains how the mock will run, just as an examiner would.
2. Eyesight check. Reading a number plate at a distance of 20 metres.
3. Tell me question. A vehicle safety question before you set off.
4. The drive. Roughly 40 minutes across Doncaster, including a section of independent driving using a sat nav or following signs.
5. Show me question. A task carried out while driving.
6. Reversing exercise. One of the manoeuvres from the real test, and possibly an emergency stop.
7. Debrief. A full run-through of the marking sheet, with a written debrief for you to keep.

The drive from Warmsworth

Warmsworth is on the south-west edge of Doncaster and the test centre is on Shaw Wood Business Park, on the Armthorpe side. That distance is useful for a mock, because it gives time for a realistic mix of roads. A typical mock might start on High Road, take in the Junction 36 roundabout and then head east through Balby and the city before finishing on roads like those around the test centre.

Independent driving on the mock might ask you to follow signs for Conisbrough or the city centre, or a sat nav to somewhere you have not driven before.

No one can say which exact roads a real test drive includes, because DVSA does not publish test routes. What a mock can do is put you on the same types of junction and roundabout that you will meet on the day, and show how you cope.

What the marking means

Each fault is recorded in one of three categories, exactly as on the real test. To pass you need 15 or fewer driving faults and no serious or dangerous faults. A single serious fault, such as pulling out into the path of another car, would mean a fail.

Be aware that repeating the same minor fault again and again can be marked as a serious one, so a long list of identical driving faults is worth fixing.

In the debrief your instructor explains each mark and where it happened, along with the reason behind it. You might see a cluster of faults around observation at junctions, or a pattern of late signals on roundabouts. Knowing the pattern is far more useful than knowing the total.

When a mock test helps most

The best time is a few weeks before your test date, when there is still time to fix the problems it shows. It also helps after a failed test, to check that the faults from that day have been put right, and near the end of an intensive driving course in Warmsworth.

On the real test you can ask your instructor to sit in the back. After a mock, some learners find that reassuring and others prefer to drive alone with the examiner. Either choice is fine.

See the main mock driving tests page and our guide to the Doncaster driving test. Learners to the west can book mock driving tests in Conisbrough, and the wider local guide is at driving lessons in Warmsworth.

Mock driving tests in Warmsworth: your questions

Can I keep the marking sheet from my mock?

Yes. You get a written debrief to keep, so you can look back at it before your next lessons and before the real test. Many learners find it useful to read the night before their test as a reminder of what to watch for.

Will the mock test be harder than the real test?

It is designed to match the real test as closely as possible. The length and format are the same, and so is the marking. Your instructor will not make it deliberately harder, but they will mark it strictly, because a generous mock would not help you.

Can I do a mock test if I have already failed once?

Yes, and it is one of the best times to book one. A mock helps check whether the faults from your previous test have been dealt with, and gives you a calmer run at test conditions before you try again.

How far ahead should I book a mock?

Book it so that it falls a few weeks before your practical test. That leaves room for a couple of focused lessons on anything the mock shows up, without leaving it so early that your driving changes a lot before the real test.

Is the mock done in my lesson car?

Yes. The mock uses the same dual controlled car you learn in, whether that is a manual or an automatic, so nothing about the controls is new. That keeps the focus on your driving and on how you handle test conditions.