How Many Lessons to Pass Automatic Driving Test?

If you’re looking for a rough estimate, the amount of hourly lessons you’ll need to pass the automatic driving test are as follows:

• Exceptionally quick learners: 20 lessons
• Quick learners: 30 lessons
• Average learners: 45 lessons

Now we’ll run through some finer details so that it should hopefully give you a little more of an accurate figure on how many lessons you’ll need. The amount of lessons you’ll need to pass the automatic driving test depends on:

• The learner driver’s ability
• The learner’s age
• Driving lessons structure
• Location of lessons
• Standard of driving instructor
• The driving test examiner
• Luck

The Learner Driver’s Ability

Many of us want to learn to drive and pass the automatic driving test as quickly as possible, but we need to be realistic about our own abilities. Some of us learn to drive with considerable ease and some of us find it a considerable challenge. We are all good at different things.

After your very first driving lesson, you’ll have a good idea on whether you’ll be a quick or average learner by how well you responded to instruction and whether you easily implemented the instruction into practical driving. Additionally, your driving instructor will be able to give you a reasonably accurate figure on the amount of hours you’ll require to reach test standard.

The Learner’s Age

As we age, our reactions tend to slow down and this can impact on how many driving lessons you’ll need before reaching test standard. It does of course vary on the individual, but estimating the amount of hourly lessons you’ll need based on your age are as follows:

• 20 years old: 30 lessons
• 30 years old: 40 lessons
• 40 years old: 50 lessons
• 50 years old: 60 lessons
• 60 years old: 70 lessons

Driving Lessons Structure

How you structure your driving lessons has a direct impact on the overall amount of hours you’ll need. With every driving lesson you take, part of this lesson is used to recap and catch up from where you finished on the previous lesson.

For learner driver that only want one hour lessons, or can only find the time for one hour lessons, half of the lesson may have gone by the time they start learning new material. To make maximum use of driving lesson time, try to take two hour lessons each time, or at the very least, one and a half hour lessons.

This structure also applies to the frequency in which you take lessons. When we take a two hour lesson just once each week, we tend to forget any techniques that we’ve learnt by the time the next lesson comes around. You’ll make far better use of your lesson time if you can fit two or even three lessons in each week.

Location of Lessons

The location in which you are learning to drive can have an impact on how many lessons you’ll need before reaching test standard. If you’re located within a busy city area with lots of traffic queues and complicated road systems, you’re likely to require a few more lessons compared to a learner driver in a quieter area. There’s not really much you can do about this, but you may wish to factor this in when planning on how many lessons to pass the automatic driving test.

Standard of Driving Instructor

Driving instructors are either grade A; a high level of instruction, or a grade B, a satisfactory level of instruction. But it’s not necessarily about the grade, rather their methods and techniques they use. Not all learners understand the same teaching techniques, so a good driving instructor must be able to adapt to the learner to find a way that works.

Additionally, some people naturally just don’t work well together. So if you’re finding it difficult to get along with your instructor, simply trying an alternative instructor may make the learning process easier which will impact on how many lessons you’ll need.

The Driving Test Examiner

We’ve now moved from driving lessons to the driving test and the result of your driving test comes down to the examiner. Driving examiners and the DVSA (Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency) certainly wouldn’t admit this, but examiners do vary. They all have the same training and the same standards in which to conduct and mark driving tests, but in reality, some are far tougher than others.

There’s no choosing your examiner, but there’s one thing all examiners hate and that’s a clueless test candidate. Being nervous is to be expected, but try to display a level of confidence that shows you know what you’re doing and a little determination can go a long way. If you mess up (not too seriously), then let the examiner know you want to try it again.

The reason we’re bringing the driving test into this is because if you fail it, you’re going to need more driving lessons which will of course impact on the total amount required and length of time.

Luck

Still with the driving test, it’s not only luck that determines the driving examiner assigned to you, but there’s also an element of luck on the day. Yes there are those that say you should be able to handle any motoring issue that comes your way during a test, but in reality, a learner driver with limited experience simply can’t.

To a certain degree you can dictate what the roads are going to be like on your test by choosing a time for when the roads are at their quietest. Other than that, it all comes down to your level of skill and a bit of luck.