There are some things that set your fate when taking your practical driving test. But – it’s not examiners having “a fail quota” to meet, certain days being impossible to pass, or other scary myths you might have heard.
The most obvious factor, of course, is your driving skills, but research shows that there is, indeed, another element that might affect pass rates – the time of day the test is taken.
Rush hour isn’t good for anyone’s nerves, it’s more difficult to drive in heavy traffic, most people feel more alert in the morning hours than the afternoon…it makes sense to take into account what time you book your test for.
Dayinsure analysed all the available practical driving test slots in the UK and pass rates. Their research shows that “between 7pm and 9pm provided the highest average pass rate of 65.4%, while the worst option was between 11am and 1pm”.
Even more compelling; the average pass rate increased even higher to 70.8% for new drivers between 7pm and 8pm specifically. Next up with 60.8% was 10-11am.
There is also a cost to this success – the highest pass rate is reflected in the driving test prices – you’ll pay £75 for an evening test but £62 in the morning.
Confused.com used DVSA data to create a calendar for the best days to pass your driving test. The best month overall is August, specifically the 4th taking the lead. The worst day of the year to take your driving test, according to Confused.com, is 26th December; clearly, all you should be worried about on Boxing Day is how much chocolate you’re indulging in.
Whichever time and day you decide to go for, what really helps you pass your driving test is how much effort you’ve put into learning to drive and how you handle the pressure on the day.
We interviewed a local driving instructor in London to understand some patterns within young drivers and to get some tips on how to pass your driving test. Check out our interview with a driving instructor here.