To mock or not to mock that is the question!

Consider the reasons behind a practical driving test failure. How many times have you attended the end of your pupil’s test and then comes the devastating news that they have failed. Or ‘not passed on this occasion’ as the DVSA prefer to say?

You would have bet almost anything on that particular candidate passing as they have been driving at a good standard with you for many weeks. But on the day, they fell apart like a cheap watch! You may have already arranged for a new pupil to fill their session time and now you are going to have to plan and deal with the retest. Why do these pupils fail?

It’s easy to blame the weather, the route and even the Examiner which many pupils and Instructors do, but as professionals we must first look inwards:

• Did we do absolutely everything that we could for the pupil in terms of preparation?
• Did you conduct a mock driving test with them simulating the route and conditions of the test for example
• Did you end up going into a lesson based upon their first error?
• Did you start a mock driving test then ended up chatting along the way?

Mock Driving Test

The reason many pupils may fail is simple. They have not experienced the test conditions prior to the big day. Mock testing your own pupil can be difficult as we spend time building up a relationship with the pupil that is conducive to their learning, but not testing. We want to help them achieve their goal for both our benefits and testing focusses upon the negative not the positive.

Nerves are cited as a common reason for failed driving tests, but if we do not expose the pupil to test conditions accurately and consistently then I’m afraid that this sounds more like an excuse than a reason.

On driving test day what is actually different? The pupil will usually be asked to drive the same vehicle, in the same way, on the same routes that they have been learning on. If we are to give our pupils a valid test experience then it must simulate, as closely as possible, the conditions that they will experience on the day, that means changing the person sat in the chair also.

Practical driving test

Although a mock driving test may not be as nerve racking an experience as the real thing, the Instructor needs to weight or put consequence to the result, in other words the result has to matter to the pupil.

You might tell the student that the result of the mock driving test depends on whether they keep or move a driving test date, or perhaps depends upon whether a test is even booked.

By selling the mock with a consequence, the nervous situation is created that encourages the pupil to feel the pressure that may help them on the real test and if this influences them negatively, you will be able to help them cope with their thoughts and feelings prior to the day that counts.

GDE matrix

This is directly in alignment with the GDE matrix upon which driver training is based, how do they feel?, what is the purpose of their journey?, how may this affect them?

A mock test is a win-win situation, if they fail, your next lesson plan is decided and they have a second opinion on their ability, if they pass, consistency in standard over alternative routes becomes your goal.

Additionally, a mock driving test affects the pupil in different ways due to the unknown elements. The route could be anywhere, the lack of conversation, the exercise could be their personal least favorite and you are, to a certain extent, their friend and mentor but they know nothing of the ‘examiner’ so they do not truly know for sure that their ‘examiner’ would swoop in to save the situation or even the vehicle as you would, and probably have had to do historically.

There is solid evidence that pupils who have taken a mock driving test under these circumstances, are statistically more likely to pass first time which benefits us all. They get what they want, and you are their instructor hero that they are likely to tell everybody about because you’re fantastic etc.