PICKING YOURSELF UP AFTER A FAILED DRIVING TEST

So, you've failed your practical driving test? Unfortunate as that is, you are not alone - the DVLA have found that driving tests have an average pass rate of around 46% for the previous couple of years.

Failing a driving test, whilst annoying, is the perfect opportunity to develop your skill sets and fully get yourself prepared for a life on the road. We will show you throughout this guide what the next steps should be, and hopefully help you pass too.

With that said, let's get started.

1. Identify why you failed

The first step in developing and honing your skills is to identify where you went wrong in the previous test - the examiner will provide you with their completed assessment, so use this as a checklist for improvement.

That flimsy piece of paper should be a guide on how to improve - ask your driving instructor or parents (if insured to learn in their vehicle) to help you practice these areas until you have fully got to grips with the problem areas. Keep practising your parallel park, hill start, or bay parking until you are able to do it blindfolded (Don't take that literally - make sure you can see!). Do not get discouraged if it takes a while; driving is about learning; you are not born with an innate ability to drive, so you need to teach yourself how to drive properly.

2. Prepare yourself mentally

When you first take your test, you are confident that you will pass with flying colours - failing can be a real shock to the system and create anxiety going into your next test. Make sure you overcome these nerves; often these are what cause you to make mistakes behind the w...