Friday, November 25, 2011

Driving test myths

I'd like to explore some conspiracy theory about the driving tests.

"The examiner had it in for me, and he had to fail me to meet a quota"

We've all heard this before, from people after they fail.

I don't believe there is a quota, personally. If there is, its well hidden and I haven't heard about it.

What I have read is that if an examiner is more than 10% higher or lower on pass rates than their colleagues in the same test centre (because there is differences in pass rates owing to socio-economic factors), they have guidance and further training. If an examiner gets a lot of complaints about their tests, they'll get further training and monitoring anyway, and to be honest, I'd rather attend a training course for having a pass rate different to my colleagues than have the boss sat in the back checking I'm up to scratch. So, if that's true, it won't effect your test result.

I have also heard that they need to be between 40% and 60% on pass rates. If that's true, then the examiners will be trying to pass you when you aren't up to standard, because the national average driving test pass rate is 45.65% (correct at time of writing). The pass rate tends to stay between 40% and 47%, which is nearer to the bottom end of the quota than the top, so if this rumour is true, then they'll be looking to pass you.

Working the Bournemouth area, I know all the examiners in the Bournemouth Test Centre, in a professional sense. I personally will vouch for their integrity. On occasion, I accompany learners on test (some of them feel more relaxed if I'm in the back of the car with them on test), and that gives me the opportunity to watch the examiners working. I have never disagreed with the decision they have made. Ultimately, a fault is a fault, and in my personal opinion, people make up these ludicrous stories and conspiracy theories to make themselves feel better about failing their test.

As far as I am concerned, its a fair test.

But at 17 years old, after massively messing up on my driving test, I believed the examiner was 'meeting a quota', 'had it in for me', because I honestly at the time believed I could drive fine, and the serious mistake (a major, as it used to be called) I made wasn't that bad.

James Richards, ADI

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