Longer guides for learning to drive with Prince, and what happens on the theory and practical tests. Use them alongside your lessons, and check the official GOV.UK links for the latest guidance.
Learner guide
Short guides for your conversations with DWP Driving School: where to begin, what to practise and how to plan your lessons.
Learning with DWP Driving School
Things worth talking through with Prince, whether this is your first enquiry or you have had lessons before.
Tell Prince what you have tried so far and what still feels unfamiliar. If you are starting from scratch, say so.
A junction, a manoeuvre or a particular road might be on your mind. Bring it up before or after any lesson.
Mention your theory and practical test plans, and any target date, so lessons can be planned around them.
Your first session
What to expect from your first session with DWP Driving School.
New to driving, a few lessons in, or returning after a break: tell Prince, along with where you would like to meet and the times that suit you.
Confirm the lesson length, price and meeting point before booking.
Explain what you want to achieve and agree a starting point that suits your experience.
What you cover is agreed with your instructor.
Note what made sense and what you would like explained again, then bring it to your next lesson.
The bigger picture
Topics to explore with Prince as your experience grows.
Getting comfortable begins before a journey starts.
Something to discussWhich controls feel familiar, and which would you like explained again?
Driving involves noticing what is happening around you and understanding what might happen next.
Something to discussWhat helped you recognise a changing situation during your last lesson?
Junctions can feel demanding because several decisions arrive close together.
Something to discussWhich part of a junction feels busiest or most difficult to understand?
Parking and other manoeuvres bring together control, observation and judgement.
Something to discussWhat would make the next attempt more controlled and easier to understand?
A familiar route is a useful starting point, but everyday driving brings different surroundings and changing conditions.
Something to discussWhich situations would you like to understand more clearly as you progress?
Confidence is most useful when it comes with awareness of your limits.
Something to discussWhat can you now manage independently, and where do you still need support?
Looking towards test day
Keep theory, practical skills and confidence in the same conversation.
Revise a little at a time, note any sign or situation you are unsure about and bring it to a lesson.
Ask for specific feedback on what you can do without a reminder. The DVSA Ready to Pass guidance is a good starting point.
Make lessons fit your week
How lessons with DWP Driving School can fit around your week.
Give a few possible time windows rather than one date, then check availability.
Ask for the current lesson price, what a booking includes, payment methods and cancellation notice.
Share your postcode and preferred meeting point in Portsmouth when you enquire.
The driving test
What the practical car test in Great Britain involves, from the eyesight check to the result.
You read a number plate from 20 metres away. If you can’t, the test ends there.
Two vehicle safety questions: a ‘tell me’ question before you set off and a ‘show me’ question while you’re driving.
Different roads and traffic, but no motorways. You’ll pull over and pull away, including a hill start, and you may be asked for an emergency stop.
One of three: parallel park at the side of the road, park in a bay, or pull up on the right, reverse about two car lengths and rejoin the traffic.
Between 20 and 35 minutes following a sat nav, traffic signs or both. The examiner sets the sat nav up for you.
You pass with no more than 15 driving faults and no serious or dangerous faults. You can drive after passing if you have insurance that allows you to drive without supervision.
Booked on GOV.UK. You need your theory test pass number first.
Official GOV.UK guidance, checked 13 October 2026. Check the latest information before your test: What happens during the driving test (opens in a new tab)
