Newslink January 2022

Area Focus
Too many still relying on guesswork
when it comes to the theory test
Terry Pearce
MSA GB West Midlands
I would like to wish you all a very happy
new year.
For myself this is my last year as a
driving instructor before I retire. My
concern is that with the extremely long
waiting lists I may be unable to get all
my students through before I finish.
I know the DVSA is against the apps
that find you an early test, and I do
understand the reasoning for their
disapproval, but for all that, my students
have made use of them, with one
pre-requisite from me: they must be at
test standard first
This recently proved useful for one
learner who managed to change her test
from April to December, giving her just
five days’ notice of the new date. Happily
she was a very competent driver and
passed.
The theory is...
When I tell my students that the theory
test is not easy, they all believe me in the
end. Unfortunately, a lot of them only
believe me after they have failed. I try
my hardest to get them to read every
question, but they get side-tracked by the
practice tests they can take beforehand
which they tend to get good results on.
When they fail they often say “but I did
well on the practice papers”, at which
point I politely ask them if they
remembered my advice to read all the
questions and not to rely on tests? (But
all the while secretly wishing I could say
“I told you so”!)
I try to explain that they will not see all
the questions by just doing practice
papers. I know there are more than 800
questions the theory test could throw at
a candidate, but assuming it is 800, they
would have to do 16 50-question tests
to have any chance of seeing every
question, and with some questions being
repeated from test to test the chances
are the final figure would be nearer
double that. The average learner gets
bored after passing a few trial tests and
considers themselves invincible.
At £23 a time it is an expense a lot of
them cannot afford.
The other common comment is that
they only failed by one mark so they will
pass it next time. Filled with confidence
they still do not study enough and have
to pay out yet another £23!
What I try to instill into them is that
the actual theory test is well put together
with a portion of factual questions which
Tyre questions
always trip up
the ill-prepared
theory test
candidate
means that if you do not know the
answer, you would be unable to guess it.
One question I have used as an example
for many years is the thickness of tread
depth. I ask then to choose from 1mm,
1.6mm, 2.4mm and 4mm; very few
guess the answer correctly.
CONTACT
To comment on this article, or provide
updates from your area, contact
Terry at terry@terrypearce.co.uk
Saved by an AAngel in the rain
John Lomas
Editor, MSA GB North West
Shortly after penning last month’s item
for Newslink, I was being chauffeured
from Darwen to a family friend’s house in
Shropshire.
A wet night and we had only just
passed Leyland on the M6 when the
driver’s windscreen wipers stopped
working.
We managed to get to Charnock
Richard services safely where the driver
tried a fix which had previously been
used. Back on the motorway we nearly
made it to Haydock Park, the East Lancs
Rd junction. I know the junction, so was
30
able to direct the driver to a garage just
of the NW corner of the roundabout.
Having had another go at fixing the
wipers we noticed that an AA van had
come onto the forecourt to refuel.
When the driver returned to his van my
driver had a word with him and he very
kindly came over and gave the wiper arm
a good squeeze onto what appears to be
a tapered spindle.
He did this even though he knew my
driver is an RAC member, and his fix
lasted us for the whole of the remaining
journey down into Shropshire.
We avoided the motorway for the rest
of the trip on the grounds that we didn’t
fancy the possibility of getting stuck on a
‘smart motorway’ if the likely additional
spray should cause the fix to fail again.
Smart work by the AA man. Who
knows, it may well be that his company
might have gained a new member when
the RAC renewal is due.
CONTACT
To comment on this article, or provide
updates, contact John at
johnstardriving@hotmail.com
NEWSLINK n JANUARY 2022