Important Information

Important Information

1. Before leaving home on test day, ensure you have with you :

• Your driving licence
• Your CBT certificate (DL196)
• Motorcycle Theory Test pass certificate (a car theory test certificate will not be accepted)
• Module 1 pass certificate must be produced for a module 2 test

2. Be on time and check details with an instructor on arrival

Ensure you arrive for your pre-test lesson on time and at the meeting point arranged with your instructor. If your instructor is taking more than one student for test, he will not wait for you if it means making the other trainee late for his test. Ask your instructor to check that you have brought all the relevant documentation with you. It is surprising how many students in the past have forgotten one or more vital documents even though they were absolutely certain they had put them in their pocket. If this is spotted before your test lesson starts, you may have time to return home to pick them up during your lesson. If you only discover you have not brought them with you when you get to the test centre, it is too late to do anything about it.

3. Clothing – the DSA now has strict rules on what is acceptable clothing for taking a motorcycle test. Below is a general indication of the minimum level of acceptable clothing :

• motorcycle boots
• sturdy footwear or boots that provide support and ankle protection
• textile or leather motorcycle trousers
• heavy denim trousers
• heavy denim jacket with several layers underneath
• textile or leather motorcycle jacket
• motorcycle gloves

The following are examples of clothing that are not acceptable:

• lightweight training shoes
• canvas basketball trainers
• any form of clothing with areas of exposed skin
• shell suit or lightweight tracksuit
• distressed ripped jeans
• lightweight fleece or hoody
• no gloves or skiing gloves

Your test will be cancelled and you’ll lose your fee if you don’t meet these standards.

Useful Tips & Advice

Useful Tips and Advice

• Don’t listen to your friend’s “hot tips” or driving test horror stories as they are rarely helpful and can only add to your stress levels or confuse you. Your instructor is fully conversant with all the requirements of the test and has taught you how to meet these requirements throughout your training. If in doubt, ask your instructor, not your “friends”.
• Don’t examine yourself during the test. It is all too easy to be overly self-critical. Examiners know that you are nervous and often make allowances for this - there is rarely a perfect test and you will more than likely make mistakes - put them behind you and focus on the task in hand. Bear in mind that the examiner also has to look around at other traffic, road signs and markings, pedestrians, children, dogs, etc. etc. Therefore he cannot be looking directly at you 100% of the time. In fact, he will probably only be watching you for no more than half of the actual time you are on the road. This means that there is a good chance that he may miss some of the mistakes you make, so there is no point you dwelling on them as this will only reduce your level of concentration.
• Try and relax - don’t dwell on particular elements of the test which you may find daunting - worrying achieves nothing and may even affect your performance in those elements with which you are fairly confident.
• Listen carefully to what the examiner says during the test. Wait until he has completely finished speaking - he is trying to help you.
  Don’t rush, take your time!
• You are allowed to have your instructor accompany you during your test so if you would like him to tag along, just mention it to your instructor sometime during your lesson. His presence will have no bearing or influence on the decision of the examiner. At the local test centres, we have an exceptionally good professional working relationship with the examiners and they are more than happy for us to accompany you as it allows them time to talk to us and helps in the feedback session after the test. Some trainees find it gives them a bit of moral support to know their instructor is out there with them, others prefer to go-it-alone. At the end of the day, you have paid for the test so the decision is yours. If you do decide that you would like your instructor to accompany you on the test, when the examiner first introduces himself to you in the test centre and asks to see your documents, ask him if it would be OK for your instructor to come along. This is just out of courtesy to the examiner, and once he agrees, it will give the instructor time to get ready. One point to be aware of: once your test has started, your instructor is not allowed to communicate with you until after the result has been given. Therefore, please understand that he is not ignoring you. When you arrive back at the test centre after the road ride, the examiner will ask if you would like your instructor to be present when he gives you your result. Again, this is your decision.
• Finally, try to give the examiner an air of confidence. Speak clearly, act professionally and……………….. REMEMBER TO SMILE

The Module 1 Test

The Module 1 Test

Please be aware that the test starts from the moment the examiner asks to see your licence. Once he has checked the bike you will use for the test, he will open the gate and ask you to enter the exercise area. Check your shoulder before moving off, even in the car park !!!
That’s how important it is. From now on, check your shoulder before every single manoeuvre, including pushing your bike in the first exercise or riding from one exercise to another. 

Click Here for Government Video for Module 1 Test

Reverse Park.

At position 1 on the diagram, park your bike on it’s stand in one of the boxes of four green cones facing the perimeter fence as directed by the examiner (either stand, it’s up to you). When told to by the examiner, take the bike off the stand, check over both shoulders and manoeuvre the bike by pushing it into the other set of 4 green cones facing the opposite direction into the test area (you can use either the main or side stand, the choice is yours).

Slalom and Figure-8.

These two exercises are carried out together. Check your shoulder. Ride a slalom between five yellow cones as in position 2 on the diagram. As you pass the last yellow cone, go straight into the two blue cones at position 3 and do a figure-8 around these. Keep doing it until the examiner asks you to stop (usually about 3 circuits). Keep reasonably close during the slalom but once into the figure 8-exercise, stay wide of the blue cones and use as much room as you have available.

Slow Ride.

Check your shoulder. Carry out a slow ride from position 4 as directed by the examiner to finish between the parallel lines at position 5 ready for the U-turn. On this exercise, just ride as slowly as you can, using your rear brake only to control your speed. Do not use the front brake until you are coming to a stop at the end of the exercise. If you ride so slow that you need to jiggle the bars from side to side to keep your balance, you are going TOO SLOW.

U-turn.

Check your shoulder. Carry out a U-turn within the parallel lines at position 5. If you can get good clutch control as soon as you move off, go straight into the turn. If you need to ride forward a few yards to get clutch and balance, you need to do another shoulder check before you turn as the first one is now redundant.

Once you start to turn, use clutch and back brake only to control speed. Look round to the right in the general direction in which you want the bike to go but don’t turn your head too far round as this in itself can cause you to lose balance. DO NOT aim for a point to stop at the other side as you become focused on one point. Imagine you are about to make the U-turn and carry on riding away without stopping. Once you have completed the turn, then just “change your mind” and pull up in a controlled manner.

Controlled Stop.

Check your shoulder and then ride around the loop from position 6 between the red and blue cones and then come straight down the exercise area through the speed trap and do a controlled stop (NOT an emergency stop) with your front wheel in the box of blue cones at position 7. Start to slow down early as the stop is easier and your speed is not being monitored during this exercise.

Emergency stop.

Check your shoulder. Ride around the loop from position 8 between the red and blue cones at approximately 15-20 mph and then come straight down the area through the speed trap and do an emergency stop when the examiner raises his hand near position 9. As you pass through the speed trap you must be doing 50kph (31 mph) or higher. Don’t continue accelerating after you leave the speed trap, just roll off. On the examiner’s signal start braking to bring the bike to a stop as quickly and safely as you can. NEVER grab the front brake, squeeze it progressively but firmly and keep squeezing until the bike stops, don’t ease off and just slow down – it’s an emergency stop. GENTLE pressure only on the back brake as this will lock very easily if you apply it too hard.

DO NOT pull the clutch lever in when you start to brake as you increase the potential for locking the rear wheel and lose any engine braking effect. Once you have wiped off most of your speed, pull the clutch in at the last moment just to prevent the engine stalling.

If you stall, you will only get a minor fault. If you pull the clutch in too early and lock the back wheel, you will automatically fail your test.

Avoidance test.

Check your shoulder. Ride around the loop from position 10 between the red and blue cones at approximately 15-20 mph and then come straight down the area through the speed trap. Once clear of the trap, swerve to the side to pass through the 2 blue offset cones at position 11. You must then turn back again to bring the bike to a controlled stop with your front wheel between the blue cones where you stopped at position 7 earlier. Remember that after the speed trap, your speed is no longer being monitored so DO NOT keep accelerating after the trap.

Once you start the swerve, allow the engine braking to reduce the speed of the bike so that once you have completed the direction changes, you will have already have slowed down significantly. Only apply the brakes on the bike once it is upright and heading in a straight line for the blue cones at the far end.

Final Tips:

On the last two exercises your speed is checked at the speed trap, but although you need to be doing a minimum of 31mph, don’t try to go much past that as you make the end of the exercise harder the faster you go. Also, the examiner may set out the course so that the last three exercises are carried out in a clockwise or anti-clockwise direction. This is down to his discretion on the day and may change from one test to another.

On the earlier slow-speed exercises, keep the bike at a steady low revs (not tickover) and open or close the clutch lever around the biting point to control the speed in conjunction with the rear brake

If at any time during the test, the examiner asks you to move from one position to another between exercises, check your shoulder before doing so, including leaving the area once the exercises are completed. The test is not finished until he has given you your result. People have actually been known to fail the test by losing control when parking the bike up outside the area.

The Module 2 Test

The Module 2 Test

You should be seated in the DSA Test Centre waiting room about 5-10 minutes before your appointed test time. There is no need to inform anyone of your arrival. At the appointed time, the examiner will enter and call your name and introduce himself. He will ask to see your documentation (as listed under Important Information). At this point, ask him if it would be OK for your instructor to tag along if this is your wish. You will be asked to read and sign a declaration which certifies that the motorcycle you are riding is covered by insurance for the purposes of the test and that you have no health issues which may preclude you from riding in a safe manner. If you are on one of our machines, please feel free to sign the declaration as all Faze 1  motorcycles are covered by insurance for any rider.

Click Here for Government Video for Module 2 Test

The examiner will provide you with a radio/earpiece which will be in a holder on a belt and fastens outside your jacket. He will then explain how the test will be conducted. His pre-test briefing will be as follows:

“during the course of the test, we will cover a variety of different roads, different speed limits and different traffic situations. I’d just like you to ride safely and progressively for a period of about 40 minutes.

Throughout the test I’d like you to continue following the road straight ahead at all times, unless road signs dictate otherwise, or unless I give you specific instructions to turn. Any instructions I do give will be brief and simple such as “take the next road on your left” or “ turn right at the roundabout which is the 3rd exit”. I will normally repeat any instructions I give so that should you not hear them correctly the first time, you should hear them OK when I repeat them. Should you still not be sure, or if you think that there is a problem with the radio, then pull over on the left and we can adjust it for you or discuss the problem.

Should you feel the need to overtake another vehicle during the test, please feel free to do so. If I need you to change direction or turn, I will give you plenty of warning.

Finally, I’d like you to ride for yourself during the test. For example, should a gap appear in traffic at a junction which you consider to be safe for you to take, then please take it. Don’t worry about me. If I can’t move away at the same time, that’s my problem and I’ll catch you up later or I may ask you to stop and wait for me if it looks as though we could get separated. If I ask you to stop and there are double yellow lines which continue into the forseeable distance, then for the purposes of the test, ignore them and please stop anyway.

Other than that, just relax and enjoy the ride.”

You will be taken outside where you will be asked to read a Vehicle Number Plate at a distance of approximately 20.5 metres (67 feet).

The examiner will ask to see your motorcycle before the test commences and ask you a couple of safety check questions about the bike. He will make a note of the registration number and check to see that it has “L” plates fitted front and rear and that it appears to be legal and safe for the road. Finally, he will ask you one more motorcycle related questions (details to follow).

Your test will follow the normal road format covering a variety of speed limits where you will be expected to make progress (particularly if the test is direct access). Part of the test will consist of a short period of “independent riding” where the examiner will ask you to follow traffic signs or a series of verbal directions to a local destination for a period of about 10 minutes. You will be expected to plan your own ride for that period without having to rely on the examiner. It doesn’t matter if you don’t remember every direction, or if you go the wrong way. The examiner is simply testing your riding skills and not your ability to remember directions or navigational skills. If at any time, you’re not sure, you can pull over when it is safe to do so and ask the examiner to confirm the directions once again. He will help you get back on the correct route if you take a wrong turning. This will not affect your test result unless you make a riding fault.

At the end of your test, he will then give you the result and briefly discuss any observations or faults that may have occurred. You can have your instructor present when he does so and this can be helpful should the test not be successful so that the instructor knows where the weaker areas of the ride took place and what needs to be done to correct them for next time.If you are unhappy with the examiner’s decision, you have the right to appeal through the formal procedure. Aggressive, threatening or confrontational behaviour will not change the examiner’s decision and may count against you should you wish to pursue an appeal.

Motorcycle related questions at the start of the test

Motorcycle-related questions at the start of the test

At the start of your test, the examiner will ask you a couple of questions related to machine maintenance and/or riding with a pillion passenger. The wording of the questions may vary from one examiner to another and some may require slightly more detail than others but the answers are basically the same. Please re-phrase into your own words:

Q: Identify where you would check the engine oil level and tell me how you would check that the engine has sufficient oil

A: Point to the sight-glass or dipstick/filler cap. Tell him the oil should be between the high and low-level marks and the bike should be on the main stand or upright to get a true reading, not on side stand

Q: Identify where the brake fluid reservoir is and tell me how you would check that you have a safe level of hydraulic fluid

A: Point to the reservoir on the right handlebar and tell him that the rear hydraulic brake reservoir is behind side panel on right-hand-side below seat level. Tell him the hydraulic fluid should be between the high and low level marks on the reservoir and the bike should be on the main stand or upright to get a true reading, not on side stand

Q: Tell me how you would check the condition of the chain on this machine

A: Tell him you check for free play on the bottom run of chain in a number of places. It should have about half-inch of free play at the tightest spot. If it needs adjusting, slacken the main rear wheel axle nut, use the adjusters on each side of the swinging arm to ensure the wheel is kept in alignment. When finished, retighten the axle nut. Also ensure the chain is lubricated adequately.

Q: Tell me how you would check your tyres to ensure that they are correctly inflated, have sufficient tread depth and that their general condition is safe to use on the road.

A: Tell him you check the tread depth with a gauge. It should be no less than 1mm over 75% of width of tyre and over the whole circumference. Check the pressure when the tyres are cold (before riding) with a pressure gauge and ensure it is as the manufacturer recommends. A table of pressures will be in the bike’s handbook and is often found on the left hand side swinging arm. Check for cuts, abrasions, foreign objects etc that may cause the tyre to puncture.

Q: Tell me how you would check the operation of the Emergency Stop Switch

A: Tell him you would start engine and use the emergency switch on the right-hand handlebar to stop the engine. Ensure the switch is then moved back to the off position and switch off ignition.

Q: Show me how you would check that the lights & brake lights and reflectors are clean and working.

A: Switch on the ignition (for125cc, start engine) and turn on and check the headlight (main and dip beams), tail light, left and right indicator lights, number plate light and brake light operation for both front and rear brake levers. Finally, check all light lenses and reflector at rear of machine are clean. Switch off ignition.

Q: Show me how you would check that the horn is working on this machine.

A: Turn on the ignition (for 125cc, start engine) and press the horn button on the left-hand handlebar once. Switch off ignition.

Q: Show me how you would check the operation of the brakes on this machine.

A: Sit on the machine, roll forward slightly and apply the front and rear brakes one at a time to ensure each of them stop the machine correctly.

Q: Tell me how you would check the steering for excessive free play.

A: Tell him you would put the bike on the centre stand, press on the rear of seat to lift the front wheel clear of the ground. Move the handlebars gently from side to side to ensure there is no resistance and that there is no fouling or stretching of cables etc. Stand in front of the machine and hold both fork legs firmly. Lift the front wheel off floor and check for any play in the bearings when you push or pull on the forks. If no centre stand is fitted, explain that you would need to use a support under the engine block in the garage to do this check 

Q: If you are carrying a pillion rider, what may you need to adjust on your motorcycle to accommodate the extra weight?

A: Increase the rear tyre pressure

Increase the pre-load on the rear suspension

Adjust your mirrors

Adjust your headlight if riding at nighttime

Q: If you are carrying a pillion rider, what advice may you need to give him if he is not experienced?

A: Face forwards and hold on to the grab rail at all times. If none is fitted to the machine, then hold on firmly to the rider at either side of his waist but do not restrict his movement.

Keep your feet on the footrests at all times until you are ready to dismount from the motorcycle. Do not put your feet down when the rider stops at junctions, traffic lights etc. as your movement may unbalance the machine.

Lean with the rider when taking bends in order to maintain the balance of the machine.

Do not distract the rider by making unnecessary movements or talking.

Do not do any hand signals.

Q: If you are carrying a pillion rider, how may the extra weight affect the performance of the machine?

A: Acceleration will not be as keen, therefore look for a bigger gap in traffic when emerging at junctions and allow more time when overtaking moving vehicles.

Braking distances will be increased due to the extra weight, therefore brake earlier and leave a bigger gap between yourself and the vehicle in front (remember the 2-second rule? - good. In that case, if you carry a pillion passenger, make it a 3-second rule).

Handling will be affected particularly at slower speeds and in bends and corners.

Rear vision may be reduced due to the passenger’s elbows protruding into your line of view, especially if he is holding the rear grab rail.

Q: If you are carrying a pillion rider, what precaution may you need to take if you have to brake in an emergency?

A: Keep your arms straight and lock your elbows in order to support the weight of the passenger, as he will be thrown forward heavily due to the sudden deceleration

Q: If you are carrying a pillion rider, what happens to your centre of gravity?

A: It gets higher and moves further back making the machine feel slightly top-heavy thus affecting the stability or balance of the machine, particularly when cornering or driving at lower speeds. 

Most Common module 2 test failure points

Most common module 2 test failure points

Listed below are some of the problems that most frequently cause a student to fail his or her motorcycle test. Please read these notes carefully and if necessary, ask your instructor for further explanation.

1. Not making progress:

This is extremely high on the list of failing points and is more common on the larger test machines at the direct access level. When you apply for your test there are a number of options open to you but once you decide to go for intermediate or direct access, the examiner is looking for that little bit extra. He wants you to prove to him that you are capable and confident enough to ride a large capacity machine at the speeds for which it is designed. Therefore if you are on a 70mph dual carriageway and the conditions are such that it is clear and safe to ride to the speed limit, then if you are only prepared to ride at 50-55 mph, you will more than likely fail your test for not making progress.

The other type of “not making progress” fault is failing to take opportunities when they arise or unnecessary hesitation. Sitting in the left-hand lane behind a queue of cars at traffic lights when the right-hand lane is free is an obvious example of failure to take an opportunity. If both lanes can be used to proceed in the same direction, use whichever one will allow you to make the most progress. Similarly, if you are sitting at a junction waiting for a car to go by before pulling out and it is obvious to the examiner that you could easily emerge safely and do it well before the car reaches the junction, he may well mark you down for undue hesitation.

Always remember you are on a motorbike and try to use that to your advantage and make progress whenever you can.

2. Making another driver take avoiding action:

This is fairly common on the list of failing points and is usually down to the following:

Firstly, if you rush things, you will make mistakes so take your time. Although you are told frequently by your instructor to make progress, there is a difference between making efficient use of speed or opportunities on the one hand, and trying to rush into situations on the other. Take your time but do it efficiently. Start roadcraft systems such as OSM-PSL earlier to give yourself plenty of time to adjust your ride plan to suit.

Secondly, taking care and being safe does not necessarily mean hesitating and once again, you have to understand the difference between these two issues. Careful driving is very often down to simply being observant, carrying out mirror and shoulder checks at the correct time (and over the correct shoulder!!) and having the ability to judge the position, speed and distance of other road users effectively.

When joining a dual carriageway/expressway from a slip road, use a sensible speed within the slip road. Not too fast in case, there is no gap to move into, but fast enough to be able to accelerate cleanly when your gap arises. Do not move too close to the first lane of the dual carriageway until you can see that there is a space for you to move into. If you get too close too early, traffic in that lane could think you are about to force your way in and may apply their brakes. Should this happen, they are considered to be “taking avoiding action” which can result in a test failure.

On roundabouts, ensure you have the correct lane on the approach and through the roundabout by careful early planning. On leaving a roundabout, be extra careful if moving from the inside lane by checking your left shoulder first to ensure a clear exit strategy.

3. Knowing when to stop and when to go.

Let’s look at a scenario as an example:

You are approaching a set of traffic lights that are a good 200-300 yards away and on a green light. There are 3 possible outcomes here: one is that they change to amber and red well before you get there and you have plenty of time to slow down and stop. Secondly, they may not change at all and you carry on through. The third possibility is that they may change when you are just at that worst point where you need to make a decision to go or stop. If you have to think about it, you are wasting time. The best advice here is as follows:

When you originally see the lights in the distance on your approach and they are on green, assume you are going to have to stop anyway and prepare yourself for this action. Maintain your speed but cover your brakes, check your mirror and shoulder to see who is behind you and how close they are. Normally, the examiner will be the next vehicle behind you and will be keeping a relatively safe distance. However, should you have traffic between yourself and the examiner, then if the vehicle behind is very close to you, it may not be safe to stop if the lights change at the very last moment. You need to make up your mind about this quite early on the approach. If you think you have a safe distance behind you and the lights change, try to stop quickly and carefully without turning the action into an emergency stop situation. If an emergency stop is the only way to pull up, then it may be safer to proceed but DO NOT ACCELERATE through the lights to get clear more quickly.

When approaching zebra crossings, keep a keen eye out for pedestrians in the vicinity of the crossing. Also look out for any doorways, gates, corners etc. from where people may suddenly appear. If anyone is approaching a crossing, assume they may decide to use it. Maintain your speed but prepare to brake and stop if necessary. Under no circumstances should you accelerate to get through before they reach the crossing.

On roads with a central reservation, look out for pedestrians already crossing on the other side and try to judge how far they are from the central reservation. In all cases, the key is to spot the crossing early and scan the area for pedestrians. Once someone is on the crossing, do not proceed until they have stepped off it and check your shoulder before you move off.

4. Traffic management systems (speed restrictors).

There tend to be three types:

The first of these, “sleeping policemen” usually stretch across the width of the road and you need to slow down to negotiate these. Remember why they are there in the first place and don’t accelerate too much in between each one. Having said that, you don’t need to crawl along either, as you will end up with a queue of frustrated drivers behind you. Use a little common sense and just take your time.

Secondly, “square humps” have a gap either side for car wheels to pass so why not use these, just as the cars do. Do not drive over the top unless it is necessary to do so. If there is no oncoming traffic (or none close enough to you to be a danger), pass to the right of the hump. If this is too dangerous due to traffic, use the left hand side but only if there is sufficient gap between the hump and the kerb. Be careful that you don’t get too close to pedestrians, especially if the pavement is busy and even more so if children are around. If neither of these actions is deemed safe, then pass over the hump carefully. Do not do this too slowly because if you lose your balance, the floor is a long way down!!

Finally, “Priority systems” are becoming more common now and you should give way to oncoming traffic if signs tell you to. You will need to judge the speed and distance of traffic coming the other way so that you can still make progress when it is safe to do so. In this case, if the oncoming vehicle is far enough away that you can comfortably negotiate the give way bollard and return to your side of the road without having to accelerate, and without causing the oncoming vehicle to slow down or take avoiding action, then you may proceed.

When approaching the give way from the other direction where you have right-of-way, do not assume that the oncoming vehicle will wait for you. They may ignore the signs altogether or may not understand them. Progress forward but be prepared to slow or stop even though you have the right-of-way, purely for your own safety.

5. Positioning for normal riding

Test candidates are frequently marked down for incorrect positioning during normal riding due to taking up a position to the right of their lane. This tends to apply more so to candidates who regularly drive cars, lorries or other four-wheeled vehicles. You must ensure that you do not sit in “the driver’s seat” (i.e. over to the right) when riding a motorcycle. This tends to leave you exposed to oncoming traffic if they happen to be too close to the centre line themselves. Also, you become vulnerable on your left-hand side to following traffic where some drivers can incorrectly assume you are considering turning right. They then decide to overtake on your left and move into your blind spot. If you then decide to move back to your left for any reason, you are right in their path.

Normal riding should be a position either in the middle or just to the left of the middle of your lane.

6. Lack of (or ineffective) rear observation

As you know, one of the first things you learn at CBT level is the importance of rear observations. This is not just for test day but also for LIFE, hence the term “lifesaver”. Remember, anytime you intend to change direction, whether to turn left or right, or to change lanes or move out to overtake a stationary or moving vehicle, before you do so, check your mirror and your shoulder - it’s that simple. But why is it that some trainees can fail to carry out up to 50% of their rear observations and still wonder why they get marked down on test? You must condition yourself to get into the habit of doing this as a matter of course, and as we said before, not just for the test, but forever.

A shoulder check must be timed correctly. There is no point checking your shoulder at the same time as you turn your bars. You have already committed yourself to the turn and will only get a good view of the bonnet of the car that hits you. If you check your shoulder slightly earlier, you then have the chance to abort your manoeuvre if there is any imminent danger before committing yourself. Similarly, it must not be carried out too early as things may then change in the time it takes to make your turn.

Check the correct shoulder - a number of candidates get into the habit of checking the right shoulder only. There is no point checking your right shoulder and then turning left - the danger is on your left! The danger does not always have to be cars. For example, it may be pedestrians, children, dogs, cyclists etc. stepping off a pavement to your left when you are about to turn left at a junction.

Finally, after completing an overtake of a stationary or moving vehicle, check your left shoulder before moving back to your left. There is always the possibility that the parked vehicle may move off as you pass or the moving vehicle may accelerate on your left.

7. Driving too close to the vehicle in front and poor overtaking

Although you are asked to “make progress”, you must do so in a safe manner and one of the biggest issues is driving too close, particularly at higher speeds. Don’t forget the “2-second rule” when following another vehicle and remember that as speed increases, the gap between you and the vehicle you are following must also increase.

When overtaking, start the manoeuvre early. Do the rear observation and if clear, start to move out to the overtaking position positively and in plenty of time. Candidates fail regularly for getting too close to the vehicle ahead before moving out.

Imagine you have to wait for a car to overtake you before you can move to the outside lane to overtake the van currently in front of you. Hold back from the van until the car passes you, and then move out. However, you should then increase your speed in such a way that you overtake the van on your left as efficiently as you can but not getting too close now to the car ahead – maintain the 2-second gap at all times. Once overtakes are completed, do not “hog” the outside lane. Move back to the left as soon as it is safe unless another overtake is imminent.

8. Failure to cancel indicators

This is probably one of the most regular faults that result in test failure. Once you have finished a manoeuvre, cancel your indicators immediately. Imagine if you forgot to cancel your left indicator. After a significant distance has been covered, there may be a side road on the left with a car waiting to emerge. When they see you approaching, they will assume you are turning left into the same road from which they are about to emerge and will naturally pull out in front of you. Another common fault is when riders indicate left to stop at the kerb and later move off again with the left indicator still flashing. Therefore, do not forget to cancel indicators, as you will confuse other road users.

9.Failure to observe speed limits

This needs no explanation and is simply down to lack of observation on the part of the rider. Most speed limit changes occur when turning from major to minor roads (or the opposite) or at roundabouts where there are different types of roads at each exit. Many riders tend to look down at the road surface when turning to see where the front wheel will travel. However, this means that you will miss any signs at the entrance so get into the habit of glancing up momentarily as you turn.

You must be vigilant at all times and get into the habit of checking regularly. As a general “rule-of-thumb” in built-up areas, where there are street lights every 100 yards, it is usually 30mph. If the speed limit is any higher than this, there should be small repeater signs every 400 yards or so. However, be very careful near schools or on housing estates where 20mph limits are commonplace.

The Marking System

The marking system 

There are 3 types of faults that can be marked:

A dangerous fault - involves actual danger to you, the examiner, the public or property

A serious fault - could potentially be dangerous

A rider fault – not potentially dangerous in itself, but still a fault. However, a rider fault which becomes repetitive (eg, persistently missing rear observations) will become a serious fault in the eyes of the examiner.

Module 1 pass mark

• 5 or less rider faults is a pass for the module 1 test. 6 or more is a fail.

• 1 serious or 1 dangerous fault is an automatic failure of the module 1 test.

• If you don’t pass the module 1 test, you must leave 3 clear working days before you can retake it.

Module 2 pass mark

• 10 or fewer rider faults is a pass for the module 2 test. 11 or more is a fail.
• 1 serious or 1 dangerous fault is an automatic failure of the module 2 test.
• If you don’t pass the module 2 test, you must leave 10 clear working days before you can retake it.