There are many benefits to having a “Mock Test”. However they can put the fear of god into some pupils. Believe it or not that’s a good thing! Why? You may ask. Let’s say you take your real driving test having never experienced a mock test. Imagine how nervous you may feel on the big day. Imagine you haven’t got a clue what to expect. The whole thing feels very foreign to you, nothing like your normal driving lessons. As a result you find yourself making silly mistakes, the sort of mistakes you would never normally make. Before you know it the test is over and you’ve failed. However the next test you take, you understand a bit more of what the test is like. You know what to expect and as a result you drive better, more like your normal self and you pass. That first test then becomes an expensive learning experience, £62 at today’s prices plus the cost of a double lesson.
Let’s imagine now that you take a mock test instead. You feel nervous, you don’t know what to expect, you mess up and fail. So what? It doesn’t matter. It’s only cost you the same as a normal lesson. You may then say well haven’t I wasted my money? Of course not. The reason why you haven’t wasted your money on a mock test is because you will learn more from that lesson than any other lesson you will ever take. Personally I don’t mind how badly a pupil does on their first mock test. I tell them that they are not here to try and pass a first mock test but merely to find out what they are good and bad at. After that we can work on the things that may have gone wrong on the mock test and prepare them for a second mock test. It’s the second mock test that usually shows that they are at test standard. I often find that when pupils go to test they find the whole experience a lot less scary than they would have otherwise. What’s more some pupils actually say that the real test felt easier then one of my mock tests.
So do yourself a favour and ask your instructor for a mock test to see how you’re progressing. It will help you immensely when it comes to the big day.