8 routes around the Athlone test centre in Co. Westmeath, 3 of them recorded on real driving tests. Drive them with spoken turn-by-turn guidance, and hear the tricky spots before you reach them.
Free to download. A Centre Pass unlocks every Athlone route from €9.99: a one-time payment that runs from the day you buy it, so buy it close to your test. Independent app, not run or approved by the RSA.
The places learners who tested here talk about most, and what they advise. Advice sometimes differs: road markings and your instructor have the final word.
Learners disagree on which lane to use for the exit that looks just past 12 o'clock here. Several point out that the sign on the approach shows it as straight ahead and that signs and road markings take priority over the shape of the roundabout, which points to the left lane, while others say they were taught the right lane, so expect cars in either lane. The discussion is from November 2025.
Learners say Athlone routes can use the N6 dual carriageway, which locals often call the motorway although that stretch is not one. One learner was marked for staying in fourth gear on it instead of moving up through the gears, and another came off at the Coosan exit for manoeuvres in Bloomfield Drive.
One learner who knows the area is wary of a hill near the end of the one-way street through town. Another, who failed twice in Athlone, says the hill there is steeper than the one in Loughrea.
Some learners describe Athlone as busier and with more roundabouts than smaller centres nearby.
How many of the 8 routes use each road. The roads near the top are the ones to know well.
Distinct places across all 8 routes, and what the tester watches for at each.
Scan the footpaths early and be ready to stop.
Lane choice by exit, a signal on approach where needed, and a left signal after the exit before yours.
Filter arrows and yellow boxes: never enter a box you cannot clear.
A full stop at the line every time, even when the road is clear.
Testers mark speeding and driving too slowly for the road.
Treat it like a full roundabout: observation, yield to the right, signal.
Slow, look, and go only when it is safe: no rolling guess.
Never stop on the tracks; wait behind the line when lights flash.
30, 50, 60, 80, 100 km/h. Know the default for each road type in speed limits, and every sign in Irish road signs.
Worked out from the Athlone routes themselves.
The Athlone routes pass 22 different roundabouts. Know which lane each exit needs before you get there; signs and road markings beat the shape of the roundabout.
Read the guideSome Athlone routes reach 80 and 100 km/h roads. Build up to a safe speed that suits the road: hesitancy and holding back are marked too.
Read the guide18 sets of traffic lights across the routes. Practise right turns at lights and the yellow box rule.
Read the guide11 STOP signs across the routes. Rolling through one is a common fault; stop at the line, then creep and look.
At least one route crosses a railway. Know what to do when the lights flash.
Turas marks the likely spot for each manoeuvre on every route: quiet side roads, straight stretches and hills. Across the Athlone routes:
Works with CarPlay. Mount your phone; never hold it while driving.
3 of the 8 Athlone routes were recorded on real driving tests; the rest are practice routes on the same roads. Each is matched to the OpenStreetMap road network, and learners' shared drives are checked every week for changes. Last updated 30 October 2026. The tester still chooses the route on the day. How test routes work.
Pass rate: 55.9% in 2022 (national 53.2%). That is the RSA's latest table by centre, so treat it as a rough guide. Most fails come from things you can practise: observation, progress and lane choice. All centres.
Waiting time: about 13 weeks until you are invited to book a test, at the end of September 2026 (national average 11.9 weeks). All centres.
Addresses from the RSA's list of test centres; waiting time from RSA figures published by the CSO. Your appointment letter has the final word.
With about 13 weeks to wait at Athlone, apply on MyRoadSafety as soon as your EDT lessons are uploaded, and use the wait: learn the road signs and Rules of the Road questions the tester asks first, and drive with your accompanying driver.
Turas: Driving Test Routes for iPhone. Spoken turn-by-turn guidance on the routes around your centre, with the tricky spots called out before you reach them.
