Mock driving test in Ireland: how to run one

What is a mock driving test for?

A mock test shows how you drive when someone is watching and you cannot get a hint. Your instructor tells you what to do during a lesson. On the real test, the tester gives directions and no advice. A mock puts you in that position while there is still time to improve.

It also takes some of the fear away. Learners often recommend one or two mock tests with an instructor in the weeks before the test, so that weak spots show up early. Nerves are easier when the format is familiar.

Who can run a mock test?

You have two options.

• Your approved driving instructor (ADI). They know the marking and can point out habits you do not notice. Ask them for a full mock, not a lesson with comments.
• An accompanying driver. A learner must be accompanied by a person who has held a full licence in the same category for a continuous period of 2 years. A parent, relative or friend who meets that can run a mock if they follow the rules below.

Whoever it is, agree one thing: they stay quiet while you drive, give you only directions, and save the feedback for the end.

How do I run a mock driving test?

Follow the order of the real test. The what is on the test guide shows it in detail.

1. Set up. Use L-plates, your permit and a car that meets the test rules. The marker has a clipboard and the scoring sheet below.
2. Questions and signs. The marker asks Rules of the Road questions and shows road signs. Answer aloud.
3. Hand signals. Show the signals you are asked for. The hand signals guide lists them.
4. Vehicle checks. Show a few technical checks, such as tyres, lights and fluids, and work the secondary controls. Set up your seat and mirrors.
5. The drive. Drive about 8 to 10 km, around 40 minutes in a car. Use a mix of road types and traffic.
6. The manoeuvres. Include a reverse around a corner, a turnabout and a hill start. See the reverse guide for the reverse.
7. Feedback. Do it at the end, in a short conversation, as the tester would.

Where should a mock test drive?

Choose roads around your test centre. The tester picks the route on the day, so you cannot know it, but you can know the area. Include roundabouts, junctions with STOP signs, lights, changes of speed limit and a place for each manoeuvre. Turas gives you spoken turn-by-turn directions on test routes around your centre, which makes it easy to drive a varied route as the marker watches. Start from the routes page.

How do I mark a mock test?

Mark by heading, not by a total. The RSA assesses road position, overtaking, observation and anticipation, mirrors and signals, speed, traffic controls and vehicle controls, with questions and checks as their own group. Use your own sheet. This one is ours and is not the RSA’s.

How to use it:

• Fine: no issue. Leave it blank or tick.
• Slip: a small error you would fix with a reminder.
• Serious: an error a tester would likely record.
• Dangerous: something that made the marker or another road user react.

Add a short note for each mark: where it happened and what you did. Tick each repeat of a fault so you can see how often it came back. The RSA says that on a real test, a single mistake is usually marked once, and that repeated faults of the same kind add up. The faults and marking guide explains how the grading works. Do not copy numbers from the web into a pass mark. The RSA marking guide is the one that counts.

What should I do after the mock?

1. Sit down straight away and go through the sheet.
2. Pick three faults that appeared most, or that were the most serious.
3. Practise those on the same roads, with your instructor or sponsor.
4. Run a second mock a week or two later and compare sheets.

If a mistake happened, check whether it was a one-off or a habit. A stall is usually a one-off. A missed look at roundabouts three times is a habit, and that needs work. The roundabouts guide is a good place to start for that.

What is a mock test not?

It is not a prediction. It does not use the RSA’s marking sheet, your marker is not an RSA tester, and the tester on your day will choose a different route. A good mock shows you drive safely under watch. A poor mock shows you what to fix. Neither promises the result.

Plan the weeks around it: a mock, then practice, then another mock. The plan page shows how to count back from your test date, and the how to pass guide covers the rest.