News story: Driving instructor qualifying test changes: December 2017

You have to become an ADI to charge for giving driving lessons. The qualifying process involves passing 3 tests:

  • ADI part 1 – a theory test
  • ADI part 2 – a driving ability test
  • ADI part 3 – an instructional ability test

From 23 December 2017, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) will change the way that the ADI part 2 test and the ADI part 3 test work.

The way the ADI part 1 test works won’t be changing.

Better assessment of driving ability

The way that the ADI part 2 test works will change to reflect the changes being made to the car driving test on 4 December 2017.

Trainee instructors will have to demonstrate the skills they’ll be teaching to learner drivers. The changes include:

  • driving independently for around 20 minutes (an increase from the current 10 minutes) while following directions from a sat nav or a series of traffic signs
  • doing 2 of 4 possible reversing manoeuvres:
    • parallel park at the side of the road
    • reverse into a parking bay and drive out
    • drive into a parking bay and reverse out
    • pull up on the right-hand side of the road, reverse for around 2 car lengths, and rejoin the traffic
  • answering 2 vehicle safety questions while driving – for example, showing the examiner how they’d use the car’s cruise control

More realistic assessment of teaching ability

The ADI part 3 test will change to become a much more realistic assessment of a trainee instructor’s ability to teach a pupil.

In the current ADI part 3 test, trainee instructors provide training to a driving examiner role-playing the part of a pupil.

When the test changes, they’ll give a driving lesson to a real pupil while an examiner assesses their ability to tailor the training to that pupil’s learning goals and needs.

The examiner will:

  • look for evidence that the trainee instructor meets the national standard for driver and rider training
  • mark 17 areas of competence in 3 categories – lesson planning, risk management and teaching and learning skills

The change will bring the ADI part 3 test in line with the ADI standards check, which every ADI has to take at least once every 4 years to stay qualified.

Helping you through a lifetime of safe driving

The improvements to the qualifying tests are part of DVSA’s strategy to help everyone stay safe on Great Britain’s roads.

Jacqui Turland, ADI Registrar, said:

DVSA’s priority is to help you through a lifetime of safe driving.

To make sure that new drivers get the best possible training, we’re improving how we assess that ADIs have the knowledge, modern driving skills and understanding they need to provide successful tuition.

ADIs play a vital role in improving road safety. These changes mean they’ll be better prepared for the realities of teaching a wide range of pupils to become safe and responsible drivers.

Carly Brookfield, Chair of the National Associations Strategic Partnership of driving instructors, said:

We welcome the implementation of the new part 2 and part 3. Getting the process right for qualifying new driver trainers, and ensuring they have the most relevant skills and knowledge of driving in a modern context, is crucial in delivering the next generation of new drivers, and developing the safety of existing licence holders.