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Booking a driving test

carly burn
Posts: 19,459
What a sorry state of affairs this current bastion of the united kingdom is in.
Tests only available on a Monday morning at 6 am and an absolute bunfight to get your hands on one.
...... And if you do manage it you've got a 5-6 month wait for the actual test!
This country.
Tests only available on a Monday morning at 6 am and an absolute bunfight to get your hands on one.
...... And if you do manage it you've got a 5-6 month wait for the actual test!
This country.
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That’s one L of a wait.3
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People are traveling all over the UK to take their tests, it’s just a case of where you are lucky enough to get it.0
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The system is a farce. When a cancellation comes up the easiest way to get it is to already have a test booked and swap onto the cancelled one. So the recommendation is to book a test anywhere in the country for any date and hold it whilst you look to swap onto one nearby. It means a bunch of people are holding tests they never plan on taking and people in that town can't get a test. Amplified by people profiting and selling tests they don't intend to take for £200+
If it helps @carly burn, the new tests going live at 6am seems to have quite a knock on impact throughout the whole of Monday with lots of people swapping off pre booked tests in other towns, so you tend to find by refreshing the site throughout the whole of Monday a good chunk of cancelled tests come up that can be booked at a sooner date.2 -
Not sure if it's still the case but can you book an intensive course that includes the test at the end of it?0
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Had this problem recently. My advice is to check every few hours one day a week. I had one booked for months time, at 11am I moved it to 2 months and by lunchtime I had one in 2 weeks. My local test centre also holds back tests for a few weeks time so occasionally more just randomly become available. No one there knew why it happened0
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It seems wrong that people can profit by selling tests. Surely something can be done about this.3
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MuttleyCAFC said:It seems wrong that people can profit by selling tests. Surely something can be done about this.3
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carly burn said:What a sorry state of affairs this current bastion of the united kingdom is in.
Tests only available on a Monday morning at 6 am and an absolute bunfight to get your hands on one.
...... And if you do manage it you've got a 5-6 month wait for the actual test!
This country.1 -
Plaaayer said:carly burn said:What a sorry state of affairs this current bastion of the united kingdom is in.
Tests only available on a Monday morning at 6 am and an absolute bunfight to get your hands on one.
...... And if you do manage it you've got a 5-6 month wait for the actual test!
This country.2 -
Cheers all.
I've got the cancellation apps.
As @follett has said, I've already got a test booked for a different location but it's too far away. I went on this morning at 6 to change it but as fast as I clicked the available ones they've gone!
I'm hearing about these sell on tests for £200 a pop?
How is the system that broken that this can even happen?
Surely one provisional driving licence number one test allocation??
How the f**k can people be bulk buying these?
Add to the fact the likelihood of failure the first one or two times and I reckon my son will be closer to retirement before he gets his license.
It is an absolute joke3 - Sponsored links:
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Had no idea it was as bad as this, mine was donkeys years ago, how the hell does everything seem to go to hell in a handcart?, too many applicants, not enough examiners? Maybe change the system so the instructors make the test bookings.
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DVSA , not DVLA are responsible for driving test0
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Not quite on topic, but on the 23rd, it will be 37 years since I passed my test. Had a car sorted and waiting...just incase I passed. Didn't fancy my first drive out alone, so put our family dog in the front passenger seat and jumped in the drivers seat.....the look he gave me,if he could speak,was quite simply...
What the fuck are you doing 🤣
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I think they should have a group of all party MPs who should look at things like this, and when it is clear cut rubbish they can do something about it quickly. Them all agreeing would ensure something is rubbish. people buying tests to sell at a profit is rubbish. Who would argue with that?2
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Oh I’d never cope with that sort of thing. It was bad enough trying to get a test booked for BexleyHeath/Erith to avoid the certain fail of one in Sidcup in the 80s
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carly burn said:Cheers all.
I've got the cancellation apps.
As @follett has said, I've already got a test booked for a different location but it's too far away. I went on this morning at 6 to change it but as fast as I clicked the available ones they've gone!
I'm hearing about these sell on tests for £200 a pop?
How is the system that broken that this can even happen?
Surely one provisional driving licence number one test allocation??
How the f**k can people be bulk buying these?
Add to the fact the likelihood of failure the first one or two times and I reckon my son will be closer to retirement before he gets his license.
It is an absolute joke
It seems to be far too difficult for the DVSA to figure out..
It's impossible to get one because of these block bookers
Friend of mine is in contact with one of these sellers and he's constantly advertising them on WhatsApp. Literally hundreds of them all round London and the SE.
It's quite unbelievable.2 -
Bots.The same as people set up for big ticketed events, and even some golf course in USA.Then the bot master sells the product, in this case driving test, on for profit.I saw the DVLA are hiring and improving capacity for 2026 but they need a better IT team first.0
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I tried to book a test today. I was 9543rd in the queue. When I got in, none available anywhere, predictably. Shambles.0
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carly burn said:carly burn said:Cheers all.
I've got the cancellation apps.
As @follett has said, I've already got a test booked for a different location but it's too far away. I went on this morning at 6 to change it but as fast as I clicked the available ones they've gone!
I'm hearing about these sell on tests for £200 a pop?
How is the system that broken that this can even happen?
Surely one provisional driving licence number one test allocation??
How the f**k can people be bulk buying these?
Add to the fact the likelihood of failure the first one or two times and I reckon my son will be closer to retirement before he gets his license.
It is an absolute joke
It seems to be far too difficult for the DVLA to figure out..
It's impossible to get one because of these block bookers
Friend of mine is in contact with one of these sellers and he's constantly advertising them on WhatsApp. Literally hundreds of them all round London and the SE.
It's quite unbelievable.0 -
One provisional license. One test. It can't be that hard.3
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carly burn said:One provisional license. One test. It can't be that hard.
But could the bot bookers ask for a provisional licence upfront, knowing their method guarantees they will get a booking - but at least then then can't sell on to the highest bidder0 -
carly burn said:One provisional license. One test. It can't be that hard.0
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fenaddick said:carly burn said:One provisional license. One test. It can't be that hard.1
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PrincessFiona said:fenaddick said:carly burn said:One provisional license. One test. It can't be that hard.0
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fenaddick said:PrincessFiona said:fenaddick said:carly burn said:One provisional license. One test. It can't be that hard.1
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Having recently retired from the DVSA, the insight I can give
1, DE (Driving Examiners) morale is rock bottom. (Many on 2 year contract and reduced pensions entitlement)
2, Whole organisation is spending time dealing with online training with regards peoples rights issues.
3., Candidates presenting for test totally unprepared and inadequate training, ( Often driving instructors are little better than useless, because the enforcement side which regulates instructors has been run down, because of the cost of lesson candidates relying on relations/ friends to carry out instruction then present on the day of test in car without duel control and separate rear view mirror.) Also I have issued PG9 ( prohibitions) to car being presented as test cars for serious dangerous defects.The CEO Loveday Ryder has been a n absolute disaster , many senior management have been promoted not on merit but to fulfill quotas . I know of one person who is in charge of an whole “sector “ who started out as a Community Enforcement officer, now in charge of 250 + people and struggling badly, given “ in service support “1 -
usetobunkin said:Having recently retired from the DVSA, the insight I can give
1, DE (Driving Examiners) morale is rock bottom. (Many on 2 year contract and reduced pensions entitlement)
2, Whole organisation is spending time dealing with online training with regards peoples rights issues.
3., Candidates presenting for test totally unprepared and inadequate training, ( Often driving instructors are little better than useless, because the enforcement side which regulates instructors has been run down, because of the cost of lesson candidates relying on relations/ friends to carry out instruction then present on the day of test in car without duel control and separate rear view mirror.) Also I have issued PG9 ( prohibitions) to car being presented as test cars for serious dangerous defects.The CEO Loveday Ryder has been a n absolute disaster , many senior management have been promoted not on merit but to fulfill quotas . I know of one person who is in charge of an whole “sector “ who started out as a Community Enforcement officer, now in charge of 250 + people and struggling badly, given “ in service support “
It is quite obviously being abused and nobody seems to care? Makes me wonder if there is some sort of collusion going on?
I'm thinking of writing to my MP about it(for what good it will do) They are a government run (badly) department after all.2 -
It's one of those 'why does nothing work anymore' things, isn't it. I mean, organising driving tests shouldn't be beyond the capabilities of a western European country with a developed civil service infrastructure. But, no, we found a way to fuck it up.4
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How long for motorbike tests?0
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BrentfordAddick said:It's one of those 'why does nothing work anymore' things, isn't it. I mean, organising driving tests shouldn't be beyond the capabilities of a western European country with a developed civil service infrastructure. But, no, we found a way to fuck it up.1