Driver theory practice
Rules of the road: United Kingdom
Twenty questions on driving in the UK. Miles not kilometres, red triangles not yellow diamonds, the red X on the motorway, and the two different alcohol limits either side of the Scottish border.
20 questions, about 18 minutes, and free. You get the right answer and the reason after every question.
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Revision
Every question and answer, written out
Read them, learn them, then come back and take the test.
The basics
Speed limit signs in the UK are in:
The answer: miles per hour
The UK uses mph. If you have been driving in the Republic of Ireland, everything on the sign just changed unit.
Signs
Warning signs in the UK are usually:
The answer: red-bordered triangles
Red-bordered triangles warn. Circles order, and blue circles give a positive instruction such as "turn left".
Speed limits
The national speed limit for a car on a single carriageway is:
The answer: 60 mph
Sixty on a single carriageway, seventy on a dual carriageway or motorway, thirty in a built-up area unless signed otherwise.
A goods vehicle over 7.5 tonnes on a single carriageway in England and Wales is limited to:
The answer: 50 mph
Fifty on a single carriageway, sixty on a dual carriageway and sixty on a motorway. Scotland is lower again on single carriageways.
A goods vehicle over 7.5 tonnes on a motorway is limited to:
The answer: 60 mph
Sixty mph is the legal limit. Many vehicles are also mechanically limited to around 56 mph, which is a different thing.
Alcohol and drugs
The blood alcohol limit for driving in England, Wales and Northern Ireland is:
The answer: 80 mg per 100 ml
Eighty in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Scotland is lower at fifty. If you drive for a living, treat the limit as zero.
The blood alcohol limit in Scotland is:
The answer: 50 mg per 100 ml
Scotland is fifty. A driver running from Carlisle to Glasgow crosses between two different limits.
Motorways
A red X above a motorway lane means:
The answer: the lane is closed and you must not drive in it
A red X closes the lane. There may be a broken-down vehicle or a person in it. Driving through one is an offence and it is enforced by camera.
On a motorway with a hard shoulder, you may drive on the hard shoulder:
The answer: in an emergency, or when signs show it is open as a running lane
Emergencies, or where signs specifically open it. On some smart motorways the hard shoulder becomes a running lane when signed.
You break down on a motorway. You should:
The answer: get out on the left, get behind the barrier and call for help
Leave by the left-hand door, get behind the barrier, then call. Sitting in a vehicle on the hard shoulder is one of the most dangerous places on the network.
Junctions
At a mini-roundabout you should:
The answer: give way to traffic on the right and pass round the circle
Treat it like a roundabout. Give way to the right and go round the marking, not over it, where the vehicle allows.
Road markings
Double white lines with a solid line on your side mean:
The answer: you must not cross or straddle the lines except in limited cases
A solid line on your side means do not cross it, except to pass a stationary obstruction, a cyclist, a horse or a road maintenance vehicle travelling at 10 mph or less.
Zig-zag lines either side of a zebra crossing mean:
The answer: no overtaking and no parking
No overtaking the leading vehicle and no parking, so the crossing stays visible.
Vehicles and documents
A vehicle test certificate for a car in the UK is called:
The answer: the MOT
The MOT. The NCT and CVRT are the Irish equivalents for cars and commercial vehicles.
Behaviour
Using a hand-held phone while driving in the UK is:
The answer: an offence, including when stopped in traffic
It is an offence to hold and use a phone while driving, including while stopped at lights or in a queue.
The emergency number in the UK is:
The answer: 999 or 112
Both work. 101 is the police non-emergency number.
You are stopped by police and cannot produce your licence. You:
The answer: may be required to produce it at a police station within seven days
You can normally be required to produce documents at a station within seven days.
The test
The DVSA theory test has two parts. They are:
The answer: multiple choice and hazard perception
Multiple choice questions and a video hazard perception test. You must pass both parts in the same sitting.
Working in the UK
For a UK Skilled Worker visa, English is proved by:
The answer: an approved Secure English Language Test, or another accepted route
Only an approved SELT provider counts: Trinity College London, the IELTS SELT Consortium, LANGUAGECERT, Pearson or PSI Services (UK) Ltd. Some applicants qualify another way, for example a degree taught in English. Our practice test is preparation, not proof.
Licences
Before you drive in the UK on a foreign licence, the safest thing to do is:
The answer: check the current rules for your country on GOV.UK, because they differ by licence and vehicle type
How long you may drive on a foreign licence, and whether it can be exchanged, depends on where it was issued and what you are driving. GOV.UK is the page that counts, and we confirm your position in writing before you travel.
The real thing
The official test
Book and study on the body's own site. Their question bank is much bigger than ours and theirs is the one that counts.
Know where you stand
Your rights at work, and who to call if something is wrong
What you are owed in Ireland and in the UK, in plain language, with the phone number of the body that enforces it. Free, and it applies whether you came through us or not.