Driving Test Advice

• One must provide one's own vehicle for the driving test. The Government does NOT provide cars at the test center to use in your driving test.

• If you do not have your car then you may be able to  hire a Driving School car that you may have taken lessons in, get insured in a friend/relatives car for the day to use in the driving test, or,  hire a car from one of many car rental companies.
  
  With the latter one has to present a note stating the car is insured for the purposes of taking the driving test to your driving tester. 

• Bring your Learner Permit, the notification (either printed email, text, or letter) you received from the Road Safety Authority, stating the venue, date & time of your driving test.
  
  
• Show up about 15 / 20 minutes before the test to park your car to your liking in the center ' car park. Then walk into the test centre waiting room if you are able.

• Wheelchair-bound people are allowed to wait in their car until the tester is called out to them by their; assistant.

• Before you go out in your car for the ' on the road' part of the test you will be asked a few theory questions and road signs.
  
  You will also have to sign a form stating that your car is roadworthy and that you are insured to drive it. Your Learner Permit will be checked in the office.

• Ensure your vehicle is roadworthy for the test. When the tester goes to your car the tester will check the insurance disc, motor tax disc, and NCT discs, (the latter if appropriate), on the car windscreen.
  
  Make sure the Insurance disc has a full green strip on the left of it or your test may not be conducted and you will lose your fee!!. The tester will then check the tyres, indicators (back and front) and brake lights on your vehicle.

• There must be an L-Sign on the car front and rear - i.e. L in red with a white background.

• One may be asked to explain how a check would be performed on the engine's Coolant level, the car's Steering (via the Steering fluid level or electronic dash light, and/or by driving feel), the engines Brakes (via the Brake fluid level), the engines oil level, the windscreen wash fluid level, the condition of the tyres and/or the car reflectors.
  
  Click on the video above for an example of such checks.

• One may also be asked how do you know that an indicator bulb is blown. The answer is the indicator light on the dashboard in the car flashes very fast when an indicator bulb is blown

• Also, how would you check your tyres? The answer is tyres are good when they are at the correct pressure (as per Manufacturer's specification normally written on the sidewall of the tyre and/or in the Owner's Manual Folder for that car) when they have no visual defects such as cut's, tear's, bulges or have wire showing, and finally, the thread depth has to be at least 1.6mm.

• Finally one is likely to be asked to show how the secondary controls in one's car work before one leaves the test centre.
  
  

  
  These secondary controls are the wipers, all lights, air conditioning controls, back window heats, etc. One should, therefore, know how to demonstrate the operation of these such controls. Click on the video above for an example of such checks:

Below is a map of where the Driving Test Centre Cork is located on Sarsfield Road, Wilton.

If your driving test does not go ahead you may be entitled to compensation from the Road Safety Authority, Click here for full details.

To get an estimate as to when your driving test will occur click here.

Driving on the Road

• Entering any Junction or Roundabout always look around, (e.g. at a Green Traffic Light. Remember only proceed at a green light if it is safe to proceed.)

• Drive approximately mid-way in the lane you are in on the straight and on bends when safe to do so.

• Give clearance of approximately one door's width to parked vehicles when passing them.

• Always look (i.e. a quick glance) in the mirrors at regular intervals (e.g. every 12-15 seconds) when travelling straight along the road.

• Always keep within 45 Centimeter's (or 1.5 feet) of the kerb or edge of the road when pulling in to stop at the side of the road to do a turnabout, hill start and the reverse around a corner.
  
  Be within 45 Centimeter's of the kerb and parallel to the Kerb when finished the reversing around the corner also.

• When pulling off from the hill start, at the start of the turnabout (1st point only) and after reversing around a corner always remember to check your

   

  mirrors, signal and look over your right shoulder (to check your blind spot) before taking off from the (left) side of the road.

• Give right of way to pedestrians waiting to cross at pedestrian crossings, zebra crossings or if they have started to cross at a junction one is at.

• For any left/right turn on the road always look (i.e. with a quick glance) in your mirrors (M), signal (S) and take up your position if safe to do so in good time.
  
  For left turns, stay as close as possible to the kerb. Do not swing wide.
  For right turns, go to the centre of the road/junction before turning the steering wheel when safe to turn only!.
  
  Check your wing mirror (M) again just before the manoeuvre (M) is done.

• Be travelling in second gear, off the clutch, coming up to a roundabout or left / right turn. If one has to stop 1st gear should be chosen until it is safe to go.

• One should ideally try to stop the car in second gear at a red traffic light, at a stop sign or on the side of the road if time allows. In an emergency just STOP in any gear!!!

  • For a stop sign, stop and put the car into 1st gear - ready to go when safe.

  • For a red traffic light, the handbrake should be on until the green light comes on. Then take off in first gear. (Leave the car in first gear at a red light if one is near the front of the queue, otherwise neutral, N, may be chosen).

• On the test route, one is required to demonstrate hand signals in the testers office or in the car for going left, right and straight ahead to a pointsman (e.g. a garda) and to the following traffic.
  
  Also, one will be required to reverse around a corner, do a turnabout on the road and a hill start.

• Never beckon anyone on during the test. It is not a safe thing to do.

• If you are clearly beckoned on by someone else, you should go only if it is safe for you to go. In other words, look before you leap.

• During Covid-19 times the driving tester may step out of the car to observe you doing the reverse around the corner.

• Always drive SAFELY!!!. - GOOD LUCK.

During your test when driving on the road focus and concentrate completely on your driving, not on the driving tester examining your driving.

Listen carefully to each instruction for every individual task the tester sets you.

Follow that instruction as best you can, do the task. Then forget that task as soon as you have it completed, whether you thought you did it well or not. Keep focusing ahead. Try not to lose the plot, i.e. passing your driving test!!!

Click Driving Test Theory Questions & Answers to purchase for €3 a sample of common theory questions people are asked on the day of a driving test. Possible answers are also given. There are four FREE bonus aids to passing your driving test here too. (Then save/download your PDF File when it shows after checkout).

If you would like to see FREE sketches of the ROUNDABOUNT'S that are driven through in the driving test in Wilton, Cork, (i.e. the Wilton Roundabout, the Bandon Road Roundabout and the Sarsfield Road Roundabout,) the three of them are also scattered around this website here and there too if you wish to hunt for them! See our sitemap for a listing of our website pages.

Also, see us on YouTube. We have a large number of FREE video tutorial's on many aspect's of driving, i.e. driving lessons, driving test, driving assessments, useful driving accessories, etc.

You are strongly urged to read the Checklist For Your Driving Test that the Road Safety Authority send you. This details all of what is required from the car you present with for the test. Do not overlook this.

 Content edited by Caoimhghin Whyte