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Your bus and lorry practical test will include

At the beginning of the test, you will be asked some vehicle safety questions. You will be examined on your practical road driving ability and some off-road exercises. The test will last about 90 minutes.

The off-road exercises will include:

During your practical road driving, the examiner will observe how you:

• use the vehicle controls
• move away at an angle, uphill and downhill
• conduct a braking exercise
• use the mirrors
• give appropriate signals
• show awareness and anticipation of other road users intentions
• manage your progress and control your vehicle speed
• deal with hazards
• select a safe place to stop

Vehicle safety questions for lorries and buses

These are basic safety checks that a driver should carry out to ensure the vehicle is safe for use. Some checks may involve you opening the bonnet to indicate where fluid levels would be checked.

It is acceptable for you to refer to the vehicle information system (if fitted) when answering questions on fluid levels or tyre pressures. For a list of the safety questions you could be asked in your driving test, click on the relevant vehicle safety questions link below.

• Download 'Vehicle safety questions for buses and lorries' (PDF, 21K) Opens new window

• Download 'Vehicle safety questions for buses and lorries with trailers' (PDF, 18K) Opens new window

• Help with PDF files

Practical road driving

During the driving test the examiner will give you directions which you should follow. Test routes are designed to be as uniform as possible and will include a range of typical road and traffic conditions.

Your practical driving test will include approximately ten minutes of independent driving. This is designed to assess your ability to drive safely while making decisions independently.

• Independent driving and riding section of the practical test

Any more than 15 driving faults will result in failure. However, if you commit one serious or dangerous fault you will fail the test. If at any time your examiner considers you to be a danger to other road users your test will be stopped.

• Reporting for your practical test

• Special needs and the practical driving test

• Minimum test vehicle requirements for buses and lorries

Taking someone with you on your test

The Driving Standards Agency (DSA) encourages you to take someone with you on your driving test. To get the most benefit from this, it would be sensible to ask your instructor to go with you. Any person accompanying you on test must be at least 16 years of age.

When the driving test has ended, you can call your instructor over if they didn't go with you on your test.

The examiner will tell you whether you passed or failed and will explain how you did during the test. If you fail, you must wait three working days (this includes Saturday) before you can take the test again.

Driving test standards

All examiners are trained to carry out the test to the same standard, they do not have pass or fail quotas. So as long as you demonstrate the standard required you will pass your driving test.

When driving tests are cancelled or stopped

Sometimes DSA has to cancel or stop driving tests because of things like bad weather or vehicle problems. Find out what happens if your test is cancelled or stopped, and what you need to do when there's bad weather.

• Driving tests: cancelled or stopped tests and bad weather

More useful links

• Driving a minibus

• Driving passenger carrying vehicles (PCV) on a car driving licence

• Driving test fees

• Subscribe to Driving Standards Agency email alerts

• Vehicles you can drive and how old you must be to drive them

• Your driving conduct for larger vehicles, minibuses or buses