Five driving test 'tricks' examiners don't tell you, according to expert

A driving instructor has shared a number of "insider tips" for anyone learning to drive this year.

Josh Ramwell shares advice as a professional driving instructor on YouTube as Josh The Driving Instructor, having racked up over 29k subscribers on the site. Josh recently shared advice for anyone aiming to pass their test in 2025, giving his top tips on how to succeed.

First up, Josh said the best thing to do is to try to understand exactly how driving examiners think. He said: "It's really important for our minds that we don't see the driving test examiner as the enemy because it completely changes our perspective of the driving test."

He added that keeping a postive mindset makes all the difference as "negativity feeds negativity." He said: "If you're thinking negatively now, that the examiner is a bad guy and they're out to get you you're just going to feed into more anxiety, more nerves, which is going to feed into more mistakes and the best way to change this is shift your mindset the examiner is your friend not your enemy."

Next, Josh said "the most effective tip" he can give is called Commentary Driving. He said: "It just means talking out loud while you're driving." He added that doing this as you drive "forces your brain to stay present and to stop daydreaming" and will help the examiner with not having to guess at what you're doing.

Third, Josh said he encourages the "no stopping game," which helps avoid "erratic" or "very very late" braking. To do this, he advises looking "as far ahead down the road as you can." He added: "That's the real golden rule, you won't be able to do this if you aren't looking down the road."

The process simply helps you slow down early enough that your braking is smooth and doesn't jolt the car - and the examiner - when you come to a stop at red lights. He added: "It's going to show the examiner you've got really good awareness looking down the road and because you've got really good awareness you can then plan better, because you can plan your speed out and anticipate the light's going to change. It's going to make you a far better driver."

Josh also advises learner drivers to "stop trying to guess the speed limit." Instead, he has a technique drivers can use to always know the speed limit - and claims using it means "your chances of passing will skyrocket."

He said: "Here's how you figure out the speed limit without seeing a sign - street lights equal 30 mph, no street lights equals national speed limit, 60 mph on a single carriageway (so single road), 70 mph on a dual carriageway, meaning dual road, two roads solid barrier in the middle motorway etc."

For country roads, Josh highlighted that faster rural roads are typically wide with clear road markings, pavements, and no sharp, hidden bends, while slower rural roads are narrow, lack pavements and markings, have tall hedges, and many blind bends.

Josh added that it is good to remember that the speed limit is a limit, not a target. If a road is dangerous, you should drive well below the posted limit. Driving too slowly on a fast, open road, however, can also be a fault on your driving test as it can encourage other drivers to make dangerous overtaking maneuvers.