[dart in the crossbar]

My lad is trying to book a driving test. It's nigh on impossible to get a booking by the look of it. Has anyone managed to do this or got any tips etc. TIA.

[Search & Destroy]

There?s an APP you can pay for that lets you know cancellations

Going ours pretty quickly

Or once you?ve got one booked just check every couple of hours for cancellations on the DVLA website

They come up all the time, more chance if you consider looking at other test centres, eg if you are in Chesterfield then check out Worksop and Ashfield

This post has been edited by Search & Destroy: 10 March 2025 - 11:44 AM

[dart in the crossbar]

Search & Destroy, on 10 March 2025 - 11:41 AM, said:

There?s an APP you can pay for that lets you know cancellations

Going ours pretty quickly

Or once you?ve got one booked just check every couple of hours for cancellations on the DVLA website

They come up all the time, more chance if you consider looking at other test centres, eg if you are in Chesterfield then check out Worksop and Ashfield

thanks - which App did you use?

[ash_cfc]

dart in the crossbar, on 10 March 2025 - 08:54 AM, said:

My lad is trying to book a driving test. It's nigh on impossible to get a booking by the look of it. Has anyone managed to do this or got any tips etc. TIA.

From talking to a family member who recently passed, he found it impossible booking one in his home centre. He did his lessons in Slough (having moved over from Texas), but managed to get a test in Scunthorpe.

[s42blue]

dart in the crossbar, on 10 March 2025 - 12:35 PM, said:

thanks - which App did you use?

Msgd.

[Spireite1969]

The question that needs to be asked here is, do we still blame the lack of test availability on the post-pandemic backlog?

The main factors driving this are the use of bots and misuse of the booking service where tests are booked in bulk using people?s licence details, then swapping details when a booked test date is approaching for the unscrupulous operators to sell said test slots at a premium. This would be less of a problem if there wasn?t the sheer amount of people willing to feed into their business model. The more these people create a system where there appears to be no tests, the more people will rush to panic book, in many cases being nowhere near the required standard. It wouldn?t be anywhere near as bad if booking behaviour was the same as it was before the pandemic. You could question if it?s down to misguided desperation, self-entitlement, or both.

Examiners are being recruited, but it takes time to train them. Even if they?re offered a position they may fail the training, or not get through the probationary period. Factor in retirements and other natural wastage, the net increase in examiner numbers is relatively slow.

The difficulty we have as instructors is that we now have to gauge when a pupil is going to be ready based on waiting times, rather than when we could simply book when someone reaches the required standard.

[Search & Destroy]

If you have a future test booked then check here every few hours or leave it open on your browser

https://www.gov.uk/change-driving-test

[dart in the crossbar]

Spireite1969, on 10 March 2025 - 08:46 PM, said:

The question that needs to be asked here is, do we still blame the lack of test availability on the post-pandemic backlog?

The main factors driving this are the use of bots and misuse of the booking service where tests are booked in bulk using people?s licence details, then swapping details when a booked test date is approaching for the unscrupulous operators to sell said test slots at a premium. This would be less of a problem if there wasn?t the sheer amount of people willing to feed into their business model. The more these people create a system where there appears to be no tests, the more people will rush to panic book, in many cases being nowhere near the required standard. It wouldn?t be anywhere near as bad if booking behaviour was the same as it was before the pandemic. You could question if it?s down to misguided desperation, self-entitlement, or both.

Examiners are being recruited, but it takes time to train them. Even if they?re offered a position they may fail the training, or not get through the probationary period. Factor in retirements and other natural wastage, the net increase in examiner numbers is relatively slow.

The difficulty we have as instructors is that we now have to gauge when a pupil is going to be ready based on waiting times, rather than when we could simply book when someone reaches the required standard.

Understood. And not having a pop but...

The problem is that he could take a stand against the driving schools that (allegedly) get learners to book a test as soon as they sign up - then teem and ladle the tests to suit their other students, refuse to use a paid-for app, organise a demo, lobby his MP and the like. He'd be begging lifts and getting public transport if any journeys were required for any of these things though.

Seems to me that a government that appears concerned that very many 18-25 year olds aren't in work might want to make it viable for 18 - 25 year olds to book a driving test so that they are better able to get to work. (He does work and gets lifts, public transport etc to get there, btw). For those who have no recent experience of this - the government's system shows literally no tests available at any times on any dates at any East Midlands test centres for the next 24 weeks. And that is an ongoing situation, it would appear.

It shouldn't be too hard to closedown anything other than the official booking system and to employ more testers, I'd have thought. (When my lad did his theory test there was 1 tester working at the large, city centre test centre on that day. 3 testers were either absent or training on that day)

[Search & Destroy]

This is a portion of the email my son received when they cancelled his test the day before it was due!


We can't conduct your Car test on Tuesday 26/09/2023 at 08:10 at Worksop due to your driving examiner no longer being available. I am sorry for any inconvenience this might cause you.

We've now booked your test for
Monday 19/02/2024 at 09:07

Test centre
Worksop
Driving Test Centre Worksop
Unit 4, The Point
Coach Road
Shireoaks
S81 8BW

[Spireite1969]

dart in the crossbar, on 11 March 2025 - 10:03 AM, said:

Understood. And not having a pop but...

The problem is that he could take a stand against the driving schools that (allegedly) get learners to book a test as soon as they sign up - then teem and ladle the tests to suit their other students, refuse to use a paid-for app, organise a demo, lobby his MP and the like. He'd be begging lifts and getting public transport if any journeys were required for any of these things though.

Seems to me that a government that appears concerned that very many 18-25 year olds aren't in work might want to make it viable for 18 - 25 year olds to book a driving test so that they are better able to get to work. (He does work and gets lifts, public transport etc to get there, btw). For those who have no recent experience of this - the government's system shows literally no tests available at any times on any dates at any East Midlands test centres for the next 24 weeks. And that is an ongoing situation, it would appear.

It shouldn't be too hard to closedown anything other than the official booking system and to employ more testers, I'd have thought. (When my lad did his theory test there was 1 tester working at the large, city centre test centre on that day. 3 testers were either absent or training on that day)

Between October 2023 and March 2024 they shored up the examiner numbers with warrant card holders. By this I mean people who work for the DVSA who normally work in other roles but are qualified to conduct tests. This had a positive impact on availability in some but not all test centres. This couldn’t go on forever because some of these were examiners who conduct ADI standards checks and qualifying tests for new instructors, for which there’s also a backlog.

As instructors we’ve been making the same noises, as it’s having an effect on how we run our businesses. We can only give opinions, but it’s ultimately down to the DVSA and the government to find solutions.

[Spireite1969]

Search & Destroy, on 11 March 2025 - 04:38 PM, said:

This is a portion of the email my son received when they cancelled his test the day before it was due!


We can't conduct your Car test on Tuesday 26/09/2023 at 08:10 at Worksop due to your driving examiner no longer being available. I am sorry for any inconvenience this might cause you.

We've now booked your test for
Monday 19/02/2024 at 09:07

Test centre
Worksop
Driving Test Centre Worksop
Unit 4, The Point
Coach Road
Shireoaks
S81 8BW

The test slots are released based on the examiners usual working days. This has always happened because they don’t always have cover for sickness and absenteeism. It can’t always be helped but I do feel for the test candidates that this happens to.

[Search & Destroy]

Spireite1969, on 11 March 2025 - 07:56 PM, said:

The test slots are released based on the examiners usual working days. This has always happened because they don’t always have cover for sickness and absenteeism. It can’t always be helped but I do feel for the test candidates that this happens to.

Cancelled the day before and new date 5 months later!

[Mr Mercury]

No real help in getting a test date but this article seems to explain why it’s become so difficult.

https://news.sky.com...g-test-13339039

[Spireite1969]

Mr Mercury, on 05 April 2025 - 07:47 AM, said:

No real help in getting a test date but this article seems to explain why it’s become so difficult.

https://news.sky.com...g-test-13339039

I hope that whatever this consultation concludes will lead to more radical and positive action to deal with the problem. I get round it to some degree by booking the tests when the syllabus has been covered, meaning that by the time the test comes around, the learner should then be at the required standard. That works well for the majority who pass on their first attempt; it’s when a second test is needed that it becomes an issue.

[dart in the crossbar]

thanks. My lad eventually managed to book a test online. It is ages away in terms of time and also not nearby. Hopefully he'll be able to use his booking number to get hold of a cancellation nearer in both ways.

It is poor.