Before you can start to learn to drive, you will need a provisional driving licence. You can apply for your provisional driving licence up to three months before your 17th birthday.

Your instructor will need to check your provisional licence (both the photocard and the paper part) on your first lesson and will carry out a short eyesight test, by asking you to read a number plate from approximately 20.5 meters.

To hold a full UK Driving licence you must pass both a theory and a practical driving test.

You may take your theory test from the age of 17 years, but you have to pass this before you can book your practical driving test. To book a theory test online you will need a UK driving licence number and a debit/credit card for payment. Slater's School of Driving offers free theory test coaching.

The theory test consists of two sections, both of which must be passed on the same occasion:

• Part One - Multiple Choice
  For this section you will use a touch screen computer which tests your knowledge of the Highway Code. A question and selection of answers will appear onscreen. You have to select the correct answer to the question by touching the screen. Some questions may require more than one answer. You can 'flag' questions that you want to come back to later.
  
  You must answer correctly at least 43 out of 50 questions in 57 minutes.
• Part Two - Hazard Perception
  For this section you will be shown 14 video clips which feature every day road scenes, these test your ability to identify as quickly as possible developing hazards on the video clips. In each clip there’ll be at least one developing hazard, but one of the clips will feature two developing hazards. The hazard perception part records your responses through the use of a computer mouse button. You won’t be able to review your answers to the hazard perception test; as on the road, you’ll only have one chance to respond to the developing hazard.
  
  You must score at least 44 out of 75.

On the day of your test it is normal to have a short lesson before the test, to get you driving comfortably and to settle any last minute nerves.

Before the test begins the examiner will carry out a short eyesight test, by asking you to read a number plate from approximately 20.5 meters. They will then ask you some safety - show/tell questions, which are basic safety checks that a driver should carry out to ensure the vehicle is safe for use. Some checks may involve the Candidate to open the bonnet to identify where fluid levels would be checked, pupils will not be asked to touch a hot engine or physically check fluid levels. Your instructor will cover these with you in plenty of time before your test.

The Test
The test itself lasts between 35 - 45 minutes. The examiner will want you to drive safely and competently in various road and traffic conditions. You will be asked to perform two or three manoeuvres:

• A reverse parking exercise (either a parallel park behind a parked car, or a bay reverse)
• Turn in the road
• A left-hand reverse around a corner
• The examiner may also ask you to perform an emergency stop exercise

During the test you are allowed to make up to 15 driving (minor) faults; you are not allowed to make a serious or a dangerous fault.

During your lessons, you will do one or more ‘mock tests’, to help you get used to driving under test conditions.

'The Official Driving Test' book, published by The Stationary Office, sets out the full syllabus and explains the test in more detail.