How To Pass Your Driving Test The First Time

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This post is all about how I passed my driving test on the first try and how you can too.

woman smiling because she passed her driving test the first time

My driving journey started with a creeping feeling of anxiety and butterflies in my stomach.

So, how did I go from that to being the first in my family to pass the driving test THE FIRST time??

It all started with getting over the fear of learning how to drive/ starting driving lessons (which I talk all about in this post).

And then, once I was in driving lessons, I used the following tips to ace my driving test.

I’m convinced that if you follow these tips, you stand a pretty good chance of passing on your first try as well!

Or, if you’ve already done the test but weren’t successful, you can also apply these tips to increase your chances of passing the next time, so stick around!

Below is exactly how I did it, and how you can do it too.

But first, a disclaimer.

Disclaimer

I won’t lie: passing your driving test on the first try is a flex, but it’s definitely not a necessity.

Yes, I felt super proud of myself when I passed, especially because of my anxious beginnings, but I’d have felt just as proud had it been my second, third, or even sixth attempt.

Why?

Because passing your driving test is a big deal, no matter how many times you’ve done it.

What matters most is that you’re learning the necessary skills and knowledge that it takes to drive confidently and safely on the road.

The ultimate goal is passing, not passing on the first try.

So don’t feel too bad about it if it doesn’t work out like you hope, the first time ♡

That being said, let’s get into it.

How To Pass Your Driving Test The First Time

1. Be consistent

Consistency is always the key to success.

It doesn’t matter if you practice driving all day on Wednesday if you won’t touch the steering wheel again until Sunday, three weeks later.

If you want to pass your driving test and you want to pass it the first time, you’ve got to know your stuff.

And honestly, when it comes to driving, the only way to truly know your stuff is to practice [the right thing], as often as possible.

Here’s why.

Frequent practice reduces the chances that you’ll forget what you’ve learned. Instead, it allows your brain to get so familiar with what you learn that it eventually becomes second nature.

Think of it like a song.

The first time you hear it, you might really like it, but you won’t know the words!
The second or third time you hear it, you’ll probably know the first line, parts of the chorus, and a couple of words and catchy phrases from the verses here and there.
By the twentieth time you hear the song, you’ll probably remember all the words and be able to recall them to sing along.
In ten years, you’ll be singing without even thinking about the words! That’s why we can remember the theme songs from our favourite childhood TV shows.

Now think about this: who will learn a song faster?

Someone who listens to it 20 times on repeat one night? Or someone who listens to it once a week for 20 weeks?

If you answered the first, then you’re absolutely right!

So when it comes to driving practice, it’s not just practicing a lot, but practicing often.

This helps to quickly build skill, knowledge, AND confidence.

2. Take notes

While many factors contributed to my passing my driving test on the first try, I will bet my last dollar that taking notes made the biggest difference.

I will say it again and again: TAKE NOTES!

I go into more detail about why and how you should take driving notes in this post, but here’s a simple version that you can start right after your next driving lesson:

Once your driving lesson is complete, pull out your phone (or a notebook) and write down:

Everything you learned in that lesson (step by step)
Every mistake you made during that lesson

Somewhere, you should also keep a list of all your weaknesses. (I explain the difference between weaknesses and mistakes in the full post, here.)

Having to take notes after every lesson does a couple of great things.

First, it causes you to be mindful throughout your lesson because you know you’ll need to write everything down later.

Second, it engages a powerful learning technique called active recall. This is basically a process where your knowledge is strengthened by you trying to pull it from memory.

Third, it reminds you of your mistakes and weaknesses.

Sometimes you want to forget those things because they make you feel bad, but remembering them is really the way to go!

It causes you to be aware, which means you’re less likely to repeat them.

Lastly, writing has been proven to help with memory, which is exactly what you want.

Now, writing is great, but you don’t just stop there.

The next step is to review what you’ve written. I found it helpful to review my notes before my next lesson and, of course, before my driving test.

3. Don’t rush things

It’s important that you know that, on average, it takes 45–50 hours of professional driving lessons and at least 20 hours of private practice to learn to drive.

If you do two lessons a week, that’s roughly about 4 to 6 months of consistent effort to reach test-ready level — especially if you’re also getting extra practice in between.

For me? It took 8 months, which includes a month-long break in between.

At the time, I was not happy that it was taking me so long, but looking back, I can imagine that my test results may have been different had I done it a couple of months sooner.

You definitely don’t have to take as long as I did.

But here’s the thing: trying to rush your test before hitting those average hours is kind of like taking a final exam halfway through the semester — you might technically be allowed to, but you’re probably not going to ace it.

Some places even track your practice hours.

For example, in states like California, teen drivers are required to log at least 50 hours of supervised practice before they’re eligible for the driving test.

And in Australia, many states require 120 logged hours for learner drivers under a certain age.

Even if your country or state doesn’t have a mandatory practice log, your nerves will tell on you if you’re underprepared.

So instead of focusing on how fast you can finish, focus on how well you can drive under pressure, in different conditions, and without panicking when you have to do a three-point turn.

The truth is, learning to drive isn’t a race — it’s a safety skill.

And sometimes, giving yourself a little more time can be the reason you pass on your first try.

4. Practice the test routes

Depending on where you live, there are usually a few go-to routes that driving examiners like to use during the test.

And this is why it’s so important to have a good driving instructor: mine didn’t just teach his students all the necessary driving skills; he also made sure we regularly practiced the exact routes the examiners liked to use.

Lucky me!

Getting familiar with those streets, intersections, and tricky turns meant I wasn’t thrown off by the test location.

I knew where stop signs liked to hide, where that weird roundabout was, and where they’d likely ask me to pull over or do a maneuver.

I even knew what maneuver they were likely to ask for!

If you can, ask your instructor if you can spend some of your lesson time on the most common test routes.

If that’s not possible, ask friends, family, or anyone you feel comfortable speaking to what route their examiner took and what they were asked to do.

You’ll probably start noticing a pattern—certain roads, neighborhoods, or maneuvers show up over and over again.

This knowledge is gold.

You can then do mock tests in those areas or even visualize driving those routes in your head.

That way, instead of going into the test with sweaty palms and “where are we even going?” energy, you’ll be like, “Pffft – I’ve driven this road three times already!”

That’s exactly how I felt — and it made all the difference.

5. Get enough sleep

This is for you, yes, you reading this at 3 am.

There’s a reason driving when tired is literally dangerous.

You know this!

So why act like it doesn’t apply on test day?

Even if you’re like me and haven’t consistently been to bed before 10 pm in years, make a special effort to start winding down earlier, especially the night before your driving test.

Trust me: the exhausted version of myself would have failed.

Getting a solid 8 hours of sleep, ideally starting before 11 pm, will not only make you look better but it will also make you more alert, help you focus, aid in recalling the steps required for each maneuver, and reduce anxiety.

Basically, sleep is your secret superpower for test day.

And no, coffee isn’t a replacement for a good night’s rest.

Evening Prep That Actually Helps…

Here’s a simple but effective routine for the night before your test:

Get ready for bed early – your full routine and set an alarm for the next day!
Lay out your outfit (something comfy) and gather your test documents (permit, ID, etc. Do your research to find out what you need to walk with.
Skim your driving notes: not to cram, just to refresh. Visualize yourself nailing each maneuver.
Calm your nerves with prayer, affirmations, or gentle self-talk while lying in bed with the lights out.
Let yourself sleep. You’ve got this!

6. Be early

Nothing quadruples stress and anxiety like running late.

It throws you off completely, and those first few (crucial) minutes are spent trying to shake off the buzz and embarrassment of being late, instead of focusing on your test.

If you’ve ever been late for an important event before, you know exactly what I mean.

Save yourself the added anxiety by making an effort to be at least 15 minutes early for your exam.

That buffer gives you enough time to get settled, understand any procedures, skim your notes, say a prayer, run through affirmations, or even mentally rehearse a few maneuvers before you’re called in.

7. Reduce anxiety

I would be lying if I said that on the day of my driving exam, I got into the vehicle, looked at my driving examiner confidently, and said, “Let’s do this, baby!”.

Oh no.

Absolutely not.

Although I had successfully overcome the anxiety of starting driving lessons, I still felt like everyone else before my driving exam: anxious and timid, with butterflies in my stomach.

The truth is: anxiety before your driving exam is totally normal, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try to do anything about it.

Back then, prayer and a few affirmations worked wonders for me.

Now, I know sooo many more ways to reduce anxiety – and they’re backed by science – that I could have included to help me feel even more in control.

Related: How To Reduce Anxiety Before Your Driving Test

If your hands are sweating just thinking about the test, you’re not alone. The good news is: you can calm yourself down.

And, the calmer you are, the clearer you’ll think – and the better you’ll drive.

8. Take your time

Finally, on the day of my driving test, I reminded myself to slow down, on purpose.

If I’m being honest, my driving instructor would often tell me I was going too fast during our lessons, so I took the constructive criticism and made sure I didn’t make that mistake on test day.

So no, I didn’t try to go fast to ‘impress’ the examiner.

News flash: they won’t be impressed.

What does impress them? Control, awareness, and staying within the recommended speed limits for student drivers (which may vary depending on where you live).

Taking my time allowed me to process what the examiner was asking and respond with intention.

So when he asked me to take the third exit at the next roundabout, I had time to visualize the roundabout and think about which exit that would be.

Had I been going too fast, I would have reached the roundabout a few moments later and probably have taken the wrong exit.

Taking my time also allowed me to have the best control over the vehicle – which is something driving examiners are actually impressed by.

Going too fast does the opposite: it leads to silly mistakes, makes you look like an unsafe driver, and stresses you out.

So take your time.

On purpose.

One More Thing…

Like I said before, passing your driving test on the first try is a nice to have – a great to have – but it is far from a must-have.

It doesn’t define your ability to be a good driver.

It doesn’t mean you’re behind if you need to take it again.

And it definitely doesn’t mean you failed at life.

Some people need a second try. Or a third. Or a tenth!

What matters is that you keep going, keep practicing, and keep building confidence behind the wheel.

Because trust me – the moment you finally pass feels amazing, no matter how many tries it takes.