🔧 Questions you need to know before the test
Cockpit drill, tyres, lights, hand controls and engine-bay checks, plus likely "show and tell" questions with model answers.
Before you drive off, the examiner asks you two vehicle safety questions. Our instructor's list covers exactly these topics. Don't just memorise them — practise so you can show them on the car.
Cockpit drill (DSSSM)
- D – Doors: are all doors fully closed? Check the door warning light on the dashboard.
- S – Seat: with the clutch pressed fully down your knee is still slightly bent; your back is against the seat and your wrists reach the top of the wheel. Head restraint level with your ears.
- S – Steering: height and reach comfortable; can you see the instruments?
- S – Seatbelt: fastened, not twisted, across the middle of your shoulder.
- M – Mirrors: interior mirror shows the whole rear window; door mirrors show a sliver of your car's side with the horizon in the middle.
Before starting the engine: handbrake on, gear in neutral. A car started in gear can jump forward.
Tyres
- Cracks and bulges ("baubles"): look at the sidewall. A bulge means the internal structure is damaged; the tyre can burst.
- Tread depth: at least 1.6 mm, across the central 3/4 of the tyre and around the whole circumference. Look at the tread-wear indicators.
- Air pressure: on our instructor's car, for example, 30 psi front and 28 psi rear. But every car is different — check the manufacturer's handbook or the sticker on the driver's door frame.
- Check pressures weekly, in the morning when the tyres are cold, with a gauge (at the pump or a hand gauge). Warm tyres give a falsely high reading.
Lights
| Light | When |
|---|---|
| Side lamps | To be seen in light dusk; they don't light the road on their own |
| Dipped headlights | From 30 min after sunset to 30 min before sunrise, in poor visibility, in tunnels |
| Main beam (bright) | On dark, unlit roads; dip for oncoming traffic or when following another vehicle |
| Fog lights | Only when visibility is seriously reduced (below about 100 m); switch off when it improves |
| Hazard lights | When stopped, to warn of a breakdown or a hazard ahead; not as an excuse to park illegally |
To check the lights work: ignition on, switch them on and walk around the car. For brake lights use a helper or the reflection in a wall or window.
Hand controls
- Indicator stalk: down = left, up = right.
- Wipers and washers: wiper speeds, windscreen washer.
- Light switch: side, dipped, main (pulling the stalk usually flashes — never use it as a signal on the test).
- Horn: only to warn others of your presence or danger.
- Hazard switch: the red triangle.
- Demisters: front and rear screen.
Engine bay and spare tyre
- Engine oil: car on level ground and engine cold, pull out the dipstick, wipe it, push it back, pull it out again; the oil should be between MIN and MAX.
- Coolant: MIN–MAX marks on the translucent reservoir. Never open the cap when the engine is hot.
- Brake fluid: level in the reservoir between MIN and MAX. If low, see a garage at once — there may be a brake problem.
- Washer fluid: the cap has a windscreen/water symbol; top up with water and a suitable additive.
- Spare tyre: usually under the boot floor; check pressure and tread, and know where the jack and wheel brace are.
Why we don't coast with the clutch down
Coasting — rolling downhill with the clutch pressed or in neutral — disconnects the engine from the wheels. You lose engine braking, the car speeds up, the brakes work harder and heat up, and you can't accelerate out of trouble — in short, less control. Press the clutch only just before stopping and when changing gear.
Following and stopping distances
Also on our instructor's list: the 2-second rule in the dry, 4 seconds in the wet, and these stopping distances:
| Speed | Thinking + braking | Total |
|---|---|---|
| 32 km/h | 6 + 6 m | 12 m |
| 48 km/h | 9 + 14 m | 23 m |
| 64 km/h | 12 + 24 m | 36 m |
| 80 km/h | 15 + 38 m | 53 m |
Leave one metre from parked cars, and more from people.
Likely questions and model answers
| Question | Model answer |
|---|---|
| Tell me how you'd check the tyre pressures. | "Using the figures in the handbook or on the door sticker, with a reliable gauge when the tyres are cold — not forgetting the spare." |
| Tell me how you'd check the tyres are safe to use. | "No cuts or bulges on the sidewalls; tread at least 1.6 mm across the central 3/4 and around the whole circumference." |
| Show me how you'd check the engine oil level. | Open the bonnet, point to the dipstick: "Pull out, wipe, push in, pull out again; the level should be between MIN and MAX." |
| Show me how you'd check the brake fluid. | Point to the reservoir: "The level should be between the MIN and MAX marks." |
| Tell me how you'd check the coolant. | "With the engine cold, check that the level in the reservoir is between MIN and MAX." |
| Switch on the dipped headlights / hazard lights. | Operate the switch and point to the warning light on the dashboard. |
| Show me how you'd demist the rear window. | Press the heated rear screen button and show the indicator light. |
| Tell me how you'd check the brake lights work. | "Ask someone to look while I press the brake, or use the reflection in a wall or window." |
| Tell me how you'd check the power steering works. | "The steering should feel light with the engine running; the wheel moves slightly as the engine starts." |
Instructor's advice: For one week, show your instructor two of these on the car at the start of every lesson. By test day it will be automatic.
