Checktest

Checktest

I recently had a checktest. This is a test of instructional ability carried out by the Driving Standards Agency to make sure driving instructors are performing up to a required standard. At the end of the checktest the instructor is graded between 1 and 6. Grades 1,2 and 3 are unsatisfactory and would require another checktest within a short space of time and if there were no improvement, could lead to the instructor losing their license to instruct for payment. Grades 4,5 and 6 are acceptable, 6 being the highest grade attainable. No further checktest required for 2 to 4 years depending on the grade attained.

The Driving Standards Agency (DSA) prefers to assess an actual lesson with the supervising examiner sitting in the back of the car during a driving lesson. Where the instructor is unable to provide a pupil, DSA will accept role-play with the supervising examiner acting in the role of a pupil.

Either way the instructor has the advantage of choosing the topic for instruction, so he/she is not unprepared for the lesson. As my personal instruction is far less now and I spend much of my time in the running of the driving school, I chose role-play.

At the appointed time and day, I met up with the supervising examiner and he gave me an outline of his role-play pupil. As we set off to find the car. I made sure I didn’t have to actually check his license or eyesight before starting the driving lesson and I checked very carefully he was okay to drive from the main road. Normally, I would never allow this, preferring to find a quiet road to introduce the car and its controls. His role was near test standard so it wasn’t a problem.

The supervising instructor will drive with some driving faults and he/she is looking for these to be identified and corrected. Where I went wrong was not in the identification but in my response. Basically he was driving a little too fast on approach to junctions, I didn’t feel it was a serious problem and referred to it on a number of occasions but he continued to drive the same way. I should have pulled him over and explained in more detail the problems that can occur when driving too fast for given situations. End result I was given a grade 5. I’m okay with that and felt it was a fair result. No further checktest for another 4 years – hopefully!