Questions the Tester asks on your Practical Driving Test day in Ireland

Highlights of the entire Driving License process:

1. Take the Driver Theory Test
   i. Book your test here: https://theorytest.ie.
   ii. Practice for the test from this app: https://apps.apple.com/app/driver-theory-test-ireland/id1407740480 and give a few mock exams on the app and also here: https://www.officialdttonline.ie.
   iii. Give the test and get your pass certificate.
2. Book an appointment at NDLS once you pass your test
   i. Book your appointment here: https://ndls.ie.
   ii. Submit all the required documents and your pass certificate.
   iii. Wait for your Learner License to arrive (usually takes around 5 days to reach).
3. Book an ADI and start taking driving lessons
   i. After you get your Learner License, you can start taking lessons.
   ii. Book the best ADI you can. Check reviews, recommendations, etc. I heard that ISM is really good but they have a very long waiting queue. Airport Driving School is another well-known one.
   iii. By default, you need to take 12 lessons but if you have a full license in your home country then you can reduce this to 6 lessons. You don’t even need to wait for 6 months to give your practical test in this case. For this, you need to submit your driving license and a letter of entitlement to NDLS. There are a few other terms and conditions that you can find on Google when you search “Reduced EDT”.
   iv. After around 20 days, you will get a letter from NDLS saying you are eligible for Reduced EDT. Keep this letter with you and also take this letter to your test. This isn’t mentioned anywhere on their website nor on their pre-test checklist and because of this I wasn’t able to sit on one test but they realised it was their mistake and refunded my money.
4. Take the Driving Test
   i. After completing the required number of lessons, book your driving test on the rsa.ie website (remember to choose a time when the road won’t be busy).
   ii. Go to the test center with your learner permit, and the letter from NDLS (for Reduced EDT). Make sure you read the “Prepare for driving test day” section from the RSA booklet. That’s it. All the best!

Questions (and Answers) that the Tester asks before the practical test

Rules of the Road

1. What do 2 broken white lines in the middle of the road indicate?
2. What does a continuous white line indicates?
3. What does a broken yellow line of the side of the road indicate?
4. What do 2 continuous parallel yellow lines at the side of the curve indicates?
5. What does a continuous yellow line at the side of the road indicate
6. What is aquaplaning?
7. What is a clearway?
8. Where should you not park your car?
9. Who can legally stop or direct traffic?
10. How would you spot zebra crossing at night time?
11. How would a pedestrian let you know they were going to cross a zebra crossing?
12. When can you overtake on the left Lane?
13. What road markings would you see at the start of a one way street?
14. What are the speed limits on the following roads Motorway/Dual carriage way/National route/ Pedestrian/Built up area/Regional and Local roads?
15. What is a contra flow bus lane?
16. What is the difference between a bus lane and QBC?
17. Give 2 instances where you can drive on a hard shoulder?
18. When where can you not perform a U turn?
19. What does amber lights signify?
20. What do flashing amber lights mean?
21. When should you turn on your side lights?
22. When should you dip your headlights?
23. What should you do if you are dazzled by an oncoming driver’s Hi Beam?
24. What is the difference between a pedestrian and Pelican crossing?
25. What do white zig zag lines indicate?
26. What do yellow zig zag lines indicate?
27. List 4 things you cannot do on a motorway?
28. When can you drive through a junction box?
29. Can you ever stop in a yellow box?
30. Describe your approach from a minor road to a dual carriage way?
31. Describe your approach to a roundabout on how you would take the third exit?
32. Who has the right of way at a crossroads where the roads are of equal importance?
33. What is the minimum legal tread depth of a tyre?
34. What does a stop sign mean on what road markings would UC if the road onto which you are emerging is clear can you proceed without stopping?
35. How far from the junction must you park your car?
36. How far from the curb are you allowed to park your car?
37. What does an island in the middle of a pedestrian zebra crossing indicate?
38. What does a broken white line in the middle of the road mean?
39. What is the one thing you should not do when a car is overtaking you?

Answers

1. Indicates that a single or double white line is coming up
2. You must keep to the left of the road no overtaking
3. Indicates the edge of the carriage carriageway or hard shoulder
4. No parking at anytime
5. No parking during business hours usually between 7 AM and 6:30 PM
6. Aquaplaning occurs when a film of water lies in the road and when you brake your car skids
7. You cannot park or stop in a clearway during the times indicated
8. On double or single yellow lines/On white or yellow zigzag lines/At a bus stop/ln a clearway/Where it is a continuous white line/On the brow of a Hill/On a bend/On a humpback bridge
9. Garda/School Warden/Person in charge of animals/Pointsman
10. 2 flashing beacons oval in shape on either side of the crossing
11. They must put their foot out on crossing
12. When the car on the right has indicated they are turning right when you intend to turn left and have indicated so when traffic in the righthand Lane is travelling slower than the left Lane
13. A continuous white line with a broken line behind it
14. 120/100/100/50/80
15. A bus Lane that travels in the opposite direction to the flow of traffic
16. A bus Lane operates Monday to Saturday 7.00 to 19.00 hours while a QBC operates monday to Sunday 24 hours a day
17. When you wish to allow faster moving traffic to overtake and when you wish to build up speed when you have made a left-hand turn onto a major road
18. When there is traffic in the immediate vicinity where there is a continuous white line never near a bend within 15 metres of a junction of a set of lights on a motorway in a one way street
19. Prepare to stop unless it is unsafe to do so
20. This indicates a Pelican crossing ahead you must yield to pedestrians but you may continue if the crossing is clear
21. At the beginning and at the end of lighting of hours during the day when it is over cast when it is raining
22. When there is oncoming traffic/when you are travelling behind traffic/in dense snow or fog/going over a humpback bridge/going round a bend/where there is special speed restriction in a residential area/in general not to inconvenience of a traffic
23. Look at the verge slow down and stop if necessary
24. At a Pelican crossing the lights change from red to flashing amber to allow traffic to flow if there are no pedestrians on the crossing whereas a pedestrian crossing changes from red to green like normal traffic lights
25. Indicates a pedestrian Pelican zebra crossing is ahead and no parking or overtaking is allowed between the lines
26. School Keep clear
27. Stop/Reverse park/U turn
28. When your exit is clear on the opposite side
29. When you are making a righthand turn and you are not obstructing traffic
30. Approach on the righthand lane or the right hand side of your Lane indicating right you must treat the joke carriage way as a two way street yield to traffic coming from the right and if it’s clear proceed to the media nor central island you must now yield to the traffic on the left and when clear proceed into the right turn aiming for the left Lane if your car is too long to fit the median you must complete the turn in one go
31. Approach the roundabout on the right hand side of the Lane with the right hand indicator on yield to the traffic coming from the right of the roundabout continue around the roundabout until you have passed the second exit and switch your indicator to the left hand indicator an exit close to the left hand side of the road while constantly checking your mirrors
32. You must you too traffic on right hand side and also to traffic when they already in the junction
33. 1.6 mm
34. You must stop at a stop line or if no stop line, stop at the stop sign, if no stop sign at the stop ine
35. 5 metres
36. 45 cm
37. It indicates 2 pedestrian crossings are not one you Keep over to the lefthand side of the road so as to to do so may proceed if professions are not on your side of the crossing
38. Allow cars to overtake also overtaking is permitted when it is safe
39. Increase your speed

Questions about the car engine

• How would you check the following:

  • Engine Oil level
  • Coolant level
  • Windscreen Washer Fluid level
  • Brake Fluid level

For answers to the above questions, please check your car’s manual or ask your ADI.

Questions about car interior controls

Q1. How to turn on the front demister?
A1. This is a slightly tricky. The answer is to put fan speed to maximum and then change mode to front demister. The front demister depends on the car model. If you forget to say about the fan speed then you would get a mark (green).

Q2. How to turn on the rear demister?
A2. Just press the rear demister button.

Q3. How to turn on full beam/dipped headlights?
A3. Check your car’s manual or ask ADI.

Q4. How to turn on the windscreen wiper (with and without water)?
A4. Check your car’s manual or ask ADI.

Useful resources

1. Video series by RSA.ie: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLi8nqrsVU6htG_YioGm047eltfgvkW5OH (you can watch other videos on their youtube channel as well)
2. Video series by ISM: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9wfPZmOZvK3mZy0o52l0hFe2jGZupThv (they are old but believe me they say all the rules that my ADIs’ failed to tell me)
3. Tallaght test routes: http://www.adischoolofmotoring.com/tallaght-test-routes/ (find something similar for your test routes. This helped me a lot to know the subtleties of the routes. I passed my test on Route 3 which is the hardest among all in Tallaght and a big chunk of my ‘thank you’ goes to these videos)
4. Official Rules of the Road book: https://www.rsa.ie/docs/default-source/road-safety/rules-of-the-road.pdf
5. Subscribe to RSA on Twitter/Fb/Youtube/etc. to stay abreast of any news.