Driving test marking, faults and results
There are 3 categories of faults you can make in your driving test.
Dangerous faults
A dangerous fault involves actual danger to you, the examiner, the public or property.
You will fail your test if you make any dangerous faults.
Serious faults
A serious fault is something that has the potential to be dangerous.
You will fail your test if you make any serious faults.
Driving faults
A driving fault is not potentially dangerous, but if you keep making the same fault, it could become a serious fault.
Pass mark
To pass your test, you must have:
- no serious or dangerous faults (sometimes called ‘majors’)
- 15 or fewer driving faults (sometimes called ‘minors’)
Your results
At the end of your driving test, your examiner will:
- tell you whether you have passed or not
- explain any serious or dangerous faults you made
You’ll also get an email that gives you your result.
53 out of every 100 driving tests were failed in Great Britain during March 2024
Common mistakes people make
To help you understand examples of the mistakes people make in their driving test, we’ve put together the list of top 10 reasons people fail the driving test.
Remember, if you regularly make any of these mistakes during your driving lessons or private practice, it means you’ve still got more work to do until you’ll be ready to take your driving test.
You can use the examples with your driving instructor and supervising driver to help identify any areas where you still need to develop your knowledge, skills and understanding.
Top 10 reasons for failing the driving test
The top 10 reasons are:
- not making effective observations at junctions
- not using mirrors correctly when changing direction
- not moving off safely
- incorrect positioning when turning right at junctions
- not having proper control of the steering
- not responding appropriately to traffic lights
- not responding correctly to traffic signs
- poor positioning on the road during normal driving
- not responding correctly to road markings
- not keeping control of the vehicle during reverse parking
Top 10 reasons for failing the driving test in Great Britain.
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Not feeling completely prepared?
Only take your driving test if you’re feeling completely prepared.
You can move your driving test back if you’re not feeling quite ready yet.
It’s free to change your appointment time, as long as you do it at least 3 full working days (Mondays to Saturdays) before your test.