The UK learner driving test includes both Show Me questions, which have to be done on the move, and Tell Me questions which are done stationary at the start of the test. There are 21 questions in total, of which seven should be done, and 14 are just you saying how you would do them.
The seven Show Me questions for the driving test are:
Driving Test – Getting the Show Me Questions right
You will only be asked one of the questions above on your driving test. You should respond by carrying out the appropriate action. Don’t worry if you get the wrong one first time. A lot of people wash the rear window when trying to get the front window clean. You won’t get a fault if you maintain control and safety.
When it is safe to do so please show me how you would open and close your side window?
On a reasonably straight and quiet piece of road, place your right hand on the door card of the car. Run your fingers down the buttons until you find the one with a ridge on it.
Press the front of that button down, the window will open.
Once it’s opened, hook your finger under the button and pull it back. The window should now close.
Return your right hand to the steering wheel.
When it is safe to do so please show me how you would turn on your dipped beam headlights?
On a reasonably straight and quiet piece of road, find the big rotary switch on the dash. It’s by your right knee. Twist it to the right.
Return your hand to the steering wheel.
The examiner should instruct you to turn the lights off if appropriate.
NOTE: if the weather requires headlights, you can turn them on at the start of the test. This may be marked as your show me question but may not.
Safety Critical
When it is safe to do so please show me how you would demist your front windscreen?
On a reasonably straight and quiet piece of road, find the ventilation controls on the dashboard.
Twist all three dials all the way towards the driver. The fans should come on at their strongest and hottest, blowing at the windscreen.
Find and activate the air-conditioning.
Return your hand to the steering wheel.
When instructed by the examiner, undo everything you’ve just done
When it is safe to do so please show me how you would demist your rear windscreen?
On a reasonably straight and quiet piece of road, find the ventilation controls on the dashboard.
Find the rear windscreen demist button. Try finding it a few times on your lessons first and remembering where the button is. You won’t want to take your eyes off the road for too long.
Press the button.
On most cars, the rear demister will turn itself off after a few minutes. You probably won’t need to turn it off yourself.
When it’s safe to do so please show me how you would wash and clean your front window?
On a reasonably straight and quiet piece of road, move your right fingers to grip the back of the wiper stalk.
Pull the stalk towards you and hold it there until the screenwash is sprayed onto the windscreen.
Release the wiper stalk. The wipers should automatically clear the screenwash from the window.
If the wipers don’t clear the screenwash, move the stalk upwards to activate the wipers.
Return to a normal grip on the steering wheel.
Safety Critical
When it’s safe to do so please show me how you would wash and clean your front window?
On a reasonably straight and quiet piece of road, use your left hand to push the wiper stalk away from you.
Hold the stalk away from you until you see the screen wash on the rear window.
Release the wiper stalk. The wipers should automatically clear the screenwash from the window.
If the wipers don’t clear the screenwash, twist the end of the stalk towards the front of the car to activate the wipers.
Return to a normal grip on the steering wheel.
Safety Critical
When it’s safe to do so please show me how you would sound your horn?
Using either hand, press firmly on the badge in the middle of the steering wheel.
Hold for a second or so.
Return your hand to the normal steering grip.
Safety Critical
So what’s this Safety Critical thing all about?
If you have booked a ‘special needs’ driving test, your instructor needs to email the test centre a few working days ahead of your driving test. They should include the things that your disability means you cannot do in this email. If you are unable to carry out some of the show me questions, the examiner should not ask you to do them on the move.
However, the examiner can ask you while stationary how you are going to use these features on a car.
Lets look at the dipped beam headlights question again. To activate the headlights in the SRP Driver Training Ford Focus you have to turn a switch on the dashboard. If you only have the use of one hand, you cant do this on the move because you’d have to let go of the wheel. You have a couple of options here:
- If your car has automatic headlights you could say that they are automatic and will come on by themselves.
- You could also set the headlamps before starting your journey if you expect to be driving in darkness.
- If you have automatic headlamps, you should manually turn them on in fog. Fog lets enough light through to fool the sensors into thinking you have good visibility.
Special Needs Driving Tests
The SAFETY CRITICAL questions are the ones that you must have a good answer for when you go to test, even if you have a disability. You must be able to operate these functions safely, or pre-set them before setting off. The examiner won’t be able to issue a pass if you can’t do these things on the move, or have a strategy to deal with them.
If you are unable to use the Safety Critical secondary controls, you may need to look at adaptations. If you can’t use the ones which aren’t marked as Safety Critical, and your instructor has let the test centre know ahead of time, they cannot ask you to do these tasks during your driving test.
THIS ONLY APPLIES IF THE TEST HAS BEEN BOOKED AS ONE FOR CANDIDATES WITH SPECIFIC ACCESSIBILITY REQUIREMENTS.
Has anyone failed their driving test because of the Show Me questions?
Unfortunately it is possible to fail your test on the Show Me questions. The examiner’s standard procedures, a document called the DT, gives reasons why a fault could be recorded.
It says that if you answer either the Show Me or the Tell Me incorrectly, a driving fault should be recorded in the Vehicle Checks box of the DL25. The DT1 hasn’t caught up with the examiner’s using iPads yet.
The show me questions are done on the move. It’s vital that you continue to remain in control of your vehicle whilst doing the action requested. If your vehicle drifts position, or you speed up and break the speed limit for example, a serious or dangerous fault could be recorded. The examiner would put this in the Vehicle Checks section.
The same is true if you accidentally start the car and it rolls on the tell me question.
It’s very unlikely this will happen though and getting the question wrong isn’t in itself a fail. Even if you got both the Show Me and the Tell Me wrong, provided you kept the vehicle under control and were safe, it’s two driving faults. You can pass with upto and including 15 of them.
