In short Nerves come from the unknown, so take the unknown away: drive the roads around your test centre, take a mock test, and know exactly what happens on the day. On the morning, keep to a routine and have a warm-up lesson. During the drive, breathe slowly at red lights and focus on the next junction, not the last mistake.
Updated 9 November 2026 · Source: GOV.UK car driving test guidance, checked 9 November 2026
Make the test feel familiar
- Know the area. If the roads around the test centre are roads you have driven many times, a big part of the fear goes.
- Know the format. Read what happens on the practical test, step by step, so nothing comes as a surprise.
- Do a mock test with someone quiet in the passenger seat, so being watched feels normal. See how to run a mock test.
Make the roads around your test centre familiar with the Driving Test Routes app
On the morning
- Keep to a normal routine: breakfast, not too much coffee.
- A warm-up lesson gets the first-drive nerves out of the way before the examiner gets in.
- Do not tell too many people your test date. Fewer people asking how it went means less pressure.
- Arrive a few minutes early, but not so early that you sit worrying in the waiting room.
During the drive
- Breathe slowly when you are stopped: in for four, out for six.
- Drive the next junction, not the last one. A mistake may be a minor; worrying about it causes the next one.
- Ask if you did not catch a direction. Examiners would rather repeat it.
- Talk yourself through it quietly if it helps: "mirrors, signal, position".
If nerves are more than nerves
If you have anxiety, a health condition or a learning difficulty, you can say so when you book. You still drive to the same standard, but the examiner can make adjustments, such as more time for directions or following signposts instead of a sat nav.
Frequently asked questions
How do I calm my nerves before a driving test?
Make the test familiar (drive the area, take a mock test, know the format), keep a normal morning routine, have a warm-up lesson and breathe slowly when you are stopped.
Will the examiner fail me for being nervous?
No. Examiners mark your driving, not your nerves. Nervousness only matters if it leads to driving faults.
Can I tell the examiner I am nervous?
Yes. Many people do, and examiners are used to it.
Read next
Practise on the roads around your test centre
The Driving Test Routes app turns your phone into a practice coach for the practical test.
- Practice routes around UK test centres, with voice directions
- Mock tests that score the drive and list the faults to work on
- All 21 show me tell me questions, with photos of each control
- An emergency stop drill that times your reaction