Don't Cram - Pass Easily       

Passing the theory test got much harder from September 2007, when the DSA will introduced new questions on the environment and health in addition to increasing the number of questions from 35 to 50 and increasing the pass mark to 43 questions.

Here are 5 tips to help you pass the new driving theory test first time.

1.Flick through the Highway code at least once a day for about 2-3 minutes. Doing this will get you familiar with more of the road signs and try to just look at a different section each day. You do not need to read in detail just have a quick look each day and you will pick important bits up.

2.Practise at least 5 times before the real test l. As a minimum you should take a mock driving theory test at least 5 times before attempting the real driving theory test, if you want to guarantee success you should make sure that you can pass the mock theory test three times in a row.

3.Analyse your progress. If you fail questions in the mock tests then see which topics you have failed questions in. You should read through the sections that you are failing in the most and get and revise the key concepts you should know for that section.

4.Take breaks. You will not be able to cram all of the information needed in one session and you will need to let your mind relax. Do a mock test then have a break and do something else, then do another one. Taking breaks in this way help reduce the headaches and other problems you might find from sitting in-front of a computer for too long - and also increase your concentration.

5.Revise in different ways. If you can find different ways to revise for the test, in addition to taking the mock tests, see if you can play simple games to help you remember signs and concepts. For example you can get someone to describe the signs to you and see if you can recognise them from the description - or see if you can describe the signs to someone else when they give you the name of the sign.

There are a lot of resources available to practise the driving theory test - books, websites and programmes make sure you chose resources that allow you do as many of the above tips as possible.

We obviously recommend using uHavePassed to help you practise the driving theory test.

Preparation for the driving theory test is key to your success on the day. There are lots of things you can do to prepare for the driving theory test - but some will be less effective than others. However it is a good idea to make sure that you do prepare in different ways because this engages different parts of your brain.

We all know that when we do the same things again and again they tend to become boring. Our brains are very good at adapting to the work we do and repetition of tasks is a job the brain can adapt to quickly. This is normally a good thing - but when trying to revise or learn things this can lead to us losing concentration or our mind drifting or wondering on to other things as we work.

Revision for the driving theory test is an area where this can easily happen. The most common way to prepare for the test is by taking mock tests that allow us to practise the questions from the real test. This is an effective way of practising for the test - but doing the mock tests time and time again starts to make it less effective.

To get the most out of the mock test approach you need to start well in advance of the actual theory test - if you can you should be doing these types of tests at least 20 days before the real tests - this allows you to take a single 50 question test each day and you have a good chance of seeing most of the questions in that time. Another advantage of preparing in this way is that if you miss a day - you can take two tests on the next day to catch up (if you do do this though - take a break of 10 minutes between the tests or find another activity to do).

One problem with doing the mock tests after each other is that practising 50 questions is a repetitive task as you have to repeat the questions 50 times. It is much better if you can to find ways to do smaller sessions more often - take 15 questions then do something else, then take another 15 questions etc. However you should take a 50 question test at least 3 times before the real test - this will make sure you know what to expect in the real test.

Doing mini 15 question tests is not that easy though - there are not many resources out there that allow you to take such small tests and even worse you must keep returning to the computer. This is why we developed uHavePassed and a useful aspect of this software is that it works on your mobile phone and therefore you don’t have to keep returning to the computer - but can also take a mini test on the bus, whilst waiting somewhere, lying in bed on the sofa and other such exotic places! (Our research shows that popular usage of uHavePassed happens before falling asleep in bed).

In addition to changing your activities between full-length and smaller length tests it is a good idea to find other ways to engage your brain. You can try to play games with the road signs for example - get a friend to describe a sign to you - until you guess the name of the sign. There are plenty of games you can try to make revision of the driving theory test more interesting - we have included games in the mobile phone version of uHavePassed to provide some other alternatives.