Complete guide to getting the most out of your driving lessons and passing your test
1. Set yourself up properly (before lessons start)
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RSA-approved ADI only. By law, only Approved Driving Instructors can deliver EDT.
Local to your test centre. Instructors who work that centre every day know the typical routes, awkward junctions and what testers in that centre are picky about.
Ask them straight:
"What's your pass rate?"
"How do you run mock tests?"
"Will you mark me like the RSA sheet?"
Book lessons fairly close together at the start (e.g. 1–2 per week) so skills stick.
From day one, agree:
Target test centre
Rough test month
When you'll start doing full mock tests (usually after lesson 8–10)
2. Before you ever sit in the driver's seat
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Read the RSA Rules of the Road cover-to-cover at least once; it's literally what both theory and practical are based on.
Focus especially on:
Yellow warning signs and road markings (hatching, solid vs broken lines, bus lanes) – these get asked at the start of the test
Right-of-way rules at junctions, roundabouts, and pedestrian crossings
RSA marking guidelines:
Any Grade 3 fault = instant fail
4 of the same Grade 2 in one area = fail
Too many Grade 2s overall = fail
Common fail reasons straight from the RSA: inadequate observation, poor road position, poor progress, bad mirror/signal use, ignoring signs/markings, wrong speed, right-of-way mistakes, and weak manoeuvres.
Build your whole training around not picking up Grade 2s in those areas.
3. How to get the most out of each EDT lesson
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Before the lesson
Example: "Today I want to fix lane positioning at roundabouts and my clutch control starting on hills."
Jot down faults and fixes immediately after.
During the lesson
Tell them to actively use the instructor, not just sit there:
They need to understand the reason behind every correction – that's how they stop repeating it.
After the lesson
If an instructor isn't happy to do this kind of structured review, they're not great.
4. Driving between lessons (this is where people actually pass or fail)
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Almost every experienced instructor / Irish Reddit thread says the same: lessons alone aren't enough. You need real miles.
Always with a fully licensed driver over 2 years, insured, L-plates, etc. Try to replicate lesson topics in your own car: same junctions, same roundabouts.
Use the RSA fail list like a training menu:
Observation:
Look: mirrors → signal → blind spot check → move, every time. Practise big head movements when checking mirrors and blind spots – testers need to see it.
Road position:
Centre of lane, correct lane on roundabouts, correct position on left/right turns.
Progress:
Not crawling everywhere. Irish testers will fail you for being too slow and holding up traffic if it's safe to go.
Speed control:
Practice holding 48–52 in 50 zones, 58–62 in 60 zones where safe – not 40 everywhere.
Right of way & traffic controls:
Signs, markings, yellow boxes, pedestrian crossings, filter lanes.
5. 4–2 weeks before the test: go into "test mode"
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Same length, same centre, minimal talking, full marking sheet. Learners on r/ireland and r/Dublin say this is one of the biggest game-changers.
After the mock, go through:
Every Grade 2: what, where, why
Whether any pattern would cause a fail (e.g. 4 x "progress" Grade 2)
Traffic behaves differently at 8:30 vs 14:00. Practise the awkward spots your instructor knows are often used in tests.
Typical Irish car test manoeuvres (check current RSA list, but usually): moving off safely, hill start, reversing, turnabout/U-turn, parking. Weak manoeuvres are called out as a major fail reason.
For each one, your checklist can have:
I can do it without a single prompt from the instructor
I always check mirrors and blind spots visibly
I keep good control (slow, steady, no rushing)
6. Test-day paperwork & car checklist
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Documents
Car condition
If the car is a mess or not roadworthy, the tester can flat-out refuse to take you.
7. Headspace / nerves (what actual learners say helped)
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Pulled from multiple Irish Reddit threads:
It's 30–40 minutes of the driving you should already be doing. Expect to make tiny mistakes; testers aren't looking for perfection, they're looking for safe and consistent.
No sudden lane changes, no panic braking. Indicate, then follow through smoothly – don't bottle it halfway through a manoeuvre.
People who passed often say: "I just kept checking mirrors and doing the basics." Build a habit of a quick mirror scan every 5–10 seconds and before any change.
It's better to wait a bit longer at a tricky roundabout than to launch yourself into a dodgy gap. But if there's a clear safe gap and you sit there forever, that's a "lack of progress" mark – hence the practice on judging gaps beforehand.
8. Small "cheat codes" (all legal)
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Irish instructors have pushed those little convex blind-spot mirrors (the €2 ones from Lidl/Aldi) as a huge help – wider field of view, better awareness when changing lanes/merging. Still must do proper shoulder checks – but they reduce surprises.
If you'll test in the instructor's car, try to do the majority of your lessons in it. If you're using your own car, practise only in that car for at least a week before test: pedals, bite point, indicator feel, everything.
Quick mental checklist: Mirrors set → Seat & steering → Seatbelt → Handbrake → Clutch test → Breathe. Repeating the same start-up routine kills nerves and prevents stupid early mistakes.