Introduction to Part-Three
On this page you will find important information about preparation for Part Three and taking your final test. Please read this information carefully before starting your 'Core Skills' study.
The information below includes:
Choosing your test pupil
Your test location
Getting practise
Part-Three course contents
For the Part-Three test you will need a 'live' learner. If you are not planning to join our Trainee Licence Programme we suggest that you should start to think about who you might use as your test pupil now.
There are strict rules for 'test pupils', you cannot, for example, take a complete beginner. Full rules about the pupil that you can take to your test can be found here.
Our best advice is that, if possible, you take a learner driver. Some students take a full-licence holder, perhaps a friend or family member, but we only suggest this if you do not have access to a learner driver or unless you have prior experience of working with experienced drivers, for example, as an advanced driving voluntary observer, in the police or military. On the face of it, you might think that an experienced driver would be an 'easy option' but often it can be just the opposite. As an inexperienced instructor* a learner is likely to provide more opportunity to demonstrate your skill.
The choice of who you take is entirely up to you, however we are on hand to offer help and advice with your decision.
If you are completing Part-Three as a stand-alone (online and virtual classroom only) without practical training our support team will assess your test lesson plan for you. If you are joining our Trainee Licence programme you will have a dedicated test lesson planning session with a trainer before taking the test.
While the choice of customer and subject is entirely up to you, in the event that you are unsuccessful on your first exam attempt we will advise on a lesson subject and route for your second test.
*Inexperienced instructor: Instructors vary in their training ability with some who have only been in the job a few years performing better than others who have served a couple of decadses. However, we estimate that it takes around three years full-time work for a 'keen' instructor to reach expert status (some take much longer, othere never achieve it!).
We cannot stress strongly enough that it’s important to know the test area well.
Whether in day-to-day lessons or on test you should never take a learner to a place that you have not been before and/or do not know ‘like the back of your hand’. Simply learning a couple of routes could cause problems during your exam if you need to change the lesson plan, for example to move to a quieter location. There are lots of things that could affect your plan including the way that your ‘customer’ drives on the day, unexpected traffic density, road works or road closures and so on. If your test area is some distance from where you live we recommend that you spend as much time as possible driving around the area to learn it - starting now.
There is a possibility that any training you do with a trainer might not be around your nearest test centre, if this is the case you have a couple of options, both of which have benefits.
If you are unsure about where to take the test we recommend that you choose the area that you trained in. The benefits of this are that your trainer will be able to help you with understanding the local test area and having completed your Part-Two in that location you’ll have an understanding of the local geography.
If you are taking Part-Three without training, do the test in an area that you are totally familiar with and ensure that you fully understand the route planning information offered in this course.
You may have friends or a family member who you can teach in order to gain practise. While we encourage this we must stress that you must abide by the law - if you teach a friend, family member or any other learner you are not allowed to charge a fee for lessons or to take any expenses such as 'petrol money' unless you are operating on a Trainee Licence.
Anyone found to be giving illegal driving instruction is likely to be refused entry to the ADI Register, even if all tests are passed.
In this part of your training you will be learning how to teach; more specifically, how to teach in an in-car environment. The online study units include information about:
Core teaching skills
Here you will learn the basic teaching skills needed to deliver effective driving lessons.
Lesson planning
Driving lessons are not just 'random drives' - learner's could get that experience with friends or family. Effective lessons need to be focussed and well planned in order to give learners the best value in terms of money and learning.
This section considers lesson structure, creating a guide plan and selecting appropriate training routes.
Lesson subjects
The lesson subject material, while important, is perhaps the least important part of iCourse Teaching - if you learn to become a good teacher you will be able to teach any aspect of driving that you are proficient with yourself. As you have demonstrated your expertise as a driver by passing ADI Part Two this means that after developing your teaching skills you will be able to teach any aspect of on-roads car driving. However, this unit will give you 'tips and tricks' for specific lesson topics.
Part-Three test marking
This unit takes you step-by-step through the DVSA marking criteria with explanations and examples.
In car and virtual classroom training
Here you can see the syllabus for the in car and virtual classroom modules of the course.
Trainee licences
This unit explains your Trainee Licence options and our Trainee programme. Note that if you are planning to take out a trainee licence you must do so before your training 'expires' - the regulations state that you must have done 40 hours of training within the previous six months - after six months the DVSA no longer recognise the training as being valid for the purposes of the application. The reason for this is based on 'use it or lose it' - if you don't use and practise the knowledge from your training you are likely to forget it.
Part-Three advice and planning
This unit gives advice about final preparations and planning for your test lesson.
You can find details of the ADI Testing process here.
Your Part-Three preparation starts with the 'core skills' unit.