Driving Instructor Legal Requirements

• You need to have held your license for a minimum of three years
• Your license needs to be in the category that you intend to teach in
• You cannot have 5 or more points on your driving license
• You must be over 21 years of age
• You must be able to read a license plate from 90 feet away (wearing glasses to do this is fine)
• You must have not been convicted of a sexual, violent, financial or drug-related crime or have been banned from working with children

Before you can legally charge money (or monies worth) for driving instruction in a car, you must either:

• be a recognised ADI on the official register
• have a valid and current trainee driving instructor licence

Part 1: Theory Test

The ADI Part 1 is the theory test specifically tailored for aspiring driving instructors. It is part 1 of the three tests that you need to take to become a fully qualified driving instructor.

PART 1: Theory Test

The driving instructor theory test is formatted in the same way that the learner driver theory test is laid out however, there are some crucial differences between the two. Here are some of the differences between the driving instructor theory test and the learner driver theory test:

• The multiple-choice pass threshold is 85%
• There are 100 questions
• Hazzard perception pass threshold is 57 out of 75
• There are 2 sections to the test, to pass you must pass the multiple-choice and the hazard perception on the same day

Hazard Perception and Multiple-Choice Test

The multiple-choice section of the test has 100 questions that you must answer. You must achieve:

• An overall score of at least 85 out of 100
• At least 20 out of 25 in each of the 4 categories of questions

The ADI Driving Instructor Multiple Choice Test Categories are as follows:

• Road procedure (you need to have in-depth knowledge on this topic)
• Traffic signs and signals, vehicle controls and some understanding of car maintenance
• Driving test, the law and disabilities (you will need to be well versed on the most recent laws and regulations)
• Teaching techniques and understanding how to convey information to learner drivers

To pass the multiple-choice section of the test, you need to get 85 out of 100. You need to score 85% to pass overall, a minimum of 20 out of 25 in each of the 4 categories. It is vital that test candidates study each section extensively because you must score at least 20 on each category to pass. You cannot get 20 on 3 categories and then a lower mark on the other section, you would fail the test.

In order to pass the driving instructor theory test, you must take and pass the hazard perception section of the test too. The hazard perception tests your driving awareness skills which is crucial if you want to be a fully qualified driving instructor. This is what the hazard perception test consists of:

• 14 video clips (you need to spot the hazard in each clip)
• All the clips include one hazard
• One clip contains 2 hazards
• You receive 5 points for hazards that you identify correctly
• You need 57 points to pass the hazard perception test

You can book your driving instructor part 2 test, which is the practical portion of the test once you have passed your theory test.

If you don’t pass the theory test the first time, you can retake it as many times as you like until you pass. However, with the other driving instructor tests, you are limited to a maximum of three attempts.

Part 2: Practical Driving Test

To become a qualified driving instructor, you need to be able to demonstrate excellent driving ability. Part 2 of the 3 driving instructor tests is the driving ability practical test. The duration of the test is one hour, and it will include:

Part 2: Practical Driving Test

• Eyesight test
• Vehicle safety questions
• Driving ability

Eyesight Test Requirements

You must take an eyesight test to ensure you can read a number plate – 26.5 metres for vehicles with a new-style number plate and 27.5 metres for vehicles with an old-style number plate.

Vehicle Safety

The test examiner will ask you a series of five questions. Three of these questions are known as “tell me” questions. The remaining two questions are “show me” questions, here you will have to demonstrate your ability to take instruction and perform the required driving manoeuvre. If you become a driving instructor, these are the same questions that you will be asking your students. You will get a minor fault for providing a wrong answer, you will get a major fault for losing control of the vehicle when you are answering the show me questions.

• 3 ‘tell me’ Questions (where you explain how you’d carry out a safety task) at the start of your test, before you start driving
• 2 ‘show me’ questions (where you show how you’d carry out a safety task) while you’re driving

Driving Ability

This is the most important part of the test, and you must be able to demonstrate all of the following:

• A skilled handling of vehicle controls
• Understand and demonstrate correct lane discipline and road procedures
• Ability to anticipate and plan for potential hazards
• Ability to consider all road users
• The correct judgement of speed
• Eco-friendly driving
• Be able to cope with all traffic conditions and situations
• You might be asked to perform an emergency stop

Reversing Manoeuvres

You will need to be able to demonstrate your manoeuvre capabilities with expert precision because you will be teaching these same manoeuvres to your learners. Your test examiner will ask you to do two of the following manoeuvres.

• Reverse parking into a bay
• Drive into a parking bay and reverse out of the bay
• Parallel parking
• Stop on the right side of the road and reverse for two car lengths then rejoin the traffic
• Pull up next to a car and reverse into the space to the rear of the car. You need to be able to stop near the curb and within two car lengths of the car

To pass, you need to be able to demonstrate expertise and the ability to maintain all-around observation and consideration to other drivers and pedestrians.

When the test is over, you will be given your test score. If the examiner gives you less than 5 minors and no major fault, you would have passed part 2 of the driving instructor test. You can now take part 3, the teaching ability test.

Note: You can only take this test 3 times. If you fail all 3 tests, you cannot take another test until 2 years have passed. The 2 years is counted from the date you passed your theory test.

Part 3: Instructional Ability Test

The ADI part 3 test allows you to demonstrate your teaching skills to an examiner. For this you will have to carry out a driving lesson with a real learner, the examiner will sit at the back and observe the lesson.

Your task will be to choose a subject for your learner, your lesson must be well thought out and planned and you must fully focus on the needs and abilities of the learner driver.

You will be marked on the following things:

Note: you need to fully understand the test marking sheet as you will need to take the ADI check test in the first two years after you qualify as a driving instructor.

Lesson Planning

Did you correctly recognise the learner’s targets and needs?
This part of the assessment is very important, you would need to be able to correctly identify your learner driver’s needs and goals before you can plan a lesson that meets those specific needs.

Was the lesson plan right for the student’s past knowledge and ability?
You and the learner driver must come to an agreement regarding the format of the lesson. However, it is up to you to create a fully functional plan to meet the student’s needs. The goal is to ensure that you teach, and the student learns.

Was the route you chose suitable for the learner?
You need to make sure that the route you choose is appropriate for the ability of the learner driver. You need to challenge the learner, but safety is the number one priority here.

Did you adapt the plan when necessary to help the student meet their learning objectives?
You might need to tweak your plan during the lesson for example if you planned to focus on roundabouts, but they missed some crucial mirror checks along the way, you will have to work on correcting this before you move on.

Total marks for this part of the test = 12

Risk Management

Did you explain risk management to the student?
Both you, the trainer and the student are responsible for managing risk.
Explain the responsibilities to the learner driver, you also need to provide the learner driver with information regarding dual controls.

Did you give clear and concise instructions t