Standards Check Test Training

Many ADIs are concerned with this question with many thinking that it’s okay to just say, “I have dual controls on my side of the car, if you lose control of the car during the lesson I will have to use them.”

They seem to think that by saying this at the beginning of a lesson, it will score them a 3 out of 3 in this area.

What you say to the pupil with regards to sharing the risk and the responsibilities will depend on the lesson you have planned.

Here are some dos and don’ts to help clear up any confusion on what is expected:

• Make sure you’re familiar with the test centre you are assigned to for your standards check. If you have recently changed location, taking your standards check in an area you don’t know may affect your score.
• Give instructions well in advance. Reinforce the directions if there is a language barrier by using your hands to guide them correctly and keep them on route.
• Use the same instructions/directions terminology as the examiners on the test.
• When exiting roundabouts, mention the exit required – first, second, third, fourth exit off.
• Make sure the pupil you use for your standards check understands you well. If there is a language barrier this may hinder your ability to score a higher grade in this area.

• Don’t waffle and use more words than is necessary for your instruction. Ensure that your instruction is concise and to the point as much as possible.
• Don’t give instructions to change direction at short notice.
• Don’t force your pupil to stay on route if they have misunderstood a direction. Keep them driving as safely as possible and get back on the route you want as soon as you can.

In this section the examiner is looking to see how your pupil copes with the route you have chosen.

If you are teaching meeting and anticipation for the first time and you end up taking your pupil through a busy market square on a Saturday, then you might be in trouble. The pupil will be out of their depth and start struggling with many hazards and have little time to react to your instruction.

If you apologise to the pupil and say, “I’m so sorry, I completely forgot the market was on today” and get them out of the busy area then the examiner will understand that’s not normal practice from yourself.

If you carry on going through the market square and repeat the route again then you are likely to score 0-1 in this area.

There will be times when your pupil is struggling with a chosen route and it is your job to recognise this and reduce the difficulty level to something they can cope with.

If you are working like a lunatic and talking really quickly just to keep the car safe then you may have pitched the difficulty level too high for your pupil. You need to work the pupil’s mentally with thought provoking instruction and questions. If you are working at 100%, your pupil is probably working at around 20%.

Keep an eye on the pupil’s emotions, body language and general manner. If the pupil seems bored, you may need to ask more thought provoking questions or increase the difficulty of the lesson.

If the pupil looks anxious or nervous then you may need to reduce the difficulty. Ask questions to see if they understand what they are doing or are they just following orders/ instruction.

You will often have to intervene during a lesson. However, it’s how you do it that’s important to the examiner.

Many instructors think it’s okay to use the dual controls then let the pupil know what they have done wrong. Many instructors feel that it is okay to assist with the brake and clutch throughout a lesson, without letting the pupil know they are being assisted. If this is you, you need to stop touching the dual controls now – unless it’s an emergency. All you are doing is keeping the car on the road. You are fooling the pupil and ultimately increasing problems later when they want to book their test or questioning why they are not ready to book/take their test. If you had not been kidding them for the last 10 hours, they would be able to understand better why they are not ready to drive on their own.

In the event that you do have to intervene, try to do it verbally and early before the problem requires the dual controls. For example, if your pupil is approaching a roundabout too quickly, ask them to slow down but give them a speed to slow down to and a time to do it by.

If they haven’t slowed down to 20mph by the time you have reached the target area you may need to assist as a last resort. If you have to intervene, explain why and what is required next time, so you don’t have to physically assist them.

The key words to note here are “safety critical incidents”.

Firstly, ask yourself, what does critical mean? The Oxford English Dictionary explains it as having the potential to become disastrous; at a point of crisis. Now that we have an understanding of the word critical, it’s safe to say that any potential safety critical incidents occurring during the lesson will need to be addressed, discussed and understood. Doing this should, hopefully, prevent the pupil from making the same fault again. The best way is to get your pupil’s full attention by pulling up by the side of the road and discussing, analysing and ensuring that your pupil understands what to do next time in order to avoid the same incident from happening again.

Example

You’re driving along and your pupil suddenly brakes for a pigeon that has landed in the road. It has taken you by surprise and you emphasised to the pupil to come off of the brake and not stop. Fortunately, there is nobody behind you. There is a definite need to pull up as soon as possible and explain when you should brake in an emergency and when you shouldn’t. Explain the consequences, risks, effects on the car and most importantly what the pupil should do next time when the situation arises.

If you dismiss something like above, or aren’t thorough enough, then you certainly won’t score 3 in this area.