In short
Spend two weeks on the routes used at your test centre, sleep well the night before, and arrive 15 minutes early with your provisional licence and glasses. Everything else is detail.
Updated 2026-06-06 · 8 min read · By Driving Routes Editorial
The countdown timeline
Practical-test prep stops being about "learning to drive" two weeks out — it's about pattern repetition. Use the time to over-practise the things you know you'll be marked on.
Day 14 to day 7
Drive every published route at your centre once. Use voice guidance on the first attempt and identify the three trickiest sections. Drive your hardest manoeuvre (usually parallel park or reverse bay) twice in different car parks.
Day 6 to day 2
Mock test with your instructor on the route you found hardest. Then drive your other weakest route a second time. Re-read the show-me-tell-me questions and answer each one out loud — the examiner expects fluency, not perfection.
Day 1 (the day before)
Light driving only, on a route you already know. Lay out your provisional licence, glasses (if you wear them), and a backup pen. Sleep matters more than another lesson would.
Test morning
Light breakfast. Arrive 15 minutes early. Eyesight test from 20 metres — bring glasses if you need them. Calm the nerves with a short walk around the car park, then check your mirrors and seat position before the examiner sits in.